Young Man, There's No Need to Feel Down

I know you remember our class valedictorian; the president of the National Honor Society in our senior year; the amorous peddler, Ali Hakim: our Andrew. He sent me photographs with his wife, Elizabeth; Benjamin, 9 years old; Adam, 5 years old; Matthew, 3 years old; and Emma, 18 months old. I couldn’t decide between summer and winter because they’re both such lovely photos. Andy said the summer one was taken last August before Emma had surgery on her spinal cord (the operation was a great success, he added).

The rest of this post is Andy’s email about his life today:

My students think my life is pretty boring, but that’s okay. I don’t travel much (although we’ve had the opportunity to travel abroad some), and I don’t make tons of money as a school teacher, but I have a beautiful wife and four great kids who keep me busy. I guess my life sounds like something out of the 1950s: we do the Cub Scout thing and piano lessons, and I coach YMCA sports occasionally; I’m also active at church in the choir and helping with the children’s ministry.

What my students don’t always realize is that “excitement” is often overrated; the least “boring” year of my life was the year we spent in and out of hospitals with our daughter Caroline, who had been stricken with cancer. For eight months we battled, and we were greatly blessed by the many friends who helped in dozens of ways. While Caroline lost her battle in March of 2001, we know that she is waiting for us in heaven, and that is a great comfort.

If anyone had told me in 1986 that I’d be teaching, I might not have been too surprised, but if they’d added, “in a military academy,” I probably would have scoffed. However, it’s been an extremely interesting place to work, and the location, the foothills of north Georgia, is wonderful. I’ve grown more conservative as I age (but my students still think I could pass for 18... I guess that’s a compliment), and I enjoy the give and take of discussions in government and economics classes. I also had the opportunity to be a reader for the AP exam a few years ago--in Daytona Beach, Florida, no less! I guess it’s revenge of a sort for our own classroom struggles those many years ago.

I’m sorry I’ll miss the reunion, but I’d love to hear from classmates.