Go Irish! Beat Boilermakers!

Hello, Echoes From Notre Dame books fans,

I’m sure you’ve heard me say at one point or another that the reason I attended the University of Notre Dame is because my dad went there. At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I applied to nine other schools before I even considered Notre Dame, and as a result, it was the last school I heard from. But the moment I opened that acceptance letter, I knew it was where I was meant to be.

My first semester at Notre Dame was no easy journey. I started as an engineering major, with a packed schedule of 18 credit hours, and I was far from home. My dad, however, became a guiding light during that time. He wrote me letters every Sunday, letters I still treasure to this day. They're dated, numbered, and often titled. Every fall, I reread them to remind myself of my Notre Dame journey and how much he helped me through it.

As I reflect on those letters, one from September 22, 1989, stands out, and I’d like to share a portion of it with you:

“College life is a little like the opening paragraph in A Tale of Two Cities. If you remember, it starts something like this: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ This is a fitting description of life in general, but especially of college life. Going to college is the first major revolution in your life. It won’t be as bad as the French Revolution portrayed in A Tale of Two Cities, although at times you might feel that way. College life is revolutionary in the sense that CHANGE in your life is happening very quickly. You are essentially on your own for the first time, no longer living in an environment chosen by your parents. Dormitory living, obviously, is not one that you will choose to spend the rest of your life in either, but it is required and it is different. However, it is a very important part of your learning experience.”

“College life has to be revolutionary because so much has to be learned in such a short period of time. You might ask yourself, ‘What’s he talking about? I’ll be here four years—that’s a long time.’ That’s true, but time is relative to how long you’ve lived. For someone who graduates at twenty-one years old, they will have spent about 20% of their life to that point in college. Relatively speaking, that is a large part of your life. But these four years must sustain you for the rest of your life. In my case, I have now spent less than 10% of my life in college, and relatively speaking, 10% isn’t much time at all, considering everything I have done that resulted from my college education.” This passage is a powerful reminder of the rapid and sometimes overwhelming change that college students experience. And while it’s been a challenging start to the football season for us fans, we must remember the incredible transformations these young men are going through. One loss does not define the season. Let’s rally behind our Sons of Notre Dame and give them the grace they deserve as they take on Purdue this weekend.

In the spirit of hope, I also encourage you to share the gift of Notre Dame with fellow fans. Whether it's revisiting the past glories or celebrating our shared journey, my Echoes From Notre Dame book series could brighten the fall season for any loyal fan. Check them out and consider sharing with someone who could use a bit of the Fighting Irish spirit!

Keep the faith and Go Irish!

Warm regards, Lisa Kelly

Author, Echoes From Notre Dame www.echoesfromnotredamebooks.com