A goal, A dream, A Legacy

By Br. tim Blanchard, ofm conv., associate editor

Nathaniel Lindstrom’s dream was to attend St. Francis High School. To reach that dream, he held onto a principle; better grades will open doors. “Hearing the news I got accepted into St. Francis was amazing,” Nathaniel said, “but knowing I have met my goal was even better.” Nathaniel attended school at Our Lady of Victory Elementary in Lackawanna, which encouraged and influenced his decision to attend St. Francis. “Shortly after we left OLV, there was something in Nathaniel that just loved that environment.” Sean Lindstrom, his father, said, “he instantly missed the values at OLV, so he set an early goal to go to his dream school.” When the Lindstroms moved to Hamburg, NY, driving past St. Francis High School became part of the commute, but for Nathaniel, it would soon be the destination. With St. Francis set as his North Star, Nathaniel worked tirelessly to maintain good grades while keeping a positive rapport with his classmates. “It’s not been a walk in the park,” Nathaniel describes, “you start to doubt yourself about how good you are, but you just have to overcome it.” Nathaniel’s determination began paying off when he received the news he had been accepted into the National Junior Honors Society at Frontier Middle School, an omen of good things to come. His mother, Sarah Lindstrom, describes the cheering moment when Nathaniel found out he was now an honors student. He broke into tears and said, “This will help me get into St. Francis.”

In early January, the moment came that would change Nathaniel’s course forever. Nathaniel had just returned from basketball practice and proceeded to his room to change and finish some homework. Before he could put pencil to paper, he heard his mom call him downstairs. Is it time to empty the garbage? Maybe mom needs help with dinner, Nathaniel speculated. As he reached the end of the stairs, he heard the kitchen filled with unfamiliar voices. “My heart skipped a beat,” Nathaniel describes, “I had two Franciscans in my house!” Friar Matt approached Nathaniel and asked, “Do you want the bad news or the good news first?”. Still trying to comprehend what was happening, Nathaniel responded timidly, “bad news first.” Friar Matt extended his hand to Nathaniel, shook his hand, and said, “There is no bad news. Congratulations, you have been accepted to St. Francis.” Paralyzed with excitement, Nathaniel hugged his parents as he held his acceptance letter in hand; a dream now incarnated. Nathaniel will join the legacy of Lindstroms, who have attended St. Francis; his uncle Rodney Lindstrom class of 1978, and his grandfather David Lindstrom, class of 1981. “My father-in-law is reconnecting to SFHS because of Nathaniel,” Mrs. Lindstrom shares, “he has been going to alumni events again. There is just this awakened excitement about his time at St. Francis that he is now sharing with Nathaniel.” I asked Nathaniel at the end of the visit if he thought about the man he wants to become as he attends St. Francis, his answer was not surprising, “I’ve never really been a part of a brotherhood. But with my siblings, I have a lot of practice. I want to be a brother who will help others achieve their goals because I know my brothers will have my back as I will have theirs.”