I just attended a retirement party for two teachers who have both worked at my school longer than I've been alive. One has been dedicated to educating students here for 27 years, and the other, 32 years. Now, if that's not awe-inspiring then I don't know what is. ...I must admit, the whole reception has put me into a very nastalgic mood.
I am struggling for the words to express just what I'm feeling in these moments. I won't try to force out any exhaustive account of my thoughts. I'll just say this: Seeing those women stand before me, thinking about the life in their years, seeing the light still in their eyes, hearing the stories shared by old friends...it revived something in my heart. It stirred a part of my soul that I didn't realize had begun to slowly fall asleep.
I'm sitting here in my classroom, pondering the fact that as I am nearing the end of my first year of teaching, these women are both nearing the end of their entire life's vocation. Both are great accomplishments which seem to mirror each other, in a way. It's a special sort of feeling. One that I can't quite describe.
For these two women, this month marks the end of an era, so to say. For me, it is simply the end of a beginning. And my soul is stirring....
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