Friday, May 19, 2023

“This thing we call life is not a destination with an end, but a path down which we continue to journey as long as we can breathe. Life is to be lived, not squandered or to go give away waiting for the end to close upon us.”  -Byron Pulsifer 

Dear MNPS & Community Member:

Many years ago, during my short residency in Miami as a young immigrant, my sister invited me to spend the Thanksgiving weekend over with her. At that time, she lived in Fort Bliss, a military base in El Paso, with her then husband and their young child. It was going to be my first official Thanksgiving experience in the U.S. and I was extremely excited to get there as soon as I could.

At that time, not considering the implications, I thought it would be both fun and cost-effective to travel by bus. So, without consulting with her or anybody else for that matter, I bought a round-trip Greyhound ticket and headed my way to Texas on a Tuesday that week, eager to reach my destination.

It was, by far, the worst decision of my life! I had miscalculated the number of stops and how long the trip was. To make matters worse, the combination of discomfort and several people snoring loudly in my proximity, made it almost impossible for me to even doze off. The following day, I thought the nightmare was over when I saw  a sign on the highway that read "Welcome to Texas," until I saw another sign that read "El Paso, 800 miles". At that time, I didn't know whether to cry or to laugh (I think I did both). I just could not believe it!  After many more gruesome hours, I finally arrived at my sister's late Thursday afternoon, barely on time for Thanksgiving dinner. Several days later, I bought an airplane ticket back to Miami and ripped the return portion of the Greyhound ticket to pieces.

Years later, I made several road trips with my own family, the longest of them from Nashville to New York and back, with me behind the wheel most of the journey. This one, in particular, was quite enjoyable as I had better planning, had my loved ones with me, and also was more focused on the journey itself, rather than the final destination.

So is life. It's a journey through which we find many moments of frustration, exhaustion, and despair; it makes us go through long twists, turns, valleys, and mountains. Many times, it lets us experience physical and/or emotional pain. Conversely, life can also bring a sense of purpose, bestowing upon us calmness, happiness, joy or even bliss, particularly if we try to focus on the intricacies of the journey, rather than the destination itself. At the end of the day, the vehicles we utilize and the people we surround ourselves with to carry us to our destination can make the difference. Sometimes we find ourselves journeying through life alone, but it is important to experience those carpe diem moments - seizing and living each day of one's journey to the fullest.

Finally, as a reminder, Thursday, May 25, is half-day for all students and the last day of school. That day, report cards are issued for elementary and middle school students. Report cards for high school students will be issued on June 2.

Until next time!

When two immigrant parents relocated their twin boys, Aaron and Uriel Espinoza Moreno, from Mexico to the United States during third grade, they were in pursuit of a better life and opportunities in Nashville. It would be safe to say the twins have made the most of their opportunities and are on the path to great success, with Aaron graduating as the salutatorian of Whites Creek’s Class of ’23 and Uriel ranking fourth in the class – and both of them earning full-ride Bell Tower Scholarships to Belmont University.

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If you’re not familiar, Youth In Action! (YIA) is a network of young people taking action on the issues they care about. High schoolers in YIA collaborate with NAZA-funded partners on elevating youth voice within programming and beyond. This includes educating youth on advocacy, aiding them in creating and implementing their community-based projects, and reflecting on youth involvement in the community. Youth leaders have also met with elected officials, school leadership, and presented at national conferences about what youth are looking for in their schools and out-of-school time programs, how to amplify youth voices, and the importance of involving youth in decision-making.

Ways MNPS youth, families and the community at large can participate:

The Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) invites the community at large to join the NICE team for an afternoon of food, music, and camaraderie to celebrate their work together, and the diverse immigrant and refugee communities that make Nashville special. All are welcome to attend, meet new friends from around the world, and have a NICE time.

The event will be hosted June 3, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Woodmont Hills Church, 3710 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN 37204.

RSVP HERE

Facebook en español: @MNPSSpanish  | Twitter en español: @MNPS_Spanish

Rubén E. De Peña

Equity & Diversity Coordinator | MNPS Communications Department

2601 Bransford Avenue, Nashville, TN 37204

 629-999-7005 | ruben.depena@mnps.org | linkedin.com/in/ruben-e-depena