December 11, 2012: What really matters.

Sometimes, important things take precedence over things that just appear to be important. Yesterday at Louisa Middle School we had walkthroughs (sort of an evaluation that is not officially an evaluation but yet makes you feel like dirt if you don’t do well and declares you some shade of incompetent) and I would have to say that most people in our building just didn’t care. You see, sometimes things that are actually important take precedence over things that just appear to be important.

Last week we had a student that fell ill, she didn’t feel well and appeared to be dehydrated and perhaps infected with a virus. After further examination by physicians it became obvious that there was something more wrong and by last Friday it was evident that the problem was grave, life threatening even. Our student, Kailey Jenks, had a mass on her heart, a mass that needed to be removed. To make things more touch and go, the mass was perhaps interfering with one of the valves in her heart and, if that valve was damaged and needed to be replaced, this would negatively impact Kailey’s physical potential for the rest of her life. Kailey is a beautiful, intelligent and very active 13-year-old girl. Her surgery, open heart, over five hours, was scheduled for yesterday morning. Our community began to pray.

I am so happy that we live in a community that comes together and prays when adversity strikes. The kids at school prayed, because they wanted to not because they were told to. In church Sunday, prayer requests were made all over the county. On Facebook the students of Louisa Middle School started a movement for all the staff and students to wear blue on Monday to support Kailey and Monday morning, during morning announcements, the young ladies led the school in a moment of silence. During that moment of silence Kailey was already in surgery. Right after lunch, our school secretary met the 8^th grade teachers in the hallway and gave us the news… the best possible news…there was a single mass that was completely removed, with no damage to the heart valve and it appears that Kailey will make a complete recovery. Kailey, we love you. I love being from a small town, where people care, people pray and everyone is like family when the chips are down.

LMS: Where Learning Means Success and Character Counts, every day.

Walt loved small towns. Main Street USA is his tribute to that, the first message he wanted to share with everyone that entered Disneyland and later Walt Disney World. I live on Main Street USA, it still exists, and you can too. Get to know your neighbors, get involved in your community and let everyone know that someone loves them. Especially, very sick 13-year-old girls.

That’s more than enough of an excuse to go to Walt Disney World. I’m not only in love with the dream in the way that Disney presents it; I’m living the dream every day.

Remember, your best excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.