Thursday, November 11, 2010
A friend called to check on my health. During the course of our conversation I realized that even if I recover completely from this cancer and surgery, as I age I will continue to deal with physical limits, diminished and letting go. Going through this illness, I believe that I’m going to be OK when those times come. I am surely learning to take each day as it comes. I tread lightly and temporarily on this earth and only God lasts forever. I’ve feel like I’ve come through this as a better person. God has definitely walked with me every slow and painful step along the way.
We have a reading group on campus, and our book this quarter was a short but interesting work, “The Richest Man in Town”. It tells the story of Marty, a Wal-Mart cashier, who made such a difference in people’s lives just by paying attention and being kind, listening and doing his job. Robin, one of our counselors went to school in Brookings where Marty lived. She told us that she and her husband would actually wait in line 45 minutes even when the other checkout lines were open, just to be waited on by Marty, and receive a warm greeting and even a hug.
After catching up on the office work, I had the freedom just to wander the classrooms for a while. I don’t make a big deal about going into the classrooms; I just drift in and see what’s going on, ask a question or two, help if I can, and move on. It gives me a little taste of what’s going on in the life of our teachers and students. This week is mid terms already, and hard to believe how quickly we’re moving towards the holiday seasons.