Small Things That Matter

A couple of days ago I heard from someone on Facebook that I did not immediately recognize. It turned out the person had been a former student of both Marsha and me. She wrote that I was willing and able to answer the important questions she had and that I made her feel safe at a time when safety was not easily found. Marsha was the challenging academic teacher who she loved. It always amazes me when I find that someone remembers some small thing that was part of the past that made a large difference in their life. This person was effected enough that she was actually searching for us on Facebook many years after our ever knowing her. The picture is from Marsha's retirement party. She never did retire. Her brother Ken remarked after Marsha's service in Massachusetts that everyone who shared mentioned Marsha as a teacher in one form or another. I met a former student here in South Carolina that felt much the same way. I think we care too much about the big things like politics and government and conflict and not enough about the simple acts of kindness and love that really matter in the long run. We all have the same opportunity to matter in the lives of those around us. It might be the unexpected that people will remember, but it will be the most important.