The same incredible professor taught the reading and language arts methods classes in my undergrad program.  My knowledge of the breadth of young adult literature, as well as its power, grew tremendously under her tutelage.  One moment of her class is vivid in my mind for it has shaped every lesson I have taught.  She stood before us one day and announced, "I am going to show you how to cover a textbook."  Then she placed the textbook on a desk and sat on it.  "The textbook is now covered.  Go teach your students."  In graduate school a few years later, I wrote my thesis on the use of trade novels and anthologies in the classroom.  Reaching the individual was paramount.  I did not learn the term "bibliotherapy" until after I was given my own classroom, but I certainly saw the results.

This life I lead - not exactly the one I envisioned when I stepped out of my parents' home and on to the road that I believed would lead me a life filled with challenges and opportunities, a chance to use the talents God had given me. I wanted to live as Robert Frost suggested:  "...long I stood/And looked down one as far as I could."  As a result, "Man plans; God laughs" has been my motto since I told my college roommate, upon meeting the tall tennis player with the deep-set eyes, "That guy is a jerk."  That tennis player and I celebrated our thirty-fifth anniversary a few weeks ago.  That same tennis player turned down a great job offer as he was completing his masters program, explaining, "That job will require us to move every few years."  Five states, seven houses, two condos, three apartments, and several hotels later, we wonder if the moves would have been fewer had we accepted the first offer.

Now I sit in a house we built fourteen years ago; the same one that we refused to upgrade in any way since we knew we would not stay more than two years.  The loveseat that we bought so our sons and their friends could play video games and laugh and discover the world through conversation is now my favorite spot.  With a strong light for these eyes, I stitch away the frustrations and worries that accompany each of us on our journey.  The fabrics and threads come together through the repetitive movement of my needle.  The cares of the day slide away as I watch something new form.