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Did God make
you?
By Bob Robinson
It is a little after 2:30 and I’m leaving Greenville Junior High or
South, or 15 minutes later and I’m carefully leaving the high school
amongst what seems like hundreds of cars trying to fit through two
exits from the high school parking lot.
Or it could be an hour later and I’m getting ready to leave Woodland or
East.
I head to my next “job” as Secretary for Greenville Eagles 2177. On a
full sub day, it is usually just a quick stop to drop off mail, get
messages and handle immediate needs; otherwise it could be two, three
or more hours. Regardless, it is a daily routine.
In some cases my schedule is easy… one or two classes at Edison; on
others I still have evening classes to look forward to.
Typically, I’m in a classroom somewhere five days a week.
Often my day starts at 3 or 4 a.m… CNO stories don’t magically appear.
They come from a variety of sources and have to be processed and
adapted for the night crew (which at one point in time was also me).
Then there is volunteering… lunchroom at Woodland, Kiwanis, mentoring,
Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund…
I thought I was busy when I was editor of The Advocate. Now that I’m
“retired” I know the real meaning of “busy.”
Do my 68-year-old bones ache? You betcha. Do my 68-year-old feet hurt?
A lot. Is my mind often spinning? Yup! Do I sometimes feel overwhelmed?
During crunch times, of course. Who wouldn’t?
Do I feel alive? Absolutely!!
I feel alive when I patiently explain to a fourth grader how number
progressions work and I see the “light” appear in her eyes. I feel
alive when I pop my head into a first grade class for an hour or two of
“reading” and the kids “line up” to read to me. I feel alive when a
six-year-old gives me a hug and says I’m just like her grandpa. I feel
alive when I can walk a seventh grader through an algebraic story
problem and he can handle the next problem without help.
When a junior high student says his only goal is to graduate, or a
college student says her only goal is a degree, I ask them if there is
any value to the education that gets them to that point… to the
learning process that gives them the skills and work ethic to do what
they want to do. I feel alive when I see that they “get it.”
Not to forget my vocation of nearly 50 years; I still feel alive when I
write or photograph something… and I see the next day that over 4,000
people felt it was a worthy read. The latest example? Lady Wave Stadium
a Milestone for Greenville.
One of my post-secondary students from last semester told me she wanted
to work with old people…
“You mean like me?”
“Yeah, like you,” she said, matter of factly.
I got a grin out of that, but it was a reminder that another
generational transformation was about to take place.
Still, I felt alive. “Maybe by the time you graduate and get a few
years experience under your belt, young lady… maybe then you will be
ready to handle an old coot like me.”
She was – after all – still learning from Yours Truly.
Is she going to be one of those Quality People I’ve found myself
thinking about in recent months? I hope so. In my class she showed she
had the tools – dedication, a sharp wit, intelligence, a passion for
her chosen career… and compassion.
Children, just like adults, come in all shapes and sizes. They all have
different abilities and skills. Some need more fine-tuning than others.
They need guidance… guidance from mentors, teachers, parents, advisors,
and even Grumpy Old Men like me.
They are the ones who will be making the decisions that will shape
their world, just as we made the decisions that shaped ours.
Not all will eventually fit my definition of Quality People, but I’m
sure many will for someone important to them. To me, Quality People are
those who don’t think about service to their fellow man… they just “do
it.”
The vast majority will carve out their lives as I did. They will
overcome their faults, their mistakes and their shortcomings. They will
become productive members of society.
At least that is my prayer.
A reader sent one of those cartoons that I occasionally share on CNO.
Its message was special. It’s a grandpa holding his little
granddaughter. She touched his face. It is old and wrinkled.
“Did God make you?” she asked. “Yes He did, honey,” he answered.
Then she touched her face.
“Did God make me?” she asked. “Yes He did, honey,” grandpa answered.
“Don’t you think He’s doing a better job now than He used to?”
Food for thought, don’t you think?
Just for grins, I thought I’d offer a few quotes about getting older.
Wish I’d said them…
It is not how old you are, but how you are old. Jules Renard, writer
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps
learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind
young. Henry Ford
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old
people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt
Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.
Muhammad Ali
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the
life in your years. Abraham Lincoln
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't
matter. Mark Twain
Check out more quotes at Squidoo
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