A great Friday evening to you all out there from "balmy" south central Kansas. Hey, it may only be 62 degrees outside but compared to the wonderful (not) icy winter weather of a few days ago, it's downright tropical feeling here today. I have a question for you guys~do you remember the name of your very first childhood friend? It may have been the kid that lived next door to you and walked with you to school each day. Or maybe it was the next door neighbor boy/girl who lived across the alley and back of your grandmother's house. Perhaps it is someone who you knew only for a short while before they moved away, never to be seen or heard from again. Whoever they were, there will always be a special spot in our memories, a little place in our hearts where their friendship lies tucked away. My first best friend was a little girl named Shirley and she rode the kindergarten bus with me every day back and forth from our family's farm in the sand hills just north of Burrton to the hallways of Burrton Grade School. I haven't seen her since the third grade, but I never forgot about her, not even once. You know, I have been grateful for every friend I have had since then and if you are reading this, then you are one of them. In my Bucket List quest to meet up with all of my Facebook friends and buy them something to drink and talk about life for a while....here are 10 more reasons to be thankful for very good friends.
You absolutely cannot be around this woman and not have a smile on your face and that's all there is to it! I first met Desi over 10 years ago when I was a Developmental First Grade teacher here at Lincoln. Her wonderful son Eric was also a student here at the time. This woman has unbelievable energy and a zest for this life and that zeal is contagious. She offers encouragement to all of the Lincoln students as she greets them in the lunch room and is a real "spirit lifter" for anyone she is around. I'll miss you friend and that wonderful smile of yours.
(April of 2013, Lincoln Elementary, Hutchinson, KS)
Hey, Darlene is one of my newest friends on Facebook and I have the privilege of seeing her each school day. She's one fantastic "kid wrangler" and in her job with Boys and Girls Club of Hutchinson, Darlene is in charge of the after school program for our students who attend it. I am always amazed at the way she can keep track of kids, staff,and a variety of schedules . Not sure I would be able to do things as organized and efficiently as she does, my admiration always for the "gifts" that she has to do this job. Glad that I got the chance to work with you this year my friend! Thanks for all that you have done for all of us at Lincoln, kids and adults alike! (April of 2013, Lincoln Elementary, Hutchinson, KS)
I have all of the admiration in the world for Laura Zambo and the other paraprofessionals that we have helping our students at Lincoln Elementary this year. There is no way on earth that teachers could do the job we do without the support and assistance of a whole lot of people. Laura Zambo is one of those special ones. She has this "way" with kids, one that enables her to step into a variety of situations every day at school and touch the lives of lots of students. For that, as a teacher I say "thank you". So glad that she and I became friends at school this year. (April of 2013, Lincoln Elementary, Hutchinson, KS)
When I first began working on my Miller Bucket List back in 2011, one of the first goals I had was to be able to learn how swim well enough to save my own life one day. Because I've always been a life-long water "phobic" after what I deemed to be a near drowning experience as a 9-year old at swimming lessons one summer, I was really reluctant. One Saturday, I received a letter from the local branch of the Y. Inside the envelope there was an application form for adult swimming lessons and the message at the top said, "Bucket List Item #4-You Can Do It!" Since the sender appeared to be "anonymous" I decided to check it out the very next day. That's where I met my dear friend Cleta. Turns out one of my friends (well I GUESS it was someone that I knew) had asked Cleta to send it to me to encourage me to finally get back in the water. And gotta tell you this~now nearly 2 years after this photo was taken on my official "sign up" day, I still don't know who that person was. Cleta absolutely took a vow of silence that day and no matter how much I have begged and pleaded over the course of time, she has kept her word to not divulge the person's identity. You know what? Whoever that anonymous person is, they did me two favors that day. They gave me the push that I needed to try again and they gave me the chance to meet one of the finest women around, Cleta! Love you my good friend! (June of 2011, Hutchinson (KS) YMCA)
Any kid in the Hutchinson Public Schools that ever had the chance to call their teacher by the name of "Mr. Rodriguez" should be counting their blessings. Clint is pretty much a "master teacher" in my books. We never taught in the same building during the regular school term, but we have had the chance to teach together during many summer school sessions over the years. Clint has always been good about gaining the respect of his students from the "get go" and thus has been able to reach so many kids over the years in very positive ways. Clint and his good wife Shelley, rode with me in the Bike Across Kansas in 2011. Even though I only made it to the halfway point in the state, he and Shelley finished it in good style. They were both so kind to me, a person way old enough to have been their "big sister". It was the first time my bike had been blessed with Holy water and you know, that was nice. So Clint, thanks for what you did that morning in Scott City...I needed all the help I could get to ride those next 72 miles. Thanks for being such a good friend! (June of 2011, Avenue A Elementary, Hutchinson, KS)
This young man is just about as good as they come. Brian is one of the greatest paraprofessionals I have ever worked with. I've been fortunate enough to have him as my assistant during a couple of summer school sessions over the years. Brian was like the "Pied Piper" because everywhere he went, students would be following him. What I admire the most about him is his quiet and gentle nature. He is able to gain the respect of his students so easily. I have never heard him raise his voice, always remaining calm in whatever the situation was. Shoot, I could learn a lesson or two or 10 from this guy. So glad that I had the chance to meet him and work alongside him. Most blessed was I. (June of 2011, Avenue A Elementary Summer School, Hutchinson, KS)
These two young ladies have always been special to me. Being the "teachers's kids" that they are, we have seen one another many times over the course of their young lives. These two gals have been a big help during the summer school sessions that their parents, Shelley and Clint, have been involved in. As a summer school teacher myself, there have been many times that they stepped in to assist me with my students as well. I kind of like the way they look at the world, through the eyes of the young. I look for marvelous things to happen for them both. They are destined to do something very good in this world. Love you two girls! (June of 2011, Avenue A Elementary, Hutchinson, KS)
Chris may be the only Facebook friend that I have a picture of who is dressed in a kilt. This photo was taken back in September up in McPherson, Kansas during their Scottish Days. Not only is this guy about 3 feet taller than me (ok, more like a foot and a half but when you are as short as I am, it just seems like it) but he is extremely strong. He was participating that day in the strong man events, throwing around stuff that I'm pretty sure I could never even pick up. And although I admire his physical strength, I have equal admiration for the strength of his big heart. This young man is kind and caring beyond belief. It was my privilege to teach alongside him at Avenue A Elementary and in his role as a counselor to the kids there, I witnessed some pretty amazing things happening. He loves kids and absolutely sees the good things, the strengths in each one of them. He and his good wife are now parents too and that little boy who calls him "daddy" is one blessed child. (September of 2012, McPherson, Ks.)
Ah THIS little one~ Back in the early days of teaching, long long ago, I met a little tiny girl with dark black hair and dark eyes who pretty much stole this young teacher's heart. It was little Nori. I had only been a teacher for a couple of years and I'm positive I made a gazillion mistakes along the way that school year. But when I see Nori and the rest of her classmates now as grown adults, I know they all turned out ok :) It has been so nice to reconnect with her through Facebook and to watch her own little family as they have grown up along the way. She has a wonderful husband and beautiful son and daughter. Talk about your blessings! She sends me encouraging wishes that have arrived at the most opportune moments sometimes. Dear Nori, your old first grade teacher will always love you kids, no matter how old I get or how far apart in distance we are.
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