Olive Tree Blessings L137

Hello 🙂 

Love Always Wins for those who fight the good fight. Let’s come together for something fresh!

It only takes one act of kindness to protect our children, teach our children and change our communities for the absolute best. Every act of kindness ripples into all things. 

‘Eric’s Promise, to be more giving,’ is my brother’s legacy. Eric died Valentine’s Day 2002, at the age of 17. 

Eric was given $5 by my Grandma, in 2002, just before he died. Eric gave this $5 to his friend so he could give a girlfriend a rose for Valentine’s Day. Eric was like that all of the time, selfless.

That is all it takes. $5 to change someone’s life and to create peace, love and kindness within our schools.

With $5 we can buy a pack of colored pencils, share them amongst a classroom and create a small note of love for our classmates. We create a Divine Exchange with color, thoughtfulness, simplicity and the greatest love. This one act then provides a balanced opening of courage that our children can follow, walk through and build upon. An opening of kindness. A path of courage becomes the new normal. A path of being bold in kindness becomes acceptable, acknowledged and a tool to be used in the coming days, years and generations. Simple. True.

Get creative with it. Those that you know who struggle together, pair them OR if you want it to be anonymous, put the kids’ names in a hat and have them pick. Be intentional, be love and let’s take the power of love within us and change the communities we live in, with one simple act of kindness.

Luke 18:27

27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Much Love, Melissa Schroder 

The Background: 

“Eric was just like any other student on Ash Wednesday (2-13-02). He attended Mass at school that day and received ashes to his forehead. But, Eric had also made a conscious decision to be more giving. It was something he decided on his own, not something I said he should do. He was a big candy lover. He always gave up candy for Lent, so I took his Lenten promise that year to be more of a life changing effort on his part, not just something you do for Lent and forget about. Eric lived his faith. In a religion paper he wrote in 2002 he felt it was most important to live by the Golden Rule, and to treat others the way you, yourself would want to be treated.”

– Mary Molnar (Eric’s Mom)

God is astounding. Glory Be to God!!!

Eric died instantly in a car accident, the very next day, Valentine’s Day 2002, by hitting a walnut tree. I discovered the following just the other day:

“In Christian culture in general, the image of the walnut, with its three parts, is associated with the Trinity. Saint Augustine … asserts that the nut may be considered a symbol of Jesus Christ. According to this interpretation, the outer hull represents the flesh, the wood shell stands for the cross, and the kernel alludes to Christ’s divine nature. Generally speaking, the image of the walnut in art should be read in this light. (Stephen Sartarelli, trans. Nature and Its Symbols, 172)” (Catholicmom.com)

A ladybug landed on a family member’s shoulder at Eric’s funeral. It was just a handful of years ago that I discovered the following:

“In Christianity, the ladybug (or “Our Lady’s beetle”) symbolizes divine protection, good fortune, and faith, linked to the Virgin Mary; its red color represents her cloak, and its spots symbolize her sorrows or joys, stemming from European folklore where they saved crops from pests. While not directly in the Bible, ladybugs are seen as messengers of God’s care, embodying humility and spiritual growth, with sightings offering comfort or reminders of faith.”

-AI

The ladybug follows our family and shows up just when we need it. The walnut continues to guide me wherever I go. Love.

in Jesus’ name. Amen.