I love when I hear from former students.  Interestingly, they almost never contact me to talk about a show or concert we did, or a song we played.  Typically they contact me to share how some life lesson I taught is now manifesting itself in their lives.  They also want to give me credit for how they were able to navigate the situation that required that lesson they learned.  In truth, the credit is all theirs.  I simply offered the lesson or the example.  They chose to make it their own.

Yesterday, I received a lovely message from a student I had over 20 years ago.  She shared with me the struggle she had losing the weight she gained during the birth of her daughter.  She was writing to me to thank me for being that little voice in her head that inspired her to stay committed to her goal.  She also knew I would understand what she had accomplished and would want to celebrate her success.  I am sorry she had to hear my voice in her head (they have doctors for such problems 😊) but am so pleased that I was able to inspire her.  But SHE did the work….SHE made the commitment….SHE lost the weight.

Today, no every day, I want to remind you of the impact we can have on our students.  I also want to remind you of the impact they can have on us.  When I was teaching, I made it a point to use music to teach life lessons….things that would allow my students to be successful no matter what life path they chose.  I am deeply touched and honored when I hear from them years later.  At that point, it validates everything I believed as an educator.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert