Your words are so true!
Even the prayers!

Oh and you can add "Toronto Ontario" to your list too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It stands to reason, the day I am so busy I can't do my daily blog reading, you do a head count.

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That'll teach me to miss class.

I love those prayers Rick!!

Rick, I know I haven't been here in awhile. i just popped over. In case you don't know, I moved to MT and am teaching Jr/HS English. I needed to see what you wrote. I needed the uplifting. I needed the hope. thank you.

And while I'm making the longest comment in the world, I want to tell you the river/ bridge/ fall leaves pic at the top of your blog is stunningly beautiful. I don't ahve tradional fall here in MT- we don't have trees. I have been so homesick this autumn and that pic you have here looks just like my home in Area 52. I love it. Thank you so much. Today, you made my day.

Excellent post mano. You feeling better these days?

the prayers were good, but i like the metaphor of the kites. And also the speech from your dad is pretty interesting as well. I often wonder if i am doing the best i am capable of.

And BTW, you can add Santa Barbara, CA to your list.

;-)

HEHEEE! Ok the prayers were great!!

Now the teacher parts... a teacher put my first camera in my hand, saw my potential, gave me something to reach for, a reason to believe in myself. A teacher saw my pain, told me I was a worthwhile person, and made me feel proud of myself. I have had many wonderful teachers, who all had a part in helping me become who I am. You included! Thank you Rick.

Wow! I must be honest and say that I'm somewhat overwhelmed by all the responses to this posting, and thanks very much for them. (Note to self: Try to come up with a less banal expression than "Thank you very much"...what the hell is "very much"?)

JJ: Your quote is so bang on. It reminded me of the Butterfly Effect that I read about this spring in a book on chaos theory.

Dirk: I'll give you an excused absent pass this time, but don't let it happen again without checking with me first. As I've gotten to know you, "too busy" probably means snogging it in the boy's room".

Mackey: Do you have a favorite? Do the shoes fit?!! LOL

Professor: That touched me deeply. I want to give all the credit for the pic to Mel. She not only took it, but chose it for my "new look" which she put together for me!! I know how you feel, though. I haven't lived in Northern Ontario since 1966, and I STILL miss the colours in the autumn.

Red: Thanks for the props. As for me, I'm somewhat better, in that I'm not upchucking anymore, nor have I had a serious dizzy in a few weeks (touch wood!). The only really frustrating lingering symptoms are that I still find it very difficult to walk without losing my balance (...I've had to almost "child-proof my house by taking low-hanging pictures off walls etc. because I would stumble into them, using the wall for support!). I find stairs the hardest..esp. going down. And the other thing is that I have a very bad tremor in my hands that makes it difficult some days to write, eat, etc.

That probably sounds worse than it is, but that's the report the doc's getting next week when I see him!!

Thanks for asking!

Melanie: Santa Barbara is now officially on the list! I think we all wonder at times if we're doing the best we can, and I believe with all my heart the nswer is a resounding "NO". Because that would make you a perfectionist who would never be happy with less. (Preacher mode, here LOL)

KS: It's the lucky student who has great teachers (although I have a theory that great students creat great teachers...in other words you find what you expect to get most of the time). Isn't it amazing, though, how one person or one act can change you direction in a huge way? I call those my "life adjustors". Like you, I lucked out with a whole crew of absolutely outstanding teachers.

Thanks again, everyone! You've started my day off just fine < smile > .