Well faithful readers, there hasn’t been much content from me lately, but I’m going to do my best to commit to reprise my Post a Day for the Month of May, as I make my way through the final two months of this school year which also happens to be my last two months before retiring after 35 years in education.
As a child of the 70s, I recall daily soap operas as a staple in most homes. Both my mother and my grandmother faithfully watched these afternoon dramas and could recount the detailed storylines, even though many of them seem far fetched. Years later, when I became a mom and found myself at home in the afternoons, I became hooked on Days of Our Lives as it coincided with nap time for my kids. The countless tales of the Hortons and the Bradys and of course the town villain, Victor Kiriakis, which first aired November 8, 1965, are still going strong today. Although it’s been years since I watched an episode, every once in awhile I catch a glimpse of an article on social media about the show and reminisce.
For any Days fans, you’ll know that each episode opens with Macdonald Carey saying, “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of lives”. Life passes quickly, just as the grains of sand slip from the top of the hourglass to the bottom. It certainly seems like the last 35 years of my career have slipped by.
This past weekend, we came together with our 2023 Teacher Mentors Abroad team and as always, our esteemed, cherished President, Nancy Lorraine set the tone for our day with words of inspiration. She spoke about the inception of the organization and the extreme importance of our work. It never ceases to impress me that, regardless of the local political landscape, the appetite for global educational partnerships or even a worldwide pandemic, our work in supporting Dominical Republic educators over the past 18 years has never faltered ~ in fact, we are stronger and expanding at a greater pace than ever before.
I always find myself transfixed when Nancy speaks. She is a gifted speaker whether in her native language of Spanish or in English.
As Nancy finished, she left us with one final thought. She shared that each of us (and the work that we were about to embark upon) was like a grain of sand ~ which is a fitting analogy when talking about supporting education in a country that has some of the most incredibly, beautiful beaches.
Over the years each individual’s involvement (which may, in isolation, have seemed small and insignificant) is like a single grain of sand and when combined with the actions/passions of others has led to the success of our work in the DR. She also reminded us that we are Agents of Change.
Grains of sand falling through an hourglass may seem small and insignificant, but as they gather at the bottom, they represent more than the passing of time, they represent memories, experiences, and hopefully impactful change.
When you think about the sand falling through your hourglass, what do the individual grains of sand mean to you?
Come write with me….