When I sit down to write, I pretend I am speaking at an event. I’m the plenary at the Festival of Faith and Writing, for example. Or I’m giving my acceptance speech for this year’s Newbery Award. Once, I pretended I was giving the commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame. I was never a student there, but I did teach step aerobics and my inspiring, motivational, and encouraging personality led the university to request my presence at graduation. In my fantasy, they would be giving me an honorary doctorate. For teaching aerobics.
Yesterday, my piece about Dale Brown and his teaching was up on Relief Journal. Hop over to read the rest.
beautiful as always. i’m glad you had him. and i’m sure he was glad to have you. thankful for all our teachers who shaped us like this. and i’m sure your speech was better–don’t even remember who spoke at our graduation…