Looking Back...Moving Forward...Lessons Learned

In 1985 I was working for Family Tree, a family child care network that was a division of Archway Programs in Atco. In my Director's role, I recruited and trained those who chose to do child care in their homes. I also met with families who were looking for child care and sent them to the provider's homes. We made matches that worked for everyone. So why am I sharing this history with you now? It is a look into the past that came to light again this week in the present and from which I learned some valuable lessons that affirmed my value and the relationships that are built and can be enduring.
The picture at the top? Only a connection to the story in a vague way - and let's call it Literacy. Of course it is with a young one reading a book!! I got my latest edition of a journal, Young Children, from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. AS I glanced through the table of contents, I recognized a name and when I turned to the article, it was my former colleague who was one of the coauthors! What a sense of pride I felt to see how she had grown and changed and how much she had accomplished in the years since we first met. Her name is Cindy Becker and she teaches (again for an Archway Program - how ironic) and coauthored an article on Dual Language Learning. I wrote to the email address and we connected. Then we were going to listen to a singer songwriter at a coffee house near her and she and the provider I introduced her to, were to meet me there after they went to a movie. We went, they came and we talked. What is the lesson learned from it all? For me, it was twofold:
1. I had known that Cindy and Bette would hit it off and sent her there for child care. Twenty years later, their lives parallel in many ways and they are still best of friends.
2. I learned that I was a direct link to Bette's getting a job as a teacher in the public school system. Did I remember? Not necessarily so, but she did!
I would close this by affirming both Cindy Becker and Bette Newsham for their successes, their relationships and for keeping their light for children and families shining.
I would also close with a message to me - the person who always wonders if she 'does enough'. You never know what impact you have on a person's life, so engage in the dance, value them and always look for their strengths. Lesson learned.