I'll Begin with Teachers...

It's hard to know with whom to begin, so I am going to start with two special ladies from my youth; one is my 4th Grade teacher, and the other is my 10th Grade Sunday School teacher. Fourth grade was not really a special grade, but my teacher, Kalynn Harrison made it special. She was beautiful, sweet, loving,....I could go on and on! I wanted to be just like her and loved being in her class. She would not remember this, I'm sure, but I can still remember the comments she made on my report card, back when the comments were hand-written! It will embarrass me to share the comment that meant the most, but one six weeks, her comment was, "Amy is a teacher's dream." I share this only because the words she wrote still mean so much to me, still make me smile and feel very special, and it's been a long time since I was in the fourth grade. The encouragement she gave me as a timid fourth grader was what I wanted to pass along when I became a 4th grade teacher. The five years I taught in public school, I wanted the kids in my class to know they were as special as Mrs. Harrison thought I was. She left a huge impression on me! The next special lady was just what I need during a difficult year in high school. 10th grade was not the best year for me, simply because that year was when my friends and I started making "choices," and the choices some of my friends were making were drastically different from mine. As a result, some friendships grew distant, but Mrs. Becki Berry was my encouragement that year. She knew the difficulties I and my best friend (who was also in her class) faced at school, mostly because her daughter was also a good friend of mine, a year older than me. Our youth group was small and very close-knit. Mrs. Becki knew that we wanted to be Christian examples at school, and that the choices we made because of our faith and beliefs left us "out" with some friends. However, through Sunday school lessons, cards, personal talks with me, and hugs that gave lots of love, she encouraged me personally to keep my faith strong and know that God would honor the choices and commitments I made. This encouragement continued long after I was no longer in her Sunday School class, and even now through a Facebook connection with her daughter, she continues to be an encourager. I am so thankful that God put her in my life during this time because she was faithful in her service to Him, which in turn impacted my life greatly. Thank the Lord for encouraging, loving words and actions from teachers!