PART THREE: LETTERS FROM GRACE
Fifteen years passed. It was the first day of the fall semester in a brand-new school, and Daniel was excited. This was a class unlike any he had taught before. All of the students were juvenile delinquents— twelve, thirteen, and fourteen-year-old boys who had been convicted of felonies and sentenced to this special middle school as a last resort to help them turn their lives around and avoid incarceration in juvenile facilities. It promised to be the most challenging and potentially rewarding year of Daniel’s teaching career, an opportunity to apply everything he had learned toward his own noble ambition: to help transform budding career criminals into productive citizens. For years Daniel had dreamed of working exclusively with at-risk children, and now he was finally going to get his opportunity.
In his previous teaching positions, Daniel taught a one-hour Life Science class with only the final quarter of the school year devoted to the Principles of Grace. This special school was distinctive in that Daniel would be responsible for his students’ entire middle school education. They would be together seven hours a day for three full years.
From the beginning Daniel wanted to get his new students inspired about their futures and the subjects he would be teaching. He told them about his mentor, Captain Free Spirit, and how his summer aboard the Awakening Grace had enabled him to discover his own calling as a teacher. Then he directed their attention to the blackboard and briefly summarized the Principles of Grace. Daniel was disappointed to find that his new students did not seem the least bit interested.
So Daniel decided to share the story of Grace Gilmore, a former student who had used the Principles of Grace as a springboard to accomplish something extraordinary. Over the past fifteen years Grace had written Daniel ten letters in which she told her own amazing success story. Daniel hoped that his new students would be able to relate to the path Grace had chosen, and so one by one he read Grace’s letters to the class…
Dear Mr. Benson,June 3, 1992
On the final day of school you invited us to write and tell you about our lives. I have had some interesting experiences using the Principles of Grace that I’d like to share with you.
My first year of high school didn’t begin so well. I didn’t know anyone and didn’t really know how to go about making new friends. I felt out of place. Then I remembered that you advised me to develop friendships based on common values and common interests. You might recall that my passion is dancing. So I signed up for the Dance Club, which is an after-school activity. It was so cool. I learned all kinds of new dance styles. I was even given an opportunity to teach the club the salsa dances I learned from the classes I took last year. I’m so glad that you helped me connect with my passion for dancing. And you were right about developing friendships based on common interests. The other girls in the dance club were really nice to me. I made two good friends, Julia and Martina. For the first time outside of my adoptive family I feel like I’m being accepted for who I really am.
I want to thank you again for the journal you gave me. I write in it all the time. It’s so convenient to have the Principles of Grace syllabus right in the front. I made a solid commitment to learn and practice the principles. I reread the entire syllabus every Sunday. My favorite principle is believe in yourself and believe in your divinity. It encourages me to believe that I can do something great with my life when I grow up. I did the weekly time analysis exercise and learned that I was watching 25 hours of TV every week. I don’t want my brain to turn to mush, so I changed that behavior. Now I only allow myself a maximum of 10 hours of TV a week and I use the other 15 hours to read books. You know the one part about celebrating other people’s finest qualities? I came up with this really cool exercise where I took a section of my journal and titled all the pages “What I Like About You.” There is a separate page for everyone I know. Whenever I spot one of their finest qualities I write it down. Then, when the page is full, I give it to them. People are always so grateful. Often it’s the first time that anyone ever acknowledged what was special about them. It feels amazing to help someone else feel good about themselves. You did that for me, and now I’m paying it forward.
I continued to see Dr. Banks for several months. Mostly we talked about the Principles of Grace. She even made a copy of my syllabus and said that she now gives it to all of her patients. How cool is that? Unfortunately, I don’t see her anymore because she said that I’m totally well. I guess she is right because I never get depressed anymore. I have to admit that my life is pretty good and that I’m happy now.
I know that this letter had been mostly (okay, all) about me, but my intention was to write a letter of hope and inspiration for you. Know that you have made a great and wonderful change in my life! You truly are a remarkable teacher. Thanks to you, I know I’m a better person. Keep doing the things that you do so that you can help other kids like me. Your work is so important.
Sincerely,
Grace Gilmore
Dear Mr. Benson: May 27, 1993
Another school year has passed, and I hoped you might be interested in some of the things that are happening in my life. So, here’s the latest.
Last spring I made a decision to try out for the dance team when school resumed in the fall. When I told some of the other girls in the dance club about my plans, they laughed and teased that I was too fat to make it. At first their taunting hurt my feelings, but then I realized they were probably right. All of the girls on the dance team were really fit. If I wanted to be a part of their group, I knew that I needed to lose about thirty pounds over the summer. So you know what I did? I got out my Principles of Grace folder and went straight to the Connect With Your Cellular Intelligence section. I immediately decided that I’d do whatever I had to do to lose weight and make the team.
The first thing I did was get on the Internet to search for information. I found this great Web page called “The Amazing Weight Loss Formula,”* which taught me how to increase the speed of my metabolism. It suggested that I alternate high-intensity resistance and aerobic training first thing every morning before breakfast. In the beginning this was really difficult. My muscles were sore all the time and I hated waking up early; yet I lost five pounds in the first two weeks. I saw right away that the program was working and that helped me adjust to the early-morning workouts and the new diet.
The website also suggested that I give up all manmade processed foods, which I didn’t want to do at first, because I really enjoyed things like soda, chips and cookies. It stated that I should only eat foods found in nature, such as fish, fruits and vegetables — the same stuff you advised us to eat. So, I started doing this, too, and it gave me a ton of energy all day long. Another essential thing was for me to burn more calories than I consumed. This meant eating smaller meals and being more active. I practiced my dance team audition routine for two hours every evening instead of watching TV, and I did lots and lots of walking. I stayed with it the entire summer and, believe it or not, I lost the entire thirty pounds. The changes in how I looked and felt were awesome.
The dance team tryouts were organized as a contest and were a big deal at my school. The auditorium was packed—students, teachers and the entire dance team alumni were in attendance. At first I was a little scared. No, not scared—actually nervous. During the warm-up I started trembling so violently that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do my routine. To calm myself down, I did the yoga breathing and visualization exercises you had taught us.
When the music started, it seemed as though everyone else just disappeared. I began to dance and nothing else in the world mattered. My mental focus and physical effort were in sync. I became one with my routine, or to use your words, “one with the universe.” It just flowed very naturally. When it was over the entire gymnasium e
rupted in applause. I actually received a standing ovation, and won the first-place ribbon. It was the most amazing moment of my life.
Being on the dance team has been so much fun. We practice after school every day, dance at half-time at all the sports events, and compete against other schools.
My life’s changed in so many ways. Every morning I wake up happy. When I look in the mirror, I don’t feel fat and ugly any more. I feel pretty. And do you know what else? I have my first real boyfriend. His name’s Joe, and he’s on the football team. I think that I’m falling in love, because I want to be with him all the time.
Mr. Benson, I want you to know that all of these wonderful things are happening because of the stuff you taught me. You’re a great teacher. Keep doing the things that you do. Your work’s very important.
Sincerely, Grace Gilmore
Dear Mr. Benson: June 3, 1994
It’s the final day of my junior year, so I thought I’d write my annual letter to let you know that one of your worst students ever is finally getting her act together.
This year I decided to focus on the connect with others principle. I met a girl named Sally who had tried out for the dance team, but failed to make it because she was overweight. A lot of kids, especially the boys, said mean things that hurt Sally’s feelings. It reminded me of how I felt when I was overweight. So, I told Sally about my own experience with weight loss and offered to be her mentor. She agreed, and I have to tell you that I have really enjoyed helping her. Every morning before school we got together and did a high-intensity workout. I taught her what foods to eat and what foods not to eat. Before long, she began to get in shape and feel better about herself.
One of the things I learned from helping Sally is that when you do something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return, your kindness comes back to you in unexpected ways. It turns out that Sally was the President of the Drama Club, and she persuaded me to audition for the role of Cha Cha, the sexy dancer in “Grease,” the school play. Believe it or not, I got the part. The Drama Club’s totally cool! The rehearsals are even more fun than being on the dance team, but the performances are much scarier. My part didn’t have many lines, but I was still afraid of messing them up on stage in front of so many other people, especially my boyfriend, Joe, who was sitting in the front row. We did the show four times, and thank God I didn’t forget any of my lines. All of the main actors were so good that the local Civic Center invited us to perform three more shows at the amphitheater for a charity event.
Opening night was so amazing. More than a thousand people came to see the show. The amphitheater was outside and the spring weather was perfect. It seemed like there were a million stars in the sky. Again, the actors were fantastic and afterwards we were treated like celebrities. Everybody wanted to meet and congratulate us. Some younger girls even asked for my autograph. One of the people that I met was a choreographer from New York. He said that I was a very talented dancer and that he hoped to see me on Broadway someday. Can you believe that? Me, a professional dancer in New York City!
After the conversation with the choreographer, I spent a lot of time thinking about the things I learned from your class. You said that the key to discovering purpose in life was to always follow your heart. I love dancing so much. I love the people, the music, being on stage and the fact that I’m always learning something new. Dancing comes so naturally for me, almost like it’s what I was born to do. It makes me happy and it makes other people happy, because they enjoy watching the performances. I know that it’s not serving others such as being a doctor or a nurse, but it makes me feel purposeful when I see people in the audience smile or laugh or applaud. I’m sure I want to be a dancer when I grow up.
For the first time ever I’m excited about the upcoming fall semester. I actually look forward to going to school now, and I thank you for this. Through the Principles of Grace I learned much about myself. I have learned what I could do if I put my mind to it. I want you to know that I’ll never forget you or the things that you taught me, Mr. Benson. You’re a very special teacher.
Sincerely,
Grace Gilmore
Dare To Be Successful Page 6