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I am back from my visit with my sister in Ohio and took some time to rest and repair my body from the trials of travel on a plane and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. The time I had with my sister was wonderful. Five years is too long to go between visits. We had a chance to talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company. She totally spoiled me, not allowing me to lift a finger no matter how much I protested. It is not easy for me to allow someone to dote on me but I must admit I enjoyed it thoroughly. My sister seemed happy and more fulfilled than I have known her to be since the death of her husband. She has finally moved beyond grief and found new life. She has even allowed someone new into her life. I am glad for her.

When I returned home, a letter came from one of my former students at the high school where I taught. Let me share with you part of that letter...

"...you have done a lot and touched a lot of people's hearts with your encouragements. It seems to me that you have done everything that you ever wanted. You are a great person, teacher, and role model. I want to thank you for everything that you taught me in the two years that I was in your class."

I share this letter because it touched me and I know it would do the same for any teacher you may have had in the past who touched you in some way. Teachers who truly love what they do need to know their efforts made a difference. It is more important than a raise or having one's name in the paper or being given some award.

I am familiar with the saying, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." How untrue that saying is. I have often wondered who coined that phrase and what the motivation was behind it. Teachers...true teachers...are a very special group of people who are given a calling to teach. It takes more than an education and training. It requires a special quality within that person. It has been a natural part of myself and a drive within me since I was a child to teach. So let that special teacher in your life...everyone has at least one such individual...know how you feel.

Visiting My Sister

I leave for Lancaster, Ohio on Monday to visit my sister, Marlene. We visit regularly on the phone but have not seen each other face to face for several years. In the past few months I have increasingly felt a strong need to spend some time with her. Our sisterly experience is somewhat unusual. As I have said in earlier journals, we were not raised together. My twin and I, the youngest of eight, were adopted when we were less than two years old. My next brother and sister were also adopted by a different set of parents. All of this happened because of the death of our natural mother a few months after my brother and I, the twins, were born.

My sister and I have only known each other for the past thirty years and have spent only a few times together, either when I visited her or she visited me. So in one way we know very little about each other, even though we are both in our sixties now. Even so, we feel close and have found a special bond. The past year or so there has been some kind of misunderstanding that has caused my sister to withdraw. I really don't know the cause but am determined to find out and heal the preceived wound she feels she has suffered. The last thing I want is for us to be less than sisters. I love her and I know she loves me. If I have done or said something that has truly hurt her, I want to heal that hurt. I want us to move beyond that hurt. I hope I can get her to hear me and put aside whatever it is that has put up a wall between us.

Family discord is such a sad thing. I have never really known what it is like to have family ties. I treasure the possibility. I hope anyone who reads my journal and has rifts in the family will do something to heal that rift. Don't wait for the other party to make a move. Love should be above the petty things of everyday life. Life is too short. I learned that the hard way when my twin died suddenly. I had let years pass by without keeping in contact. And there were no disagreements between us...just time and distance. If you can not love your brother or your sister, how can you love anyone else? How can you love yourself.

I will let you know how things go with my sister and me. I know just being together, face to face, will make a difference. I just want her to know I love her and nothing can come between us as sisters.