Mrs. Stone was my first grade teacher. She was my absolute favorite teacher ever. I'm sad that my kids are going to miss out on having a teacher like her, but I'm pretty sure her style of teaching is now illegal. We sang a "prayer" before lunch in the form of the Johnny Appleseed song. She made us brush our teeth after lunch. Each student had their own numbered toothbrush. All the toothbrushes hung on nails that were driven into a yardstick above the sink. When we posed for our class picture, I got to stand by her! It was the best day of my life!
But best of all, she was also my Sunday School teacher. I was thrilled to have her as a teacher six days a week! At the end of first grade, the church gave us all Bibles; mine was dedicated to me by her.
As the years passed, anytime I saw her at church I gave her a big hug. I always told her she was still my favorite teacher. I remember hugging her around her waist and snuggling into her arms, then getting taller and taller until she was hugging me around my waist! I could see the tears in her eyes when I said she was still my favorite.
When M and I got married, she gave us a very practical gift of corning ware...which is still very much used!
And when I had my first baby, she knit him a sweater that I treasure. Sure, it's acrylic and bright red, but Mrs. Stone made it! And being a knitter myself, I know how long it takes to knit a baby sweater and matching hat! I remember she said to me, "I thought I was knitting a baby sweater. But it got bigger and bigger...I hope it will fit!" I took pictures of IJ when the sweater fit him, but our hard drive crashed when he was six months old and we lost nearly every baby picture of him (which is why M is obsessed with backing up our data).
So here is Riley, all bundled up in Mrs. Stone's sweater, waiting for me to finish the mornin' chicken chores:
When Mrs. Stone died a few years ago, I was very sad. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's for awhile, which explained why she didn't seem to know why I was hugging her the last time I saw her (sometime after S was born). I was sad then too. But I'm happy today, knowing that she is looking down from Heaven and seeing her #1 fan dress her fifth baby in a sweater knit with love in every stitch.
