Not a day goes by that I do not miss my late great friend... Katherine S. Jonas, or as her friends often called her Kay. She is living in the Kingdom of Heaven now and most defiantly is one of Gods angels.
I know this, because daily I can still feel her presence in my life. Kay showed me by example how to be a selfless, caring, and nurturing friend. The lessons I learned can never be fully put into words because it was her actions and attitude that helped make me a better person and friend to those around me.
Not a day goes by when I don't stop to ask my self
"What would Kay do?" or
" How would Kay respond to this?" The years may continue to slip away but her memory is forever etched within me. The impact that she played in my life will never be forgotten.
Monday, October 19th would have been her birthday. In honor of her birthday and her memory, I want to share my first encounter with the late Mrs. Jones.
So please, grab a cup a coffee, a box of tissues and help me honor my friend.......
The first time I met Kay was August 1998 . It was a day of many first for me. My first day of work, My first real teaching job, My first day of meetings, but probably the most important thing to happen to me on MY day of first was the meeting of Kay. It was the day I learned a lot about first impressions and attitudes. It was the day that Kay taught me my first of many of life's lessons....
Staff meetings sucks! Plain and simple, there is no other way to describe it. There honestly is nothing worse then a room full of educators who have to be students for an hour while boring administrators try to remember what it was like to be a teacher while trying to conduct a meeting. Even as a 1st year teacher I knew that.
Being the newbie I was good and early that first day of meetings. The memory of that first encounter is still as strong today as it was 11 years ago.
Picture this....A tall, slender, brown haired, older women walks in. Her Khaki pants, perfectly pressed, a button up collared shirt, a black SAK purse. As she gracefully walked the room her shoulders straight and stature, her long legs took confident strides to each and ever person in the room. A quick hand touch to a shoulder or a nice pat on the back to the people around her. Ever person in that room sat a little taller and attitudes immediately changed before my eyes.
She owned that room and frankly I didn't know who this women was or why she was there, I just knew that I was scared silly that she was going to sit beside me. Her height scared the living life out of me.
"GOOD MORNING" ...
"SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN" was what I heard over and over as those long legs of hers continued to move closer and closer to the open seat by me.
Dear god please don't let her sit by me....Don't sit by me, Don't sit by me, Don't sit by ....
CRAP....
she just sat by me.
"This is Mrs. Jonas, Courtney" Donna my principal said. "She is the aide for the upper elementary school. She is a former teacher with many years of experience."
From that moment on time froze around me. I had heard enough.
FORMER TEACHER?
Holy crap...just want I don't want.
Thank God she is not my aide.
For those who might not know this story, I was the new, freshly married, first year, Kindergarten teacher who thought my way was the only way and no way, no how was anyone going to be pushing me around. I had a huge chip on my shoulder and was in no way, shape or form going to be told how to run MY classroom.
So there you have it folks...I hated this lady who had just sat down beside me for two reason. One she was tall and that scared me and Two she was a former teacher.
Yep so sad and yet so true... those were literally my first two thoughts of Kay.
Lets jump ahead....
It was the next day, a work day with no students. Stressed frazzled and refusing to ask for help I was setting up my classroom when there was a knocked on my door.
"Excuse me Mrs. Sponseller, I am Kay, we sat beside one another at yesterdays meeting."
Uh ah yes, I remember. Is there something you need?
"Well I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch today?
CRAP...How can I get out of this?
My first of many lessons had just been learned....
NEVER EVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!
Thank God, I am a quick learner! After 30 minutes I realized I just met one of the most incredibly, generous, warm hearted humans on the planet. I knew from that moment on, this former teacher was a person I had to have in my life.
Over the next few years, a bond was built between the former teacher and the kindergarten teacher. I would find myself finding reasons to need something from those "teachers" down stairs just so I could talk to Kay.
As I was beginning to approach my third year of teaching, a 4th grade position opened up. I knew I wanted to switch grades to make myself more marketable as a teacher for the future employment in the public schools, but manly it was really because I wanted Kay to be my aide.
The year was 2000 and little did I know that I had just taken the 4th grade job from HELL. My principal made my life impossible. I had 28 students, 2 of which were LD and 1 that was ED. I feared he was going to hunt me down at night and come to my house to kill me. I would have never survived that year without Kay. She was there every step of the way for me. The tears I shed on those strong stature shoulders of hers are what got me through the days.
Life lessons are what she taught me. One after another. She lead by example. She lead with her heart. She lead with grace and dignity, and yet somehow, someway that former teacher always had a way to never tell me what to do. She always found a way to make me figure out what to do. She listened and loved and always knew what to say and how to say it.
People come into our lives for a reason. God gave me that job that put me at that meeting in that chair in 1998. Our paths were destined to meet.
The path of life has many crossroads. At each one it is difficult to say goodbye and go our own separate ways. In 2001, I choose to quit teaching to stay at home with what would be my first of three children. It was a choice that I struggled with. Kay continued to teach and help shape the lives of those around her. I knew by quitting my job, I would miss seeing her each morning more than the job its self.
Over the next 3 years, we remained in contact with emails, phone calls and an occasional lunch. She was always so private, but somehow deep down I just knew something was wrong.
In 2004, my sweet, dear friend died of cancer. As difficult as it was to watch. She the forever educator still taught by example. Watching from a distance was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have never seen a person fight for something so hard in my life. As hard as it was to say good bye I always carry hope that one day our paths will cross again so that I can tell my former aide. Just how special she was to me.
I try to lead by example now, I try to do the right thing. I try to live so that she would be proud.
Monday was a glorious day. The sun was shining and it was a perfect fall day. After weeks of 40 degree rain and sleet she let her presence be known. I think she was telling those of us who remembered it was her birthday she misses us as much as we miss her. Thanks for the sunshine and all of the days blessings Kay. I know your watching down on me.
She always did preferred to give rather than receive.
Just another lesson learned....
