Favorite Teacher
Each of us had a favorite teacher while growing up. I was blessed with more than my fair share of great teachers. I’ve found that the ones that are still in my thoughts today are the ones that believed in me as a kid. Ms. Burden, Mr. Allgood, Ms. Fagg--we thought nothing of that name when I was nine--Coach Gray and Coach Cagle all stand out in my mind. But Mrs. Moore, my second grade teacher, stands above all the others. She had a heart of gold yet none of her students ever took advantage of that. She was kind yet firm, encouraged each and every kid to be the best they could be and truly extended unconditional love to all of us. Who could ask for more?
Frequently Mrs. Moore would ask me to promise that I would be a teacher when I grew up, and I always gave her an enthusiastic “yes.” I followed through on that promise by earning a degree in education and becoming that teacher. It was a short-lived career, just three years of teaching and coaching, but the things I learned have been and will continue to be part of me throughout my life. More importantly, I will always cherish the example that Mrs. Moore set by just “being.”
“The difference between good teachers and great teachers: Good teachers make the best of a pupil’s means; great teachers foresee a pupil’s ends.”—Maria Callas (1923-1977)
The 2nd grade photo, which included Mrs. Moore, is the only class picture I’ve kept to this day.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
What will be will be
What will be will be
Some of my fondest memories are of my grandmother. She had a beautiful vegetable garden that kept her going spring and summer in her later years. I have a vivid picture of her in the garden, hoe in hand and wearing Nike cleats, at the age of 82. She had fallen in the garden a few weeks earlier, and I thought the cleats might help her with stability as she worked throughout the day doing what she loved most.
Whenever I would share my troubles or worries of the day with her she would often say “What will be, will be.” I often thought she was losing it because she remained so calm throughout some very trying challenges in her life, but as I reflect back on what she said, I now have a much clearer understanding of those words. She was simply telling me that what others do with their lives was not my decision. It was more important that I focus on my own reactions to these life situations and reframe the attitude I had toward difficulties.
“It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”- Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994)
My grandmother must have been eating her own homegrown tomatoes 24/7.
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Some of my fondest memories are of my grandmother. She had a beautiful vegetable garden that kept her going spring and summer in her later years. I have a vivid picture of her in the garden, hoe in hand and wearing Nike cleats, at the age of 82. She had fallen in the garden a few weeks earlier, and I thought the cleats might help her with stability as she worked throughout the day doing what she loved most.
Whenever I would share my troubles or worries of the day with her she would often say “What will be, will be.” I often thought she was losing it because she remained so calm throughout some very trying challenges in her life, but as I reflect back on what she said, I now have a much clearer understanding of those words. She was simply telling me that what others do with their lives was not my decision. It was more important that I focus on my own reactions to these life situations and reframe the attitude I had toward difficulties.
“It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”- Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994)
My grandmother must have been eating her own homegrown tomatoes 24/7.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Human Exhibit
Human Exhibit
Last fall Ruth and I visited “Bodies” the Exhibition in Las Vegas. I’ve always been in awe at the human body, having had many related classes in high school and college that gave me a better understanding of how complex and sophisticated, sensitive yet durable the body is.
The size and content of the exhibit itself was breathtaking and opened my eyes even more to the intricacies of our “mortal shell.” If you clasp your hands, the resultant shape is about the size of your brain. Studying the brain exhibit intently for a while got me thinking of how that modest-sized organ, to a large extent, controls who and what we are each day. Everything going in and out of our brain shapes our concept of who we think we are.
Then I moved over to the heart and was wowed again by the thought of how much work it does every minute of every day. It’s the key to keeping us alive and active, but in it I saw much more than just a powerful pump that sends oxygen and nutrition to every cranny in our body. It contains the fullness of our life, both physically and metaphorically. It is our essences. Imagine what our world would be like if each path we took began and ended with the heart.
“I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” – Princess Diana (1961-1997)
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Last fall Ruth and I visited “Bodies” the Exhibition in Las Vegas. I’ve always been in awe at the human body, having had many related classes in high school and college that gave me a better understanding of how complex and sophisticated, sensitive yet durable the body is.
The size and content of the exhibit itself was breathtaking and opened my eyes even more to the intricacies of our “mortal shell.” If you clasp your hands, the resultant shape is about the size of your brain. Studying the brain exhibit intently for a while got me thinking of how that modest-sized organ, to a large extent, controls who and what we are each day. Everything going in and out of our brain shapes our concept of who we think we are.
Then I moved over to the heart and was wowed again by the thought of how much work it does every minute of every day. It’s the key to keeping us alive and active, but in it I saw much more than just a powerful pump that sends oxygen and nutrition to every cranny in our body. It contains the fullness of our life, both physically and metaphorically. It is our essences. Imagine what our world would be like if each path we took began and ended with the heart.
“I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” – Princess Diana (1961-1997)
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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Life Vision
Life Vision
At 47 years of age I wasn’t questioning my life’s vision. I was in good health, had a great job and a wonderful circle of family and friends. But there is something about the word “cancer” being added to your personal vocabulary that makes you question that vision. Was there maybe an empty space within me that went unnoticed in a life that might’ve had a tad more superficiality than was normal for me? The cancer was my awakening experience. It was the most precious vision exam I’ve ever had and brought me back to 20/20 from 20/30 or beyond. What I found was that my heart was void of nothing. I had simply been distracted, thereby allowing my life vision to get blurry.
I would imagine at some point in a day, week or year we all feel as though something is “missing” in our lives. In reality, chances are that nothing is missing—you have simply begun losing track of all that is within you. It shouldn’t take a major event, such as an illness or accident, to correct your life’s vision. Every day brings with it an opportunity to observe and evaluate what is in your heart. That’s the key to bringing your life into sharp focus.
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”—Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
“People only see what they are prepared to see.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Please click "Comments" below to share your thoughts or opinion.
At 47 years of age I wasn’t questioning my life’s vision. I was in good health, had a great job and a wonderful circle of family and friends. But there is something about the word “cancer” being added to your personal vocabulary that makes you question that vision. Was there maybe an empty space within me that went unnoticed in a life that might’ve had a tad more superficiality than was normal for me? The cancer was my awakening experience. It was the most precious vision exam I’ve ever had and brought me back to 20/20 from 20/30 or beyond. What I found was that my heart was void of nothing. I had simply been distracted, thereby allowing my life vision to get blurry.
I would imagine at some point in a day, week or year we all feel as though something is “missing” in our lives. In reality, chances are that nothing is missing—you have simply begun losing track of all that is within you. It shouldn’t take a major event, such as an illness or accident, to correct your life’s vision. Every day brings with it an opportunity to observe and evaluate what is in your heart. That’s the key to bringing your life into sharp focus.
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”—Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
“People only see what they are prepared to see.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Please click "Comments" below to share your thoughts or opinion.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Clutter
Clutter
During the past week, I spent time visiting a dear friend at an assisted-living facility in Atlanta. It was great to see her so happy among her newfound friends at the residence. The trips down memory lane and laughs were many and prompted me to ask if they found it refreshing to have a lot of the “clutter” out of their lives now that they had substituted a much simpler living environment for their former homes. To my amazement the answer was a resounding “Yes!” I’m sure each of them misses “home” in a variety of ways, but it’s equally clear that the group cherishes the simplicity of its current living arrangements. Each managed to keep a special memento here and there from the past, but they wouldn’t trade the “less is more” living that they’re experiencing today.
You can learn a lot by spending time with those who are entering the twilight phase of life. If you listen carefully, you’ll note that most of them put health at the top of their priority list alongside their relationships with family and friends. Material things don’t have near the importance they had in earlier stages of their lives. What a great life lesson for each of us as we continue to look for ways to eliminate the “clutter” in our own lives.
“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”
--Albert Einstein
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During the past week, I spent time visiting a dear friend at an assisted-living facility in Atlanta. It was great to see her so happy among her newfound friends at the residence. The trips down memory lane and laughs were many and prompted me to ask if they found it refreshing to have a lot of the “clutter” out of their lives now that they had substituted a much simpler living environment for their former homes. To my amazement the answer was a resounding “Yes!” I’m sure each of them misses “home” in a variety of ways, but it’s equally clear that the group cherishes the simplicity of its current living arrangements. Each managed to keep a special memento here and there from the past, but they wouldn’t trade the “less is more” living that they’re experiencing today.
You can learn a lot by spending time with those who are entering the twilight phase of life. If you listen carefully, you’ll note that most of them put health at the top of their priority list alongside their relationships with family and friends. Material things don’t have near the importance they had in earlier stages of their lives. What a great life lesson for each of us as we continue to look for ways to eliminate the “clutter” in our own lives.
“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”
--Albert Einstein
Click "Comments" below to share your thoughts or opinion.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
OZ
OZ
For more than a year, the Wizard of Oz has been on my mind. That wonderful movie has endured for almost seventy years, probably because it has an ageless audience. You can rent it, catch it on TV, or Google oodles of information about the movie. That’s a big improvement over the situation forty years ago when whoever had the best TV in the area invited friends over on the one Sunday night per year that it was shown on the tube.
Today I have a very different view of that amazing movie whose many “life lessons” were overshadowed by our frantic fixation on keeping an eye out for the wicked witch. The scarecrow, tin woodsman and the cowardly lion all seemed to be searching for something they felt was lacking in their own lives. But in the end, when they finally catch up to the great Oz, they discover that each of them already has everything needed to lead a great life. All Oz did was make them “conscious.”
I believe that this holds true in daily life for us. So often we get caught up in what we don’t have when we should be turning our focus toward what we do have. Every day we should take that imaginary trip to Oz and confirm the many blessings within us. We all have wonderful things inside of us, and the sky is the limit on what we can do with our lives.
“You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom.”
--Wizard of Oz to the Cowardly Lion
For more than a year, the Wizard of Oz has been on my mind. That wonderful movie has endured for almost seventy years, probably because it has an ageless audience. You can rent it, catch it on TV, or Google oodles of information about the movie. That’s a big improvement over the situation forty years ago when whoever had the best TV in the area invited friends over on the one Sunday night per year that it was shown on the tube.
Today I have a very different view of that amazing movie whose many “life lessons” were overshadowed by our frantic fixation on keeping an eye out for the wicked witch. The scarecrow, tin woodsman and the cowardly lion all seemed to be searching for something they felt was lacking in their own lives. But in the end, when they finally catch up to the great Oz, they discover that each of them already has everything needed to lead a great life. All Oz did was make them “conscious.”
I believe that this holds true in daily life for us. So often we get caught up in what we don’t have when we should be turning our focus toward what we do have. Every day we should take that imaginary trip to Oz and confirm the many blessings within us. We all have wonderful things inside of us, and the sky is the limit on what we can do with our lives.
“You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom.”
--Wizard of Oz to the Cowardly Lion
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Heart Space
Heart SpaceOur vision of our heart is one of a finite space. Yet one of life’s mysteries is that your heart space seems to have infinite potential. When you take on the challenge of exploring that possibility, the rewards of the journey will be many. You’ll find that all of the events in your life--good and bad, high and low--have the capacity to expand your heart space each and every day.
When your heart feels small or somewhat hardened by a setback in your life, it’s a good idea to look at these events as an opportunity to enlarge your heart space. You can usually make this happen by getting back to a place “within” that is peaceful and uplifting. Taking a walk in nature, watching a baby sleep, helping the needy, or just holding a pet can take you back to a place where your heart sings.
Each of us has an opportunity to make a difference in ourselves, thereby making a difference in the world in which we live. If we just make a conscious effort each day to increase our “heart space” ever so slightly, we’ll be in awe of just how much the world around us will change. Just imagine what the world would become if each of us followed this path.
“The spirit of harmony can only survive if each of us remembers, when bitterness and self interest seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny.”
—Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)
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