Our family is our gift. They shelter us in times of rain. They embarrass us in public and sometimes they leave us before we are ready. I have suffered my share of loss as all of us have, but today, I do not wish to dwell on the past. I want to look forward to the future. I have many I call family. My parents, my children of course, my crazy sisters and even crazier brother and all of my beautiful nieces and nephews. I still have grandparents that send me birthday cards and tell me how proud they are along with aunts, uncles and cousins. I believe we could fill up a small stadium if all my family ever stood together. I love them one and all and hope they know that distance is but lines on a map for our love.
The family I want to touch on today is that extended family we all have that carries us through everyday moments. They share birthdays, holidays and anniversaries. They share births and deaths, divorce and marriages and yet, many of them have never seen my house. They know my favorite foods and pet peeves and I know theirs, yet I have never been inside their homes either. Today, I speak of my work family. Everyday we gather together. We smile good morning and sigh good night. We share battle stories of the day and say a prayer for each other each night.
I work on a HS campus that employees approximately 60 teachers plus support staff. We tend to almost 1,000 students each day, small compared to some I know, but nearly twice the size of my high school oh eons ago. Each day by 7:30 am, the copy machine is humming, the computers are running and coffee is flowing. Each hour we step in the hall and begin a conversation with our neighbor, five minute snippets of our lives as we fight off the hoards to go to the bathroom and get refills. Sometimes it's like someone hit pause and we pick up the next hour right where we left off then the bell rings, the doors all close and the show continues.
At our official 30 minute lunch, we math peeps gather. The math department has 4 fresh new faces this year. Two are brand new teachers and two are brand new to us. They bring fresh life and laughter. Sometimes I wonder about our former members who have moved on, some more than others, but mostly, it's a time spent trying new ideas, funny stories, prayer requests or just a moment to breath and be ourselves without 25 pairs of eyes waiting for the next act.
Last week, I was the only veteran at the gathering for a minute, fielding questions of vital importance like why are the morning classes 2 minutes shorter than the afternoon when one of the newbies said that September 25 couldn't get here fast enough. I asked why and they reminded me that newbies don't get their first check till then. I had forgotten how long that first six weeks could be and then one said, "I don't even know what my salary is." We all laughed and the others nodded in agreement. I too remember not knowing what the first check would look like. We are a rare breed. I know of few professions that inspire such dedication, time and devotion and yet, money never enters the conversation during hiring. We were all so excited to finally be in a classroom, that we simply forgot to ask if they were paying us, much less, how much. Again, I was humbled by my work family and truly honored to work among such warriors.
Today though in those 5 minutes, I shared a moment that will lead one of us towards a different battle. Last year, a senior member joined our team. She has been my savior on more than one occasion as each day she simply says, "Coffee's ready." I am not the only one who journey's to the room around the corner each day with mugs, Styrofoam and travel cup. She takes care of all of us young and old with stashes of crackers, Little Debbie's and that all important teacher staple, mints. She rarely asks for help in keeping stocked and although she is not the only stash keeper, she offers more with a friendly smile and a cheerful good morning. Recently, she discovered a lump. Last week was the biopsy and late Friday afternoon was the consultation. In our busy lives, I simply said, "You are in my prayers," and headed off to my next class. This morning, I grumpily prepared for work as it seemed the rest of the world slept in for Labor Day. I pulled in the parking lot, opened my room, turned on the computer and then headed off around the corner for my cup of joe. She wasn't there, but the coffee was. I made a few copies and then headed for the before the bell bathroom break. There, at her post by the stairs, she gave me her usual good morning and then I remember she had received her results. As if she read my mind, she said, "Have you heard?" I looked in her eyes and knew. I simply wrapped her up. It was cancer. That bully we all stand up to, but keeps coming back. The bell rings and I must let her go. She does not cry so I won't either.
Others have faced her fight, some have lost and some have won. Some continue to fight while others pray that this time the remission stands. I have stood by others that I loved, other family members that fought, but in my youth and selfishness, I did not give them the most important thing of all, my time. I promised to stand beside her and it is a promise I did not make lightly. After all, she's family. We may not share any blood, but we share common ground, a love of children and coffee and a high school hall. For me, that is more than reason enough. I want to look forward to the future. In my future, I see shiny waxed floors, math lunch confabs, many 5 minute conversations about teenage antics and my family banding together to fight the bully one more time. We will win, for cheerful good mornings and, "The coffee's ready."
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