Saying goodbye to a huge part of me

Some people know my "growing up years" were some eventful times. My 7th grade year, my dad had a massive heart-attack, my 8th grade year he died and my Freshman year, my mom ended up in the hospital from October until December, twice we were told she wouldn't live. I had some amazing support staff through family and church during that time, which in a way, is to be expected. I had even more support staff through some of my teachers. One of them being Carolyn Domineck.

I guess  I feel to some extent that your family and even your church family are a little pre-biased to believe in you. But when teachers, who get paid the same whether they go that extra mile for you or not do, you feel like there might be something there worth believing in.

During my freshman year when Mom was in the hospital, Miss D didn't let two days go by that she didn't pull me aside and ask if I was doing okay or if we needed anything. There were days she just let me sit in her office and talk, I learned right then, listening is one of the best gifts you can give someone.

She also taught us though that there is strength in friendships and bonds and that was what we had as a band, we were stronger as a group than we could ever be by ourselves.

I have to tell you my last real memory though happened Robert's freshman year of high school, homecoming day. I had played in the alumni band and Robert had played in the Newton Marching Eagles for his first homecoming. After the parade, Robert and I ran to the grocery store. June Weiscope had brought Miss D in. She was already going through a lot of memory loss because of the Alzheimer's but that day, she walked in the door and saw me and said, "Mindy! wasn't today great?" she went on to talk about how much fun we had in California and just during band. She then asked if Robert was in band and he of course, piped up and told her he played trumpet. She said she knew any kid of mine would have to be musical. It was a great little visit. Around 4:00 that evening Bruce or June one asked her who she saw at the grocery store and she said Mindy Reisner, but by time for the football game that night, it was gone. It will never be gone for me.

Yes, I loved Miss D, we all did and we all have so many things to be thankful to her for. The experiences we had changed our lives forever. I would be amiss though if I didn't mention Sandra Nichols in my band experience. They both believed in me but somehow Sandra knew how to push me. The first day of my freshman year, she handed me a sheet of music, it was the flute part to the Stars and Stripes Forever. She asked me if I could play it, I told her I knew I could by tomorrow. I went home that night and memorized it. To this day, I can still play the first 4 or  5 measures by memory.  One year she handed me a contest piece, it was the hardest thing I had ever seen, it had a name on it that I didn't recognize, come to find out, it had been one of her contest pieces when she was in high school.

I have to tell you that after everything that happened during my high school years, part of me really thought I would aspire to work at a fast food restaurant or be a checker at Walmart the rest of my life. I did both of those and they brought in a paycheck so they are definitely nothing to discount. However, yesterday, as the post were running on fb about Miss D, I was sitting in a meeting in Springfield. I normally don't talk about my job and the specifics because it is really cool and I don't want to sound like I am bragging-- but I am the coordinator for a program to help low-income families and this program is still in its infant stages in the state. The state asked 4 people out of over 50 coordinators to come and sit on a steering committee to help make the decisions as to how this program works. I am one of the four. I have made a name for myself at the state level and I feel much of that is because I had years and years of people telling me I could do more than I thought. Carolyn Domineck and Sandra Nichols were two of the biggest influences.

So, thank you Miss D, may you see this from Heaven, and thank you Sandra, while you are still here, alive and well (and my friend on fb!).

I was telling my AWANA guys last night about one of the scariest times for me in the last few years....I was choir director at our church and Stella Aten passed away. Her kids wanted the choir to sing and they had called Sandra Nichols to be the accompanist. So, I would be directing her. Yes, I shook. Afterwards, she said, "Did you think I would really call you out on something?" Well, yes, I did and she would have and I wouldn't have expected any less.

I had some really rough times though my growing up years. I think it helps me be a better youth group leader to kids the same age because those years are so magnified. I know it helps me be more understanding to people in tough situations.

I know I owe a big part of who I am today to these two ladies, thank you, I truly am forever grateful. Nobody Does It Better.