Finally back with the internet after vacation and I am on day 3 of my 5 day Gratitude challenge. These are the three blessings for today: It is difficult to mention gratitude without mentioning my first female role model and feminist influence- my Mother. There are so many gifts that she has given me. To have had the opportunity to see in her what it means to be a women with strength of character, faith and compassion was such an incredible gift. For someone who spent her life being a mainly at home wife and mother she had some pretty radical views of feminism – well before her time. She raised her five daughters to be independent and strong women with their own ideas. From a young age Anita Burton raised each of us to believe in the importance of an education- she explained that we needed to be able to take care of ourselves because women couldn’t always expect to be taken care of by a man. She would tell us that life is not always without its unexpected bumps along the way and it was essential that we had job worthy skills so hence an education was key. I remember selecting my credits in grade nine and she told me it was important to take typing in high school not to become a secretary but to be able to type my essays at university. She was always there to catch us when we stumbled but she expected us to get up and try again – not to be perfect but to do our best. Through it all there was unconditional love and optimism that never failed me. In the days just prior to her passing she was able to talk to us and tell us that she felt she I had had a good life but what I was thinking was how grateful I was that she had also given me the opportunity and life lessons to make sure that I would have a good life. I am still working on becoming more like my mother. Good friends are precious to me. One of my favourite songs is sung by many but I love the Joe Cocker version - I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends – it speaks to me about my life and friendships. Friends can be counted on to celebrate good times and help you get through the rest of the time. They are there when it isn’t convenient for them and when their schedule doesn’t allow it because they keep the friendship a priority. They make an effort not an excuse. They are the people left after the party helping to clear the dishes and put everything away because they wouldn’t want you to have to do it yourself in the morning and they don’t want their time with you to end so quickly. It is a rare moment when there isn’t laughter going on between me and my good friends. They keep connected because friendship isn’t about whom we have known the longest but who is there when you need them. Even over long distances with some of my friends far away friendship remains – in fact it still grows because distance cannot separate true friends. These are the people who you may not see for a long time but when you are together you immediately find the bond that made you friends in the first place and you don’t skip a beat you just pick up from there. For the life lessons I have learned from my friends – thank you - I am so grateful for this blessing. I have always been fortunate to either work with children or work with others who work with children. Being a teacher was a passion for me and remains even though I have retired. I chose this path when I was very young but never regretted it as it provided an opportunity to learn and do a variety of educational related jobs. I loved to learn but more importantly I loved to spend time in the company of children. I remember one day I was outside my Grade Two classroom putting up a bulletin board display and my mentor, much older teacher who worked across the hall, Marion Astrop , came out of her room and said, “ It’s hard to believe that we get paid for having so much fun”. I will never forget that comment because no matter how challenging the students, parent or task I felt I was making a difference and having fun. To be in the company of children of any age is to be surrounded by laughter and joy – it is contagious. As an instructional consultant , I worked with a young teacher once who had been a paramedic and when I asked why he became a teacher after spending so many years in another career he explained the effect of such joy. He mentioned that when he was home during the day after working the night shift and he would look across his backyard and he would see children laughing and playing at recess. He found it was such a sharp contrast to the violence and tragedy he had to deal with as a paramedic every day. He knew he wanted to be surrounded by that laughter and joy. It would not be accurate to say every child was joyful at all times but out of those difficult times were the opportunities to help kids realize their potential and gain confidence in dealing with a world that for many was not easy. I am grateful to have had many years surrounded by the joy of children.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 04:51:51 +0000
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