Full Circle
Let’s start from the beginning…
I graduated from Tivy High School in 1996 with plans to be a veterinarian. I was attending Texas A&M University in the Fall and had big plans to rodeo for the university (breakaway roping, team roping and cutting). I had it all figured out! Well, except the part about going to class, studying and making good grades.
Prior to college, education and good grades had been fairly easy for me, so I really didn’t have the skills I needed to work my way through the dredges of Chemistry and Biology. After two semesters at A&M, the university politely suggested that if I didn’t get my grades up and my act together, it might be best for me to go somewhere else. No way! I had never failed anything in my life and I wasn’t going to start there!
So…I sent my horses home and changed my major…to English. I had no idea what I was going to do with an English degree, but I knew I could make good grades and that reading and writing were things I enjoyed. I will leave the rest of the boring details about editing books on Robert Penn Warren (which have been since published) and pipe-smoking, bow-tie-wearing professors for a later story; suffice it to say I got my act together, graduated with honors and pursued what turned out to be a very short career as a writer and editor.
I soon realized that for Bill and I, stability in my job was going to be important as we moved all over the country for his veterinary career. So, I received my emergency certification and started teaching school. First in California in a small private school where I taught various elementary grades, all subjects, ran their summer camp and ultimately became the assistant principal for two years. Then when we moved back to Texas, I taught for 8 years at New Braunfels High School - tenth and eleventh grade English. I loved it! I really enjoyed that age group and the content of Rhetoric and Composition was my favorite to teach!
In the Fall of my 13th year of teaching (8th year at NBHS), Parker got sick. It was apparent that my focus and attention needed to shift, so I “retired” from teaching to stay home with my boys. What a gift…in more ways than one!
Education has always been a big priority for Bill and I, so when I realized the demands Parker was going to need in the way of food and preparation, I decided to learn as much as I could about raising my own. I completed my Master Gardening Certification over the next 12 months and started our first backyard garden (we had one in college, but that’s a whole other story).
From there things grew, changed and spawned what we have today at Bridget’s Basket. Thanks to that change of direction in my life, I have been blessed with more opportunities than I can count. One of late brought me back to my education “roots” full circle and was a sincere delight!
This year, I was asked to give the commencement address for the graduating seniors at Ingram Tom Moore High School. What an honor and a privilege to be given this opportunity!
In preparation, I listened to numerous commencement speeches by famous people, a plethora of motivational speeches by trained orators and as many past ITM commencement speeches as I could gather. Although all the listening and note taking was very beneficial, it wasn’t until I sat down with a dear friend and former Ingram grad after brunch one day that I received the most pointed and valuable advice of all…keep it short! (Thanks Law-dog!)
Check it out and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed writing and giving it!
(commencement speech begins at 43mins)
