The family reunion...

A buddy of mine grew up in a family of, I think 15 siblings. They had kids. The kids had kids. Those kids have begun to have kids, and a picture was taken. Just imagine. Yes, it was a wide angle lens. Yes, there were many. My buddy's folks - good, good people. All that, handed down - again, and again, and again.

Impact.

Our local High School/Junior High School just lost a literal legend.

A life devoted to kids. Those kids had kids (or will have kids). Their kids had kids and one day soon those kids will have kids.

Wildfire. Spread. Good.

Imagine the numbers. Four decades. Teaching filled classrooms however many hours there are in a school day. Topped off by coaching sports, both girls and boys, for the same four decades.

The picture of my buddy's family is truly awesome.

How awesome is it to picture the picture of the teacher's 'family'? Impactive.

Good spreads.

I just spent two hours reading tributes of this person. Students. Athletes. Fellow teachers. Administrators. Schoolmates. Parents. Men/women coaches from competing teams. Etc.

As I read this, and read about the impact of this person - I would 'click' on the person's name that had written about the impact - and it was truly easy to see, yes, there was and is impact. Many have become parents themselves, some, even educators, coaches. Common denominators were positive attitudes, smiles, and happiness.

"Hand me down" in and of itself has a bad connotation. Nuh uh, not here. This person very obviously made whatever moments he had with individuals - the most important thing in his life at that time. Think about that. Is it just me, or do you sometimes listen, but your brain is going a hunnerd miles and hour and you don't really listen? I know I sure do that. Not this guy. He paid attention. He gave. He asked. They delivered.

And so did their kids, and their kids, etc, into infinity. One in a million, impacting a million - or more.

Of course it's utterly sad - but it's also so very beautiful.

As I read these tributes - I reflected on my own human-ness and chided myself for I wish I was like this person one hunnerd percent of the time. Without ever professing of himself - that, was his intent -> Be good, it will be handed down.

In death comes life.

The tributes made me want to get off my hiney, see the world in a new way. A thirst for fun. A quest, self guided, for niceness. Happy. Spread it baby. Go, do, be. Again, his intent. Far, far out.

This is not about 'me', thus, not sharing the name here. Go on FB, search Liberty (MO) Schools, or "Old Liberty" and you can find the tributes too. The message here, and I ain't spouting it - I too have been caught up in the funnel of good - is simply good. Happy. Fun. Thirst. Go. Do. Be.

Positive breads positive. Love heeds love. While there is no one like this person - there are literally millions in education (and kajillions in life) promoting good.

Life is complicated as can be. It's darn hard. If we all were to borrow, spread, emulate this approach - pay attention/love/smile/live/happy/be good - one person at a time, think of the possibilities.:

And the picture. Google Earth, if you will. The infinity of love. Go. Do. Be. Have.

Love, Victurd.