“My Mom gave
me a dollar” – it is something that I have often said throughout my life. Sometimes it was a joke, other times, it
helped me make some real tough decisions.
I said it when someone asked me to do something. “Do you want to go to the movie tonight?”
“Sure,”
I’d answer, “My mom gave me a dollar, I can do whatever I want.”
“Do you want to go to canoeing for the
weekend?”
“Absolutely,” I would answer again, “My
Mom gave me a dollar, I can do what I want.”
“Do you want to be go to University and become a teacher?”
“Why wouldn’t I? My Mom gave me a dollar!”
I am not sure where or when it
started. I don’t remember that for
certain. But I do know it empowered
me. I could make my own choices, do my
own thing. I didn’t need someone’s
permission, my Mom had given it to me a long time ago when she gave me a dollar
and told me to use it wisely, spend it well and make good choices with it.
So
last Wednesday, I knew that I wanted to say something to my last class before I
retired on Friday. I would only have a
few minutes with the Grade 8’s before they wrote their last final. I told them the story of me and my Mom. I gave them each a loonie, told them to remember
that they had the power within them to do whatever they chose with their
lives. And when it came a time when they
had to dig deep to make those good choices to remember, “My teacher gave me a
dollar, I can do what I want.”
Arletta Jean McColl Dunham - Feb 26, 1933 - September 22, 2012 (My Mom)
A beautiful and touching way to end the year. Your story about your mother was wonderful. It reminds me that so many of the best things, the moments that really matter are usually not those big moments but are usually small instances in time that impact our lives in so many ways. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story and all the best on the next path you wander.
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