substitute teacher.

A lot of my boys have been coming to me asking me to teach them how to tie a tie. I had to reach way back to grab the memory of how to tie a four in hand knot, which most certainly got me through high school. I remember when I learned to tie a tie, sitting in front of the mirror with my pops, fighting the temptation to look down and just

"trust what you see in the mirror. wide over the skinny, wide under the skinny..."

The same words that came out of his mouth to me came out of my mouth to them. And as proud as I was of them as they finally got the knot right, the length right above the belt line, put the dimple in the middle.

All I could think of is "this aint how this is supposed to be."

I know life isn't perfect, and I'm glad I'm here to teach them lessons such as these, but I wasn't supposed to be the teacher in this classroom.

I know I don't know god's plan. And for all your talk that everything happens for a reason, it doesn't have to happen for a good reason. And no, I don't believe that it was supposed to be this way. His father was supposed to teach him, just like mine taught me. I will step up and fill the void, because it's in my heart to do. And I will follow my heart. But to accept wrong as right will leave us left out in the cold with no heaters in sight.

Don't leave the responsibilities of your teachings to a substitute. Show up to work and step up to the chalk board.