Safe to Learn
  • About
    • Why Safe to Learn? >
      • Page 2 - Why School Safety?
      • Inspiring Quotes
      • Thank You...
    • Leading Safety >
      • Select one action item to support the Safe to Learn Community Project
      • Incorporate Safe to Learn
    • Safe to Learn
    • Safe to Learn Community >
      • Mission & Values
      • Background: Safe to Learn Pilot Project
      • How Are the Children?
      • Reflections: Education & Safety
      • Educators Q&A: "Why be part of Safe to Learn?
      • Saving School Safety
      • Let's Be Safe
    • Quick Views >
      • Principals Quick Views
      • Teachers Quick Views
      • Directory Quick Views
    • Advisory Council >
      • Chate Asvanonda
      • Dr. Nancy Degnan >
        • Uncommon Sense, Uncommon Courage
      • Renee Domingo >
        • School Safety Standards
      • Kim Colella >
        • A Musical Journey to Africa
        • Kim Travles to Africa
        • Kim's Photos from Africa
      • Dr. Tom Horton >
        • 1923 Cleveland School Fire was Catalyst for School Fire Drills
      • Kay Karr >
        • Why Plan?
        • Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ike
      • Avagene Moore >
        • My Dream of “A Nation Prepared”
      • Sgt. Tracy Moore
      • Captain Jim Olsen >
        • School Shootings - What Have We Learned
        • Let's Listen - School Shootings
      • Barbara Thurman
    • Safe to Learn Teams >
      • Our Team & Contributors >
        • Dee Beaugez, Founder >
          • Interview Q&A
          • About Safe to Learn >
            • Preparedness Experience
          • Real Images
        • Donald J. Beaugez >
          • Technology Expereince
        • Diana Savage
        • Jessika Savage
        • Elizabeth Hall
        • Patti Lowry-Parrish
        • Kanun Andrade
        • Jorge J Martinez >
          • A Gateway to Freedom
      • Pilot Project Team - LCISD >
        • About the Safe to Learn Pilot Project
        • Thank You - Lamar CISD Principals & Assistant Principals
        • Balancing School Safety and Academic Goals
        • Irma Nurre
        • Sonya Sanzo
      • Safe to Learn Authors
    • Authors
    • Authors In the News >
      • Phillip Martin - In the News >
        • The Mural Man - Liberia
        • Help African Teachers Expand School and Clinic
        • Mural Man - Moldova >
          • #1 TV Interview
          • #2 TV Interview
          • #3 TV Interview
          • #4 TV Interview
          • #5 TV Interviews
        • The Mural Man Series Begins
        • A Taste of My World Cookbook
      • Rick Tobin - In the News >
        • Ten Tips for Safer Schools Series
      • Authors Press Releases
    • Media & Press Releases >
      • TEPSA Conference 2016
      • Three Questions June 2016
      • Authors Press Releases
      • Advisory Council Press Releases
      • About Safe to Learn
    • eBook Submission Guidelines >
      • eBook Submission Requirements
  • Blogs
    • Wander My World With Me by Phillip Martin >
      • 2018 - 2016 Directory Wander My World With Me
      • Introduction - I Draw
      • Faces in the Crowd Logo
      • Help African Teachers Expand School and Clinic
      • Wander My World - Liberia -eBook Helps Fund School
      • About Murals for U.S. Embassy Ebola Survivors Project in Liberia
    • Safe to Learn by Advisory Team and Authors >
      • Dream of A Nation Prepared
      • About the Masai Warriors
    • Golden Navigator by Sage West
    • Ask Tiffanie - Seasonal Foods and More >
      • Tiffanie's Invitation
      • About Tiffanie Boldizsar
    • Nurse Stitches
    • Authors Blogs >
      • Authors Blog Directory
    • Honoring Mourning and Remembrance
    • Preparedness Perspectives >
      • Preparedness Directory
      • Flooding in Texas
    • What Have We Learned? >
      • Directory 2016 - What Have We Learned?
      • Let's Listen - School Shootings
    • Inspiration for Life
  • Let's Guide Safety
    • School District COOP
    • Principles for Principals >
      • Leading the Way to School Safety
      • Reflections >
        • The Day After 9/11
        • Observations
        • Be Prepared and Be a Leader
        • Communication is Key
        • New Safety Checklist
        • Practice, Practice, Practice
        • Note to Ada
      • Author Ada Rosario Dolch
      • It Takes Time & Practice
    • Keeping It Real >
      • Building School Response Teams >
        • Lucien Canton, CEM
    • Response to Violence >
      • The Best Response to Violence in Your School Is the Response which Never Has to Happen >
        • Dr. Cathy Anthofer
        • Links and Resources
    • Ten Tips for Teachers for Safer Schools >
      • Elementary Schools
      • Middle & Junior High Schools
      • High Schools
      • A Great Starting Point
      • Rick Tobin
    • Color Me Safe Series >
      • Patti Parrish >
        • Pet Safe - All Seasons
        • Keep Pets Disaster Safe
        • Lucky Dog's Message
        • Lucky Dog Rap
      • Denise Langston
    • Forever Hope >
      • Fulfilling a Dream >
        • About Vickee Greer
    • 2016 Authors Inspiring Safety & Awareness
    • 2016-2017 Authors Inspiring History & Leadership
  • Safety Series
    • Invest 1 Hour a Month to be Safe to Learn
    • Principles for Principals by Ada Rosario Dolch
    • #1 - Safety First
    • #2 - Calendar >
      • Safe to Learn 2016-17 Calendar
    • # 3 - Fire Drills >
      • 1923 Cleveland School Fire was Catalyst for School Fire Drills
      • Fire Drills Prepare Students for Real-Life Incidents
      • Outstanding Safe to Learn Pilot Project for 2014-2015
    • #4 - Building & Campus Safety
    • #5 - School Response Teams
    • #6 - Tips for Teachers
    • Why Plan? Documentary >
      • Why Plan? For Sale
    • Future Safety Series
  • Teachers Tools
    • About Health Equity Project >
      • Waiting for Health Equity
      • Start a Conversation about Health Equity
    • The Door - A Must for the School Year >
      • More About - The Door
    • Tsunami K-6 Curriculum
  • Let's Read
    • Wander My World - Liberia -eBook Helps Fund School
    • Let's Read Authors
    • Contact Safe to Learn About Volume Orders
    • Let's Read - Books >
      • What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada & Illustrated by Mae Besom >
        • Resource: Examples of Lessons Plans Based Around "What You Do with An Idea"
      • The Mitten by Jan Brett >
        • Sheir Loy Reads "The Mitten" to Help with Safety
      • Sleep Ponies by Gudrun Ongman
      • Garbage Bag Suitcase
      • A Long Walk to Water >
        • Links - Linda Sue Parks
      • What Color is Your Parachute for Teens
      • Helping Traumatized Children
      • Let's Be Prepared Resources
    • Let's Read Educators
  • Let's Talk
    • Start a "Let's Talk" Round Table Discussion >
      • Let's Brew a Cappuccino
      • Every Child Needs a Champion
      • Foster Care & Garbage Bag Suitcase >
        • More about Garbage Bag Suitcase
      • "Why Plan?" Documentary
      • 9/11 Webinar 9/13/2016 >
        • New York 9/11/2015 >
          • Let's Talk 9/11/2015 - Stand with Me Today
          • New York 2015 - 9/11 Images
          • Remember 9/11 by Phillip Martin
      • Documentary Films >
        • Let's Talk - Most Likely to Succeed
        • Let's Talk - Beyond Measure
        • Let's Talk - Paper Tigers >
          • Educational Versions
          • ACEs/toxic stress color wheel
        • Let's Talk - The Cats of Mirikitani >
          • The Cat Who Chose to Dream
          • Asian American History
      • Distracted Driving Awarenes
      • Discovery Education MS 88 Brooklyn NY
      • Bullying Though the Eyes of a Child
      • Kindess Matters Campaign
      • Let's Listen - School Violence
      • Let's Talk - Safe to Learn >
        • How Are the Children?
        • Reflections about Safe to Learn
        • Why Safe to Learn?
      • Let's Talk - Safety >
        • Active Shooter
        • Make A Difference
        • Emergency Preparedness for School
        • Incarceration >
          • Incarceration - Links and Resources
        • Natural Disaster - Lessons Learned
        • Teaching 9/11
        • Violence in Schools
        • Violence Prevention Resouces
        • Cure Violence
      • Let's Talk - Social Issues >
        • Homeless Students >
          • Homeless Youth Resources
        • Helping Hunger
        • Human Trafficking in Schools
    • Health Equity Issues
    • Share Your Ideas
  • Free
    • Free Graphics for Teachers
    • Presentations for Teachers
    • Free Art Lesson Plans
    • Free Coloring Books
    • Websites for Teaching and Learning
    • Original Stories
    • Safe to Learn Calendars
    • Safe to Learn Drawing
    • FREE Seasonal Recipes >
      • ​Cumin-Jalapeno Black Bean Soup
      • Pies by Barbara
      • Healthy "Ice Cream" Treats
  • Links
    • Suggest a Link
    • Animals and Children >
      • Pasado's Safe Haven
      • The Gentle Barn
      • Red Rover Readers
      • Travel the World & Learn Kindness to Animals
      • Animal Stories & Books
    • Children, Education & Safety Resouces >
      • Linda Lantieri
      • Resilience Resources
    • Let's Talk - Preparedness >
      • Emergency Plans
      • Incident Command System
      • FEMA Trainings
      • Earthquake and Tsunami Resources >
        • The Really Big One
      • Distracted Driving Awareness
      • School Bus Safety Resources
      • Fire Drills
      • School Safety Resouces
    • Homeless Youth
  • Leadership
    • Inspiring Leaders >
      • Every Child Needs a Champion
    • In Memoriam >
      • Principal Susan Jordan
  • Amazing Educators
    • Every Child Needs a Champion
    • Sheri Loy's Innovative Lockdown Solution
    • Miss Julie Inspires Safety >
      • Julie Kennedy, Teacher/Educator
      • Outstanding Safe to Learn Pilot Project for 2014-2015
    • Let's Sing >
      • Nancy Stewart, Founder of Sing With Our Kids >
        • Sing With Our Kids - Nancy's Pilot Project and Free Resources Website
        • Nancy Stewart Free Website Resources
        • Why Sing? The 5 Practices of Early Literacy
        • Safe to Learn - Let's Sing Excellence in Education Award Winner 2015
    • Let's Sign (ASL) >
      • Nancy Hanauer, Founder Hop to Signaroo ® >
        • Babies Can Communicate
        • Signing for Social and Learning Skills
    • Educators in the News >
      • Abigail's Plan
      • 10 Minutes of Compliments >
        • Special Books Project
      • Inspiring Student with Music & Songs
  • Let's Explore
    • Phillip Martin - The Mural Man >
      • Directory of Murals
      • Let's Explore Mural Man Series
      • Murals #43 and #44
      • Mural #14 - Don't Let Drugs Take You for a Ride!
      • Murals #6, #7 & #35
      • Food Pantry - Ohio, USA
      • Mural Man' Phillip Martin
      • Artist Phillip Martin
    • Wander My World With Me Blog Directory 2016
    • Water >
      • Water Center - Earth Institute | Columbia University
  • Let's Taste
    • A Taste of My World Cookbooks by Phillip Martin >
      • Let's Brew a Cappuccino
      • A Taste of My World, Vol. 1
      • A Taste of My World, Vol. 2
    • The Very Exciting, Great And Nutritious (VEGAN) Cookbook >
      • Kanun Andrade
    • Flavorful Food Adventures >
      • Tiffanie Boldizsar
  • Communities
    • Principals Resources >
      • "Why Plan?" - School-Center Emergency Management
      • Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ike
      • THE DOOR - Health -Safety
      • "Principles for Principals" A Gift From Ada Rosario Dolch
    • Leadership & Safety Series Downloads >
      • Leadership and Safety Series HS
    • Lamar CISD Community
    • Inner Resilience Program
  • TEPSA 2016
  • About Health Equity Project

Enough Already!

9/29/2018

 
Picture
John Enterline Photography, used with permission
PictureJohn Enterline, photographer and friend

I never knew John very well.  He went to the early morning church service.  I rarely ever am cleaned up and ready to leave the house by 8:00, especially on a Sunday morning.  I preferred the later service.  However, in between those services was a gap in time when some people went to Sunday School, others mingled in the gathering hall behind the sanctuary, and those members of the congregation with taste visited the art on display in the small church gallery.  That's how I met John

He was a photographer.  I'm sort of a photographer.  I have an artist's eye and doctor absolutely every photo- graph that I take with PhotoShop.  But, John was a photographer  He didn't need PhotoShop.   He had the knowledge and all the necessary toys to take breathtaking photographs.  He loved landscapes like the barn scene included here.  But, he also did amazing things with still life photography.  I have a print of an orange and pomegranate that looks like an oil painting.  I have no idea how John did that with a camera.  He tried to show me once during a photography lesson in his basement studio.  I still have no clue.

I'm not sure which of us had an exhibition first.  But, I loved his photographs and he loved my portraits.  John retired and the plan was to pursue his photography as he traveled.  It was a great plan.  Great plans don't always happen.  Shortly after retirement, John developed cancer.

I didn't see him as much as I should have, but our loitering overlapped one Sunday morning.  He was on his way home and I arrived early for my service.  We had a nice time catching up.  At this point, John could only speak in a whisper, but he was confident that he could beat the cancer.  Throughout the entire conversation, I had an argument going on inside my head.  "This guy has cancer.  He's in the fight of his life.  Should I give him a hug?"

I didn't hug John.  And, I regretted it almost as soon as it didn't happen.  So, I emailed John and filled him in on situation.  He agreed that I should have hugged him.  Plans were made immediately to meet again the following Sunday in the overlap time between services for a hug.

It happened.

And then, he took a quick turn for the worse.  The cancer flared up.  He rapidly withered away.  And before I knew anything about the turn of events, John died.

I learned my lesson.  And, unfortunately, it seems that I have to learn lessons the hard way to actually learn them.  When given the opportunity to hug someone you care about, do not let the opportunity pass you by.  When I attended John's funeral, his niece was my main contact.  She saved a photograph for me that I wanted and I shared my "John story" about the hug with her.  And as soon as she heard the story, she opened up her arms for a hug.      

PictureLahcen and his son Brahim around 1990
I wish I completely learned my lesson the first time around.  But, sometimes life has to hit me over the head a second or third time to let the message fully sink in.  And, that's what happened to me this week. While I was on Facebook, I saw a suggestion to "friend" one of my friends in Morocco.  I didn't know Lahcen had an account, and I was thrilled to send off the request.  I hadn't seen him in almost two decades.  What can happen in that amount of time?  or even a week?

I'm very blessed in my travels.  I tend to meet the most wonderful and gracious people along my path.  Lahcen was one of the best and dearest.  And, really, seriously, it was a friendship that probably should never have happened.  At least, it wasn't too likely.  If you ever take the bus from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, you have to cross over the Atlas Mountains.  And, the bus stopped for lunch in Taddart.  (If you ate what you should eat, there were piping hot bowls of tagine along the roadside.  Tagine is a stew made of potatoes, onions, tomatoes, carrots and some kind of meat.  In Taddart it was often goat heads.)

If there were places to eat, it makes perfect sense that there were also souvenir shop with exotic treasures.  It may surprise you, but I preferred souvenirs over goat heads.  And, that's how I wandered into Lahcen's life.  Lahcen spoke Arabic, Berber and French.  You may notice that English was not included in that list of languages.  That's why the friendship was a little unlikely.  My three years of high school French helped me some, but not enough to really communicate to any satisfaction.  I usually traveled with one or two Moroccan friends who spoke English.  They did a lot of translating.  But, a lot of words were not really needed to like Lahcen.  He had such a warmth and kindness about him.  I liked him immediately.  So, I came to Taddart frequently.

Whenever I needed to escape from the busy city life of Casablanca, I headed to Taddart.  At first, I stayed in the local hotel.  Nothing to write home about.  Eventually, I was adopted into Lahcen's family and stayed at his home.  No plans or invitations were needed.  When I showed up in town, I was taken home.  There was no road to his little village.  The trail lead down the valley from Taddart and then up the side of the next mountain.  The family lived among a cluster of adobe homes.  The dirt from the mountain was used to build the blocks and the village blended perfectly into the landscape.

It was always a trip back in time.  Lahcen's home had no electricity.  There was no running water.  Bread and butter were made by hand.  In the evening, when it got cold, we wrapped up in homemade blankets.  And, when I told Lahcen I wanted a hand-woven Moroccan pullover gown called a djellaba, I bought one that someone in his family made.  It was about as close as I've ever come to getting the shirt off of someone's back.  Lahcen had been wearing the gown.

Picture
(Clockwise) Lahcen wearing his/my djellaba, a typical Berber village in the Atlas Mountains, Tagine ready to enjoy with - or without - goat heads
Lahcen not only welcomed me into his life, but he also welcomed my family and friends.  On occasion, co-workers from school ventured off into the Atlas Mountains with me.  And, when my mother, sister and brother came to Morocco, Taddart was a "must see" destination.  On that occasion, I guess Lahcen's home was considered too small.  We stayed in the mayor's home.  Both Hassan (the mayor) and Lahcen thought my sister was a "gazelle".  I guess that's considered quite a compliment.  The mayor was heartbroken to learn my sister was married.

As we hiked around the mountains, Lahcen always held my mother's hand to guide and protect her.  She adored him.  We all did. 

The last time I saw Lahcen was at the end of 1999.  If you are old enough to remember then, it was during the Y2K scare.  Nobody knew what would happen to the world and it's computers as we entered the new century.  Some people felt the world would end.  I decided if computers failed, technology crashed and the world was coming to an end, I might as well be in my favorite location on the planet which happened to have neither computers nor technology - Taddart. 

At this point in time, Lahcen had a new souvenir shop about three miles north of Taddart.  We walked there.  Upon arrival Lahcen set about to prepare tagine. His recipe didn't have a goat head, but it was stuffed full of guilt.  This was the season of Ramadan when Muslims fast all day until sunset.  The last thing I wanted was my friend preparing a meal for me when he would have no part of it.
 
There is no arguing with Moroccan hospitality.  I was going to eat and feel so very guilty.
 
While I watched Lahcen prepare the tagine, my friend Salah rode the bicycle two or three miles down the mountain to get me some bread.  Yes, all of this was done just for me, the non-fasting Christian among Muslim friends.  Lahcen set the table up outside but we waited inside the warmth of his shop while the tagine cooked.  When the meal was about to be served, Lahcen frantically searched around for the bread.  It was gone!  A passing dog snatched it away.  I said it wasn’t a problem, but apparently you don’t eat tagine without bread.  It just isn't done.  Lahcen sent one of the nearby kids home for a loaf of bread.  When it arrived, Salah said it looked like a baseball glove.  It was about as tough as one and probably tasted the same, but I had bread.

Since those days, Lahcen moved to Marrakech to run a beautiful hotel.  I have friends now studying Arabic in Morocco and I directed them to Marrakech for a wonderful weekend.  And, this week, another contact new to Morocco was given the same advice.  If you want a wonderful experience in Marrakech, drop my name at the Riad Honey Hotel when you meet Lahcen.

So, these were the memories that flooded me as I sent the friend request over the Internet to Morocco.  And, I had the same warm glow when the request was accepted a couple of days later.  Neither of us sent an actual message.  We both knew how we felt about each other.  I was going to write a message soon.  I was busy with a big project at the moment, but the message was on my mind.  Best of intentions.
PictureTaddart only had one street. On the right, above the grilled meat, was the mayor's house.
Lahcen died this week.

It took a couple of days to get the information I wanted.  His son Brahim, who was about ten the last time I saw him and spoke no English, wrote to me to let me know about his papa.  As I later learned, Lahcen also had cancer and was sick for about six months.
 
Enough already! 

I know this lesson.  I don't need to be reminded, but I guess I really do.  And, maybe you do as well.  Nobody on their deathbed ever says, "I wish I would have worked harder."  "I wish I had put in a few more hours on that project."  "I wish I had done more for my boss."  We know what we're supposed to do.  Hug your family.  Tell someone that you love them.  Hug your friends.  Surprise someone with something special just because.  Hug those in need of a hug.  Praise, encourage, thank, acknowledge and love as much as you can.  And, when you've done all you can, squeeze out a little more.  I know that almost nobody ever sends hand-written cards any more.  I sent one this week.  I plan to send more.

And, seriously, when it only takes about a minute to send someone a message telling them what they mean to you, don't miss that opportunity.

    Wander My World With Me 
    by Phillip Martin

    Artist, Muralist,
    Photographer and
    World Wanderer
    Blog Directory

    Wonder about Wander My World With Me?
    • I Draw (Introduction)
    • Faces in the Crowd
      About Icon Images 
    • Directory

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Portraits
    Travel

    RSS Feed

    View Previous Blogs and Add Comments
    Scroll to the bottom of this page and select "Previous" 
    and/or add Comments by selecting "Comments" and fill in the "Leave a Reply" form.
    Phillip Martin's Web Sites
    • Facebook
    • ​The Mural Man
    Phillip Martin's Books
    • The Mural Man Series 
    • A Taste of My World Cookbooks
“Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. 
 We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”
 
~ Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa



Proudly powered by Weebly
Design by DivTag Templates