"It's not what you do, but who you are that shapes the world."

~Author Unknown

The other day, someone asked me to tell them a story about somebody, excluding my mother, who significantly shaped who I am today. After contemplating this question and sharing the story with them, I thought it would be an excellent one to use as my second story this month and then to ask you, my dear readers, the same question.

So, here we go…

Starting at a public school from a disciplined Catholic school at just nine years old, I was afraid. However, I was pleasantly surprised on that sunny September morning when I walked to the door of my third-grade classroom and saw a woman with a soft, sweet smile standing on the side of the door welcoming children in.

When it was my turn, she tenderly greeted me and said, "Well, good morning, I am Mrs. Basic. Are you starting third grade today?" I shook my head yes.

Her smile was pleasant as she asked, "Welcome. What is your name?" I shyly told her, and when her eyes looked into mine, I could see her warmth and smiled again excitedly. She felt this and gently matched it, saying,

"Hello, Terry, welcome to your first day in the third grade. Come in." Mrs. Basic's expression calmed me as she softly touched my shoulder and led me into the room. She then showed me where to put my lunch box and jacket and guided me to a desk with a stand-up name tag with my name printed perfectly. Mrs. Basic told me this would be my desk; I could sit down and relax while she brought the other children in, and then we would all start our first day of school together.

I was pretty shy as a young girl. A lot happened in my home life, and I felt more comfortable not standing out from others. I was in the middle of five kids, and being quiet was safer.

My new teacher was not a yeller, even when there was a lot of activity in the room. She had a way of calming us just by standing at the front of the classroom and writing on the chalkboard that it was time to lower our voices and sit in our seats. This way of teaching was strange to me, and I so enjoyed how she made me feel every day I went to class.

When we walked into the classroom, to the right, a closet kept all our outside activity things in, like balls and jump ropes. Once, I hid in there when it was time to go home and waited until all the kids left. When I heard Mrs. Basic cleaning up the classroom, I quietly came out and started to walk toward her; she was surprised to see me and, with her warmhearted voice, asked if I had forgotten anything. I ran up to her and hugged her tightly around her waist. She folded her arms around me and thanked me, saying she really enjoyed having me in her class. I looked up at her, smiled, and then ran home, feeling so happy that she was my teacher.

One day, when Mrs. Basic opened the door for recess, the kids piled out and took off. I was the last one to walk out the door, and the principal stood on the grass close to the door and looked at us. They said hi to each other, and I smiled. Then I went closer to the principal and asked if Mrs. Basic could teach fourth grade next year because I wanted her to be my teacher again. She heard me and smiled, and he said,

"Well, I don't know if we can do that, but I'll check. You're right; Mrs. Basic is an excellent teacher, and I'm glad you like being in her class."

After I thanked him, I joined the other kids on the playground. Mrs. Basic's kindness and gentle teaching style made my transition into public school like a beautiful gift I got to enjoy all year!

As I moved up in my grades at that school, I would come by, say Hi to Mrs. Basic every so often, and we'd chat. I remember feeling in awe of her gentle ways, just as I had the first time I saw her at nine years old, and she always seemed happy to see me.

My dad got transferred to another city up the coast when I stepped into seventh grade, so I did not see Mrs. Basic again until I came for a visit in 11th grade. I surprised her one day when the morning bell rang for recess, and when she opened the door to let the kids out, I was there. She didn't recognize me at first, but as I came closer, her kind smile lightened my heart, and I couldn't help but match it.

"Hi, Mrs. Basic, I'm Terry Neely. I was in your class many years ago." She grinned and said, "Yes, I remember you. Gosh, you're all grown up!" Shy and proudly, I smiled and said, "I wanted to say hello and thank you for being such a wonderful teacher."

She warmly beamed and answered, "Well, aren't you sweet?" We talked for a while, and she asked if I would stay so she could introduce me to her class.
"Yes! I'd love to." I confidently answered.

While we waited for the bell to ring, she asked me what brought me back to visit her. "Oh, that's an easy answer, " I told her, adding, "Your kindness and gentle teaching methods helped me grow and change in many ways." She smiled shyly.

I waited a moment, then said, “Back then, my home life was a difficult place to be at times. I always looked forward to coming to your class where calmness and creative ways of learning were present every day, and most important was that I felt safe.

When we moved away when there were tough times, I would think of you and remember the kind way you treated us and everyone around you and that staying positive and kind was important. I told myself I would come back and tell you one day.” Mrs. Basic eyes began to tear up.

I also mentioned that on the last day of school, when we hugged goodbye for the summer and started on my way home, I thought about my year with her and realized that when I grew up, I wanted to be just like her. Mrs. Basic's eyes turned softer than usual. She hugged me and whispered thank you as the recess bell rang for the kids to return to class.

When the kids calmed down in their seats, Mrs. Basic told them she had a surprise for them and moved her hand to my shoulder. Looking around the room at these innocent children, I saw myself years ago and thought, I do feel all grown up, and it felt terrific to be next to the teacher I adored.

She introduced me as one of her students from a long time ago, and they all looked up at me with these huge, adorable eyes, waiting for me to say something. I smiled for just a moment and felt so proud to be there. Then, I started by saying how much I loved being a student in Mrs. Basic's class and that she was one of the nicest and smartest teachers I had ever met.

The kids looked at their teacher with new eyes. When they came back to mine, I said that I had learned quite a bit from her, and she taught me how important it was to be friendly and kind to others, even at times when others might not be so nice because we don't know what might be going on in their life that makes them mean. I wanted to come back and thank her for being that wonderful teacher for me. The kids looked at Mrs. Basic with joy.

Their soft-spoken teacher asked them if they had any questions for me, and they did. I smiled.

So, for a few moments, I felt like a celebrity and enjoyed each question and the giggles my answers gave them. When it was time for me to leave, I thanked the children for talking with me and suggested they listen closely to what their teacher had to teach them because it would help when they grow up to be my age. They clapped, and Mrs Basic asked them to take their reading books out while she walked me to the door.

She hugged me and whispered, "It was wonderful to see you again, Terry. Come and visit me anytime."

That hug reminded me that she was a beautiful example of how to live and treat others. I quietly shut the door behind me in gratitude for this amazing angel who helped mold me into who I am today.

I still feel the kindness and genuine patience I received from my third-grade teacher as the memories float past my heart today. I was surprised at the soft gratitude and love I felt as I wrote this story. These emotions are still in me after all these years. Our experiences seem dormant until we reminisce or reflect on them, no matter how many years it has been. For me, it has been sixty!😳

What a gift she was and is to me, and I can feel her energy around me now, listening to my heart speak of her. Thank you, Mrs.Gladys Basic, for the love you shared with me and all the children who stepped on your path throughout the years you were a teacher. At 68, I still feel your tender and passionate ways, and I am forever grateful.

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

"I wish you the kind of life's work in which you can use the greatest part of who you are, and I wish you the kind of life's love that will enhance all that you do and all that you are." ~ Fred Rogers

We have a gentleman who is a delivery driver, Billy, who has worked for UPS for over 40 years and has been in our neighborhood for quite a while. One would think he would be on autopilot after that many years, delivering items, a smile now and again, and then off he'd go. I have this visual: when people came home after a long day, especially driving eight to 10 hours, they'd drop the keys on the counter and think, another day under my belt and another day closer to retiring with a 'it can't get here soon enough' attitude, which would make total sense, after that many years.

This way of being is not Billy.

We have lived in our wooded area for almost four years, and it's growing by leaps and bounds, but it is still in the early stages of homes being everywhere. Billy has been doing this route for at least three years and has brought his charismatic Light to our door every time, whether during the day or, at times, as late as 9:00 pm. There's that smile, and it is not fake at all!

Everyone knows when Billy is close; he gives a honk when he pulls up to a house, springs out of the van, boxes in his arms, and walks down the long driveways. When he sees us, he's always smiling (and I mean always), asks how we are, and honestly interacts with us like we are two of his closest friends.

For example ~

When he delivered the first box of books I published, he handed the box to my husband and said, "Whoa, this is a heavy one. My husband excitedly replied, "Oh, these must be copies of Terry's book!" Right away, Billy questions this, "Terry wrote a book?" My husband told him about the book, and the next time I saw him, he told me he looked up my book on Amazon and felt it was his kind of book, and he was going to order it.😳
(Who does this?)

When I returned home, my husband told me about the conversation with Billy, and I had a signed book waiting for him a few days later. When I heard the honk, I stepped out, and we said hello, and he brought up the book. I asked him if he had bought one yet, and he said no, but he would soon. So, I handed him my book, and by his smile, he seemed delighted and thanked me.

A few weeks later, he came to the door with no package and asked my husband if I was home. When I stepped outside, he told me he had read the book and shared about the ones that touched his heart the most; he even teared up a bit, then included the one I wrote about a good friend and her precious pup who lived around the block. He knew them well and grinned as he talked about how Bailey ran up to the truck to get some pats and dog treats whenever he would deliver there. Billy was genuinely pleased about the book release and appreciated the stories. I walked back into the house feeling tickled and grateful that he shared his thoughts and enjoyed the book.

Fast forward a year...I was out walking enjoying the spring day when I turned a corner, and Billy's truck was a little ways ahead of me, so I slowed down. I watched as he did his usual 'honk' and then slipped out of the truck with a package for delivery. Halfway down the driveway, the house resident met him, smiling and chatting a bit before Billy returned to the truck and onto the next house and did the same thing. I saw these greetings at four more houses, and Billy's smiles and kindness never left him.

When I did catch up with him, he stopped, asked how many miles I had walked, and shared that he and his new wife would be heading out for some vacation the following week. I was excited for their adventure ahead. When he'd drop off a package the next day at our place, he asked if I got my walk-in for that day. So sweet.

As he moved on, I thought about the sincere and considerate way he treated everyone. Being the 'thinker of the heart' that I am, I am grateful for Billy's existence on Earth at this time. Just by how he lives and works, he is an essential teacher for everyone he interacts with.

Yes, when I speak about Billy to another, "good friend" always comes to mind before I even think of saying "our UPS driver."

So, it is not our work that changes or helps mold another through the heart's door; everyone is expendable in the working world, but it is an example of how we connect with our fellow humans and treat each person how we want to be treated.

Designed by the Author of the traits she believes describes her core values from the inside out.

I have learned through writing my stories that I am an observer of people and Nature, like the first story when I was nine years old and watched how my teacher treated others. The second story reflects that as I age, I am still that observer, and I am learning daily that people of all ages are still molding me to be the best of who I am at each moment. The warm smile I feel now reminds me how essential it is never to think I have nothing more to learn, no matter my age.

The completion comes with our last breath and not before.

"This brings me to the words I have used throughout my adult life as I remember why I am here and the purpose I live by:

We are a people of watchers, so we are teachers by how we live our lives.

The more I write my life stories, the more this beautiful message rings true, and I am surprised every time I am reminded of this.

Thoughts to Ponder:
When asking yourself who it is in your life that significantly shaped who you are today, are you adding the emotions you felt in the lessons you learned from them, and did you delve more profoundly than just the facts?

Thank you for reading and listening, I appreciate the support and the love you show me, always. Have a beautiful day.