A Heartfelt Thankyou

Carol A. Hand

I don’t think I ever told you
how much your support and kindness
meant to me during my graduate studies
You taught me so much more than research
with your kindness and artful diplomacy

*

You showed me how to teach
and stayed the course as my advisor
through so many changing research topics

*

The one thing I regret is that
someone other than you
is handing me a symbolic diploma
in the photo of my final graduation ceremony

*

*

I would guess that your humility keeps you from knowing
that I only attended the ceremony to honor you
on behalf of all of the Native American students
you mentored who were not as fortunate as I
to survive the grueling process you mastered
walking between two different worlds
with a kind heart and joyful spirit intact

*

All I can say is chi miigwetch, dear friend
I will do my best to honor your gifts
by sharing what I learned from you
with others I encounter on this journey

*

for G.D.S. with deep gratitude and love

*

 

27 thoughts on “A Heartfelt Thankyou”

    1. Dear Trace, it is always a gift to hear from you. Funny, I was just thinking of you before I checked my computer and saw your comment. Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope all is going well and send my best wishes to you. ❤

      Like

  6. Well said (and shared). We stand on the shoulders of those who precede us that we may lend our shoulders to those who follow us….otherwise (if you’ll excuse a cliché) that which was passed on to us is like a tree which stops bearing fruit.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. This is a wonderful tribute. Your mentor must be a wonderful person.
    If I may say so, this world would be much more pleasant if more of us could acknowledge and appreciate that all of us are beneficiaries of generosity/support in one form or other. And, vice versa.
    Thank you for sharing ❤

    Best wishes,
    Takami

    Liked by 2 people

        1. I am deeply honored and humbled by your kindness, Takami. I meant to write a similar comment on your most recent post, Rising Phoenix. I learned about Dunlins and Sandpipers thanks to your gifts as an artist who is able to convey the essence of the world’s beauty and wonder with such reverence through your exquisite photos.

          Liked by 1 person

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