Teacher/Treasure

Rachel alluded to the fact that it has been a really hard week for us. It has been. You know when things happen and they are not right and they are not fair but they happen anyway?? That is what our week has been like. Actually, I guess it began months ago. Above is our beloved Teacher. She is posing with the PCA Eagle (Bebo in disguise). This was back in September. Teacher runs our GED lab. She has run our lab for the last 10 years. We are one of the fortunate departments in the state that has a GED lab in house. I have had many of my people receive GED's by coming to our lab. Three in the past two months. One of those is going to college in the fall. Those are the sweet victories that keep us going in this job.

The powers that be have closed down our GED and ESL lab due to funding problems.

I know have known Teacher for 9 years and 10 months. This woman is a true Southern Belle...a lady with a gun to prove it. She is sweet and kind and patient. She is so funny!! She has a gentle manner of doing things and in that, has taught us to be a bit like her. She always looks for the positive and I have never heard her speak ill of anyone. She was very upset and not very positive about the powers that be for about 3 days and then she put on her big girl panties and said that it was just fine and went about her business.

I have been blessed in my life to know wonderful strong women. Women who teach me and help me. I do believe that is what we are to do in one another's lives. We are to be the women together in the tent.

She is the jewel that I have been allowed to have here on earth.

Yesterday was her last day. It has been sad this week but I really think it will sink in deeper in the days to come. We will no longer hear her pretty laughter float across the grand ballroom floor. No more will she come to our side of the building and say *Okay, what are ya'll up too cause it is just too quiet over here!*. No longer will I have someone who says *Oh Mindy...you must wear that color more often because it brings out the blue in your eyes.* Or *Oh Mindy, you are just beautiful.*.

We are in mourning.

Baby Gator was here on Wednesday and stopped by for a moment. Teacher came in to hug her. Teacher has watched my two children grow up. Baby gator said some not nice things about what was happening and Teacher assured her that it was really okay. She looked at Baby gator and said *Oh honey, you will never be rid of me. Your mother's and my lives are intertwined and it will stay that way.*

She asked us to act like Thursday was just another day. A day that she was just going home as normal. She could not handle an emotional good-bye. So, that was how it was.

I do not think that there is a pair of panties big enough to make this okay.