Ramadan 1433 - Friends of the Academy

 

I have been so blessed this year that I am embarrassed to even mention it. Allah has brought so many beautiful people into my life that a hundred years of gratitude would pale in the bargain. Many of those folks came from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Academy we began in Jordan last December. I have also changed jobs this year, and the environment now is so much more challenging and healthy, I continuously check to see if I am truly awake. I have the best boss I have had since I began my career, and a wonderful faculty and staff. My daughter Sindi comes to live with me in a few days, and I am very grateful for that. Her sister Kesho and I are getting along better by the day, just another lesson that our children are more loving and forgiving than are we.

I left behind some very good people in West Virginia though - Rhani our frenetic secretary; Rich or eeyore as we call him; Dr.Curry the smartest guy on the planet; Matthew his son who does not share my fasion sense; Shirley the most active 75 year old I ever met; Rachel the stalwart of the Lewisburg campus; David the serious and playful IT guru; Mohammed, Karima, and Ryan my adopted Moroccan family; Steve my golf commiserator; Dr. Faulk my golf partner; Grace and Dan my gracious hosts on many occasions; My students who made me laugh and thank God I was still allowed to teach; and many, many others.

Of course there are the academy members who I have tried to highlight this month, fittingly so. There are three children, Amani, Sara, and Yazan who make every trip to Jordan fantastic for me. Muath my cub reporter friend who will one day own a German newspaper just because it is German. There are friends in Akron and Salem who know who they are. And there are other friends gone from my life but not my heart. Never has a man had so many good people in his life!

Finally, there is a very important small group of other friends who I am fond of and who I respect very much - these are people from around the world that have adopted our academy and become part of our family. The did so without all the benefits we had, and they have been just as loyal. To name a few: Yusuf Adarbeh, Eiman Abu Obied. Rasha Awad, Liza Tamargo, Eiman Al Kiswani, Murad Saeed, and so many others. They really amaze me and make me proud to part of their group. Rasha and her friend Nesreen have gone the extra mile and attended some academy functions and even toured Rachel and Shirley around in Amman. One is about a meter taller than the other, much quieter and serene. The other is a bit shorter and full of energy. Both have been great assets to the academy.

I am laughing a bit as I write this, thinking of these wonderful people knowing I could keep writing this post forever. Eid is almost here and I can't wait. I can't wait because my heart is full of the love of so many friends, of my God, and the security that I have helped thousands of young children in Jordan simply by bringing these wonderful people together. Alhamdulilah.