I wanted to start this blog post with a quote, so I Googled, “Funny quotes about endings.” That didn’t really produce the result I was looking for though, so then I Googled, “Funny quotes from TV shows.” Jackpot. Say what you will about The Office, but Michael Scott as Regional Manager at Dunder Mifflin seems to be drawing some suspicious parallels to Sarah Weglarz as Summer Intern at SVFS. Just take a look at these quotes from Michael himself: 

“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.” I felt like this. All. The. Time. I actually don’t think I practiced a single presentation before I led an activity the entire summer. I just hoped I figured it out along the way, and usually, I did. (Except for the very first activity I wrote about in my fifth blog. Read it and weep. For me. Because my first activity failed miserably). 

“And I knew exactly what to do, but in a much more real sense I had no idea what to do.” Another very applicable one. Experience is the best and only teacher for this job. After reflecting back on this summer, I don’t think it would have mattered whether I had a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. All the schooling in the world couldn’t teach you how to have enough patience to say, “Friends, Ms. Sarah is NOT going to tell you again. We do not eat the water balloons.” 

“Tell him to call me ASAP as possible.” I think I probably said something like this to my boss every day (sorry Sara). Sometimes trying to figure out who I needed to email to find supplies, or how to make a master schedule, or what times everyone had therapy was even more complicated than being in the classroom with the kids. 

“I guess the attitude that I’ve tried to create here is that I’m a friend first and a boss second and probably an entertainer third.” I can say with certainty that anyone who works at Saint Vincent wears more than one hat. One moment, you could be talking about favorite foods, the next minute you’ll be telling someone not to swallow the paper towel they just put in their mouth, and a few minutes after that, you’ll probably be raising the roof to Animals by Maroon 5. 

“They say on your deathbed you never wish you spent more time at the office — but I will.” This one is true. I’m really going to miss this place, and the fact that I was hesitant about applying for this internship at all sounds ridiculous now. The kids and staff make SVFS something special, so here are some people who’ve left their mark on me this summer:

The Hugger: I’ve written about this kid before, but he’s been so impactful to me that it would only be right to include him in the list. He’s in residential care at the moment; he gives the best hugs that always begin with a running start, and he has the biggest, brightest, most authentic smile. He’s so full of life, and he’s funny. He told me a story today about how his room smelled a little stinky when he got up this morning, but instead of just telling me that, he said, “Ms. Sarah, I walked in that room, and OH LORD JESUS, it stank to high heavens!” Then he proceeded to “faint.” He’s taught me that joy can be brought to folks in the simple things, like hugs, smiles, and dramatizing a stinky room. 

The Dancer: This kid is from Prep Academy, on the school side. I spent quite a bit of time with his class, especially in June when I was learning the ropes, partly because I got along well with his teacher, but also because I just enjoyed the kids. The first time I met him, he was dancing. And I mean really dancing, to this song. Bust a move, little buddy. I’m pretty sure he’ll end up on Broadway one day. Other noteworthy interactions include: putting my hair in a (surprisingly) good looking messy bun, saying “Of course you can, Ms. Sarah!” every time I asked if I could use his project as an example, covering, and I mean covering, the birdhouse he painted with 5 different bottles of glitter, and last, but certainly not least, these words: “I love you, Ms. Sarah!” I’d say he’s taught me the importance of being true to yourself. A little cliche, maybe, but something most people have yet to learn.

The Giggler: This little girl’s giggle was filled with pure joie de vivre. Her nose would scrunch up, and it would slide her glasses a little bit further down her face than she wanted them to be. And she giggled at everything. She’d always tell me I was being Silly Ms. Sarah, even when I was saying things like Shhhhh, or Shhhhh, or even Shhhhh. (I said that a lot in her class). One day though, she shared with me an experience she’d had, and I asked her how she felt about it, to which she replied, “It makes me feel sad, and sometimes I cry about it. But that’s okay. Everybody has to cry sometimes.” She’s taught me that even the gigglers of the world cry about things, but that’s just what makes us human, I guess.

The Second (Unexpected) Hugger: This kid was in the same class as the dancer, and to be honest, he was a tough nut to crack. He had trouble focusing, and he wasn’t one for hugs or help or even high fives—I just never really felt confident that I had reached him. As I was walking to my office this morning though, I happened to see him in the hallway, and he asked if I was coming to his class. I told him, “Yeah, I actually am!” to which he replied, “YAY!” and gave me a quick but intentional side hug. I was shocked, and I actually stood in the hallway for a few seconds to collect myself. I had never seen this kid show any kind of physical affection to anyone, ever. Yet here he was, giving me a hug. So, I think he’s taught me that even the people we think are unreachable are actually pretty reachable if we just keep showing up for them. 

The Friend: The kids at Saint Vincent are special, but so are the staff. Mr. Ray is a behavior specialist, and the first thing that struck me about him was his positivity. It seemed to emit from him, almost like radiation from the sun. I’ve walked past Mr. Ray a lot this summer, but never without a high five, a hug, or a “MS. SA-SA-SA-SA-SARAHHH!” 

Another thing you should know about Mr. Ray is that he knows everyone, even though he mostly floats between just two classrooms. And, not only does he know everyone, but he introduces me to everyone too. Being 1) an intern and 2) only around for the summer sometimes made it challenging to feel like a real part of the team, but Mr. Ray has a way of bringing people together. 

I’ve had a lot of memorable moments with Mr. Ray, but this one is probably my favorite. I was walking from my office to the residential part of the building, on a mission to find a working printer and a toilet that wasn’t clogged, which required me to scurry past the gym doors. Mr. Ray, if you’re reading this, I hate to break it to you, but I heard you guys in there and I was trying to sneak past. Anyway, as I was walking, I heard a voice shout, “Ms. Sarah?” So, begrudgingly, I backed up, to find Mr. Ray and a few other staff members playing pickup basketball. Here’s how the rest of the conversation went:

“You got a jump shot Ms. Sarah?”

“Um, not really. The extent of my basketball skills is 4th grade church league. So, I’m not really sure how good that makes me.”

“C’mon, just shoot one!”

I proceeded to totally airball. Like, not even close. I shot again, and at least that time it hit the backboard, but the real point of the story is that my morning started with some bad basketball and a good laugh. Sometimes, I can get bogged down in the pressure of succeeding, but Mr. Ray reminds me that it’s okay to pause, airball, and laugh at yourself every once and a while. 

The Boss: Big, scary, intimidating Sara. Uh, no, I’m kidding. Sara is probably one of my favorite people ever, and not at all intimidating. (Except I was telling her the other day that I was scared of her during my interview). She’s been my sounding board, my stress reliever, my getter doner of things I couldn’t, my answerer of questions (of which there were many), and so much more. Sara, I couldn’t have gotten through the summer without you. The office was cozy with all those boxes, and either the Sahara desert or the Arctic tundra with no in between, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. (Except maybe the fan could have been on a consistent happy medium). 

The point is, I’ve grown to love this place and these people. To quote Michale Scott again, “‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ – Wayne Gretzky.” And I’m so glad I took this one.