Season: 1 Episode: 2 - “I’m a Military Man...Who Wanted to Be a Teacher”
Intro Music: Royalty Free
Promo: BuzzSprout Services
Welcome back family to our Joy in the Midst of It All podcast show. I am your host - Aminah Amarachi.
Before we begin this week’s journey, let me correct something from our last show. I’d mentioned to you that our Dad was originally diagnosed in August of 2007. He was, yet the moment when I made the decision to pack up my life and move home to take care of our parents actually occurred in March of 2009, after Dad underwent additional assessments and we received the OFFICIAL diagnosis. At this time, I was in the final months of training to become an ordained minister and planning to begin the next leg of my life’s journey, so I thought, but, as this episode’s title suggests, what “I” had planned out for myself, well, let’s just say there was a God ordained detour in the works. I will share more about that “SHIFT,” in a future episode.
Now, let’s continue our journey...
In life we tend, at times, to have no plans at all, then at other times we have “A” plan, plan “A,”, or even some very elaborate and detailed plans, upon backup plans (Plans A through Z), yet those plans, whether they are plans “A,” “B,” or “A through Z,” may have to shift over into the passenger seat, because God “C/SEES” a bigger, better, and bolder plan for our lives, and takes the wheel. We all know that God loves a good joke...haha...AND, when our Creator shifts into gear, to nudge us over onto a different road, that was not the one we had intended, all we can do is tighten our seatbelts, hold on, with faith, and embrace the ride.
You may recall that in our last episode, I asked you if you’d ever received a phone call (or a letter, a word, or experienced an encounter) that in one moment’s notice shifted the trajectory of your current life’s plan. Well, our Dede - The Military Man...Who wanted to become a teacher - had such a moment. It occurred during the break leading up to the second semester of his senior year at Savannah State College. So, in honor of our Dad, who was a veteran, along with all other veterans, let me first thank you all for your service. And, for anyone who has ever had their plans take a detour, allow me to share with you, our Dad’s “CALL” to duty detour, in his own words...
Today’s Episode: “I Am a Military Man...Who Wanted to Become a Teacher
The year: 1961
The scene: Just before Our Dad’s second semester at SSC.
Dad’s story in his own words [StoryCorp Interview, 2010].
And, I know you spent three years and a half, at Savannah State, but you didn’t get a chance to go back your last semester, why?.” But what happened to Uncle Sam?” “I tried to keep from going into the army. They draft me. Come out here on Ponce De Leon. That guy said, “Well, you know you're going into the Army.” I said, “What?, I want to go back to school at Savannah State.
Rest in Peace-filled Power, Military Man…
Stay tuned for more right after our FIRST spotlight moment..
Spotlight Moment: StoryCorps©
Have you ever walked away from a homegoing service, feeling as if you’d missed an opportunity to learn about your loved one’s life, especially an elder. You begin to realize that if you had spent more time with them, listening and learning about not only your family history and heritage, but also yourself, in ways that only those grand librarians and historians could have passed on to you, your life might have been better off...well, no need to miss out anymore. Head on over to StoryCorps© at https://storycorps.org/mobile-tour to learn more about this great organization, which was founded in 2003. Its mission is to collect, share, and preserve people’s stories. Go ahead. Gather your family together, even if it’s virtual, and begin reflecting, collecting, sharing, recording, and preserving your own family history with StoryCorps©. Now, back to our show…
Welcome back...
As you’ve heard, our Dad’s journey, or detour, though not what he had intended, which was to finish his degree and become an industrial art teacher, carried him from his small town in Georgia, to Fort Jackson, SC, to New York City, NY, and across the ocean, for a man who couldn’t swim, in order to serve in the U.S. Army, for two years, in Germany. He enjoyed his time in Germany and he returned to complete his reserve training and become a licensed Barber. He met the beloved of his life, our Mama, and began building a family together. He was blessed to be of service for 36 years at a global corporation, in which he “taught” all who came to know, love, honor, and respect him, even if it was not in a classroom. Though he didn’t complete his desired dream of becoming the first, in his immediate family, to graduate from college, nor teach at his alma mater, he did inspire countless family, friends, and peers, to value learning, attend college, travel the world, and trust God’s process.
My Reflections:
Now, upon looking back over my own life’s journey, I’ve realized that, like our Dad, I, too, had my heart set on a particular path, in a particularly way, yet because of circumstance I’ll call “leave it to the Serenity Prayer,” I had to pivot right before the start of my last semester in college. Though I didn’t want to put my studies on pause, I had to take a semester off, to work, in order to be able to afford to finish paying for my final undergraduate semester.
During my sabbatical, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend time with my then three year old sister, help our parents out around our home, rest and really anchor myself into my dream of becoming a teacher, just like our Dad. Even though I thought that pausing my education would lead me off track, in truth, it was a blessing in disguise that was only a delay, and not a denial. I returned to school the following fall, and I went on to earn two degrees in Education, and then go on to be of service in two great fields.
As for me, I believe that our Dad’s journey taught us to a) trust God’s process, no matter the detours, b) whether you are a sharecropper’s son or a sharecropper’s grandchild, with faith, favor, and effort, all dreams are possible, and c) be willing to step outside my comfort zones, because there might just be a world of wonderful experiences, with even grander blessings waiting for us just beyond any fears we might have about stepping beyond what’s most familiar to us - you know, those situations, circumstances, communities or cozy boxes that we stay in.
Insights:
Always be open, willing, ready, and available for God to steer your life in ways for which you may not fully understand why, yet, trust that you will always be steered in the direction of your most highest good, and that it will all make sense by and by.
Now, it’s time for our next Spotlight moment….
Spotlight #2: Elder Law© - Victoria Collier
Once we were all clear about Dad’s upcoming journey, we wanted to make sure to get as much of his affairs in order as soon as possible, rather than later. Our first, and I believe the most important step, was to have his durable financial and healthcare power of attorneys, advanced healthcare directive, and last will and testament drawn up. We were blessed by another Veteran - Victoria Collier - whose Elderlaw© firm, located at 315 West Ponce De Leon Avenue, Suite 800, in Decatur, GA. The Elderlaw team is committed to supporting veterans and elders with estate planning, i.e. taking the necessary steps to get their affairs in order. They were truly a blessing for our family. So, head on over to Victoria Collier’s Elderlaw© office. The website address is https://www.elderlawgeorgia.com/
Now, back to our show…
Here are my take-away, tip, tool, and toss.
After Dede’s official diagnosis, and watching him come to during his journey through Alzheimer's, I once asked him, ‘Dede, what are you most grateful for in life?,” He replied, “My life, my family and my career.”
My Take-aWay:
As long as I remember that all things work for the good of God’s Divine plan, I can trust that all will be well in my life. No matter what detours occur, or what it may look like at any given moment.
Tip:
Don’t wait until the other shoe drops before lacing them both up. This way, you won’t trip when a detour occurs.
A Tool:
Have on hand, both a physical and virtual phone book, with more of your important contact numbers up front - doctor, attorney, support team, hospital etc. you get my drift. It’s better to have them and not need them rather than need them and have them. There is no time like in a crises when you trying to get your hand on someone’s number, because we are so used to looking at faces in our cell phone.
My Toss:
Enjoy the journey, including the junctures, and detours.
Now, go ahead enjoy your journey to its fullest, yet remember to strap on your seatbelts as God might decide to take us on the most amazing, and sometimes roller coaster filled rides (you know detours), of our lives. Just like our Dede, the Military Man, who was a teacher at heart. It was a blessed journey. Our family is all the better for it. [Allow 3 sec]
Closing: (Record Separately):
I’d like to thank you all, both seasoned followers and new, for spending your time with me on today’s Joy in the Midst of It All journey. My mama taught me to always keep my thinking cap on, learn something new each day and share with others what I’ve learned, so that we may all have an opportunity to get better. And, I add, live a much more easy, effortless, and grace filled life.
So, take a moment to tap the button on your favorite podcast streaming platform to tune in and follow the show. We release an episode every second and fourth Thursday of the month. OK. Also, go ahead and tag a family caregiver and tell them one thing you learned today that will support you, and maybe them, in moving through the caregiving journey with more ease. Then blaze a trail on over to my podcast website, for the show notes, transcript, and links, and if your heart so leads you tip me what I like to call a “Cup of J.O.E. (A jolt of encouragement and support),” over at Buy Me a Cup of Coffee, even though I prefer a cup of tea.
I am your host Aminah, and I want you to be blessed and less stressed...Why?, because yours and their lives depend on it. Have a great day!
I'm your host, AMINAH. And, I want you to remember to...
Be Blessed, And Less Stressed...Why?
Because both yours and their lives depend on it. Have a great day.
Outro Music:
https://linktr.ee/findingjoywithinthejunctures
Buy Me a Cup of Coffee (Tea) for a J.O.E. (Jolt of Encouragement and Support)
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