Literally, A Blaze of Glory!

Listen, I know today is the first day of winter and all that but I just HAVE to write about our Fall this year. I mean, it was spectacular. It was stupendous! I've been trying to write this particular post for two months. I'm just going to do it. I will write about Thanksgiving and Christmas in the days to come. :)

Do you love Fall or are you not a real fan? Well, Fall is my favorite season with Spring running a very close second. Back in October, I spent seven glorious days immersed and surrounded by the most spectacular mountains on the planet--Western North Carolina-home of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smokey Mountains. It has been several years since Fall has been this brilliantly colorful.

The first four of the seven days I spent in Cullowhee, NC. I was there for a teacher's seminar -- NCCAT (North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching). The name of my seminar was "Reading, Writing and Literacy by 3rd Grade." I have been wanting to attend one of these week long seminars for years. It is free to all teachers in the state of North Carolina. Well, you do have to send in an application and get accepted, but the opportunity is there for all teachers. My principal gave me permission to go in early August. I was excited about this new opportunity for professional growth and the chance to meet and work with other teachers from around our great state. Unfortunately the weather was yuck... it rained and was really cold for most of those four days. I did meet some great people though. I made some new friends and discovered some commonalities amongst our group of 13 fellow teachers. I got to check out the small town of Sylva; I walked around downtown and found some neat shops. One of them is this cool little bookstore called "City Lights." A fun little place to read/shop/sit and get dessert and a drink of choice.

I learned a lot of great/interesting things while there but more, I learned to never underestimate the power and influence of a good teacher. A good teacher can and does change lives and can set a child on a course of unbelievable success that was never before dreamed of before the presence and encouragement of "said teacher." I heard two amazing stories at this conference that gave me chill bumps. So many times I, as a teacher, feel so defeated and I don't feel as if I am making any real difference, but after listening to one of the other attendees's story and how she dropped out of high school at 15 because she couldn't read very well and figured school just wasn't for her because she felt like such a failure to her eventually becoming a PhD in reading and literacy and now travels around NC teaching other teachers... all because her 3rd grade teacher happened to walk into a shoe store where she was employed and encouraged her then older self to go back to school and make something of her life. The teacher told her she could do it; she believed in her and that's all it took to set this girl on a track that changed her life. We as teachers really do have some unbelievable power when it comes to children. It can be good power or bad power. I know some horror stories, but the truth is, we can be "all in" and show our students that education is a pathway to amazing opportunities; we can "light them on fire" (inspire them) to be real go getters and strive for excellence in all areas or we can be those teachers who just teach because it's a job and go through the motions to get through the days until retirement. (10 years, 37 days, 14 minutes, 23 seconds) Teachers, especially teachers in NC, get paid next to nothing and most times it is a thankless job, but there are days we do get some gold nuggets and that makes this profession totally worth it.

NCCAT Conference Center

Town of Sylva

After the seminar I took off for "the High Country"... Boone, Valle Crucis area. From Cullowhee, I drove through Asheville to get to I-26 toward Johnson City, TN. You talk about an absolutely stunning drive!!! WOW!!! I had not driven that route for many years and I had forgotten how spectacular the scenery is in that direction. I about ran off the road multiple times trying to crane my neck to see the amazing mountains all decked out in their vibrant colors. I stopped several times to take pictures. My friend Katie, was driving to meet me. We were going to go to the Valle Crucis Country Fair. I had never been but Katie had been numerous times. It is always the third weekend in October. Tons and tons of people attend this fair. It must be like a religion or something. It was a cold somewhat gray day for the Fair, but we had a great time. Oh, how I wish *you* could have seen the mountains. It was like a majestic royal parade. The mountains showed up in their finest finery to show us Commoners just how royal they really are. I sat and stared at those mountains; the beauty that surrounded me took my breath away. I thanked the Lord for His awesome creation. I felt so blessed to call these mountains "home." I actually felt a tinge of "sorry" for those folks who have never seen these mountains, driven their windy roads, climbed and hiked their trails, enjoyed picnics on their mountaintops, sat in the midst of them listening to beautiful music. To really understand what I'm saying, you just have to experience it.

Valle Crucis Country Fair

For some reason, and I'm not sure if it is "getting older" and feeling the need to be "home" again or what, but I have fallen in love with the mountains once again. I'm from Asheville, born and raised, and you can't get any more mountain loving than Asheville, but I think I have rediscovered my "Mountain Love." I have always thought I wanted to retire and move to the beach. (Now don't get me wrong, the beach is still my Saving Grace, my Soul Meets Soul place) I find myself considering the mountains now. I've heard the saying, "Home Is Where the Heart Is." Well, that phrase is certainly giving me much to think about to be sure. It makes me really think about what I want for this next phase of my life. The door is open so to speak. Windows are flung wide. Hmmmm...

I took some really beautiful pictures of my time in the mountains. I want to share those with you. Fall is God's masterpiece. Some years we are blessed with an incredible painter's flourish. Some years are not as brilliant, but still a show nonetheless. This year the mountains sang loud and proud. I hope I never forget the Fall of 2014. A blaze of glory indeed!

Happy First Day of Winter,
D~