Blessing #10 - Gloria Hawkins - Mentor

Mrs Hawkins, was my high school Anatomy & Physiology professor.  The first day I entered her class I knew, I as a student was in for a treat!  She was a vibrant, witty, and compassionate person.   Mrs. Hawkins has touched many students lives and I was fortunate enough to have her has a friend and mentor during my last few years at Pampa High School.  Mrs. Hawkins came into my life right after, I became a Christian.  We shared a common passion of humor, faith, and we are both like sponges when it comes learning!  Her class was one of the most challenging courses I took in high school, not just because it was a tough subject to learn (even though my mom was a nurse and I learned a lot while she was in college), but because Mrs. Hawkins challenged to truly learn and to be the best at all that we did.  On a personal note, Mrs. Hawkins helped me to explore the avenues life was leading me.  Up to that point in my life I had wanted to attend Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas (from the time I was in grade school).  However, the class led me to see that was not where my deepest passions were.  I was also overwhelmed with trying to learn the full counsel of scripture.  I was trying to devour it like I do any subject matter.  I knew she was a woman of faith and I would ask her questions about things I would be dealing with in life and she would often remind me of a scripture on how to deal with the given situation.  She was very quick witted and full of combacks.  I myself have that same type of personality and I at times had buried it, afraid it detracted from "looking smart"and in the process became too serious.  By being too serious, I wasn't connecting with people in the best way I could, because I was being authentic to who I was.  But what she did for me the most, that set her apart from all of the other people in my life at the time was that she invested time.  I had always seen so many peers invest in people because of "what" they did (top athlete, over the top grades, etc).  Taking that extra time out of her day or a lunch, she showed me that she believed in me for WHO I was.  Something I myself was struggling with.   I just saw myself as just an average person with little to give except time, attention, and compassion…which boiled down to be all it took to do ANYTHING in Christ.  God uses available people, Mrs. Hawkins “Red” was AVAILABLE to me, and what a difference that made and how that in turn has helped me know HOW to be available to others!  Thank you Ms H!  Love ya!

“This quote definitely reminds me of the essence of the wisdom she taught her students:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.”

                                                  - Dr. Kent M. Keith