Welcome to the second guest poster of the “Muse in May” series, everyone.
Say hi to Wendi Kelly.
Wendi is the Co-Owner and Marketing Director for Sirius Graphix/Blue Sun Studio, Inc. When she isn’t busy designing marketing and branding strategies for their clients’ websites, she can be found working with Deb on their novel series, Bonds of Blood & Spirit. The first book, Loyalties, is due to be released later this fall.
This post clearly illustrates the history behind the early beginnings of Loyalties; even before Wendi herself could dream it up. Congratulations Deb and Wendi on your upcoming book launch!
A Muse for My Dreams
“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
Mark Twain
The shy little girl wrote furiously on the white sheet of notebook paper, scribbling out the story as fast as it came to her busy little imagination. When the writing period was finished, the teacher asked for all the students’ papers to be passed to the front of the class.
The girl looked up, dismayed to see that she had several pages compared to most of the childrens’ single sheet of lined, white notebook paper. Afraid that perhaps she had not been paying attention again and missed the directions, the girl felt that familiar thud in her stomach as she reluctantly handed her small stack of papers to the girl in front of her.
Thankfully, silent reading time saved her from any further conversation. She pulled out her book and sunk deeper into her chair. She lost all track of time until the bell rang, indicating the shift in classes. Dreaded math was next for her, the horror of her day.
However, just as she was about to shuffle off to the torture of pre-algebra, she was stopped at the door by her teacher, Mrs. Sheahan, who stood, clutching her stack of papers in her hand.
She was smiling. A twinkle seemed to light up her eyes that the girl did not recognize. Expecting to be in trouble, the girl frowned, confused.
“Come; sit down with me for a moment. I’ll give you a pass for your next class.”
Silently, the girl complied, unsure why she was being detained. In her academic career so far, any time a teacher wanted to talk, it wasn’t a good sign.
“I read your paper. This is the third time you have completed a well thought-out, finished story in the limited time that was given to simply flesh out an idea. Last month, when the other students turned in a five-page short story, you turned in a completed novella.”
The girl hung her head. She wasn’t sure what a novella was, nor was she sure if it was a good thing that she had written one. So far, it was sounding like she needed to tell her pen to quit while it was ahead. Yet…her teacher was still smiling. A small bit of hope began to blossom somewhere in the pit of her belly.
Her teacher lowered her voice, her face softening, gentle eyes meeting large frightened brown ones. “Dear?” She placed her hand over the young girl’s hand. “Do you want to grow up to be a writer?”
The girl felt the moment in time stand still. It was as if someone had discovered the secret of her soul. Her deepest wish, her heart’s desire, her one greatest hope…but the one she believed she wasn’t worthy of.
Books were her life. She lost herself in the fantasy of other worlds. Ones she read, and ones she created herself. Never did she think that other people would want to read her worlds as well.
“With all my heart.” The answer was hardly more than a whisper, as her dark chocolate eyes filled with water.
The teacher sat back, her smile widening to one of pride and vision. “Then I will help you. If you would like, you can come in twice a week after school and we will work together. I can give you extra books to read and we can move you up to the next writing level. I will give you extra writing assignments that you can work on in your free time and we can discuss them together.”
“Yes, I would love that, thank you.” It felt like Christmas. She couldn’t even express the way her heart was leaping out of her chest.
Then her teacher spoke the words that were branded in her heart for the rest of her life.
“Mark my words honey, I fully expect to see your name in print someday, on the front of a novel. I have faith in you. If you want it, it will happen.”
The young girl felt the magnitude of that faith strengthen and fill her. For the first time in her life, she felt like a writer. She believed with all her heart that she had the power to make her dreams come true.
“I promise you…when my first novel is published, I will dedicate it to you.”
The little girl in the story was me. In seventh grade, I met the amazing teacher that changed my life and gave me the beginning of the path, the faith and the vision to hold on to my dream of becoming a writer. Great teachers come from all walks in our lives and can be the Muses that give us vision, strength and ideas when all else fails.
Unfortunately, my teaching Muse passed out of this world many years ago due to an illness. She didn’t get to see – in person – the dream come true of my name in print on the cover of a book.
Yet, every time I struggle, every time I falter, I have only to reach back to that day and feel that moment of sure conviction to remember my unflinching goal and know that come hell or high water…I will never give up. My Muse is with me still.
She has become my Muse for all ideas, the personification of creativity, and the symbol for steadfast perseverance.
That fiction novel has been written. By the end of the year, Deb Dorchak and I will have published our first novel and I will be keeping that promise to my Muse.
My dedication will go out to Barbara Sheahan, the woman who gave me the faith to believe in myself and the tools to do it. Thank you, to my special Muse for never leaving my side.
* * * * * * * *
Thanks Wendi, for contributing to the “Muse in May” series. Just goes to show how much other people can influence our lives. I really enjoyed this.
If you’d like to read more posts by Wendi, or from anyone on the Blue Sun Studio network, please visit Sirius Graphix, Life’s Little Inspirations or Saya no Uchi.
Photo Credit: Image property of Dreamstime. Illegal download and usage not allowed.
patricia
Hilary
Tony Single
Linda
Barbara Swafford
Deb Dorchak
Chris Edgar
{ 24 comments }
Wow. Beautiful and inspiring.
My daughter is a gifted writer too. She has a teacher that sounds a like like Barbara, although I wish her a long, healthy life!
.-= vered | blogger for hire´s last blog ..Sex And The City: I Hate It Too =-.
Davina,
Thank you so much for letting me share my story about my favorite teacher here. I appreciate the opportunity.
Hi Vered! Nice to see you here! I am so glad your daughter has a great teacher. A great teacher is such a gift in our lives, at any age- but especially in the life of a child. and yes, I wish her a very long and prosperous life too!
Hi Wendi.
You’re welcome. Thanks for sharing it. Barbara reminds me of a teacher I had in grade 9. Our English class studied MacBeth and she was SO into it, the whole class couldn’t help but enjoy it along with her. Her inspiration was contagious.
Hi Vered.
I agree… very inspiring. It’s great to have a Muse because sometimes having talent alone isn’t enough. Maybe you’ll be seeing your daughter’s name on the cover of a book, too.
Hi Davina and Wendi .. lovely story and one we can all relate to .. sadly I just remember being put down .. not good enough .. and my English was just awful .. it’s taken years to get here – and only now does it appear to me that I can write – so I will enjoy the process and it’s something I can do in my later years .. while being out and about with spin-off projects .. writing is a great social communicator – thanks good to hear about your Muse Wendi … and so pleased you made it – congratulations.
Have great weeks and Mondays! – Hilary
.-= Hilary´s last blog ..Stirling Castle Skeletons – who are they? =-.
That is beautiful, Wendi. So lovely to read about a real life Muse who is still an inspiration long after her passing. That’s an awesome legacy. :)
This reminds me of a 7th grade science teacher I had. I never had the experience you had interms of writing, but I distinctly remember my science teacher taking time out of her day to discuss astronomy, physics, and whatever else I was interested in. She told me often to remember that I could do whatever I wanted with my life, and that I could be just as good as any boy at math and science. (Prior to that point I had been told by a classmate that girls aren’t “supposed” to be good at math or like it)
It’s amazing to see the power of a teacher who believes in a student and encourages their dreams. Often, it seemed to me that my support at home was just parents saying what they were supposed to, so it didn’t feel as powerful. Having it come from the outside was important to me.
Hi Hilary.
Just goes to show you that despite having someone who put your writing down, you’ve not let that stop you. You know you’ve found something that’s important to you, when…
Hi Tony.
Did it give you warm and fuzzy feelings? :)
Hi Maquis.
Welcome :-) This makes me realize that there is more to teaching than giving out assignments, supervision and scribbling notes on the board.
Having this support from the outside is excellent! When others are too close to us, including ourselves,it’s difficult to be objective. An outsider can see beyond that… almost like casting a fishing line forward to real that *something* in for you to see better.
Hi Davina .. at that stage I was useless .. couldn’t write, didn’t want to write .. I was an outdoorsy sort .. and had absolutely no interest in writing .. just something that happened .. & if blogging hadn’t come along …. who knows what I’d be doing!?! .. 45 years on .. oh well!!
.-= Hilary´s last blog ..Stirling Castle Skeletons – who are they? =-.
HI Davina and Wendi,
What a truly beautiful story. Although it’s sad your teacher won’t see your name on the cover of a novel, I’ll bet she’s looking down on you with that same smile on her face, saying “You go, Wendi. I still believe in you.”
This has been a great lesson in how by showing kindness and a belief in others, we can change their life forever.
Thank you ladies. :)
.-= Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..Can Life Be Better Online? =-.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and inspiration…I enjoyed reading it and was right there about feeling in trouble!
It IS wonderful when someone give the right attention and shines us up…and how wonderful it lasted and continues…bravo to a good and kind person with vision…She’ll know
.-= patricia´s last blog ..35 Million =-.
Hi Hilary.
I bet you were pretty good at the outdoorsy stuff then; it sounds like that’s where your passion was. If we want something bad enough, we usually find a way to make it happen. I would have never known that you had challenges with your writing… not from reading your blog now.
Hi Barbara.
It is sad that Wendi’s teacher has passed on and won’t see this — love how Wendi is dedicating this book to her. Making that extra effort obviously made a huge difference for, I bet both of them. I can imagine being the teacher and taking the opportunity to help above and beyond her regular responsibilities.
Hi Patricia.
Lol… I remember that familiar thud in the stomach too :-) I think you’re right, on some level Barbara does know. I like to believe that anyway.
That was a really choking-up kind of story. It sure beats my inspirational teacher story on how I learned to spell — my grade 2 teacher used to give us the strap whenever we made spelling mistakes. See what I mean?
Hi XUP.
OMG, seriously? What an ogre! Was it the rap across the knuckles… like in the Little House on the Prairie days :-) Sorry, just teasing… I couldn’t stop myself. Heck, if I knew I might get the strap for making a mistake I’d make one because I was scared. I notice there are no spelling mistakes in your comment, lol.
This was wonderful!! It is amazing what can happen when we find someone who believes in us and our dreams – what support that offers and there are no strings attached.
Congratulations on the book!
.-= The Exception´s last blog ..Rolling Thunder =-.
Wow what a guest writer and what an amazing story. On the farm studies were after work and unfortunately the work was never complete. So I was a C student when I could have been so much more.
It was Freshman English class when I fell in love with reading. Reading was required I told my dad! I fell in love not with writing because I wasn’t good at all. Didn’t know what I was doing. I fell in love with and was amazed by when others read what they wrote.
I never took another writing class or even wrote except letters to my now husband;) I saved them and my 16 year old granddaughter has an old suitcase filled with our letters and cards under her bed. She loved reading how we fell in love.
Long story short when I was in my late 20′s a priest encouraged me to attend college. I laughed… he didn’t. Instead he showed me the campus, signed me up for How to Study and Speed Reading. I was an anxious mess. Especially when I thought about math and writing papers. Then I took my anxious self to grad school and wrote more there. There was nothing brilliant about my writing. Just did what I was told.
Then I wrote my book in 2003 and then I began blogging in 2008. Sorry I got carried away with my history here;)
What I meant to say is “those teachers” are our guides and the power they have over us can be used to move mountains.
I love your writing style and hope to get your book when available. I also need to take a creative writing course. I need to improve;)
You and D. inspire me. Thanks xo
.-= Tess The Bold Life´s last blog ..The Bold Life: Loving Choices Change Lives =-.
Gosh, thank you everyone for sharing your great comments about Barbara. Tess, your story about the priest goes to show that these “Muses” can come to us from all walks of life, teachers, priests, friends..encouragers come from from everywhere to have faith in us and give us the power and inspiration that we need.
Exception,
Unconditional support is the key. No strings- exactly. And thanks.
Xup,
I had some of those knuckle-rappers too. In fact I know that some of my early fear of math came from a teacher who used to scream at us because we couldn’t answer the time’s tables fast enough when she was timing us. To this day I freeze if someone asks me what something times something might be. It’s a mental block.
Patricia, I agree with you. I believe with all my heart that she will know. In fact, I can feel her smiling already.
Barbara, Hi! You are so right, having faith in others and believing in them can change their life. It changed mine. We all need encouragement. It’s too hard to do it alone.
Maquis, I’m so glad you had an inspirational teacher in math. I wish I did! Maybe I wouldn’t still be counting on my fingers! :)
Tony, thanks, you are right, she left an amazing legacy and I know I am not the only student who benefited from her inspirational ways.
Hilary, Thanks so much. And yes, I too had plenty of teachers who were quick to put me down. One of the things I didn’t mention is that I was an undiagnosed (at the time) dyslexic ADHD child. So teachers were often frustrated by my strange ways of trying to cope in the classroom and of course I didn’t exactly understand why I always felt so different or had trouble understanding things that seemed to come so easily to other kids. Many teachers felt that ridiculing a child and yelling were efficient methods of reaching compliance. It didn’t work. But it was very effective for creating a shy, withdrawn frustrated child who became very inward and creative.
.-= Wendi Kelly´s last blog ..Dreams, Doubts, and Discouragement =-.
Mentors give us wings or help us grow them ourselves. Great story with a happy ending! I’m glad you are flying high now.
.-= Lori Hoeck´s last blog ..Victimhood, Big Brother, and a slippery slope =-.
The Exception,
You know, it just goes to show you how valuable being ‘seen’ is. The teacher recognized the student AND the dream; called them both forth.
Hi Tess.
I got carried away READING your history… made me smile, it did. Your history brought you here. Nice ride? You have a playful way of expressing yourself. Boy, I WISH I could read some of those love letters :-)
Wendi,
I didn’t realize you were dyslexic. I’d like to learn more about that. It’s been suggested that I read “The Gift of Dyslexia” by Ronald D. Davis — have you heard of that book? Obviously, you didn’t let that stop you, but it’s a shame that some teachers have to resort to ridiculing children who are unique.
Hi Lori.
Happy endings, yeah! :-)
I really enjoyed your inspirational story Wendi.
I had a very special teacher in grade 9 chemistry called Mr. Cepelleoscus. He insisted being called Mr. C. He called us gang. At the beginning of every class he would check in with the gang to make sure everyone was all right. “How’s it going gang” He would offer his advice to any problem that had nothing to do with chemistry.
Mr. C always stepped outside of the box to the principal’s frown.
He made learning fun for 14 year olds. WOW!
I never heard of anyone fail his class.
Why was he the best teacher I ever had? He respected his students.
Mr. C has passed on now.
Thousands of your students do remember you “Mr. C”
> Great teachers come from all walks in our lives
Words to live by and I agree!
.-= J.D. Meier´s last blog ..Inspire Yourself with Skill =-.
Hi Jim.
I can see why your teacher insisted on being called Mr. C. :-) Sounds like he was a great guy… didn’t just wear the label of teacher; treated his students as equals. That would make me want to learn.
Hi JD.
Just after I read your comment I had the thought that we teach others too, without even realizing it. How about that? :-)
Davina — Thank you for introducing us to Wendi.
Wendi — This was a remarkable story. I think you are very lucky to have found your special muse and teacher. I think it goes to show that there are “guides” that we meet in our lives who help us find the right path.
While I enjoyed your story very much, I also loved how it brought out the stories in people’s comments. I was fascinated by the comment from Tess and many others.
I think your muse put a bit of magic in you through her faith in you. Now, you, in turn, put a bit of that same magic in others. Good luck with your books:~)
.-= Sara´s last blog ..Story Photo: Cloud Play =-.
Wow, what a teacher!! What a Wendi! This thoroughly warmed my heart and brought tears up. There are som many wonderful people in the world, and they keep on popping up everywhere like Barbara Sheahan.
A mentor just never knows what difference they may make in a child’s life!
xox
Hi Sara.
You’re welcome. You’ve just made me remember the Police song, “Everything little thing she does is magic.” :) It’s contagious.
Hi Jannie.
I SO know what you mean about the tears. Wendi’s story had the same affect on me.
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