Monday, June 3, 2013

This Little Light Of Mine...





A 34-year old note made me cry today.

I live a hectic life Monday through Saturday.  It's one of my own choosing so I try not to complain when I'm feeling stressed out with too much to do and too little time.  But Sundays are my ME day.      I try not to leave the house.  It's just me and my cat, alone in a quiet house where the TV is turned off and the only other sounds besides our breathing are the soft calls of the birds outside.

Saturdays are usually reserved for all the household chores needing to be done so all I have to worry about on Sunday is cooking my meals and trying to catch up on some writing.  Don't ask me why today was different. It started out like any other Sunday.  I was sitting in my magical story-producing recliner, checking my emails, when I happened to glance over at my bookcase.  It was beginning to look a bit disorganized so I decided to do a quick straightening up before starting this post.

As I was rearranging things, I noticed my high school yearbook tucked neatly in one corner of the shelves.  It had been years since I had given it any thought and I took a quick moment to thumb through the pages of my past.  I was an extremely shy person back then. I glided through the hallways like a ghost, only speaking when spoken to.  I didn't feel like I had much in common with my classmates and my social awkwardness made me somewhat of a loner.

But there was one person who paid attention to me.  My homeroom teacher, Mrs. Serena Williams, took an interest in a certain quiet student and I developed a special friendship with her where we discussed every topic under the sun except my interest in becoming a writer one day.  I don't know why I didn't since I thought about it so much.  Maybe I was afraid she would laugh at my dream?  I kept that one topic to myself and focused instead on my studies.

Glancing at the pictures today reminded me how very different I felt from the rest of them back then so I was surprised to reread those youthful messages tucked in the back pages of the yearbook.  My classmates kept saying how nice and sweet and smart they thought I was...something I never realized they felt before  It was as if I was actually seeing those words for the first time.  But it was a comment written by Mrs. Williams for the whole world to see that shocked me enough to make me cry.

Amongst the typical well wishes and words of encouragement for a young lady staring out into the uncertainty of her future, my teacher wrote these words, "I can't wait until the day I read about you becoming an author".  The fact that SHE could see the writer in me back then, even when I spoke of my most secret desire to no one, touched me deeply and I cried.

I fear Mrs. Williams is gone now, but if I could say one last thing to her it would be this:

"Thank you for believing in me when no one else would.  Thank you for seeing something in me I was afraid to even name.  And thank you for knowing, even when I didn't, that one day I would work hard to make my dream a reality.  For all the encouragement and support you gave me, please know that like the old song goes...this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...shine for the whole world to see.

Just look at me now, Mrs. Williams.  Thanks to you, I'm a writer."





28 comments:

  1. SWEET! It just takes one person to make a difference in a child's life.

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    1. Hi Robyn! I agree and sometimes that person doesn't even realize what it meant to the other person to know someone...anyone...cared...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. This is a very touching post, Donna. Thank you for sharing! I'm so glad you came across that yearbook.

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    1. Hi Alayne! So am I. It's interesting how one's perception can be distorted sometimes...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. Oh my. Tears here. I am so glad that you found that message from the past yesterday. She knew. That is so wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hi Beth! Thank you for your kind words. It was certainly an unexpected surprise...especially since I never spoke of my writing when I was growing up. I don't think she would have like the poetry I was writing at the time though...very dark...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  4. May our Heavenly Father's will continue to be done in your life.

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    1. Hi Jerry! I agree and may He allow me to continue to touch and inspire others with my stories...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. *Wiping tears away* The universe puts things in your path just when you're meant to find them, Donna, and I'd bet that Mrs. Williams already knows. Thanks for sharing this, Donna; it made me think of the teacher in my life that made all the difference in the world. :0)

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    1. Awww, Donna, don't cry...teachers are a special breed...but then again, so are some students...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  6. Teachers can be such an inspiration. I'm glad this one was for you. And I'm glad you fulfilled her dreams for you.

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    1. Hi Evelyn! I can only hope I in some way enriched her life in the way way she did mine...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  7. I had several teachers who inspired me. Mrs. Leonard, my English composition teacher in college told me I had a book in me. She always said she enjoyed my stories.

    A Sunday school teacher who taught me to question everything, made me a seeker of the truth for life!

    Awesome post, thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Yolanda! I remember different teachers for different reasons. I can only hope that Mrs. Williams knew how much she meant to me...I certainly tried to show her in every way I knew now...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. Thanks for sharing. Teachers can be truly wonderful. I had a teacher tell me she was waiting to see one of my books on the best-seller list. Hasn't happened yet, but who knows. At least I'm pursuing a dream.

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    1. Hi Christine! Get on with the writing, girl...I'm waiting to see your book on the bestseller list as well...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. Mrs. Serena Williams was my speech class teacher. Even though my friend Sheryl and I cut up a lot in that class, Mrs. Williams liked us because our speeches were entertaining. Sheryl and I would spend a few extra minutes with her after class often to chat. But I know you had a closer friendship with her.

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    1. Hi Janet! It was the OTHER Mrs. Williams I was always scared of! Lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  10. Well said. I am glad of Mrs. Williams. I think I would've liked her.

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    1. Hi Erik! Yes, you would have liked her and she would have LOVED your brilliant spirit!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  11. Thirty-four years isn't such a terribly long time. She might still be alive. If so, just think how much a note from you would mean to her.

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    1. Hi Susan! I've tried finding her but can't find any info on whether she is still alive or not. She would be around 76 now...not impossible but she had some severe health issues so it's more likely she's no longer alive...;~(

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  12. Sounds like Mrs. Williams was a wonderful teacher.

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    1. Hi Susanne! Yes, she was...the best...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  13. So heartfelt. I love this post! It really is a beautiful thing when a teacher touches your life like that....

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    1. Hi Genevieve! I wonder if she realized how special she was? The school wasn't a place to encourage appreciation of teachers like her so I can only pray she did...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  14. Donna, this was amazing to read. As a high school English teacher myself, I can only hope that my words have encouraged my students and/or recognized talents within them even they didn't want to speak of out loud. Thank you for this beautiful post!

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  15. Hi Miranda! Thank you for your kind words. I do believe God placed her in my life for a reason. She was my homeroom teacher in middle school and when I stepped up to high school, she actually stepped up with me and I had her every year for the next four years as well. There was more to her note that touched my heart, but those words struck a cord in me that can never be taken away. I AM a writer and I WILL become published one day to honor whatever Mrs. Williams saw in me all those years ago...

    Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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