Thank you. It is such an honor to be up here today with my colleagues. I had the pleasure of working closely with so many of you who I now consider my friends. I am also pleased to see former students, parents, and community members in attendance.
When I considered what I might share today I reflected on why I, and possibly others today and in the past, have been chosen for this honor. Personally, I don’t believe it is because of any great accomplishments achieved on my part but rather it was the influence I had in the lives of others.
A question I have often asked my students and volleyball players was “What do you think is the most important thing in JP's life?” Often their first answer was “volleyball”. Others said coaching, teaching, being healthy, family. All good things, but if you truly knew me, I hope you would see that what is most important to me is “relationships”. For me, this begins with my “relationship” to God. He is my Father. He is my Brother. He is my Savior and Lord. And He is my Friend.
With time, I’ve become more aware of the importance of relationships. We can be passionate about many things but I believe what determines the quality of our life is the quality of our relationships. This is where I have found true purpose and meaning in my life.
In Genesis, the 1st book in the Bible, God says that when He created things He called them all “good”. All except one thing. God stated that “it was not good for man (Adam) to be alone” and so He created Eve. As we come out of this world pandemic it has become all too clear how damaging isolation is to people and how much we need quality contact & interactions with each other.
I would like to ask each of you here, “What is the most important thing to do with your life?” Consider what your response would be. When Jesus was asked this question, His reply was “to love God with all our heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbour as much as you love yourself”. This could be summarized in 3 Simple Principles for Living: # 1. Love God. # 2. Love People. # 3. Serve the World. When I leave this world, I cannot think of a better thing to have people say about me than that he loved God, he loved people, and he spent his life serving others.
Finally, I want to publicly acknowledge all the students, parents, staff, administrators, and the entire Belleville community that allowed me the privilege of sharing in your lives. As I sought to love and serve here, I found myself so much more “Receiving” an abundance of love and care. For this I am eternally grateful. Thank you.
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