Today, we will sit down to our Thanksgiving feast and recall the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. We will pause, reflect and be grateful for our family, friends and memories of those who have gone before us. We will reflect on a year that has brought us both laughter and tears as events from the weather to the election to economic woes have tugged at our hearts, souls and well-being. We will hold hands, hug and be so thankful that we are all together, even if it is only through the magic of technology that we can share our feelings as a family. This is one of the best holidays of the year!
As I reflect on all that I can be thankful for this year, I returned to the notes that I have collected throughout the years. These notes, that I mentioned in my book, began as index cards in the late 1970’s. These notes ultimately grew into my first book, “Words for my Children” and the inspiration for my book, my wife and children are the very first things I will be grateful for when I sit down for our dinner this evening. However, while I was returning to the roots of my book once more, a faded and worn piece of paper fell out of the pile. As I opened the wrinkled piece of paper, I instantly returned to June of 1968, (because that is the date on top of the letter.) I was just completing my sophomore year in high school and heading into that “summer of love” that is written about in song and verse. It has been said that if you can remember the 1960’s you were not really there. Well, I guess I was not, because I clearly recall both that letter and the marvelous and unique teacher who was the inspiration for my career and the path in life that I have chosen.
That teacher was M.J Mooshie and he taught World History for high school sophomores. He was small in stature, but huge in impact. His classes were sprinkled with humor, insights and a knowledge of the world that led us all to believe he had a secret hotline to Washington and all points of the globe. He nurtured an interest in events of the day and helped us to understand not only how history unfolds, but why the events happened. As I pause on this day of thanks, I am grateful for this truly special man and how he turned the key and unlocked my potential. I entered his classroom uneducated and left with the seeds that would one day grow to become my life. How do you repay a person so influential and how can I convey all that was so marvelous about this gifted teacher? I simply cannot and my words are not adequate enough to tell his story. However, I do not have to speak. Let Mr. Mooshie’s words to us on our final class day with him relate all that he truly was. Here goes:
“My dear student:
Before we close the final chapter in our course in World History may I take this opportunity to pass on to you these parting thoughts.
I want you to know that, whatever may have transpired between us, it has been my pleasure to have had you as a pupil. I want you to realize that, as an individual, there is no one else like you and that your individual self has added to the sum total of the good that we have shared in class. Take pride in that fact and remember that, regardless of your mental capacity, there is a mystery and individuality about you that no one else possesses. Remember the words of Emerson. “envy is ignorance-imitation is suicide;” do not let anything interfere with the free development of your own powers. Give your individual self a chance to grow and to grow on its own, not limping along in the shadow of the imagined greatness of others. Your future teachers will, as I have, appreciate you for your effort far more than they will for your ability.
Finally, I trust that our study of history together has somehow endowed you with a tolerance and understanding of other lands and other eras and that this endowment is but one step towards the further development o your personality and character.
Good luck to you in your future work!”
Sincerely yours,
M.J.Mooshie
Today, on Thanksgiving day, 2012,I am forever grateful to Mr. Mooshie. I will always remember his wit, his wisdom and above all his courage. He taught me everything and I did not realize it until much later in life, what a gift he gave to all of us; the ability to become a unique and special human being. We are all important players on this earth and not one of us is an afterthought. There is a purpose and reason for our existence and we must use that special gift for the good of others, while we still have the chance. It is never too late and we can give so much. Only you can plant and nurture that seed. I will never forget that class or teacher, in a year that was like no other. I remember and treasure what you so passionately taught us, Mr. Mooshie, I hope you are proud.