There are people among us who are truly angels. My friend Deb I met about thirteen years ago at San Benito High School. I was a new teacher there and she had just lost her father suddenly and unexpectedly. I did not have the pleasure of working with her right off the bat, but after a few years she was in the classroom with me.
One of my fondest memories of working with Deb was on the first day of school. There we were in a room of 28 special education students, mostly boys with conduct issues and as I was presenting the syllabus Deb paced the back floor looking at the calendar and planning vacation. The irony was that she was there 100% with the kids all of the time. This included days when she had headaches or family emergencies. She always gave everybody her best.
When Ciera was sick, Deb took a morning off to care for her while I taught. When I painted my house, Deb and Mark were there with brushes in hand. When I moved, she packed her truck and made a couple of trips loading and unloading boxes. When I was in the hospital, she went to Ciera's Christmas Sing at her school. These are just a few things that come to mind.
I haven't seen Deb in a couple of years, but when I look around my house at my most sentimental decor it is a reminder of her. She always gives me the most precious and thoughtful gifts. I get a feeling of warmth and goodness just thinking of her.
Yesterday, a Christmas wreath arrived at our door. This wreath had a little red bird attached to it. Just last week, Adam carefully picked out a birthday gift for his father and it was a little red bird similar to the one on the wreath. When Adam saw the bird on the wreath he was delighted. It was from Deb.
Deb hasn't only been an angel in my life, but to everyone who knows her. I am thankful there are people like Deb in the world. I hope Deb has an angel too.
