Source of Inspiration For My Reading and Writing

Doing my blog was something I enjoyed over the past years but in 2020 as covid started up and I had finished my PhD I stopped. I am not fully certain what stopped me. I was exhausted after writing my dissertation. Then researching what was going on with covid was a time waster. Settling into work-life and family life after all my work on my dissertation took me off track as well. Underlying, was maybe thoughts of what good is the blog as I was not certain anyone was getting any good out of it. A life event happened a couple weeks ago that provided inspiration to get back to the blog. On May 14th, 2022 I received news that my favorite teacher, Mrs. Verna Clifford passed away. I have been trying to call her and felt something was wrong. It was sad news to hear for those of us who loved her but I knew she was joined now with her husband Parke in heaven. I joked with her friend who gave me the news that Parke on her arrival in heaven probably told her, “Verna, what took you so long". Mrs. Clifford had been my 3rd grade teacher at Woodford Elementary School in Barberton, Ohio. When my mom passed away in 1993 I kept in touch with her and Parke until Parke passed away in 2010. Each time I went back to Barberton to visit I would see them and later just her alone. After Parke passed away we took Mrs. Clifford on a cruise with us. That was an enjoyable time as she had never done a cruise and that is one thing she and Parke never got around to doing. What made her such an inspirational teacher? She was kind and caring. Those are two characteristi

cs that were her mainstays. Compared to other teachers I never remember seeing her get upset. On discipline in the classroom she would be firm with troublemakers but not lose her cool. She inspired a love of learning. Each week she read aloud books to the class and also encouraged reading of books that we students enjoyed. She also had us write stories in class. Her emphasis on reading and writing helped me improve in those areas. This was also the time period my love of reading took off. When I started my blog she would read it and enjoyed my book, Living More Than OK that came out of the blog. After my PhD was done she encouraged me to get back to blogging but I let life and the craziness of the COVID time period take me away from writing. Now that she is gone Mrs. Clifford’s voice is one reminding me to go back to something I enjoy which is writing this blog. So I will begin anew each week writing about Living More Than OK topics and books that I find inspiring.

I will never forget the inspiration on the love of reading, books and writing that Mrs. Verna Clifford built into my life as a teacher and then a friend later in life.