Photo was taken next to the Ballincollig By-Pass, Co.Cork (Irl)

It’s a lovely sight this week to see so many at silage in lovely sunshine. The memories of last summer, the constant rain, the floods and the stress levels are still raw and fresh. It is a relief and blessing to see the fields being cut and the crops for winter coming in. There is a long way to go yet, but it’s great to see lots of busy but happy farmers at their work this week!

Best of luck to everyone starting the Junior and Leaving Cert exams today!

Thought on Wednesday – June – 05/06/2013

‘There are more than 10,000 ways for life to unfold when one takes that last step out the door of the school and into the great adventure of life. Exams provide one stepping stone on that journey, but they are a means to an end rather than an end in themselves.’ ~Maria Byrne

Today the Junior and Leaving Cert exams begin. The long wait is over. Last year it rained right throughout the exams and this year it looks like lots of sunshine! It is an anxious time for so many starting the exams and also an anxious time for parents. Everyone agrees it is an unfair system, that everything seems to rest on the outcome of these exams. Everyone who has done exams knows that there is always life after exams but for those doing the exams this is hard to see sometimes. But there is always a bigger picture. Exams are stepping stones in life. Education is life long and many opportunities will unfold no matter what happens with the exams taking place over the next week or so. They say exams are not there to catch anyone out but to find out how much a student knows. So let’s hope and pray that each exam will give every student an opportunity to show how much they know.

Saint Joseph of Cupertino is the patron saint for those doing exams. He struggled big time with study and exams. Somehow he always scraped through. Today he is a friend to everyone doing exams. We pray to him to gently calm, direct and help every student starting their exams today.