Oprah....

Lots of people have a love/hate relationship with Oprah.  Either you love her, or you hate her.... I saw Oprah once, my mom and I went together.  I would like to say it was a wonderful day, but only in hindsight can I say it was truly a wonderful day.  You see, we went the summer after I graduated college and I was looking for a teaching job.  My first "real job."  I sent out lots of resumes and had gotten a call for an interview from Deerfield Public Schools for a 4th grade position.  It was the grade I wanted to teach, a wonderful school and in a great location to my family and friends.  I was so excited and interviewed.  I walked out of the interview feeling confident as I was asked to also interview with the superintendent of human resources.  All signs pointed to being hired and I was so excited.  Then, two weeks passed, and I heard nothing.  At my mom's urging, I called the principal to follow up.  He picked the morning that I was getting ready to go to the Oprah show to call me back and tell me that he hired someone else for the position.  I was devastated as I had my heart set on this job and didn't know what I was going to do now.  I tried to recover and get on with my exciting day to go to see Oprah, but we subsequently missed the train downtown, had to drive and just made it to the Oprah Show taping.  As much as I wanted to enjoy that show, there was so many things that had gone wrong that day that my head would bounce from listening and enjoying Oprah to thinking I didn't get that job and I'm going to have to live in my childhood bedroom forever.  Today I got a forwarded email message from an Oprah show where she interviewed Maya Angelou, where Maya had to say the following:


'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'
'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a life.'
'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'
'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back...'
'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'
'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'
'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back....'
'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn..'
'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'
 
Reading this made me think of that day I saw Oprah.  Especially the line where life sometimes gives you a second chance.  Because you see, about a month later I got another call from that Deerfield principal, on a Saturday.  He was about to go on vacation and the day before he had gotten notice from a second grade teacher that she was not returning and wanted to know if I could come in and discuss a second grade position at his school.  So I went in and got the job.  It turned out to be the best position for me, gave me teacher friends that I have until this day and taught me so many things.  In hindsight, 4th grade would have been quite a challenge for me to teach and 2nd grade was really the perfect fit for me.  That Oprah show day, was actually a wonderful day for me because it left me available for the 2nd grade position.  That is only something I learned only in hindsight.  From that expereince I learned, and have since tried, to not let something bad ruin a whole day, as lots of things happen in a day, both good and bad. 
 
Reading the last line of what Maya Angelou had to say made me think of all of you.  Whether you know it or not. what you are saying and doing for me throughout this journey will never be forgotten.  I may forget what exactly you said or did, but I will NEVER forget how you are making me feel.  If there is a silver lining in this whole experience, it is that I am getting the chance to tell people how I feel about them, and knowing just how much support my family and I have from so many people who care about me.
 
At the end of this journey, I am sure that in hindsight, I will have lots of things I have learned.  As I travel this journey I will try to keep in mind a lot of the things that Maya Angelou had to say above, as they have the wonderful ring of truth.