By Doug Creamer

I drove down into the heart of Stanly County the other day. A former colleague is working on her first book and wanted some help submitting it to Amazon for publication. I drove down after work and enjoyed seeing some old familiar sights. There were also some new sights, as some new businesses have sprung up.

I had to get on a rolling country road to get to my friend’s house. She lives out in the country, where she has some beautiful horses and donkeys. I saw some cornfields that looked a little thirsty. I saw some other fields that looked lush and green that I thought could have been soybeans. My friend said that there were some cotton fields that I passed, but the cotton wasn’t blooming yet. It was a peaceful drive.

My friend and I haven’t seen each other in several years. We are both retired teachers. We knew each other when we both taught at North Stanly. She retired from there and I left to teach in some other places. We were a close-knit family at North Stanly. I stay in contact with a number of my colleagues and think of them often.

My friend and I talked about our aging parents and the health problems they face. We talked about how our own bodies have aged and the health problems we have encountered. We talked about old friends from North Stanly and a few that have gone on to their heavenly home. It reminded us of the preciousness of life.

We talked about how things have changed in the teaching profession that we both love. We talked about how COVID has changed the way students are taught. We are both hands-on teachers and find teaching over the computer to be a bit challenging. We both know teachers who tell us that the classroom has changed since returning from COVID. I think we were both pining for “the good-old days.”

We focused on our work: getting her book ready for publication. Her computer skills are going to help her see her dream turn into a reality. I can’t wait for her to experience the joy and pride of completing her first novel.

When we were done, I had the opportunity to meet her four-footed family members. We greeted her furry family members and talked more about teaching. The afternoon was waning and I needed to head for home. There is one thing I thought about on my journey home. We both were born to be teachers, we love teaching, and we both hope to continue finding ways we can share that love with students.

I am lucky that my part-time job is teaching in the adult basic education program. I love my job and enjoy working with my students. I can’t explain the joy a teacher feels when a student learns something new. I have had the pleasure of watching my students grow, blossom and achieve success. I see their potential and love having the opportunity to encourage them to reach for the stars.

Jesus was many things, but one of them was teacher. He knew there was a better way to live. People didn’t know how to live to please God, but Jesus came to demonstrate how each one of us can do just that. Jesus gave each one of us unique talents, skills and abilities, and He wants us to use those to be a blessing to people around us. We are not all called to be pastors, but we can fulfill God’s purposes by doing what we were made to do. When we are a blessing to others by being a plumber, mechanic or teacher, we are fulfilling God’s purpose and plan for our lives.

I want to encourage you to do your occupation to the best of your ability. When you give all of yourself to being a janitor, bus driver, doctor, lawyer or teacher, you are fulfilling God’s purpose for your life. God needs you to be His light in this dark world. He needs you to bring hope, grace, mercy and God’s love to the people you encounter where you work. I believe He put you there to represent Him. I believe He can use your hands to lift someone’s load, and your lips to speak faith, hope, and love to people who are desperate to hear such good news. God needs each of us to do what He made us to do. For me, that means being a teacher and a writer, because that is what I love to do and was made to do.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.