Life is busy.
So busy that it is too easy to get caught up in everything you have to do, the errands you have to run, the papers you have to write, the books you have to read, the events you have to plan, the phonecalls you have to make. Any day can turn to madness as we scramble around trying to get it all done. Even if we have good intentions of serving those around us, sometimes that all gets lost in the chaos of "I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!" I know I've been guilty of thinking only of myself. Sometimes you just allow yourself get to that point. And then, you meet someone like Bobbi Redick.
6 months ago, when I decided to become a teacher, I had just finished my fourth year of college. Yep, right about that time when most people decide to graduate, I decide to change my major. Smart, eh? It had been a rough road trying to decide what to do with my life, but after two years of considering this switch, something clicked and I FINALLY felt so calm about it. It just felt like the perfect fit, that feeling I'd been waiting for. So I went confidently to the education office and met with a counselor, Bobbi Redick, to make the switch. To my utter dismay, I discovered that you can't change to a teaching major if you have too many credit hours. Seeing as how I had finished what most people consider an entire college career, I WAY surpassed the maximum number of credits. Horrible news! This meant I was stuck. I had finally found my future and knew it was my real passion and knew it was what I REALLY wanted to do and I was stuck! Super bummed doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. Bobbi seemed genuinely sorry for me but said that was just the policy and she sent me on my way. Huge bummer. What do I do now?
The next day I got a phonecall from Bobbi asking me to come into her office ASAP. I jumped in my car and cruised to Provo. When I got there, I discovered that Bobbi, unbeknownst to me, had spent HOURS after I left her office the day before making phonecalls trying to figure out a way to help me become a teacher. She tried to find any loophole in this system she could and even discussed my situation in detail with the head of the History Teaching department. This woman meets with dozens of kids per day. She has piles and piles of paperwork to fill out. She has tons to worry about. And she had spent hours doing something that she did not have to do, just so that I, a complete stranger to her, could get into the major I wanted. And she did it. She found a way. Because of her, they let me change.
Since then I have applied and officially been accepted into the teaching program. I also observed a Jr. High history class and felt the confirmation over and over again that this is what I'm supposed to do. I'm on my way. And it's all because of her.
I thanked her over and over again that day for what she did for me. And her only answer was, "Don't thank me, thank the angels. They're the ones that made it possible." The truth is, I don't know if angel can be defined any better than someone like her.
I always meant to send Bobbi flowers to show her how much I appreciated what she'd done, but I never did. When I came back to school this fall, I went into the education office to see her and personally thank her again. However, when I asked for her, I was told she had passed away in a motorcycle accident a few weeks before. In shock, I went home that day and looked up her obituary online. Underneath it were dozens of comments given by family members, friends, and complete strangers like me. Every single one shared how Bobbi had gone the extra mile for them. She was one of those people that gave all she had to people around her, even strangers, and expected nothing in return. A real unsung hero.
This post is in honor of her and of people all around us who are just like her. And in the hope that we can all bring out the "bobbi" in ourselves. I hope to one day be that kind of person, that kind of friend, that kind of sister, that kind of stranger, to someone else.
So thanks Bobbi.
Mmmm....
The graduation cap is a symbol of the importance of education in my home. Both of my parents always said that one of their greatest regrets was that they never went beyond a high school diploma in their education. As we grew up, they taught us how crucial a college education was and showed us the possibilities it would open up for us in our futures. It was always assumed that each of us would graduate from college. The first four have completed that task and I am the last, bringing up the rear. My education is very important to me, especially as it means so much more than classroom knowledge. I have been able to learn life lessons through my college experiences and hope to continue to do so until graduation day in April 2011 when I'll leave the world of the student to enter the world of the teacher.
The pyramids are a symbol of adventure. I've always felt that life is meant to be lived fully. We should take advantage of every chance we get to experience things we never have before, even if it requires a little bit of work. In my opinion, adventures are waiting around every corner. It's only when we get stuck in the mundane routine of every day life that we miss them. I've been stuck in the mundane before, until I realized that life gets so much more exciting with each new experience I had. It's a gift and I have to remind myself often to treat it that way.
