A former student read my stories and said he couldn’t believe it came from one man.  He said it felt like it came from a village.

He also told me he saw how I took the beatings and stood up for others. He said in college, he had to write a paper on someone who influenced him positively and he wrote about me.  He recalled how I lent him my suit for his 8th grade dance.

I had totally forgotten that I did that.

Over the years, I have received communications from former students and subordinates recalling the impact I had on them. Most of the time, I had no idea.

I was just trying to do my job. Do some good in this life and world.

In my own little and limited way.

And that, in part, was what it was about.