A Very Special Person (Day #5)
Today was a nostalgic, bittersweet day. Neil and I drove to El Paso, where David, Christy, Neil & I lived for 4 years while the kids were in high school. Neil taught ethics at the Army's Air Defense Artillery School, while I taught at a wonderful school and had the three all-time best teaching years of my career here at St. Pius X School.
As the academic year 1990-91 was almost ready to begin, my friend, Marilyn, asked me to come apply to be her teaching partner, team teaching the two fifth grades at St. Pius. Convinced that they really would not want a Baptist, a chaplain/minister's wife at that, teaching in their Catholic school, I nevertheless allowed her to convince me to interview with the new principal, Sister Jennifer, with whom I had immediate rapport, and I accepted the job on the spot.
Sister Jennifer was my boss -- an excellent principal who truly empowered us as teachers. She also became my friend. A year ago last Friday, Jennifer went to be with the Lord. Today, walking into St. Pius for the first time since Jennifer's death, seeing a lovely picture of my principal, my mentor, my friend, brought me to tears.
Tonight, Neil took three women to dinner: Sr. Mary (aka Missy) and Sr. Juli, both teachers at St. Pius and good friends of Jennifer's, and me. (See picture above of Missy, Patty, and Juli.) All of us started at St. Pius the same year. We had an amazing time of reminiscence, some choked-up moments, lots of chuckles, and some outright raucous laughter, while we ate the world's all-time best hamburgers at the Great American Steakburger.
Neil and I came away feeling so blessed -- blessed by friendship with Juli & Missy and others in the St. Pius community, and especially blessed to have had a wonderful mentor and friend in our lives in the form of Sister Jennifer. God is so, so good -- to allow this Baptist minister's wife to teach at this Catholic school and to have my life touched so deeply by these sisters in Christ.
P.S. I have to tell this story on Neil: Sister Jennifer is the only woman in the world for whom Neil ever had a special t-shirt made. Seeing the motto of the women's basketball team at Hank's High, for which Christy was the manager, he was inspired to take their motto and put it on the front of a black t-shirt for Jennifer: "Real Women Wear Black . . . " and on the back, "Unless they're out of the habit!"
As the academic year 1990-91 was almost ready to begin, my friend, Marilyn, asked me to come apply to be her teaching partner, team teaching the two fifth grades at St. Pius. Convinced that they really would not want a Baptist, a chaplain/minister's wife at that, teaching in their Catholic school, I nevertheless allowed her to convince me to interview with the new principal, Sister Jennifer, with whom I had immediate rapport, and I accepted the job on the spot.
Sister Jennifer was my boss -- an excellent principal who truly empowered us as teachers. She also became my friend. A year ago last Friday, Jennifer went to be with the Lord. Today, walking into St. Pius for the first time since Jennifer's death, seeing a lovely picture of my principal, my mentor, my friend, brought me to tears.
Tonight, Neil took three women to dinner: Sr. Mary (aka Missy) and Sr. Juli, both teachers at St. Pius and good friends of Jennifer's, and me. (See picture above of Missy, Patty, and Juli.) All of us started at St. Pius the same year. We had an amazing time of reminiscence, some choked-up moments, lots of chuckles, and some outright raucous laughter, while we ate the world's all-time best hamburgers at the Great American Steakburger.
Neil and I came away feeling so blessed -- blessed by friendship with Juli & Missy and others in the St. Pius community, and especially blessed to have had a wonderful mentor and friend in our lives in the form of Sister Jennifer. God is so, so good -- to allow this Baptist minister's wife to teach at this Catholic school and to have my life touched so deeply by these sisters in Christ.
P.S. I have to tell this story on Neil: Sister Jennifer is the only woman in the world for whom Neil ever had a special t-shirt made. Seeing the motto of the women's basketball team at Hank's High, for which Christy was the manager, he was inspired to take their motto and put it on the front of a black t-shirt for Jennifer: "Real Women Wear Black . . . " and on the back, "Unless they're out of the habit!"
posted by Patty @ 8:06 PM
1 Comments:
At 6:31 AM,
PatsyJeanne said…
That made me cry.. I hate to think of any of the Panama family leaving us behind on Earth. Over the years we have become closer, we are a God made family.....
I think Neil could sell those t-shirts.
I just finished 4 tomato quiches. And I am sweating buckets. Didn't think about the heat.
Keep safe.
Lov Patsy
Post a Comment
<< Home