Another Day with Mr. P

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend a good portion of the day with Mr. P. (I've written about Mr. P before.) My girls are attending Vacation Bible School at my parents' church, and so I was kid-free (and will be for a few more days this week!). Mr. P still works at the school just up the street from my parents' house, so I went over there after I dropped off the girls at the church.

There are some people in this world with interesting things to say, no matter what's going on, no matter the topic. Mr. P is definitely one of those people. It's a happy thing to stay in touch with people who have had profound influence in one's life like that. A happy thing indeed.

Our conversations are frequently interrupted by students dropping in to check out summer horns, instrument repairmen dropping off fixed instruments, and the like. Since I am bugging him at work, I guess that's to be expected. We talked some inside baseball, now that I'm working in the district and have a much better understanding of the goings on, and many of the players with which he and I both interact. There's always more to uncover on those things. His manner with students has always been something I'd like to emulate. He knows so much more about the politics of the district than I do, having successfully navigated those waters for close to 25 years. I need so much advice on that side of things.

As an adult friend of a former teacher, I think some of the influence is going both ways. We talk about God quite a lot. That's what I'm most interested in sharing with him. I have had a burden for his soul for 20 years. He's had the opportunity to see me living my life, and whether I really believe the things I say I believe, for at least 15 years. (I'm not counting the years I was a younger student, since I don't remember talking to him about my faith before my later high school years.)

When I left yesterday, we scheduled another day, later this summer, for me to come back up to the school. I'm looking forward to it.