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Every Day is Precious: Words of encouragement, once removed
By ROB PAYNE
For Williamson A.M.
Marcy and I are blessed each time someone tells us they are touched by this column, Marcy's Web site, or our book (available at EveryDayIsPrecious.com). We recently received a sort of indirect blessing a blessing once removed. As parents, we all wonder how our kids act when we're not around. And since Marcy had her tracheotomy surgery about 15 months ago, she is virtually bed-bound. We rarely leave the house even though our kids go almost everywhere, thanks to many friends and neighbors, so Marcy and I feel especially out of touch with our children's out-of-home behavior. But we moved to Williamson County because of the school system and we know the kids are under the wing of some of the best teachers in the country. We recently received a word of encouragement from one of the fourth-grade teachers about Darcy, our 10-year-old daughter: ''I've been meaning to drop you a note for a very long time, but haven't found the words I wanted to say. I am a teacher assistant this year, and I see Darcy every day. When I do, I think of your whole family and say a prayer for you. Darcy is the kind of young lady I wish I had to join the two boys that have blessed our lives. ''Darcy is extremely nurturing to all her classmates, helpful to me when I have to take over the class (and don't have a clue what to do), and her laugh is so infectious. You two did well by her!'' We have known Darcy's laugh as infectious, but it was nice to hear she spreads that bug around! As school lets out this week, I think about all teachers and the opportunities they have to encourage. I've never seen a job description for a teacher, but I'm sure the best has ''encourage'' right at the top of the first page. And the best teachers are inherently encouraging it just springs from them naturally they encourage almost every time they communicate. I think this teacher assistant will do very well in her chosen field. Proverbs 18:21 says the tongue has the power of life and death. And in James 3:4-5, the Bible talks about the tongue being like the rudder of a ship. What you say about yourself and about others guides the way we all go. If you know a family in need, consider sending a word of encouragement today it will be a special blessing. Even encouraging a stranger could set them on a better course for the rest of their life.
Every Day Is Precious is a column to remind us to treat everyone we see today as if it could be the last time we see them. It is written by Rob Payne, whose wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in August 2000. Now 41 years old, she has gone from winning 5 and 10K races to being quadriplegic and on a ventilator at home. For a collection of these columns in book form, more ways to help others, more about Marcy, or to receive e-mail updates on her condition, visit www.EveryDayIsPrecious.com.
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