I was blessed this summer..., by Ann Berger, 2003

I was blessed this summer...

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Grace.

Thank you, Julie, for your grace... the tranquil, poetic peace you share. Inside your book, you are exploding with creativity and passion, and I thank you for opening your cover and sharing your pages, giving us a peek at your artistic canvas. The world thanks you for what you have yet to reveal..

I was blessed this summer with the gift of the esteemed title of "Writer".

Thank you, Janet, for allowing the writer inside of you to proclaim itself alive and well, because it is liberating for us all. You raised artistic children, each one singular in his or her craft of choice. Don't you know that in your eyes they saw an artist? That’s why they are who they are. That’s why you can confidently and unquestionably, with head held high, call yourself "Writer”.  "Artist."

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Pure and Simple Goodness.

Thank you, John, for the honest to goodness sharing of you. You are a man who is his past and I know it because you have shared so much of your wonderful history with us. Your voice IS authentic. And you aren't afraid to share it. Let the story of you continue, John. Let your beautiful, booming, coaching voice sound the stories of your past because you have so much to teach us with your words.

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Self-assurance.

Thank you, Trena, for your ability to share your true self. You regaled us with stories about your past that sounds fairy tale like. The creativity fostered in your home growing up and the astute voice echoed in the letters from your family history are expressed in your observations. The sense of strong self you reveal is a gift to me, like the day you shared that you were labeled "geek" as a young girl and you chose to find unparalleled strength within that superseded the labels from without. Powerful stuff

I was blessed this summer with the gift of First Grade.

Thank you, Laurie, for re-giving me the gift of first grade. You are the first grader I want to be. You feed the soul with fancy and fun. The payoff.' strong, fun-loving adults, just like you. We need flights of fancy to remind us of our inner child, for it is there where we can cast away the critics and accept our person. Thank you for letting me know that my immaturity is a good thing.

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Continual Growth.

Thank you, Mary, for sharing with me how you suspended your beliefs and disregarded the comforts and expectations of tradition you knew and were taught. You told a group of teachers that you dared to change, and it was worth it. You inspired a group of teachers to do the same. You make me proud to be a teacher because you're proud to

I was blessed this summer with the gift of an Old Soul.

Thank you, Maria, for exemplifying an old soul paving the way for a new generation of history creators. You are grounded in the wonder of nature, and with your students and the Fellows, you share a love of history. Your eyes light up at the chance to make the past come alive. If we all had your awe for the past and gleaned the inspiration from nature as you do, wouldn't our world be a better place?

I was blessed this summer with gift of Seeking Knowledge.

Thank you, Connie, for having an unquenching thirst for learning. Your feelers are always out there, wanting to learn,'wanting to grow,' wanting to educate. Questioning and laughing. Laughing and taking a risk. Wanting to purchase that new book, but showing up too late and missing the sale... and paying full price anyway, because you just want that book!

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Poignant Humor.

Thank you, Jeanne, for your humorous observations that are at once hysterical and poignant. We laugh because we know what you’re writing about. But when the laughter subsides, we are touched because we have had our heartstrings played and we didn't know it, you sly cat. We have to stop... think... What did she say? How prophetic. Much like a book written for children...

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Irreverence.

Thank you, Greg, for telling me that "If you know you are doing the right thing, and you can say why its right, tell those Grammar Nazis to go to a warm place!" I suspect they know hell already (isn't hell the place where they make you do all of those grammar worksheets?) You are a voice of professionalism. You know your stuff. You live your stuff. Thanks for all you do on behalf of teachers.

I was blessed this summer with the gift of Magic.

Dick, you always say that we should get out of this what we need You convinced me that its all about me. And then you stepped aside, as if you’re just here to unlock the door for us. But you failed to tell us about your magic wand that guides us, magically, to exactly where we need to be, that place that gives us what we need to be who we are so we can find our true self This magic is what leads us to the true gift from this summer...

our writing voices.

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