Believe in Angels

“As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Dreamweaver CS3 Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big ‘F’ at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, ‘Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.’ His second grade teacher wrote, ‘Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.’ His third grade teacher wrote, ‘His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn’t show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.’ Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, ‘Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.’

By now, Mrs... Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, ‘Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.’

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her ‘teacher’s pets..’

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life..

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.....The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, ‘Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.’ Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, ‘Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.’ (For you that don’t know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

Warm someone’s heart today. . .. make a difference in someone’s life today? tomorrow? just ‘do it’. Random acts of kindness, I think they call it! ‘Believe in Angels, then return the favor’.

Quotable Quotes

Collected and submitted by Leslie Waters

“We may be lost but we’re making good time. “ Yogi Berra
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Abraham Lincoln
“As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two . . .” Sir Norman Wisdom
“The 50-50-90 Rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.” Andy Rooney
“Today the L.A. Times accused Arnold Schwarzenegger of groping six women. I’m telling you, this guy is presidential material.” Dave Letterman
“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.” Ronald Reagan
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” Edgar Bergen
“It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try and pass them.” Author Unknown
“Golf is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off.” Chi Chi Rodriguez
“Talk is cheap until you hire a lawyer.” Author Unknown
“A delay is better than a disaster.” Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.” Author Unknown
“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” Abraham Lincoln
“Change is the process by which the future invades our lives.” Alvin Toffler
“In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.” Walter Cronkite
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” William James
“As we help others, we cannot help but help ourselves.” Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry)
“Never give a party if you will be the most interesting person there.” Mickey Friedman
“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” George Bernard Shaw
“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” Mark Twain
“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” Abraham Lincoln
“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop laughing.” Michael Pritchard
“I bear no grudges. I have a mind that retains nothing.” Bette Midler
“Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.” Author Unknown
“The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it.” Dudley Moore

If any of you have quotes you would like to share with your neighbors in the next issue, please send them to me.