Part one of two
In the season of gift-giving, I asked several of our local citizens what very meaningful or significant gift they have received in their lifetime. Thinking of “gift” broadly, it could be material, but more likely, wise words, an intervention, or an incident, that made a major impact on them. It might have been realized as a gift only in retrospect. Below (alphabetically) are the moving messages in the first of a two-part series.
Christopher W. Albrecht
Teacher, Fred W. Hill School 4th grade,
Brockport Central School District
2018 New York State Teacher of the Year
I was 29 when I discovered backcountry hiking. It was by accident that I got stranded in northern Manitoba, Canada on a geology dig. After a five-day solo hike to civilization that nearly cost me my life, I had discovered a part of me that I never knew existed. I love the solitude of backpacking and backcountry hiking. Since 2001, I have been trekking all over the United States and Canada.
Our National Parks and Forests are America’s greatest treasures. When I leave civilization, I rediscover myself. The gift of nature, once you are immersed in it, is that many of the complexities of our modern world vanish. Food, water, campsites and the wilderness become the predominant thoughts, and primal instincts take over. Life gets simpler. And, when I emerge from the wild, I feel that I am better suited to serve as a husband, dad, friend and teacher.
Bill Andrews
Deputy Mayor/Trustee and Historian emeritus,
Village of Brockport
Professor emeritus, Ph.D., The College at Brockport, State University of New York
Two gifts have been very, very special for me. The first was Monika Wickert, who entered my life in 1967 and was my beloved wife for 42 years until she died in 2011. She forged our six children into a loving, congenial, supportive family, treating them all with the same loving solicitude, making them all parts of the same happy family. She was a model of devoted, selfless service to others. The other very special gift is Pat Denk. She came into my life last June and has given me the feminine companionship that I so missed since Monika’s death and so craved. She has returned my affection a hundredfold and made me feel special again.
Maryellen Giese
Director, Sweden Senior Singers, 2003 to present
Director, Hochstein Youth Singers, 2002-present
Former teacher, Vocal Music & Choruses, grades 5 – 12, Music Department Chair, Brockport Central School District (1971 to 2002, Retired).
My gift is time. Time after retiring to continue doing things I love and have gotten pretty good at over the years. Time for singing or sharing a belly laugh. Time to squish as much as I possibly can into each and every day… wait! Everybody’s gift is time! What I’ve been given that’s unique is energy! Wow, do I ever like and appreciate that I have energy! I can thank my mother’s good genes for that (and recently, coffee at lunch). Hmmm … the majority of my sentences end in an exclamation mark! At this point in my life, I find that I can harness energy in both youth and seniors! Whoo hoo! That’s a gift that keeps on giving!
Heidi R. Macpherson, Ph.D.
President, The College at Brockport,
State University of New York
I am lucky that at several points in my life, when I haven’t felt up to the task, I’ve had someone standing beside who has said, “Of course you can do that!” From my mother who started many discussions with me with the phrase “When you go to college…” to mentors and peers who pushed me to accept challenges I might otherwise have shied away from, I have been surrounded by people who have encouraged and guided me. My advice to anyone now is, if someone says they see something in you – believe them! If they see it, it’s there – and your task is to see it, too, and grow to be the person they expect you to be.
Next week’s issue, December 17, will have the stories of Terry Carbone, Shawn Halquist, Kevin G. Johnson, and Rosie Rich. Photos here are by Dianne Hickerson except for Heidi R. Macpherson’s and Bill Andrews’ which were provided.
