As we were cleaning out drawers, cabinets, etc., this past weekend, I found a couple of things that touched my heart so much. I have posted several really old articles that I found in the old desk, but these articles that we found were from after I moved to Douglas in 2010.
Judy found the first newspaper article that Teresa had started to put in an album. It was about something that had happened after I became superintendent. Teresa had cut the article out and started to put it into an album. It was the only article in the album. Although it made me teary, we threw it away because there is no way we can keep everything that we found in Douglas.
When I got back on Sunday night, I had brought several articles to go through thinking that they were old ones and I would find some interesting information to put on my blog.
I was putting a few things away and glanced at a series of articles from the Dispatch that were paper clipped together. They were with some things from my mom so I assumed that they were about her. But they weren't. And that is what touched my heart and actually made me cry. I know that she was so happy to have me there because she was able to stay in Douglas, but also because she loved having family members in the house with her.
The title of the first article was "The year of the community hero." It was a two part story about how one person can make a big difference in organizations coming together to make a difference in a community. It further talked abut different agencies that advocate together to best serve the community. It is a fairly long article and I am not going to put it all on this post. I then read the second part that was a week later and realized why Teresa had cut it out.
The title of the second article is "Year of the community hero: Kids programs." This article talks about all of the things that DUSD did with outside agencies including the University of Arizona Coooperative extension, DHS mentors, members of AmeriCorps, and several faculty members from DUSD.
Adriana Romero is a community activist who has done a lot of work bringing people and organizations together. Here is what she said in the article:
Romero credits many of these after school initiatives to the leadership of Superintendent Sheila Rogers. "I think her vision has helped to improve the school district and opened a variety of resources for them. The after school program that the school district and city have in place is an excellent example of improving the community." Romero added, "very few communities are able to work together to pull this off."
This year has been a year of heroes working together for positive transformation, but it may be that the biggest community here is Douglas herself. As Family Leadership Institute's Consuelo Kickbusch once observed, "Douglas will not give up on itself..it still believes families first. So when you have among all the gifts a community can have, these two gifts , there is hope, and where there is hope, there will be change."
I guess I didn't even realize Teresa had read the paper, let alone cut out the article. Between this and the one that she started in the album really got to me. I sat here at home and had a good cry. Teresa always said that it is good to cry and get it all out and then she would say that her dad said that the reason people cry is that their bladders are too close to their eyes. I always loved it when she said that.
Finding these things that I didn't know about has really been another blessing and again made me realize how much those five years meant to both of us.
Although she is in such a better place because the last year of her life was difficult, I will never regret those five years with her for many, many reasons.
I know that time will help and I know that having closure in Douglas is going to make a difference. I am still dreading the selling of the house. Although it will no longer be in our family, no one can take away the many wonderful memories.
As Rose Kennedy said, "It has been said that time heals all wounds. I don't agree. The wounds remain. Time--the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens but it is never gone."
And as my favorite author, Carmen Agra Deedy says, "Those we love are never really gone as long as their stories are told."
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