You Say It's Your Birthday

Tomorrow, I turn 65.  It just doesn't seem possible that I have put in that many years on the planet.  When I was younger, that number officially meant old.  It meant close to death.  It certainly didn't mean what it means to me now.  Because of my experiences and my family, I feel like I am just beginning.

So for this entry, I want to take the time to thank some people who have been a part of my life. And the best both of them isn't in my mind helping me to make the right decision.

If you didn't know my mom, you probably knew a mom like her.  She was a kind, encouraging force in my life as well as my brothers and sister.  She would always tell us "Everything happens for a reason."  But
I am pretty sure that her life didn't turn out like she thought that it would.  You would never have guessed it.  Her family was everything to her.  When we gathered together, she was truly in her element.  Even though she and dad would be considered poor, we never knew it.  And when it was time for us to go to college, it was expected that we would go.  Money was no issue.

As I'm writing about dad, I am smiling.  My dad was almost bigger than life.  As a child, it seemed like he knew everyone.  He would take me to hockey games and introduce me to all of the players.  When I visited him at his gas station, people I saw on television were there talking to him.  When he was elected precinct committeeman, he was so proud.  When he ran for city council and lost by six votes, he was just as proud.

Probably the most important thing that my parents ever did for us was to make us feel like we could do anything that we put our minds to.  The children of a gas station manager and homemaker ended up with careers in education, banking, architecture, and law.  And there wasn't one moment while they were alive that we didn't feel their pride.

In my late twenties I was in a career that satisfied my need to help others, but I didn't have a complete life.  From the time that I left college, I wanted to start a family.  In those early years it was tough because I was grading papers and coaching two sports as well as coaching baseball in the summer.  So, when a former student set me up on a blind date, how was I to know that I would find the person I needed to make my life exactly what I wanted it to be.

Michele and I have been together now for 37 years.  From the moment that I met her, I knew that I had found the person I loved, but I also found the very person whom I wanted to share the experiences of a lifetime.  With her encouragement, I was able to take on obstacles in my career that I probably would never have attempted.

Then there are the two people who joined us on our journey.  First, Kristin, and then, Stephen.  The challenges of being a parent gave me a different perspective on my teaching.  I became empathetic with parents and more understanding of what students needs were.  Eventually, they attended school with me.  I don't know if they knew it, but I loved those years.  We were together sharing the same experiences.  I was so proud of them.  I still am.

Now I have three precious grandchildren.  Coen, Cali, and Bailey remind me each time that I am with them that I need to keep teaching.  After the 42 years of teaching in the schools, I am drawn to those three little faces.

Finally, I have had the pleasure to share the lives of thousands of young people.  When someone asks me what I will miss when I retire, the answer is easy. The students.  When I look back on each end of the school year, I remember the proud sadness I would feel as the latest group of seniors headed out into the world.  
Each of them provided something that helped me to be a better teacher.  I hoped that their lives would be as good as mine.

So tomorrow, when I celebrate my 65th birthday, I will do so gladly because there have been so many people who have helped me get this far.  Thank you to all of you.  I love you all.