Ripples

"Broken, hun?" My three-year-old asks about her apple slices at the lunch table. Having cut the apples myself, I know that they are indeed "broken," but I go along and answer, "No." She is thrilled that she is able to trick Mom, and I think back to the silly trick that inadvertently started our now-popular dinner game. I'm sure that our friend doesn't remember holding up a cut apple and saying those words, but my children haven't forgotten the thrill of tricking their table mates about the wholeness of their fruits and vegetables.

As my daughter relished tricking me, I thought about how often the things that we do without thinking have lasting effects. Then I thought about the letter that I received this week informing me of the death of a friend and former professor. I can't hang a picture without remembering her beautiful apartment. I owe the title of this blog and my love of English Romantic poetry, well any poetry really, to her unique and passionate teaching. I keep attempting to enjoy the works of Joseph Conrad, because he was her favorite. Needless to say, her personality contributed to the tone of my own teaching and therefore to the lives of my children and students. The way that she lived and the person that she was changed me.

As a child, we had a huge mud puddle that we played in at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I remember throwing rocks in and watching the ripples spread out across the surface of the water. Just as my teacher influenced me and that friend influenced my children, my life is creating ripples that affect the lives of those I spend time with. Lord, I pray that my life will draw my children and others into a deeper understanding of and relationship with You. Please make me a woman of grace, who speaks joy and love into the hearts of those around me.

Time to try Conrad. . . Again!