Back to the home office

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

In preparation for a meeting, I was supposed to fly into Milwaukee last night, but all the flight delays and cancellations meant staying overnight in Minneapolis. The rebooked flight finally got to Milwaukee this morning–as soon as the wheels hit the ground–everyone dug out their cell phones and buried themselves in the latest texts and email messages. Everyone in the plane sat shoulder to shoulder, but with no conversations or interactions. And we wonder why many people feel lonely even among crowds of people.

I came to meet with my Provincial Council about St. Joseph’s Indian School’s planning to expand the museum and add better space for our alumni to visit. A big part of the project also involves floor space to tell the story of the history of St. Joseph’s Indian School. This afternoon, I provided background material, cost estimates, drawings, and answered questions as best I could. Observations from the Council helped provide direction and guidance. I’m finding this building project is taking a lot of work on the front end, so that it can be as useful and good as we hope when it’s finished.

Our SCJ retirement home is in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin. I visited those members of our community and joined them for supper.  Many of them also served in South Dakota, at St. Joseph’s Indian School or one of the missions. They invested a lot of themselves among the Lakota (Sioux) people and reminisced about the early days of the work.

This was my first trip back to the “home office” in over a year, since before I got sick. Everyone was very curious about my health, and I provided the latest updates. Everyone remarks how “normal” I look and say that with a sigh of relief and delight.

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 90 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future. View all posts by St. Joseph's Indian School