Published in my Tumblr acct in 2013
This week has my mind on the role models in my life for some obvious reasons. They are all getting older! Some in their late 70’s and other nearing their middle 90’s…older.
My father passed away nearly 30 years ago and truthfully there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. He had a silent, unusual way of being my dad, at least as I recall. Maybe it was because of his generational understanding of the world, his service in WWII or maybe just because he was a “get it done” kind of guy. Not harsh, not mean, never abusive…I sometimes think I can hear him say, “just stop being so flashy and just get it done.”
I was saddened to hear from a few Facebook friends that my High School band director had passed away on Sunday. He, although he likely never knew, is the reason my trumpet has never seen the dark recesses of the attic. He is the driving force behind me performing for more than 30 years in little small ensembles, bands, and community orchestras. He is the reason I’ve seen most of the world lugging an instrument around and getting to know some of the most amazing people.
He was hard, demanding, and expected great things from people he knew had a talent deep inside them. If you gave your best he rewarded it. As a kid, I was blessed to be good, but I was too lazy to be great and my grade in band reflected it. He knew that and in his own way drove me, not “just” as his student, but in my life.
Looking back now, at the mentors I’ve known, the male role models that make me who I am I see something strange and something incredibly comforting. Each of them, that I can name without skipping a beat, were teachers. Classroom teachers, Music Teachers, Sunday School teachers, Scout leaders…
Today early in the morning, I found myself thinking about those men. My dad, my teachers, those leaders that shared small pieces of themselves with me and my memories of them are priceless.
Someone somewhere is looking at you today. Whether you’re standing in a classroom or in the boardroom you are making a difference in the lives of the people you work with, serve with, lead with, and teach with! You can leave a lasting impression, or you can just be present. I am grateful that my band director chose to be more than present! I can still hear him on the practice field to this day, “Eight to five people, not seven, not nine…eight to five.” Thank you, Mr. Nelson,