Columns

I went to my 34th graduation as a teacher. In the 18 years I have been at East Davidson we have had all our graduations outside on the football field, except this year. After days of rain, the field was too wet for graduation, so we held the ceremony in the gym.

Leading up to graduation, I encouraged administration to pursue some way to stream the ceremony. I am not sure how it all worked out, but in the end we offered a live stream. So after the seniors headed down to the gym, I headed to my air-conditioned classroom to watch the festivities. It was great to have a front row seat in a comfortable chair, watching the senior Golden Eagles soar.

In our technology driven society, we need to find ways to provide more things like that for our students and their families. My mother watched her grandchild graduate from the comfort of her home. It allows people to participate who may struggle to physically be there. I am glad to have been able to attend several of my nieces and nephews weddings virtually.

One of my favorite parts of graduation is listening to the inspiring speeches. Two of the seniors gave speeches. The first young lady reminded the seniors that today one door was closing and another one was opening. It is the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

I liked that she talked about the various destinies that each of them faces. Our destiny is often determined by our career choices. Some of the students will be putting on military uniforms and defending our country…to those, I salute you. Some will pursue careers in the arts or sciences. Some will go to the community college, while others will attend universities.

The second young lady reminded the seniors that there were parents and teachers who want to see them succeed. She talked about walking through the trials of life and maintaining a positive attitude. She told the students to surround themselves with extraordinary people who will push them to higher levels of success.

One other thing she talked about is being a hero. She defined that as someone who helps at least one other person. She thus challenged the students to lead a life of helping others. She told the students to make wise choices so they could lead a life they would be proud of…which would bring them joy and happiness.

I love to listen to the students and reflect on what I would say to a graduating class if given the chance. Here are a few thoughts from a teacher with 34 years’ experience:

Try to find something that you enjoy doing that someone will pay you a living wage to do. Many people hate their jobs. You are young and now is the time to make some good choices so you will enjoy your career. If you love what you do, you will never have to work a day in your life. I have loved being a teacher…most days.

Choose your mate wisely. Life is more fun when you can spend it with someone you love and who loves you. Work at the relationship. That means you still need to go on dates even after you have been married for many years. Staying connected is vital to a fulfilling relationship.

Choose those you call friend wisely. The people in your life will either build you up or tear you down. We are all destined to walk through difficult times in life, and having a friend who will lift you up, or even carry you, can make all the difference.

Finally, and probably most importantly, connect with your Father in Heaven. I know that many people carry a bad image of a father because theirs wasn’t there, or was a poor example of a godly man. Your Heavenly Father is perfect. He loves you with agape love. He is always on your side and wants the very best for you. He is not a Santa Claus who grants wishes, but a loving Father who will stand with you through the good times, and especially, the bad times.

I want to encourage you to connect with God. Connecting with Him implies that you will read the Bible. Start with Matthew and read Jesus’ words. Pray and talk with your Father in Heaven. He will hear you and talk with you if you are willing to listen. Make wise choices and commit your ways into His hands. He will never leave you or forsake you. Good luck, graduating seniors…go out and soar.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

We are entering exam week at school, that final push to finish up another year. It is hard to get students focused on doing well on their exams because they are already thinking about summer vacation. Well, the truth is that teachers are thinking about summer vacation, too. I am ready to send the students home to their parents so I can get some rest and relaxation.

We had a crazy school year. We started off with two hurricanes affecting our area. We were out for a couple of days for each one. Then we missed a week for that big snowstorm. I thought we were going to get a snowy winter, but thankfully Mother Nature backed off and we didn’t miss any more school.

I think I am a little more excited for this school year ending because I am retiring. I have been trying to clean things out as I find a little time here and there. I have found things stuffed away in my file cabinets that are really old. One thing I found was something I bought when I was student teaching.

The decision about what to keep and what to toss is challenging. The school system has decided not to replace me, so most everything I leave behind will probably be tossed when I walk out the door. I have worked hard to organize my files so it is hard to just leave them. But I got some advice from a former principal this week, and it was to toss it all. I really don’t need any more clutter around the house so she is probably right.

I contacted my former principal a few weeks ago and asked if we could meet before I retire, as she was such an inspiration in my career. She was gracious to come pay me a visit. We shared plenty of laughs and lots of memories. We also talked about how things have changed since we both began our careers. We both strongly believe…it’s all about the students.

Students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds and many do not have what we would consider a traditional home life. Some of the students come from troubled homes, and our job was to help them achieve success in spite of their circumstances. My former principal and I agreed that there were students that gave us grey hair and tried our patience, but to see them graduate gave us great satisfaction. We both know that without our help some of the students would not have made it.

I have always tried to keep an open door for students if they needed someone to listen. It is hard to gauge the impact of those conversations. One student came while I was super busy and wanted some advice about choosing a college. We talked and I offered some techniques on how to make important decisions. Knowing she was a Christian, I told her to pray and ask God to guide her. Years later I heard from a sibling what a powerful impact those few moments had on her life.

I will never know the impact that a few minutes of my time had upon my students. That is what I try to remind myself every day, that if I will make myself available to God, He can use me. He knows where I am and He will put people in my path. We need to have sensitive spirits so we can hear and obey the leading of God.

I am convinced that there are people in your life who need to hear from heaven. You may be the only conduit that God has available to reach them. He wants to use you but you have to be available to Him. Someplace a parent or relative is praying for someone like you to come into their family member’s life and offer them hope and guidance. The keys are to be ready, available, and willing to give out of what you have received. Hope, forgiveness, peace, direction, and love are truly wonderful gifts that you have and God wants you to share.

I want to encourage you to be willing to share out of the abundance God has given you. It isn’t always money others need. People need time, consideration, love, support, care, and possibly a helping hand. You see, the biggest need most people have is you. They need you to be Jesus to them. They need you to be His hands, His feet, His words, His arms around them. Any one of us can do that…we just have to be willing to give of ourselves.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

I went to my last State DECA Competition as a teacher last week. DECA is an organization for Marketing students. I have been an active sponsor for the club for my entire career. DECA allows the students to compete, develop leadership skills, become more civically minded, and have social interactions not only with their peers, but with professionals as well.

DECA members compete on the district, state, and international levels. In my career, I have been able to take students to the international DECA conference five times. We qualified a number of other times but were unable to attend for various reasons. It’s exciting to see your students make it up on the big stage at the state conference. This year two students made it on the stage, and they came off with the biggest smiles.

DECA trips give me and my students an opportunity to get to know each other in a greater way. This year I took my students to Olive Garden, where we shared a great meal and lots of laughs. We played some games and asked each other some questions. It is interesting to listen and learn about what the next generation thinks. I enjoy spending time with my students.

For a number of years I have worked with the state officer election process. I give the candidates a test and then help the screening and nominating committee as they interview the candidates. The committee does a great job assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the various candidates. Each year as I listen to these young people I find renewed hope for the next generation.

Each year I get a few moments alone with all the candidates right before they take their test. I tell them they have succeeded no matter whether they win or lose. They put themselves on the line. I also tell them about the time I ran a state officer. It was a close race that year. I might embellish the story just a little each year as I tell it. Several current and past state officers told me how much they enjoyed the story, so I told it again.

I cherished and enjoyed this year’s DECA conference. I took a great group of students who made me proud to be an East Davidson Golden Eagle. It was fun to go and see some old DECA friends. As I looked around I realized that I have become one of the older ones. How did that happen? I don’t feel older, but maybe just a little bit wiser.

I want to be a wise person not only in my professional life, but also in my spiritual life. As I consider how I got wiser professionally, I realize that I always found people who were better than me and hung around them. I tried to glean…OK, steal, any good idea I could from them. I wanted to take advantage of their experience. I realize that if I want to grow spiritually, I am going to have to do the same thing.

I know we can all grow on our own. I believe great growth can come when we are willing to submit and get under some great teachers. I have been fortunate to have some great pastors who shared their personal experiences. If we can acquire their experiences, we can save ourselves from having to learn the tough lessons they learned. If we will listen and apply the scriptures in the way they teach us, we can become wise.

Wisdom doesn’t always come with age. We have to glean it by listening and applying the lessons presented to us. The Bible is full of wisdom, but unless we apply it to our lives it is useless. God wants us to succeed and to have a good trip through life. But there is much we have to learn. I want to surround myself with friends who push me to live up, and to reach my highest potential. I want to garner the wisdom from those who have the scars of experience. I want to choose to grow in wisdom, knowledge and insight.

I want to encourage you to consider carefully who surrounds you. Do the people you call friends have your back? Do they want the best for you? Do they see your potential and try to draw it out of you? Do they encourage you and lift you up when you are down? Are they wise and are they willing to share their wisdom and insight? The choice is yours to reach your greatest potential.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com

The weather is beginning to change. Many trees are blooming. Even though we haven’t seen Mr. Sunshine very much this year, it almost feels like spring. I walked around the yard the other day and there is plenty of work that needs to be done outside already. The problem is all the rain. I don’t want to complain though, because summer is coming and we will be begging to get a shower.

I kept busy doing some things inside last weekend, even though I wanted to do some outside tasks. I woke up Saturday with my back feeling a little tight. All the things I did that required bending over or doing some lifting all included some grunting. You know that sound that we all make when we are lifting.

By late in the evening I noticed the tightness in my back wasn’t going away even if I rubbed it a little. My Mom used to always tell me, “Just rub it,” about any part of my body that wasn’t feeling just right. I was rubbing it and it wasn’t feeling any better. Then, without provocation, I felt a stabbing pain in the back.

I was hurting pretty bad and not sure why. I hadn’t done anything. I asked some of the guys at work on Monday if any of them had similar events. All the older ones knew exactly what I was talking about, only one younger one did. That prompted me to wonder if I was of a certain age. My pastor, bless his soul, assures me that I am not of a certain age.

The pain humbled me enough that I sought some prayer. My wife began the process and I asked the elders and pastor to pray for me on Sunday. God in His love and grace took most of the pain away so I could function better, but left the edge of a reminder that I need to be careful with this temple I reside in and take care of it.

I don’t know why, but it seems that I have had to ask for prayer quite a bit this year. I’m not very good about asking for prayer. I have a tendency to fight my own battles. I am good about pulling myself up by my own boot straps. I like being the encourager, not the one needing encouraging. I like being strong. I like being the friend you can depend on. I like being the prayer warrior, the one who intercedes for others, not the one needing the intercession.

I can hear my mother now, “God is teaching you a lesson.” What does He want me to learn? First, I think He wants me to be careful with this temple. I am willing to work hard, but maybe I need to learn to work smarter. I am not twenty-five any more.

Second, I think God wants me to watch what I am putting in this temple. I am not just talking about food and drink, but vitamins and medicine, too. I also need to guard my ears from certain conversations, music, and news. I also need to watch what I am seeing. There is so much beauty we can enjoy, and many things we need to avoid.

I think I need to be careful what’s inside, in my thoughts. Philippians 4:8 gives a great list of things we should think about. I don’t know about you, but sometimes my thoughts can be negative and discouraging. God wants me to keep my thoughts positive and focused on Him.

There is a lot more to worry about with this temple…see right there…worrying! It’s so easy to head down the wrong path. God knows we all need each other. I need you to walk beside me, to encourage, challenge, and lift me up, but you need me to do the same. We all need to draw closer to God, spend some more time in His word, and learn that it is OK to lean on each other.

I want to encourage you to open up and allow someone lift you up when you are down. It’s hard, I know, but you might just discover how much you are loved. The Bible says we are supposed to encourage each other and to challenge each other to a deeper walk with God. So the next time you see someone a little down, reach out a hand and lift them up. Share one of your beautiful smiles with them and brighten their day. Remember, it’s OK to accept one, too.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com