Our Mission is Transformative
Our Mission is Transformative—And Sometimes, It Makes Me Cry
During our last board meeting… I literally cried. Not a cute, single-tear cry, but a full-blown, ugly, overwhelmed, snotty-nosed cry.
That morning, I started my day with yet another rejection letter. I read four lines in and completely broke. It wasn’t just disappointment—it was shame, exhaustion, and grief all wrapped into one. The pain wasn’t just in my heart; it radiated through my entire body. It wasn’t the idea of failing myself that crushed me—it was the fear of failing my family that brought me to my knees.
And of course, my schedule didn’t care that I was falling apart. I had back-to-back meetings, each one requiring me to put on my game face and sell people on our mission. Before every meeting, I had to literally slap myself out of the funk I kept falling into.
Right before one meeting, Evan texted me.
"I love you so very much."
I barely read past that before the tears started welling up. I continued reading:
"Even though this is a huge bump in the road, I know your intentions are so pure. Things will happen and work out in the end. You are a fighter and that’s why I married you. Don’t worry. We get through everything. Us together forever ❤️."
Cue instant waterworks. Like, full-on Niagara Falls out of my eyeballs. I sat there, late for my meeting, but for the first time that day, I allowed myself to just feel.
Evan’s words replayed in my head. I got myself together. And you know what? That meeting went amazing. It started to remind me why I’m doing this in the first place.
As I prepared for our board meeting that night, I knew this couldn’t be a business-as-usual check-in. I needed to be real with them. I needed to admit that I was struggling. I needed to say out loud that I couldn’t do this alone.
So, after a beautiful prayer from our board member Nobles Darby, I took a deep breath and let it all out.
I blubbered (because let’s be honest, this was not a poised, dramatic moment—it was full-blown, voice-shaking, messy emotion). I talked about the shame I felt for not being able to shield my family from the weight of this struggle. I told them about how much I was carrying and how scared I was of letting them down.
I didn’t know what to expect.
What I received in return? An outpouring of love, support, and belief.
More than a plan—they gave me hope.
And in that moment, I realized something: St. Bonaventure Academy is not just a dream. It is an inevitability.
Yes, this vision is big. Yes, this is hard. But what we are trying to accomplish is so much bigger than me. It’s bigger than my feelings of doubt and fear.
What we are building will change lives.
For our students.
For their families.
For generations to come.
Our mission is transformative. And yes, sometimes it makes me cry. Because it matters. Because it’s hard. Because it’s worth it.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all the struggles in my life, it’s this: The hard, the sad, the frustrating, the painful—it’s all necessary. Because it allows us to fully embrace the joy that is yet to come.
And I know, without a doubt, that the joy is coming.
Onward,
Carrie Grace
