Saturday, September 15, 2007

Close Encounters of the Real World Kind

Last night at Walmart I ran into a former student and his wife and their new baby girl. This student was a classmate of Belle's and one of my favorites. He and Belle were in that group of students who were chosen to be in the high school symphony orchestra when they were in the fifth grade.

Even in 8th grade, when he played his violin, he could make shivers go up and down your spine.

He was a really nice kid, and now he's a really nice man. He plays in a bluegrass band and his ~~violin~~ fiddle playin' is fantastic. I remember him very fondly.

Their baby was honestly very pretty; usually a new baby looks more like Winston Churchill than those babies you see in catalogues and movies. She was a truly beautiful baby, with a mop of black hair that was amazing for such a newbie.

I always love meeting my former students out in the 'real world.' This young man was no exception.

When I got back into the car, I did tear up a little. He had named his daughter for one of his classmates who had died just after high school graduation. She was a really nice girl, too.