Encouragement

Three affirming things happened to me yesterday. At lunchtime I was shopping at United on S.14th. The carry out girl was a former student of mine. I asked her what she had been up to lately. She said she was a sophomore education major at ACU, studying to be a middle school English teacher. She said that she wanted to teach on the middle school level because it was such an important developmental age, and that she remembered from her middle school experience that only Mr. Kiser and I managed to inspire her; then she thanked me for what I had done. - The second affirmation occurred when I went into Walgreen (it seems like that should be "Walgreen's", but it isn't. I looked it up in the phone book) after work. I was talking to the lady in the camera department. Her name was Sophia. She looked at me and said “Mr. Pierson?” I said “Yes. Do I know you?” She told me that I had been her English teacher many years ago. (Usually when this happens I look more carefully and then recognize the person's face, even though it has changed over the years – but this time I recognized nothing. There was nothing familiar about this person.) I apologized that I didn't remember her, pointing out that I have had thousands of students over the years. She said she understood and that's okay. “I hope you don't remember me for a bad reason,” I said. She said no, she remembers that I was fun, and used to play my guitar. -The third moment of affirmation came when I was sitting in the dugout at ACU visiting with players after practice. Joel Wells brought me a book about baseball that he had bought for me at Hastings. He said that he had seen it there and thought of me and wanted to get it for me. He had written a nice inscription in it which mentioned that I had inspired him intellectually, physically, and spiritually. That was a very nice thing. Joel is a good guy. (Though I cannot figure out how I could possibly have inspired him intellectually. He is way smarter than I am.) * Three affirmations in one day. You've got to appreciate that. I wish that I could carry these in my pocket and take them out for review on days that I am feeling discouraged.