Letter to My Teacher - Judy Baker

[Larry Robinson]

Letter to My Teacher

There was a light just out of reach
On the other side of a doorway.
I stood there, immobile.
At your gentle urging
I made my slow approach.
The terrain changed.
My fears became unbearable.
What if no one is there to catch me?
Dense fog, a shroud,
Black emptiness engulfed me.

You gave your constant assurance
That this will pass
And who I am
Will be stronger for the journey.
I watched it happen
With hesitant steps
To painful places.
Memories lost and then found.
Old failures and beliefs transformed.

I have emerged
As you predicted
>From the black depths,
The despair,
The unbearable darkness,
Though not yet from the fog.
It, too, changed,
Now like a scrim,
A haze, a fine gauze curtain.

I walk now
Without handrails or
Your footprints in the sand.
My path still not clear and bright,
Yet go-able.
I hold my own lamp.

I am called
To walk with other teachers.
I carry the treasures given,
Patience, steadfastness,
Acceptance and love.

You stepped through the doorway
Before me,
Your hands extended to receive me.
With hesitation I followed
And found my Self there.

When next
I approach this threshold,
I will remember you
And know I have safe passage.

	- Judy Baker