Someone Who Made A Difference

I spent three days last week at the Texas Counseling Association Conference in Corpus. Overall, the conference wasn't that great, but it was a nice getaway and relaxing time of sharing and collaborating with some fellow counselors from my district.

There was one really cool thing that happened though. On Thursday morning, I was standing in line for some much desired mocha cappuccino, when a woman walked up to check out the wait time. I glimpsed her out of the corner of my eye and felt a glimmer of recognition. When I turned back to look at her more closely, I saw that she was studying me too.

When I glanced at her name badge, it hit me. It was Mrs. Coon, my high school counselor. She recognized me at about the same time and even remembered my name (without the benefit of the goofy name badge I refused to wear.) I gave her a big hug and we had a nice little visit.

Before I let her walk away, I asked her if she knew that she was one of the reasons I wanted to be a school counselor. She tried to shrug off the compliment, but it's true. She was the counselor for my brother who is four years older than me and was there for him when my dad was so sick with leukemia. She used to let him come to her office to call him in the hospital.

When my dad died right before my sophomore year, she was my counselor. I didn't actually go talk to her much, but I always knew she was there. I think she came to the funeral. She always said hello to me in the hall; I think she was watching out for me the way I do some of my kids. She was never pushy, but always available, a gentle and reassuring presence.

She has been in education for forty years and still loves it. I'm glad I got to tell her what a difference she made to me.