All I needed to Learn...

One of the most inspirational people in my life was my fourth grade teacher. She was more of an adopted grandmother than a teacher. She taught us some arts and crafts as well as multiplication.

When I was around 12 or 13 she gave me my first job. It was cutting her yard. It was a pretty good size yard and took a couple of hours to do it. Usually she would make me a sandwich when I got through. Turkey with mayo. Sometimes she would make me two. I think about her just about every time I eat a turkey sandwich even to this day.

She is responsible for a couple of other things in my life, too. To go along with the turkey sandwich would be a Coke (usually from a small bottle because she said they were better) over shaved ice. She had this old contraption on her covered porch. "What's that?" I asked. "It's an ice crusher" and then she showed me how it works. You put ice in the top and then crank the handle to crush the ice. I always had to have crushed ice from that time on and even today, I prefer crushed ice to regular ice cubes.

Growing up my parents didnt use many spices. My adopted grandmother/former teacher turned me on to spicy foods via cheese straws. For her cheese straws, she added extra garlic and red pepper. I have never had any cheese straws that I like as much as I liked hers but I have looked. She would make me cheese straws at least once a year. She would give my family two batches, one for everybody else and one extra spicy for me. I wish I had gotten her recipe.

A few years ago she died. I was sorely disappointed with the funeral. The main pastor of her church decided he didnt do funerals so junior minister who had never met her lead the service. Instead of words of comfort and memories of her, we learned how the minister met his wife and what he did before becoming a minister. He spent almost an hour talking about himself like he was the one being honored.

Anyway, she had a great impact on my life and helped to mold me to whom I am. I think about her often.