Who Does That?!?

Lately I have had so many circumstances arise which repeatedly leave me wondering "who does that?" I will admit that sometimes it is in reference to something stupid I have seen or heard someone do or say and other times it is because of my amazement of the courage, compassion or generosity that I have witnessed. But, no matter if the thoughts originated from positive or negative observations I continue to find myself shaking my head and wondering WHO DOES THAT?!

This weekend I had an awesome opportunity that was full of “who does that” moments. One of my former students who graduated in 2008 got married in Vermont and he invited me to attend his wedding. Who does that – invite a high school staff member to their wedding 10 years after graduation? Evidently, at least for this weekend, the answer to that question of who does that was

Ken & Jamie at their Ketubah Signing Ceremony

Ken Greim. I have so many vivid and heart-filled memories of Ken and his friends and their 5th period lunch visits, of watching him compete in WKHS Ice Hockey, his competitiveness and even his procrastination on completing applications. After graduating from WKHS Ken attended Dartmouth where he rowed on the Crew team and since then has moved to Boston where he and his now wife, Jamie, love to compete in cycling races and going hiking together.  I even had the incredible honor to be invited to join Ken’s parents and brother to see their Ketubah signing (a special ceremony that is a part of a Jewish tradition of signing their marriage contract.)  While there were tons of moments that I loved throughout the weekend, if I was forced to select one as my favorite – it would be their Ketubah signing ceremony – just witnessing up close the precious looks of love that they shared and the vows that they were making to one another was really special.

(L to R): Chris, Bryan, Ken, Eugene, Adam, and Phil (Class of 08)

Ken and Jamie’s love was palpable, and it was an incredible weekend made even more memorable in that 5 of Ken’s high school friends (and my 5^th period lunch visitors) were all there to celebrate this special occasion.  This group of guys is remarkable – they are smart, engaging, and successful.  I loved them when they were in high school and even though I hadn’t seen most of them in a LONG time, I still love them now.  Between the other 5 young men they went to college at OSU, NYU, Notre Dame and University of Southern California and in spite of being spread so far apart across the country they have remained close friends.  (Who does that?)  One of them is now a Doctor in Cincinnati, two are getting their PhD’s – one at UC Berkeley in Chemistry and one at UCLA in Economics, one works as an Actuary in Chicago, and the other works in finance in New York City.  2 of the 6 guys have completed the Boston Marathon and another is training for an Iron Man and biked 100 miles in the Vermont mountains on the morning of the wedding.  (Who does that?)  In case you can’t tell, I had a wonderful time not only being able to enjoy the wedding festivities, but also catching up on all of their lives.

So why am I telling you all of this?  Well, in part just to share a highlight from my summer, but I also want to remind you that while you’re in high school or even 10 or more years beyond, I love celebrating your successes and happy moments just as much as I love being able to be here to support and encourage you on the tough days.  And while I am sure I won’t stop frequently asking myself “Who does that?!”, I am thankful that the response of who does that to sharing your lives with me is each of you!