Several years ago, this letter was sent to one of my teachers. It now hangs, laminated, on the wall next to her computer. Recently, she pulled it down and showed it to me. Then, she told me the story.
This young man was not a great student. In fact, he was a terrible student. Be she loved him, worked with and never gave up on him, even when he didn’t show much growth or change - all year long.
Nor the following year.
Nor the next.
Nor the next.
Then, almost ten years later, the above letter arrived in the mail.
My friend has a phrase, "Just keep knocking." And he reminded me of it again the other day. I shared with him how frustrated I was with a particular student, that no matter what I did or said, I was not getting through. "Maybe it isn't your job to 'get through,'" he said, "Maybe all you need to do is just keep knocking," he said.
And I like that.
Sometimes, it isn't our job to solve the issue. Sometimes we are not the ones who will make the breakthrough. Sometimes all we are tasked with doing is knocking. Over and over and over again.
We can't force people out of bed or off the couch. Nor can we make them answer the door. But we can keep knocking. Which, for many, is precisely what they need - the constant thud of someone knocking on the door, reminding them that they matter, that someone cares, and that they are not alone.
Because here’s what I know to be true:
If we stop knocking, they will never open the door. If we knock, they might.
And if we knock long enough, I am convinced that they will eventually open the door. And then, it will all be worth it.
Even if it takes ten years.
Thank you, *teacher*, for knocking.
That’s what I’ve been thinking about this week.
Happy Friday!
#doGREATthings!
Give. Relate. Explore. Analyze. Try.
