Hello. I hope you each find peace and comfort in the coming months, as you adjust to the untimely loss of a loved one. Mrs. Sanders was my teacher in (1986) the 6th Grade at Stephen F. Austin Junior High. I do not know what to say, but felt compelled to leave a message, as to hopefully in some way, be a positive footnote, during what must be an enormously difficult and grief-filled time.

While I did not keep in touch with her afterwards, nor did I do much then to be a positive influence amongst a class full of rambunctious pre-teens, I will never forget her because she was an excellent and caring educator. Despite academic marks that would suggest otherwise, I know that I developed a great deal of foundational wisdom in language arts from such a wonderful and patient teacher. I wish I would have been a much better student and less of a distraction to her efforts, as she provided me with far more benefit, than I ever provided her in return.

Sometimes a person does not realize until much later, all of the great people along the way, who make positive contributions to their maturity. She was one of those people for me, and I am sad that I never made the time to say thank you for the wisdom, or I’m sorry for having been a class clown. In reflection, I do not recall her ever being spiteful in any way for my numerous disruptions and for making her job more difficult. Moreover, I believe she had to be one exceptional Christian, as well as one who understood that kids will be kids, and I am grateful for her never making a personal matter out of my frequent, unacceptable behavior.

To me that is an excellent definition of passion despite obstacles, and a great example for what it means to be a professional. I hope this testimonial does not add to any grief, and is received in a manner that appreciates I wanted to convey that: Mrs. Sanders made a difference; was a great teacher; excellent person, and left a lasting impression on me, and no telling how many hundreds of other kids in Irving.

Thank you for your time and I am so sorry for your loss.

Regards,

Shawn
River Edge, NJ

My condolences to the Sanders families. I'm sorry to hear about the untimely loss of dear Lucinda. Some Bible scriptures that have helped me during times of loss include Isaiah 26:19 and Psalm 37:28,29 which says "Your dead ones will live...They will rise up". And the Bible also says "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will forever reside upon it". Therefore the Bible promises that we may be reunited with our loved ones lost in death by means of an earthly resurrection. This is further confirmed by John 5:28,29 which says "Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out". This is possible thanks to Jesus Christ's ransom sacrifice. Thus we have a genuine hope of everlasting life in a world without wickedness or suffering. I hope that these scriptures will be of some comfort to you. For more encouraging scriptures, please visit jw.org