I want you to think for a few minutes. Focus on the people that mean the very most to you. Now, think about someone that you haven't thought about for a long time, who has made a positive impact on your life. I want you to think of a person that you would personally put on your 'Wall of Fame'.
I have my own wall of Fame. At the very top of this wall, are pictures of my parents and Becky's parents. These are people who influence my life, in a positive way, every day. There is a beautiful picture of my sweetheart, Becky. She is the person that I care the most about. I try to give my best because I want her to approve of the things I do and the way I act. There are pictures of each of our children. Fatherhood is such a rich blessing!
Below those pictures is a picture of my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Ivan Park. Although he is deceased, the person he was lives on in my life. Let me tell you a little bit about Mr. Park. He was a man in his late fifties or early sixties. He had been teaching school for a long time and he was loved by the kids who were privileged to have him as a teacher. When you walked into his room and sat in your assigned chair, the object hanging on the wall in the front of the class became very memorable. I can still see that large wooden paddle that he has fabricated just for the discipline of his students. I personally never saw him use it on a student, but I will never forget the loud sound it made on the top of one of the classroom desks when he was displeased with our class and demanded our undivided attention. The wood was aged and there were countless holes sporadically drilled in the board as to allow maximum airflow and aerodynamics for the hardest possible hit on a student's behind. That was the story he told and I believed it and wasn't interested in putting his story to the test. As the first few days passed by, I knew, without any doubt, that he would impact my life for good. He was strict but it was because he cared about his students and he wanted us to get the most out of what he could teach us.
He and I got on the topic of pigeons. He raised them and I knew that he had a lot of them. It was he that gave us our first two pigeons and from there we had many more. They were a fun bird to raise.
When Becky and I were first dating, I took her up to where I had lived until I was twelve. Peoa, Utah is the name of the small town. When I was young, many people farmed there. It not that way anymore but it is still a small Utah town. Becky and I drove through Peoa and I showed her around. We made our way through Peoa and drove up the hill that leads out of Peoa and in a short ways enters the town of Oakley. Mr. Park lived on a curve in the road and as we drove past his home, and I told Becky all about him, I saw him on a four-wheeler with a grandchild on the front of the vehicle. I had to stop and see him. We did stop and I reminded him of who I was and I expressed to him my deepest gratitude for the impact he had on my life. I will never forget the tears that welled up in his eyes as he thanked me for saying such nice things to him. They were all true and he deserved to hear them from one of his past students. That was the last time I ever saw him. His memory and character live on and on. I am grateful for all that he did, not only as a teacher but also as a friend.
There is someone, just like Mr. Park, in your own life. Give some deep thought to who that person is and the direct impact they had on your life. Consider putting them up on your 'Wall of Fame'. Their memory will endure and their impact helps to continuously shape who you are.
