When I was teaching, it was always interesting to meet with our students’ parents.  Our conferences ran the gamut of emotions, depending on their purpose, whether it was the once-a-semester parent/teacher conference, whether we were addressing disciplinary matters or anything else that might crop up during the year.  The common denominator of each meeting was of course the child.  Mostly we were able to give the parents good reports, sharing that their child was doing well and the parents left happy. Even in the situations when the report they were given about their child was not what they wanted to hear, we always tried to lead with something that was positive and a place from which to start to remedy the situation. As we also knew, their child was an extension of themself and if they were given news about their children’s grades, behaviors or attendance not being up to par, they were often less receptive. The purpose of the meeting was not to rain down negativity on the parent and student, but to find a way we could work collectively to get the child back on track and on the road to success. Often, these disgruntled parents would get verbally abusive towards their child (and sometimes us), embarrassing them in the conference and making the situation worse. We would try to explain to them, all of our students were “special” and had redeeming qualities including their child and we wanted them to succeed.  Sometimes it calmed them down and sometimes not.

These meetings came back to me when one of my former colleagues sent me this post written by Jeff Brown. It applied to when I was teaching and to the world in general.

No one is ordinary. No one is plain. No one is run-of-the-mill. These are disparaging terms that reflect and perpetuate a shamed collective. In fact, every one of us is unique. Everyone of us is extraordinary. Every one of us has a precious offering. Our work – in this life time and life times to come – is to get out from under the collective bushel of shame and treasure ourselves and each other. So much of the destruction on this planet originates in self-hatred. Let’s turn that around. Let’s begin each day by looking in the mirror and honoring the precious being before us…”I treasure you.” And then, let’s find at least one person every day that we can offer the same reflection to…”YOU ARE A TREASURE…”

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find something good about everyone we come in contact with each day. The world would be a much happier place for sure and most of the problems in the world would be solved. Alas, that is probably not going to happen worldwide. But we can do our part and make our own little corner a better place in which to live.  Certainly, there are none of us who are perfect.  We all have our foibles and faults, but He finds good in us and loves us anyway. If we try to be more Godlike and live in the way He guides us, we can make our own lives and the lives of those around us better.  Each and every one of us is a treasure to God and He loves us unconditionally. Psalm 136:26 tells us “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” That is God’s promise and we know it to be true. Thanks be to God!

Patty