It was hard to just call her Marsha.

It has been 30 years since I graduated from high school. Yikes, I didn’t realize how odd that would look in print! So much has changed since then. Especially me.

For some reason I was reflecting on these last 3 decades. I was remembering the young girl that I used to be and pondering all that she had been through to become this grown up woman. The good, the bad and the ugly, as they say.

When I think of my high school days, my thoughts automatically go to my beloved business teacher, Mrs. Myers. What a tremendous influence she had on my life and my future. The sheer joy that she taught her courses with was so contagious. I took every business class that was available, joined the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) club and signed up for every extra curricular class she offered. I loved every minute of it, and Mrs. Myers encouraged and nurtured that joy. What I remember the most, though, is her humor. Boy, did we laugh! What a great lesson this was. Work hard, but keep laughing!

I wasn’t alone in my adoration of Mrs. Myers. I had a close circle of friends who were living this same experience with me. After high school graduation we kept in touch with Mrs. Myers, but the new rule was that we could now call her Marsha. This seemed at the time to be a wonderful rite of passage, but it was very difficult to make this change to her name. Sure, we had graduated, but we still held her up on this pedestal of trust and respect. It was such an honor when she showed up at my baby shower when I was pregnant with my first child. It was the first time I was able to call her Marsha without fumbling and stuttering.

It is now 30 years later. There were not only scholastic lessons that she taught us, she also taught us a lot about life. You can’t help but pick up on these life lessons when you spend so much time in her classroom. So, this brings me back to my moments of reflection. What would she think of what I have accomplished with my life? Would she approve? Would she be disappointed?

I know that the answer to these is “yes”. She would be disappointed that I didn’t finish my formal education; she would be pleased to see the work that I am doing (who knew that winning the FBLA Data Processing contest my senior year would be prophetic!); she would be pleased to meet my children; she would appreciate that her love of theater was a gift she gave to me; she would be pleased to see that my work gives me joy; and most of all, she would be thrilled that I try to put laughter into every day.

This brings me to the point where I must admit that I am disappointed in myself. It has been years since I have been in contact with Marsha. We have traded the occasional Christmas cards, but it has been too long since even this took place. It is really sad how we let people slip out of our lives that mean so much to us. This must be remedied. Thank goodness for modern technology, that we didn’t even dream of back then! An email is in order.

I wonder what her high school business classes would be like today! Can you imagine?