I have said their names aloud as I have written this post.
As readers of this blog know, I have been an educator for over 30 years. I have had time to walk alongside a great many people. I have gotten to know a multitude of them. I have liked most of them. I have valued many of them. I have loved some of them. (I know I sound like Bilbo Bobbins here, but my Tolkien quote comes later.)
I am grateful for all of my companions on the journey. I am grateful for the support and the conflict and the laughter and the fun. I am grateful to have worked with hundreds of dedicated individuals who have changed my life in ways I cannot begin to comprehend. Listing those who have been true companions, bringing these people to mind to thank God for the role they played in specific moments of my life, in making me the person I am seems a good exercise. As I write this post, I have their names on sticky notes around me. My hope is they know who they are and that I have played a similar role in their lives.
The reality of my career is that I have been blessed beyond measure and undeservedly with a handful of relationships that transcend friendship. These relationships are more those of sisters and brothers. Of these, there is a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring that expresses how I feel about who these sisters and brothers are for me better than I ever could:
You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin- to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours- closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone and go off without a word. We are your friends.
I have said their names aloud as I have written this post. I have prayed for them, thanked God for them. I am so aware I do not deserve the blessing they are.
I can only hope that I have given them the same kind of love and support I have received from them. If they do not know who they are for me, I have conducted my life horribly wrong.
The gifts of my life in education have been many. These sisters and brothers are the blessings I treasure most.