Today I met a woman about my age. She told me how many times her children thanked her for moving to America to give them opportunities they would not have had in their small town, which she characterized as small, unsafe, lots of guns, lots of drug dealers. She raised five children here in America, all in college or college graduates. And now it is her turn, she said, to go to school.
I was so bitter and angry growing up I never thanked my parents for anything, not even the now obvious sacrifices they made so we children could go to good schools. I was too busy feeling like a victim to appreciate they sacrificed a lot–I didn’t see it at all.
As I walked in the woods this afternoon, I was full of regret.
Is it possible to thank the dead?
All I could think to do was embrace the beauty around me, the trees, wildflowers, gorgeous sky and say thank you, Mom and Dad, I wish I had thanked you while you were alive.
I hope my life itself and my embracing of literacy have shown my appreciation, but I doubt it. I took it as my due while I tried to distance myself from my family, my neighborhood, and especially my father.
Thank you, Mom and Dad. I wish I had told you that while you were alive. While you were far from perfect and even destructive at times, I acknowledge you made big sacrifices so we could have a better life.
How I wish I had told them that while they were alive– thank you for the sacrifices you made so we could have a better life. No, that’s not good enough.
Thank you for helping me have a good life.
Today I met my new student at the public library nearest to where she lived. I had never been there before, so didn’t know what to expect.
There is very little dearer to my heart and mind than literacy in its many forms; expression and communication across the miles and years is nearly miraculous, in my opinion. I cannot say if I love reading or writing more, for I spend so much of my life reading and writing! If I am not reading or writing, I am often thinking IN WORDS… and thinking about reading and writing. I teach reading and writing. I practice reading and writing. My hobbies include READING AND WRITING.
Ten plus years ago, we bought our first home. On one of our first nights in our home, we heard a chirping chirping sound that just wouldn’t stop. Thinking it was a fire alarm, we looked everywhere and finally found the source of the loud chirping: the sounds were coming from our heating/ air conditioning vents. Crickets!
Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States
Many educators become pensive at the end of the summer; as we get ready to return to the classroom, we cannot help but think about how we won’t have much time to actually *think* for months at a time as we enter a whirlwind of teaching activity. Think now! Think!
Laura Lee 