Last week I received a gift with a copy of a paper that one of my students had written. In the paper. my student said that I'd helped him during his five years in this school. Now he was ready for high school. I have a handful of other such sentiments from kids hanging here and there. The messages always feel like my claim to having had a life that has somehow mattered.

The concept of leaving a legacy is nothing new. Is there a way, though, to leave a legacy without ever actually having your own kids? Can your life have just as much meaning if you leave having lightly touched hundreds, rather than being the main influence for a few?

The boat for having kids and grandkids has sailed right by me while I was busy on shore with other things. The path I've chosen seems like the right one for me, though. Even when I was young, I'd felt as if my legacy would be the infuence I'd had on other people's kids. I remember this notion coming to me rather young, when I was inspired by the influence of several teachers, but there was one who stood out.

My Kindergarten teacher's name was Miss. Silver. She was a kind hearted woman who, as far as I know, never had any children of her own. I heard that she'd passed away at a fairly young age after a long fight with an autoimmune illness.

She was the type of teacher who welcomes frequent visits as you moved up in the grades. She wasn't the type to give you the sense that she was looking at her watch. She really wanted to make a difference.

I visited her alot, even in 6th grade, when, as one of "Miss. Silver's helpers" we helped her prep craft activities and, mostly, drove her nuts with our preadolescent nonsense.

Miss. Silver was my model for honesty, but since she is a fundamentally kind person, most of her honesty was comforting and empowering. She was quick to remind her students, even after pointing out bad behavior, that there was nothing they could ever do to make her stop caring. She was the model of unconditional love that I try to carry into all my sessions. She touched me with a bright spirit that, now that I think of it, never left me even through the dark times.

The way people pass on various physical or character traits when they have children...Miss. Silver passed on her bright spirit to anyone who would receive it. People like her touch you and, if you allow it, make you children of a light that you can pass on to others.

After 6th grade, we all moved on to another school, and I wonder how many trips were made to visit Miss. Silver. I suspect there were not many.

I wonder if she knew, or knows, that she was instrumental in helping me hold on to most of the things that are good about me today...my creativity, my drive to be helpful, my confidence, the belief that I am cared for. Or that her warm words of encouragement and understanding kept something bright alive inside of me, a light that I am just now understanding. Something worth passing on to others.

Without realizing it, I've spent my life trying to make Miss. Silver's legacy my own. It was that drive, I think, that sparked what I believe is good about me today. What makes kids, when they graduate and move on, tell me that I was a part of their journey.

Was there a special teacher in your life? Can you mention her in a comment to leave a legacy?