Appreciation for Christmas and Mrs Ball

I love Christmas. I love everything that it means from a spiritual perspective, from a personal, reflective perspective and I love hearing from (and getting pictures from) people that I don’t always stay in touch with through the year. I love that Jesus and His birth and life are the focus, I love the way it touches my heart with appreciation for so many people who have been a treasured part of my life for so long. I love the way God brings people into my life every year…people who I just know are part of His plan for my life because of their influence. Sometimes these are new friends He places in my path, sometimes they are people I already know who God chooses to bring to the forefront, but every year, there are a few relationships that really stand out because they have personally ministered to me in one way or another through the year and this year has certainly been no different in that regard. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, my mind and heart are so appreciative to have yet another chance to experience the miracle of what Christmas truly means. How I pray that I never lose that feeling.





I got a Christmas card in the mail yesterday from my third grade teacher, Mrs Ball. There is a huge story behind this, but I’ll make it as short as possible. – When I was in elementary school, there was this one third grade teacher that everyone said was so mean and so hard. Her name was Mrs Ball. The night before I was to start third grade, I was in bed bawling my eyes out because I just knew I was going to get Mrs Ball and I was scared to death. My mom heard me and came into my room to ask why I was crying so hard. I explained to her that I didn’t want to get Mrs Ball for my teacher and told her I was scared. In true motherly fashion, I remember her telling me to just go to sleep, that there was more than one third grade teacher and that I may not even get her. At any rate, we would find out in the morning. Well…the next morning came, and guess what…MRS BALL! I was terrified! I couldn’t quit crying! My mom went in and got me all signed in and taken care of however it used to be done back then (WAY back then!), then came to the desk where I was sitting…still crying. I was trying to hide my face by putting stuff in my desk, etc, so the other kids wouldn’t know I was crying, but my mom just told me it was going to be okay and I’m sure patted on me a little bit. I don’t remember anything of that day after the shock of that morning. Well, needless to say, Mrs Ball wound up being a fantastic teacher who I absolutely adored. She was (and remains to be) one of the true highlights of my life and I cried just has hard when I had to leave her as I did when I had found out she was going to be my teacher. She had nicknames for everyone and she wound up being pretty dog-gone fun, but I do think she had a special place in her heart for me. She had this way of dismissing us from the lunch table and a certain smirk that I knew was just for me. She cared about her students, she read to us from the Bible before lunch every day, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance without fail. Whatever she did, she taught us right from wrong. She was the teacher God chose to give me the year my grandmother died, my mom's mom. I remember that experience and realize that it was probably her influence that truly made me begin to think of death from a spiritual perspective even at such a young age. She fed me morally, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. As I’ve become an adult and watched my own nieces grow up, I’ve come to realize what she poured into that class of children and I have no doubt that we were all a part of her prayers. I went back every once in a while the remainder of my years in elementary school and was always the recipient of a warm hug, warm smile and sometimes silly, but always encouraging, words.

About 4 or 5 years ago, I was talking to a friend at church whose mom was my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs Tanksley. (I absolutely adored her too, but that’s another story). This friend told me that she believed Mrs Ball was still around and still in the area, so I can’t remember exactly how I did it, but I managed to find out where she was living and got her address. By this time, my oldest niece (who is now 12) was in third grade herself, so I could see the age I was when I’d had Mrs Ball and just how young and impressionable I had been when God put her in my path. I sent her a Christmas card that year and a long letter thanking her for her influence and what she had meant to me. I went through the whole story that I just shared above and told her that I’d only had 4 teachers who had really impacted my life like she had. One was my Kindergarten teacher, one was Mrs Ball, one was a teacher in high school and the last, a teacher that I had in college. I got a Christmas card back from her that year with a sweet note thanking me for my letter, even giving me her phone number, but I’ve never called. I don’t know why though because I really would like to look her in the eyes, hug her and thank her again for the influence she has been on me, even to this day. Every year since then, hers is one of the first cards I receive, always with some sweet sentiment…this year she said, “It’s always a joy to hear from you! Hope your year has been a blessed one!”

Well, guess what Mrs Ball, my LIFE has been blessed because of people like you that care and pour their lives into mine.