Passing it forward--

Some 43 years ago, when I was about your age, my father who used to travel a lot, wrote me a letter enclosing a small article clipped from a magazine. In that letter, he wished for me a life of purpose and joy. He shared with me the clipping which described such a life and quoted George Bernard Shaw whose words you can read above.

I carried that article with me for years; unfortunately, somewhere in the many moves, it was lost. But not the thought and the power of those words. They have become a part of who I am. I know that my career as a teacher, and the mentoring I do now for teachers seeking National Board Certification are but "drops in the ocean" in this often violent, globalized world of ours but my life has been filled with joy, happiness and love.

I'm sure that my father writing and sharing those thoughts adds to their meaning for me, especially now that Alzheimer's prevents him from recalling what occurred. But his belief in me, in mankind in general, shaped my world. I'm passing that forward --my belief in you, my belief in mankind, and my wish that you find the real joy in life!