Saturday, January 7

Quote of the Day:  “The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.”  Shakti Gawain

We are experiencing “The winter that wasn’t”, as said by Joe Cantore from the Weather Channel.  It has been amazingly warm, so much so, that yesterday I cleaned out my garage with a light jacket on.  Today, however, we are getting a little snow so Maggie and Kate came over and Joe took them outside to play.  There’s something so magical about playing in the snow when you are a child.  I told Maggie that she should make paths around the yard but she said she didn’t know how.  One of the great advantages of growing up with a lot of siblings, and older ones especially, is that there was always something going on and someone to play with.  I am inside trying to write this blog, because I feel more complete when I’ve written, but I need to be outside playing in the snow. 

I was listening to NPR this week and stumbled upon a program about “moments” that change our lives.  I was so intrigued as I listened to stories of people who could, in one moment, mark the point where their lives were made different usually by a single event.  A lot of people talked about teachers or professors or just someone who believed in them and either said something to them or took some action and at that moment in their lives, it struck something deep inside them and understanding took place.  The program interviewed Larry Smith, the author of the book The Moment: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories from Writers and Artists Famous and Obscure. Of course, it got me thinking about moments in my life and really two teachers came to mind.  

Mr. Gowens, my 7th grade math teacher at Olympus Junior High, seemed about 80 years old when I first came to his class.  He was small and funny looking but he said something that first day of class, and I can’t even tell you what those words were, but he made me afraid.  I feared that if I didn’t show up to class with my homework finished, I would be in so much trouble.  He wasn’t a threatening man but whatever he said or showed by his manner, made me realize that I was responsible for my learning in that class.  It was live-changing for my study habits.  I had him for two years, and there was not one day that I showed up without having my work done.  Consequently, I got really good at math and aced every test but here is what I appreciate today mostly about this man.  He made sure that we knew the stuff.  He went over tests better than any other teacher I’ve ever had.  He was a master teacher and lucky for me he was teaching junior high at a critical time in my life.

My next life changing moment came from a professor of English at the University of Utah.  It was Fall of 1977, my first semester in college and I was taking the required writing class and discovered that one assignment made all the difference for me.  We were required to purchase a writing notebook where we would record all our thoughts and feelings at that time in our lives.  I kept this journal in my bag and whenever I had a free moment, I would write in it.  It was my blog for the day.  I wrote and wrote and it became like a dear friend to me and then came the end of the semester when we turned them in.  At the end of my writings, my professor had written these words:  “I have skimmed over some parts of your journal.  Clearly you have the best, most thoughtful and profound collection of ideas in the class.  I think you have an unusually great potential in writing, and I sincerely hope you realize your talent, that you accomplish in actuality all that you have in potentiality.”  Really?   As I currently read over those words, I’m struck by the kindness and encouragement sent my way.  This professor impacted my decision to major in English.  Even reading the words today, I’ve forgotten how much it means to have someone believe in you.  Neither of these men ever knew that they shared in my “moment” of change.  I wish Mr. Gowans was around so that I could thank him.  I don’t think he ever knew just how great a teacher he was.

Kate, Maggie and the Snowman!