Another Reminder That There Are No Guarantees in Life

On Wednesday evening, I received word that a Lincoln Intermediate colleague and friend, Pam Harvey, was killed in a tragic accident at her farm. Although I am no longer working at Lincoln, Pam was a long time para professional there and was planning to work again this year. We had an excellent relationship as she walked by my office every day, always waved and said hi and we also had a couple of long discussions at the end of last year where we talked about my retirement and how long she would continue to work. She also talked a lot about her family and how she so looked forward to when she could retire.

Pam on more than one occasion would minimize the role she played at Lincoln and at times would say she was “just a para”. She was much more than that. Besides being a very kind, positive, and optimistic person, Pam was an amazing para, willing to jump in and help with whatever was needed. A couple of years ago, I spent a lot of time in the special ed classroom she worked in where students have a lot of extra needs. Pam was amazing with kids…very patient, very considerate, and always willing to help the teacher out at any time. Students clearly respected her as did her colleagues. She will be greatly missed by everyone at Lincoln.

Pam’s passing is a reminder that there are no guarantees in life and we don’t know how much time we have. We need to take advantage of every day that we have and are not promised a long future. Each day needs our best effort and we should treat everyone with positivity and respect, just like Pam did. I’m not sure we could find anyone who has a negative word to say about her-would the same be true for each of us?

It’s also an important reminder to be respectful and appreciative of all the people we have around us no matter what role they play. You can tell a lot about people based on how they treat others-especially those they don’t “have to” associate with and treat well. Our actions will definitely show how we are doing in these areas.

How do your actions reflect on you as a person? How do others see your actions and how you treat others? Obviously, Pam’s actions were clear to all who knew her and what a legacy she leaves behind. We should all follow her model and be a “better person” to everyone we interact with. Have a great week!

Coach K