I ran into my high school English Lit. teacher today at Ace Hardware. We have kept in touch through the years and she had been on my heart for the past few months. I now know why, in March or May, one of the "M" months she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has cancer in both breasts and a biopsy was done on a spot near her lower spine a couple of weeks ago. She is waiting for the results of that. 
She has had a positive impact in my life. She encouraged me to homeschool the kids when I was telling her that I was considering it - she said "If anyone can do it, you can.". She made books come alive for me. I remember reading The Scarlet Letter in her class and another called Utopia. She walked into class one day with a big "A" on her chest, at the time I thought she was crazy - most people did. She made you earn your grade. When she spoke about a book, she was always throwing her arms in the air and talking loudly. She is this little Italian woman that has no qualms about telling you what she thinks - I have always appreciated that.
I told Ms. T that I would be praying for her and I would come over and help in any way that she wanted me to. I know that she won't take me up on it, but when we get back from vacation, I plan on making myself "available" - at least for lunch, a cup of coffee and a little talk about what new things she has learned from "The Scarlet Letter".
