Life, Together

Once again I find myself sitting on yet another precipice of life, secure and filled with anticipation.  It is a rush from which I hope to never tire.  I go to join great friends with great hearts doing great things, and am humbled that I seem called to share, joining them from here.  Every year, for the past three, my wish to have my favorite travel companion join me, has been denied, but forged through it is a deepening appreciation of the times we do get to travel through most of life, together. 

As I ponder, muse, wrestle and diligently pursue the notion of life, together, I have come to profound conclusion that nothing else speaks joy into this heart, than walking a while with friends, and, I have many.  In a little over a day from now, I will find myself breathing cold Balkan air with warm Balkan friends, friends whom I love and esteem greatly.  Joining me, once again, will be Dr. Brad Garner, professor of teaching and learning at Indiana Wesleyan University and his son, Ethan.  Together, Dr. Garner and I will co-present, he as the consummate teacher of teachers, and I as one who demonstrates incremental lessons developed for understanding, using science as the leveling ground.

But again, it is this 'life together' aspect that forges the solidity of this event.  Our hearts meeting with theirs; these teachers tasting educational excellence, and just like many teachers here, desiring to invest with deep impact, in their life together with their students.  I think, if anything, this one aspect, sharing chunks of my student's lives is the one thing I miss, more than anything else of being in the classroom.  For those of you who know me, caring, deeply caring for mys students is and was my foremost trait as a teacher.

I was inspired by the best of the best; Miss Falconer, my first grade teacher, Mrs. Darnelle, my fourth, Mr. Burris, my 6th, Coach Sheldon Spicer, P.E., Jr. High Pre-Algebra and Geography teacher, Mrs. Porter, my High School Language Arts teacher, and my son's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Grice who inspired me to take the steps to forge ahead to become a teacher.  Yep, life together with phenomenally gifted teachers gave me the courage and faith to learn, rise to the challenges of life, learning and living.  They lovingly helped me find success and joy as I hold not to the lessons taught, but the living and caring taught and caught from these most memorable teachers.

So, for a scant week, I get to leave life here, with my wonderful bride of nearly thirty years, to get beaten up by an 18 hour trip across the U.S. and Atlantic, to step into life there, without her, in Split Croatia, on to Livno, Bosnia.  The plan? To do as my inspirational teachers have done with me.  Yes, the plan is to invest sincere and real care into the lives of those I share a piece of my life with.  As they open the doors of their hearts to mine, it is my hope that they will become inspired as I, by those teachers who gave me their greatest gift of life, together.  The rest of the plan?  To be a gentle, warm breeze of encouragement to my American friends who sacrifice much to invest into a people they are called to love, living life, together in Bosnia.