Treasuring Awe-Inspiring Souls

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

― Leo Buscaglia

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”

― Pema Chödrön, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

Note: Image on left by wildthane.wordpress.com

The following are sub-themes to the main theme, “Treasuring Awe-Inspiring Souls”:

• Why I Love My Leaders
• My Honorable Hero
• Drill Sergeant “Strength and Honor”
• DS Catty/Kitty
• Why I Love My Teachers
• Spirituality’s Open Arms
• Lessons Beyond Academics
• Insights On Amazing Leaders & Teachers

Note: Image on right by psdcollector.blogspot.com

Why I Love My Leaders

“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.”
John Buchan

“Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration—of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an attitude, not a routine.”
— Lance Secretan, Industry Week, October 12, 1998

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
John Quincy Adams

Note: Image on left by leadership.churchoftheking.com

“Only the best Non-Commissioned Officers in the United States Army are selected for Drill Sergeant duty. To qualify, the officer must graduate from Drill Sergeant School, where they are expected to adhere to the highest military and achievement standards.”  The U.S. Army

Starting from Basic Training, throughout my career in the Army, I’ve learned and been reminded by some great leaders that one must be willing to follow before he/she becomes a leader him/her-self. In Basic Training or Advanced Individual Training (AIT), whenever one of my Drill Sergeants (DS) asked for a volunteer, I would either raise my hand or coming running out of the company, from a field or from the top of a hill. I loved most of my Drill Sergeants, especially the ones who made “taking care of Soldiers” their number one priority.

Therefore, I was determined to do everything in my power to show my appreciation of their great leadership; I gave them the respect that they deserved, and also pushed myself to become a better soldier in order to improve myself, as well as not let them down. They initially broke you down mentally and physically, but they always managed to build you right back up…raising you double, triple, or even quadruple the times you were before, revealing to yourself your unlimited potential. I never had such a profound positive influence in my entire mental, physical, and spiritual life.

Note: Image on right by stevencribbs.com

The Honorable Hero

The first day at Basic Training, my Senior Drill Sergeant, DS Randell Brown (real name), told all of us to write a one page biography about ourselves. As soon as we were excused, I overheard several soldiers make negative comments, saying that they didn’t understand why we had to do something like that when he didn’t really care.

I’m sure everyone was surprised when he showed the entire company that, not only did he take the time to memorize specific details about every soldier, but he also used the information whenever he talked to or motivated soldiers. He soon earned the reputation as a badass from both male and female soldiers. He even had a walk that male soldiers tried so hard to imitate, but didn’t come close.

Note: Image on left by gbmonline.net

Once, as soon as he reached the ground, from repelling off a high wall, he created a shock wave that became the hot topic of the company for weeks. It seemed as if everyone’s jaw had dropped to the ground as they stared at his tightly fastened private area, waist and thighs…but mainly his ridiculously bulging private area.

Not only was DS Brown a Ranger and a Sniper—and I think Airborne and Air Assault as well—but he was also tall, muscular, handsome, intelligent, lighting fast, honest, superman strong (200 push ups at one time was a warm up), funny, hot, and calm, cool, and collected. But most of all, he had a BIG heart, and I believe that’s the main reason why soldiers loved and respected him so much. If I were to pick someone to play his character from Hollywood, it would be Jason Statham, although DS Brown was about a couple of inches taller.

I still believe he’s a highly evolved being…perhaps not of this Earth. 😉 He was too good to be true. I remember the first time I saw him, and it was the most intense eye contact experience I’ve ever had. After receiving permission from one of the other Drill Sergeants, I ran towards the bathroom in the bay because my period started at an unexpected time. As soon as I turned the corner, I ran into DS Brown.

As I looked into his eyes, I felt like time had slowed down. His stare was so intense and he looked almost confused. It was almost like he was looking at me as if he recognized me from somewhere. The next thing you know, I was rapidly explaining to him that I had started my period unexpectedly and that I had to hurry up and change and that’s why I was running (we weren’t allowed to run in the company area) and I already received permission…just like that…run on sentence.

Note: Image on right by spiritandflesh.com

He smiled and gently said, “Relax soldier. It’s okay, go take care of your business.” One time, we were out in the field performing some combat drills, and DS Brown came running towards me like a bat out of hell.

I thought I was in trouble, but he gently tilted my head sideways and said that he had noticed that I had hives all over my neck and spreading to my face. He told me that it was more than likely due to stress, and ordered me to go to the Troop Medical Clinic (TMC) to get it checked out, and perhaps get some calamine lotion to sooth it.

I was so grateful that he had noticed, because my hives were definitely spreading, and no one else had noticed. Some soldiers, who apparently took advantage of going to the TMC, in order to get out of training, made it difficult for people like me to go, because I didn’t want to risk not passing the course. DS Brown became my hero.

It felt like he was an angel sent from heaven. I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to cross paths with him. I had never been in such awe of a man my whole life…he blew me away like no other. He even talked about Jesus. One time, he shared with us a story that touched my heart. He said that he had made a mistake when he was a young soldier. He decided to drink and drive, and ended up suffering the consequences…he got demoted a rank.

Ever since then, he decided to make things right. He told us that sometimes it’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes, and that we should learn from his. He said that when you make a big mistake like the one he did, it’s hard to recover from it; however, it’s doable. That was just one of many motivational stories he shared with us. Once, he told us that he didn’t feel like doing something, and his wife asked him, “What would Jesus do?” That was just one of many inspirational stories he shared with us.

Note: Image on left by theself.net

Once, DS Brown just walked into the company area, and calmly said in a stern voice that he was disappointed in whatever we did and then gently said, “Drop.” Everyone instantly dropped to the push-up position. I had never seen such a quick response to a command.

Usually, everyone would get into trouble because a few knuckleheads would take their sweet time dropping into the push-up position. But even they would quickly learn that their actions would cause others to suffer (i.e., mass punishment).

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It was about team building. If one decided to do his or her own selfish thing, then it would negatively affect everyone. Soldiers learned to look out for each other as battle buddies and work together as one. Other Drill Sergeants always yelled and screamed, because that was part of their role; however, DS Brown had no need to…his mere presence was intimidating at times. Plus, he was the head Drill Sergeant. I wrote a post a while back about him called, “Persistence.”

After graduating from Basic Training, and upon arriving at AIT, I decided to send all my Drill Sergeants a “thank you” card and specified why I thought each one was a great leader. Of course, the most detailed card was DS Brown’s. I don’t recall all the details, but I do remember telling him something to the effect of him being able to go above and beyond in life because he was just that good.

I never found out if they had received my cards, but something told me that they did. God works in mysterious ways. While I was at my first unit, I happened to double play pool with a Lieutenant (LT) and his soldier at the post club.

He was quite a character, and he had a reputation of being very professional, intelligent, squared-away (i.e., competent, organized, dedicated, and ambitious)…but mostly, because he had a passion for taking care of soldiers. During our conversation, he mentioned that he would crawl through piss and shit for his soldiers.

He then called out to his soldier (who was his teammate in our game of pool) and asked, “PFC Snuffy, wouldn’t you crawl through piss and shit for me as well?” The nerdy, scrawny Military Intelligence (MI) soldier with thick glasses hesitantly answered, “Uhhh…it depends Sir…are we talking peace time or war time?” The LT jokingly yelled, “Get outta here!”

I couldn’t help but to chuckle. That soldier’s response was so typical of MI Soldiers…always analyzing a question, comment or situation. Anyway, LT started telling me a story about how he used to be an infantry First Sergeant (which explains his strong loyalty towards his soldiers), but decided to become an officer so that he would have more power and authority to make a difference.

Note: Image on left by coachdawnwrites.com

He then said that although he graduated the top of his class, he believed that someone else had truly earned it because  he was such a badass…professional, highly skilled in tactics and weaponry, extremely athletic, intelligent, nice guy, etc. He then added, “But he was very religious though” like it was a bad thing. Granted, now that I know better, I wish he already chose spirituality over religion so that he’ll be able to know his unlimited Higher Self.

Anyway, turns out the LT was talking about THE SSG Randell Brown, my former Senior Drill Sergeant from Basic Training. I couldn’t believe my ears! I was so happy for him! I just knew he was going to rise high like a Phoenix bird. I believe that the LT’s soul recognized DS Brown’s loving soul, and therefore, knew that he was the one who deserved to graduate the top of their class.

In my eyes, DS Brown is the best, regardless of how society labeled him. Well, that was the last I heard of him, but he will forever have a special place in my heart. He motivated me to become like him (an honorable soldier),…or at least something close to it, and he inspired me to become a more loving human being. I wish him many blessings.

Note: Image on right by atlantisqueen.com

Drill Sergeant “Strength and Honor”

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
— Norman Schwarzkopf

A leader leads by example not by Force. ~Sun Tzu

In AIT, my main Drill Sergeant of our company was DS Brian Bouchard (real name). If I were to pick someone to play his character from Hollywood, it would be Mel Gibson. They looked so alike (especially their intense, blue eyes), but DS Bouchard had really short, dirty blond hair. DS Bouchard was the epitome of motivation and dedication. He also showed that he loved taking care of soldiers. Even though he was a shorter than average sized man, his mere presence was powerful and inspiring.

Note: Image on left by imgfave.com

The day I heard him sing cadence, during our company run, he made me do a double take and think, “Is that really coming from him?” His voice roared like thunder, and he displayed so much confidence that it motivated me to become like him. I practiced singing cadences loud and proud, every chance that I had; and the more I practiced, the more confident I became. He turned me into a believer…that size didn’t matter, even more so than before. He took charge of our formation and fearlessly led soldiers like a leader should.

DS Bouchard was also a funny man in his own way. Our platoon’s motto was “Strength and Honor,” so whenever he called the formation to attention, or right before he had us fall out of formation, we all had to shout at the top of our lungs, “STRENGTH AND HONOR!” What cracked me up was when I overheard him on a radio, during a road march, using the call sign “Maximus” while talking to another Drill Sergeant. I couldn’t help but to start laughing, and I thought, “Wow, he really does love the movie Gladiator with Russell Crowe.”

Whenever we all went to the obstacle course for part of our training, DS Bouchard would pump us up with so much motivation that I didn’t have the heart to let him down. I did my best to set my fear aside, and did crazy things like walk across high level logs, jump onto other logs that, if you missed…you were face-to-face with the dirt ground.

One of the most challenging obstacles was a tall, wooden wall that I had to run up to/somewhat climb up/jump up and grab the top edge of the wall and pull myself up. It required a lot of upper body strength, which I had to continuously build. There were many times that I would make several attempts, and then finally making it over.

Once, I heard my Drill Sergeant yell to the soldiers watching (while waiting their turn), “Now that’s what you call having heart!” when I made it over the wall after several attempts. That was the first time that someone had said that to me. It felt so good. He motivated me so much that I decided to try the last obstacle of the obstacle course that I had never attempted before, due to lack of confidence in my climbing ability. However, another one of my Drill Sergeants, DS Hall, cheered me on as I climbed the rope to the very top.

Note: Image on right by 8womendream.com

Unfortunately, I became so exhausted that I couldn’t make my way down. Although DS Hall tried his best to guide me with instructions, I slid down the rope while holding onto it. DS Hall shouted to let go, but I feared that if I did, I could break a leg or something. Anyway, I ended up having deep cuts on my hands and had to get them treated. The ending wasn’t so pleasant; however, I was so happy that I made it to the top…another challenge that I couldn’t imagine myself accomplishing before.

Towards the end of the AIT course, DS Bouchard called me out at one of the formations. He then took a coin out of his pocket and told the platoon that he was giving me a Drill Sergeant Coin for his appreciation of me taking care of my fellow soldiers. I was so moved, and so surprised that he even noticed something that I didn’t even notice about myself. I read in one of Neale Donald Walsch’s books that sometimes others help to define who we are. It’s so true. I believe that’s why it’s so important to be generous with our compliments, encouragements, acknowledgments, show of appreciation, awards, recommendations, cards, letters…and anything else that show another their strength(s).

One day, when I put together a buffet that I requested from a Korean lady who owned a small restaurant off post, not only did a dozen soldiers who love Korean food came, but DS Bouchard also came with his toddler daughter to show his support.

When leaders even take time during their off duty hours to take care of soldiers, you know they truly care. When I became a Sergeant First Class (E-7), like he was when I attended AIT, I contacted him again to thank him for his impact on my life. I will always remember DS Bouchard and his strength and honor. I wish him many blessings.

Note: Image on left by devoted.blogspot.com

DS Catty/Kitty

“The ability to summon positive emotions during periods of intense stress lies at the heart of effective leadership.”
Jim Loehr, psychologist

When I was in Basic Training, singing cadence was very intimidating. One of our feistiest female Drill Sergeants gave me an opportunity. If I had to pick someone to play her character from Hollywood, it would be Taraji P. Henson; they looked very much alike, but my DS had boyish short hair. Well, one day, she marched a group of us around, and then shouted (in her high-pitched voiced) for a volunteer to sing cadence. The only thing she got was the sound of crickets…if that.

Note: Image on right by presentermdeia.com

Next, came the threat, “Somebody better volunteer right now, or I’m gonna take y’all out to the fields and smoke you all day!” Note: Smoking soldiers mean making them do vigorous moves/exercises at a rapid pace until they reach muscle failure/complete physical exhaustion. As soon as she said that, I rushed my happy butt where she was leading the formation and started singing the “Yellow Bird” cadence with my shaking voice. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t familiar with the full lyrics, so I probably made up phrases as I sang away.

“LOUDER! I can’t hear you!” she screamed. So I sang the cadence at the top of my lungs…because I was not a fan of being smoked under the scorching hot sun. My DS turned to me with a look of shock and said that she didn’t know I had that in me. I think that was the first time I ever saw her smile a very quick smile.

The next thing you know, she was handing me challenges like she was passing out candy to kids on Halloween. I was so angry at her for handing me the company guidon (the company flag that was practically twice my height) to hold during our second to last longest road march. Although I was in tears by the end of it, I was no longer mad at her because she helped me to discover my potential…I was much stronger and tougher than I gave myself credit for. I wrote a post a while back about hanging tough called, “Determination.”

Note: Image on left by yoga.org.nz

I realized that she was doing what all the other Drill Sergeants were determined to accomplish as well…to build up soldiers, even the ones who may perceive themselves as a “weak link.” I wrote a post about temporarily being a weak link called, “Weak to Strong.” Last but not least, when several of us female soldiers had difficulty handling a portion of our weapon with one hand, she told us to fall out of formation and line up in the bay area. By the time she stood in front of me, she asked me what my problem was. I just hopelessly looked at her and softly said, “I just can’t Drill Sergeant.”

For the first time, I saw an expression on her face that I had never seen before. It was a look of gentle kindness. She made strong eye contact and replied gently, “Never say I can’t.” She showed us exercises that helped strengthen our hands and wrists. Days later, we were all able to perform the task. Ever since that soul-touching moment, I saw her in a different light. Her continuous yelling and screaming became adorable rather than intimidating.

It’s amazing how much we can improve our attitude about something by simply changing our perspective. As we approached the end of training, she joked around more with soldiers and even smiled and laughed often. Whenever I see Taraji P. Henson (one of my favorite actresses) on TV, or in the movies, I’m reminded of DS Catty/Kitty. The funny thing is, I saw my Drill Sergeant long before I saw Taraji P. Henson on TV; so, in a sense, I actually believe that Ms. Taraji looks and sometimes acts like my Drill Sergeant. Maybe that’s why I like the actress so much.

Note: Image on right by transformperspective.com

Why I Love My Teachers

Spirituality’s Open Arms

“The new spirituality is that it will produce an experience in human encounters in which we become a living demonstration of the basic spiritual teaching; We are all one.”

“You think of yourselves as humans searching for a spiritual awakening, when in fact you are spiritual beings attempting to cope with a human awakening. Seeing yourselves from the perspective of the spirit within will help you to remember why you came here and what you came here to do.”

Neale Donald Walsch

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

“To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneself.”

Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi

Note: Image on left by in5d.com

The most profound, positive influence I ever had in my spiritual life from a human being that I’ve known personally was my Korean neighbor in Okinawa, and I wrote a post about her a while back called, “Inspiration,” and I also included another story about her in one of my newer posts called, “Liberating Wings of Freedom (Rising Above Childhood and/or Adulthood Abuse)” under the sub-theme, “When God Opened Doors.” Throughout our spiritual relationship, she told me a few things that I didn’t fully understand until I learned more about spirituality.

In essence, she was the first person to introduce me to spirituality. One of the comments she made was that she knew that God wanted her to speak the truth in front of a large group…like a church, but that she didn’t feel confident enough yet to do something that many people were not ready to hear. She also talked about how I should always feel free to do whatever’s in my heart, and not worry about what others might think. Last but not least, she mentioned that this was going to be her last lifetime on earth. I always knew that she was different from the average so-called Christian, but I didn’t realize then that she wasn’t religious at all, but spiritual.

The most profound, positive influence I ever had in my spiritual life, from a human being that I didn’t know personally was Neale Donald Walsch. Mr. Walsch helped me to start a friendship with a God who loves all souls unconditionally. I would dedicate this blog to him, since he helped me to open my heart, eyes, and ears to God; however, I don’t wish to misrepresent him in any way, shape or form.

Note: Image on right by you-awake.com

Even though I’ve read several of his books, I probably didn’t absorb most of it because it usually takes me reading new material a few times before I can store it into my long-term memory. Since I was at the beginning of my healing process when I started my website (later transferred to this blog), I have some posts that contain negativity (like venting for pure venting’s sake) that no longer serves me. However, I keep them because they are lessons learned, they show my progress in the healing process, and they made me who I am today.

So far, the religious human beings that I enjoy learning from are Pastor Joel Osteen, the Dalai Lama and Gandhi. I recently came across Pastor Joel Osteen via his televised ministry (something I’m usually not attracted to), and I wrote a post about him called, “A True Man of God.” I also integrated one his messages, “When God Closes Doors,” with my post called, “Liberating Wings of Freedom (Rising Above Childhood and/or Adulthood Abuse).”

Lessons Beyond Academics

“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called “truth”. – Dan Rather

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. —Henry Adams

One of my high school teachers, Mr. Bruce Barker (real name), was the first adult who ever helped me to believe in myself, and I will always remember him. I wrote a post about him a while back called, “Belief.” If I were to pick someone to play his character from Hollywood, it would be Billy Crystal made up a little more rugged looking and thicker in body mass. Mr. Barker had thick, black hair with a matching beard, and was stalky and short-medium in height…maybe around 5’6″. Although there were many times that I would feel like giving up in school because of all the drama at home, I never wanted to disrespect Mr. Barker by not completing my art projects, showing up to class or doing well on exams.

Note: Image on left by merlinspath.wordpress.com

During our final game at the Far East Basketball Tournament, I was so exhausted from playing practically all four quarters (due to being point guard) and from losing every game, that I just wanted to give up. But Mr. Barker wouldn’t allow it. He was so passionate about us being able to win at least one game, and he didn’t give up motivating us that I couldn’t bare to let him down. Of course, it was a team effort, but I’m sure I  could speak for the rest of my teammates that we won that day mainly because of him…he believed in us when no one else did. Our former coach (my regular English as well as Honors English teacher who looked like John Lithgow with a big bald spot on the top of his head) quit coaching us, and told us that he was tired of us embarrassing him at every game. I don’t remember his name.

Not only was Mr. Barker my Art teacher, but he was also my basketball coach. In addition to Mr. Barker’s amazing artistic talents and ability to be a an inspiring coach, he also coached varsity boys’ basketball and he had a great sense of humor. He always encouraged us to smile and laugh often, and to enjoy art and life by pouring our hearts and souls into it.

He even made funny jokes on a daily basis, sometimes at his expense…like old people jokes. He was famous for his unique sound that he made practically every time he spoke…something like, “Hah?” like the word “hat” but with an “h” at the end. Whenever we went on sports trips, he let us listen to our music most of the time, but he always insisted on listening to Michael Bolton (his favorite singer) at least for half an hour or so of the long ride.

Note: Image on right by turnbacktogod.com

He also made smartass comments that always made us smile and shake our heads. Another thing we loved so much about him was that he was so straightforward. He would say things like, “What, ya being lazy, hah?” or “Ya gonna finish that project during this school year, hah?” or “Ya paying attention, hah?” The last thing I remember him saying to one of my other teachers before I was supposed to head off to college was, “She’ll do just fine…she’s a tough one!”

I look forward to the day that I will have the opportunity to cross paths with Mr. Barker again. I often fantasized about becoming wealthy one day, beyond my wildest dreams, so that I could help wonderful souls like him. He had such a BIG heart. Plus, he had like a half a dozen children at the time, so I’m sure he could use some extra abundance.

Note: Image on left above by successimg.com

Everyone has their special gifts, and Mr. Langholz’s was gentle kindness, humbleness, professionalism, understanding, patience, humor, and last but not least…compassion. He was my Biology, as well as Anatomy and Physiology, teacher in high school. If I were to pick someone to play his character from Hollywood, it would definitely be Jeff Daniels with a clean haircut, a dress shirt, and slacks. As a matter of fact, they look pretty similar, at least in my opinion.

Mr. Langholz was like the epitome of a gentleman, and his wife…a true lady. His wife, who I believe was a Christian missionary, was also like an angel, and she visited our classroom quite often. They made a perfect couple, and they even looked alike. Mr. Langholz was famous for making corny jokes and often answering to students’ questions, “Surely! Wait…your name’s not surely…I’m so sorry” or something like that. He tickled me with his humor.

Note: Image on left by consciousselfgoverance.ca

One day, the week I received a major beating, I was about to leave class when Mr. Langholz approached me. He looked really concerned, a very sad expression I had never seen on him. He gently asked, “Barbara, is everything okay? You haven’t been your cheery self lately?” I told him that I was fine, and I hope to God that I thanked him because I don’t remember. He then asked me if I would like to take a retest since I scored a grade that was way below my average exam grades. I told him that it wasn’t necessary.

Until this day, I remember exactly how he made me feel…genuinely cared for, and I will always remember him. It’s completely understandable why “they” say that a simple act or words of kindness can have such a profound impact on someone’s life. I believe my experience of his compassion reminded my soul that my greatest passion in life would become compassion for others.

Note: Image on right joannmalone.com

Insights On Amazing Leaders & Teachers

As I reflect on all the amazing leaders and teachers I had the golden opportunity to know, I realize that their common characteristics and greatest strengths were their compassion (the highest frequency of love energy) and passion (intense excitement and ambition, also a high frequency of love energy). It’s no wonder that their highly vibratory selves blew my soul away. They were beings who were consciously connected to their higher self (whether through religion or spirituality), and made it their passion in life to spread their love and light to others.

I’ve known other people who were in leadership positions, who were either really good with their technical skills (job-related skills) or tactical skills (soldier/combat skills)…or even both; however, I wasn’t impressed or touched by them because they seemed to lack the most important quality of a human being…being passionate about caring for others.

I’ve even known many teachers, military instructors, college instructors and professors who were very competent, knowledgeable, articulate, assertive, humorous, etc., but if they showed a lack of concern to connect with their students (i.e., expressing genuine care for their future), then I usually forgot about them, didn’t remember their names, or remembered them like I recall anything else recorded in my long-term memory that doesn’t arouse any emotions, but merely exists as past images that may have a couple sparkles of joy associated with humor.

For instance, my college Economics instructor was competent, knowledgeable, articulate, assertive, and humorous; however, on the last day of class, he appeared so distant…so cold…even robotic. I had a feeling he had difficulty dealing with the most powerful emotion…love. I believe he had been hurt by a loved one, and didn’t heal from the experience. He appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties, and he didn’t have a wedding ring on his finger. Plus, he seemed to have a better rapport with the male students in the class, and often made condescending comments to mostly female students, which I ended up confronting him about.

Anyway, he didn’t have anything to say to us…no “Good Luck,” “You’re going to do great things in life,” “It was a pleasure having you in my class,” or even a “Good bye.” Instead, he had us watch some random You-Tube video that he picked on the spot since we had ten minutes before starting the final exam. I was thinking, “Really? That’s the best you got?” I was frustrated because I had a hard time understanding his behavior. Perhaps he was going through bad times…I don’t know.

Note: Image on left by vardhanksv.wordpress.com

My other instructors all shared caring statements, plus more. I sent My Econ instructor an e-mail after the course was complete and the grades were in. I thanked him for sharing his strengths with the class. I then added that I hoped that he would express that he cared for his students from now on, because such potential strength could make him an excellent instructor, and his act of kindness could have a ripple effect beyond his imagination. I continued to tell him that although I didn’t have a need to hear his kind words, because I was much older than the average student, I was confident that the younger students could use some extra words of encouragement and hope from their instructor.

Thank you God for giving me the opportunity to cross paths with such awe-inspiring souls; I will treasure them in my heart forever. I appreciate all your gifts, even the ones that were disguised in dark packages, because they have all helped me to remember who I truly am.

Thank you for helping us all to remember that we, too, are awe-inspiring souls, and that together…we can transform the world’s vibration to such a higher state that we will experience a new world of overflowing peace, joy, truth, abundance and love.

Note: Image on right by nonsensesociety.com