Love Wins

Such an uplifting day at the Pride Festival!  The atmosphere was joyful, the parade participants and spectators were diverse, the support of community organizations and even some organizations from off-island was outstanding.  It was pouring all morning, but the rain stopped about 5 minutes before the parade  started.  I took lots of photos, but decided to blip this one of a hand-decorated umbrella, because I believe that love will win in the end.  I'll eventually post others on Flickr.
I got a comment from a former student on one of my posts on Facebook this morning.  He was in my first class, a Grade 1/2 split, in 1971.  I was "trained" as a high school teacher but this was the opportunity that came and I took it.  His comment was:  "I hope I see you again.  You are a part of my life."  I last saw him when we left the community in 1977.  It made me cry to think that he wanted to see me again.  I remember every child in that first class and would love to see each one of them again.  Not all of them are still alive.  This student's older brother was the former student who died tragically this summer.  He was murdered and his death devastated everyone who knew him, including G and me.
After that first year, I taught a variety of subjects from Grade 7 to Grade 12 for a number of years then worked in a teacher-training program for Indigenous students at UBC.  I often told the student teachers that teaching has to be the best, most challenging and most rewarding profession ever.  I loved teaching. 
So this message from a student that I loved when he was a little boy in Grade One and the love that surrounded everyone at the Pride Festival today made my day a most wonderful one.  :)