Humbled Again...........

I received a letter today, got it a month late as I hadn't been by the house for awhile.  It was a lovely letter from my former principal who had heard about my induction into the school's Alumni Hall of Fame.  It is an incredible document, reflective of the character of the man who wrote it:

Mike
A visit from one of my children began with, "Dad, I brought a copy of The Star; I knew you would want to read about Mike Morsches."  Emotions flowed through my body as I read of your accomplishments.  Wow! Mike learned from his breadth of experiences and utilized the experiences to serve mankind.  I felt honored to have observed you during those formative years.  I recalled meeting with a young man unaware of and uncomfortable with himself.  Tears welled in my eyes, as I read of your journey. You had freedom of destiny --You chose to serve.

Your were blessed:           
with "experiences" only realized by a few.
to accept, understand, and utilize those experiences.
to use your experiences as basis for your personal value system.
to recognize the needs of others.
to recognize the universality of mankind.
to recognize your gifts and develop skills necessary to meet needs of others.
to recognize your responsibility to serve.
to act upon your responsibility.

When approaching writing something important I return to my well worn book of quotes to act as a catalyst for reflection and introspection.  I'll share a few:

"It is by acts and not by ideas that people live." - Anatole France

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant" - Horace

"The wise man reads books and life itself" - Lin Yutang

"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time". - Jack London

"The span of life was lent for lofty duties, not for selfishness, not to be willed away in aimless dreams, but to improve ourselves and serve mankind."  Aubrey Thomas de Vere

Congratulations on being the recipient of the award, but more importantly congratulations for being the man you are.  God Speed for your continued life of serving.

Sincerely,

Paul McFann

*This letter had an incredible effect on me, incredible.  I did not know Mr. McFann well, other than the few occasions he had to suspend me my senior year in high school.  Yet when I came back that day for the award, he was one of two people I had hoped to see all these thirty four years later!  I didn't get to see Mr. McFann, but I did get to see Mr. Capin (another post, another day soon).  So today when I got this letter, I was over the moon.
Mr. McFann doesn't know that I ask my "adopted parents", the Bartels, about him each time I come back to Garrett.  He also doesn't know that I talk about him all the time, most recently at an international ESL conference in Jordan, where I was the plenary speaker.  I was talking about motivating students, particularly "knuckleheads" - those who you cannot reach immediately, but who you can influence over time by planting seeds of faith.  I was a knucklehead back then, and Mr. McFann planted some seeds that did not germinate for many years, but that changed my life.  So when he speaks of observing my formative years, he is incorrect - he influenced them. 
I find the depth of his comments to be sensitive and amazing - probably not exactly what I took away from my interactions then as he quietly informed me of my involuntary vacations from school.  Who could imagine that the dignified disciplinarian could be thinking such complex and subtle thoughts, language the troubled young man would not understand for several more decades?  I may not have appreciated these words then, but I understood the graciousness of his actions, the stern but kind affect that bled through his obligatory duties - that is what has stuck with me all these years, that no matter what I had learned to think of myself, others could recognize and acknowledge something better, something hopeful.  Simply sewn seeds.
So, although he thought he was writing this letter to me, it could have been to himself.  I may not have previously read all the quotes above, but they could have been written about Mr. McFann. 
How wonderful God is to have blessed me with his kindness and understanding then, and this heartfelt communion thirty years suspended (an apt but largely unintended pun)!  And I would be very dishonest if I did not add that I am particularly honored as a Muslim that a man of such integrity could compliment me on my actions and deeds!