I had so much fun reading through the comments on Friday’s post. In case you missed it, we are playing a game called Six Degrees of Kimberlee Conway Ireton and people shared famous or “famous” people they have met. I loved hearing how and where you’d met them. Just look through who people have met:
Actors
- Chris O’Donnell
- Amy Poehler
- Kathy Lee Gifford
- Jennifer O’Neill (model and actress)
Politicians
- Queen Elizabeth
- lveda King (niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
- Ronald Reagan
- Jimmy Carter
Athletes
- Pete Rose
- Richard Simmons
Religious
- Vernon Grounds
- Kay Arthur
- Peter Marshall, historian & author
Don’t you love the variety?! And I don’t know why I’m delighted, but it tickles me that one queen and two presidents are represented.
This notion of being famous is fluid, isn’t it. Years ago when I taught in the public schools of Lawrence, Kansas I attended an in-service training where I remember being profoundly bored until the speaker said something that altered my world view.
He said, “You’ve been chosen by someone. You don’t know who, but some student has picked you as their favorite teacher.”
I knew he was right because I’d had favorite teachers over the years who probably never knew they were my favorite teacher that year. They never knew how much they have impacted me. They never knew how much they meant to me and had nudged the trajectory of my life.
But they had.
And you have too.
You don’t have to be a teacher to have been picked by someone. I’m here to remind you today that you have been picked by someone. You are the only person who smiles at the grocery check out person and they look forward to seeing you. You are the person in your gym who greets people. You hold the crying baby at church so the mom can have an hour of peace. You help in ways that might not even look like help to you so you discount it.
When you did it for the least of them, you did it for me.
You might not make a list of actors or athletes, but that doesn’t mean you’re not famous.
You’re famous to someone. Don’t forget that.
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Who is famous to you, but they might not know it?
p.s. book giveaway winner has been notified :)
Amy, since I am a teacher, I can appreciate the comment you heard from that particular speaker. My favorite teacher in 8th grade was Mrs. Jenkins. She is probably the reason I love writing and good literature.
Clearly good teachers have an impact on all of us.
(pretty fun round up of the Kimberlee game~yay!)
(My husband and I have been in Florida visiting old friends, so I’m a bit tardy in commenting here. Didn’t think you’d mind, though!) This post almost brought me to tears, Amy. I, too, was a teacher for 26 years and pray that book-smarts wasn’t the only thing transmitted in my classroom! As for famous people in my life, I’ve been blessed to know many: Mrs. Will (3rd grade), Miss Bechtel (high school P.E.), Al Sloat (youth pastor), Dr. Donald Joy and his wife, Robbie (He was a seminary professor of my husband; they hosted a small group for students in their home) — to name a few. May I not forget that often I have the opportunity to be famous to someone–in honor of my Jesus! Thank you for this heart-warming, encouraging post, Amy.