Without question, this is the quickest ...hellofuzzy... update I've ever posted, but today's events have filled my heart and brought my summer days closer to a happy ending by spending the afternoon watching two young women celebrate life while loving each other just as much as they did when they could barely see over the porch rails of this little play house. My afternoon today with Brittany and Allison prefaced by a stop in Cookeville to see Kori and Tucker earlier in the week has reminded me why I became a teacher, found my home in Tazewell, and am grateful for the opportunity to watch one giggly girl, one almost athlete, and a creative genius grow up and become all that God has intended for them to be. They are three of many, but through the years, they are three of my many loves who have kept in touch, shared milestone moments, and allowed me to photograph them along the paths their lives have taken.
I didn't know them before they turned ten. I had no clue they even existed until they started fifth grade at SMMS. By keeping the score book for Junior Pro basketball, I got to know a group of kids who remain close to my heart many years after those Saturday mornings of blowing whistles, enthusiastic huddles, and double dribbles. I've tried to decipher exactly why it is that we became so close, and my analysis is actually quite simple. I think I'm one of the few adults they ever met who didn't know their parents. I must have seemed like some creature from another planet. I didn't know Steve Malone was an "eye doctor", had no clue Danny England existed much less had a car lot, and the only flower shop I had ever used was Henry's in Middlesboro. They quickly taught me about their families while I tried to make mental notes about the importance of NASCAR, University of Tennessee sports, and nail polish that changed colors with one's body temperature.
Their 8th grade class was filled with girls during their particular year. Only two boys managed to make the list, and oh, how they endured torture. Endless conversation about all things frilly, such as the first ever formal dance at SMMS (in my tenure at least). And in their group, there was Eddie. Eddie was a curly haired, brown eyed, brilliant boy, and he lived to grade Allison's papers. He just wanted her to miss one question so he could strike a red mark across her paper thus sending her into fits of displeasure. He seldom got to use his red pen, but in turn, his paper presented Allison with no chance to strike red either. They were two of a kind, but their lives couldn't have been more diverse if scripted to be that way. When Saint Valentine's Day rolled around, Brittany led the brigade to make Eddie feel loved. I stopped at WalMart and bought a box of Hello Kitty Valentines, and the girls all filled them out with notes of affection for their rotten Eddie. He entered class to find a bag filled with love that day, and I'm pretty sure that's the only time he ever blushed in his entire life.
My connection to Kori goes back to that red dirt that runs through my veins. Her older sister, Tracy, was suspicious of my hire at Tazewell Speedway, but the fact that I knew Kori gave me a little credit upon my arrival in "the tower." After two seasons of working beside Tracy, God called her home too soon, and my attention to Kori's life became more focused because I was here to watch her grow, go to prom, get married, and now become a mother. I'm so fortunate, and I do not take one single step of her life for granted. She is beautiful, smart, and painfully funny. She has been from the first time I met her, and each characteristic of her being seems to fill my heart with each simple text message, Facebook update, or email she sends. Tucker has no clue what he's in for. He will be a momma's boy, but they will re-define the term in methods no one has experienced to date.
As Brittany opened her gifts today, she narrated the event in the same voice she has had all her life...at least as long as I've known her. She was attentive to each detail and was so thankful for every one's generosity. Her spirit is unlike any girl I've ever met. I don't think she has an "off" button, and like, Tucker, Baby Ethan has no idea what he's in for when he meets his mother. I have visions of Brittany being the ultimate sports mom. She'll have shirts with his jersey number and then his name is Swarovski crystals. Woe be unto the first referee who ever calls a penalty on Ethan...or Tucker for that matter.
My mom raised me to believe boys aren't as smart as girls; she's on to something there. : ) With every group of students who leave my classroom in May, I can accurately predict the future for each. I envision graduations, celebrations, academic accomplishments, athletic domination, and happiness fulfilled. Brittany, Kori, and Allison have always shared life's moments with me, and today, I have realized that the little awkward tween girls I met so long ago are honest to goodness grown women who are making this world a better place one milestone at a time.
They are just three of 19 years' worth of students I've met while enforcing the importance of grammar and punctuation. I will be writing about more of you in the blogs ahead. I was so emotional leaving Brittany's baby shower today, and I had to rush home and put my thoughts to fuzzy. Despite the frustrations that come with my career choice, there is no more of a rewarding work to be done on this earth than to be a teacher. This is the perfect time of year for me to be reminded of that fact.
