Big Day

Today is a very big day for me. I have been asked by my wife to be a "community resource" for her fourth grade classroom and come share my experiences working with homelessness. It is a big topic for anyone, let alone little fourth grade minds— but for me that's not necessarily what I am nervous about.

In fifth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Denlinger, was married halfway through the school yera and became Mrs. Murrow. For a fifth grader this is weird. How does a name just change during the middle of a school year! Was she the same teacher? She sure didn't feel like it, we didn't even know what to call her. Well one day, Mr. Murrow, her new husband came in. He was a cop, and was wearing his uniform with his gun and billy clug hanging over his left hip. He had a short crew cut and a clean face with a very curved nose. I remember this so well, almost 13 years later, and that is what makes me nervous about today! Mr. Murrow coming in was a big deal for us kids, it made us feel betrayed that Mrs. Denlinger would have another man in her life and we were all very jealous of him.

I wonder if that is me today, Mr. Murrow, coming to make all of the boys angry and the girls nervous. It is strange how vividly I remember this, and I feel so old now that Mr. Murrow is me. That's a little scary, but I am looking forward to talking to all Beckah's kids. It is times like this that I wish I was a famous athlete or musician so that they would like me more, but that is silly and prideful.