But I wanted my reunion with the KMS kids to be just like in the movies: a tear-jerking blockbuster, sheathed with emotion, tears, hugs and smiles. For days I mused over a dozen scenarios of how beautifully it would all transpire. Oh yes. My surprise visit of March 14, 2013 would go down as one of the great moments of my life.
I snuck into the school early in the morning. Jen and Terry, the upper elementary teachers, were waiting for me as planned. We had a quick powwow to make sure we all knew our parts. Then they went downstairs to bring the kids up to the upper elementary floor, and I dashed upstairs out of site. The plan called for a quite simple execution: the children would gather for an all Upper Elementary Council meeting along with Po - my stuffed, super soft and fuzzy panda bear - who would play a critical role. Po had been a relatively passive, though special, participant of in every classroom I taught from my first day as a teacher. When I came to KMS, the children breathed life into Po, adopting him as one of their own. As a symbolic gesture of friendship and trust, I left Po in the custody of the kids before I moved to Thailand. But now I was back, and Po was ready to come alive in a way nobody would have ever imagined. The stage was set for an epic surprise.
It was go-time. Jen called my phone with her phone and activated its loud speaker. That way I would be able to hear the entire conversation from my hiding spot. I kept my phone by my ear and quietly waited for the children to come upstairs. Finally I heard their high-pitched voices fading in, rapidly permeating the air space of the second floor. My heart revved up with excitement. When the butterflies flew into my stomach, I knew there was no turning back. I held my breath and listened. The children gathered on the floor and made a big circle. I imagined Po sitting upright next to Emily (now 9 years old). Emily had been told about the plan in advance and agreed to be our accomplice. After the children settled into their circle spots, Peyton announced that the talking piece of the council meeting would be her own cell phone. Of course, nobody knew that the phone’s loudspeaker was on and that I was able to hear everything that was being said.
Jen began: “This morning’s theme for our council meeting is: A special memory you had with a teacher. When you receive the talking piece, please share your memory.” Jen handed the talking piece to Emily. I listened to Emily reminiscing about a memory she had with me last year. Then she placed the cell phone on the floor right beside Po, and said, “Po, what do you think?”
That was my queue. I took a deep breath and spoke into my phone: “Ever since Allen left, I had a wish to see him reunite with all you kids at KMS. I miss Allen telling us to listen to our hearts. And I want him back. So I decided to listen to my own heart: I went back to school to learn how to make my wish come true. I applied and was accepted to the PhD program at the most prestigious Panda College in the world, The University of Panda Magic. After I got my Magic PhD, I went on to become licensed to practice “Mystical Transport Magic,” which would give me the qualifications to transport people from one place to another when I would really miss them. Well, I suppose now is the time to share with you my exciting secrete: I have been working on a magic formula specifically designed to bring Allen back to KMS.
I paused for a few moments and listened to any commotion from the kids. The room below was dead silent. Perfect! I went on:
Now, I need all of you to pay very close attention because we only have one chance at this. It’s currently the middle of the night in Thailand, so I am assuming that Allen is sleeping. We’re going to wake him up and bring him right here to KMS. I need everyone to quietly whisper a countdown from ten to zero. If my calculations are correct, Allen will appear before us by the time we get to zero.”
I put my phone away and tip-toed to the bottom of the staircase. I heard the children whispering, “5…4…3…2…1.” Clothed in pajamas and my hair in a mess, I walked into the open. I was standing right in front of the children. At first there was a strange silence, but then, “He’s here!” they whispered, as I inched closer to them. And then all 35 children stood up and ran up to me. Within seconds the entire group embraced me. We were back together again, hugging in perfect harmony, all at the same time, together as one. An overwhelming feeling of unity rushed into the tear ducts of my eyes. I caught the eyes of many children with looks of bewilderment, excitement, and joy. All the while I was participating in the best hug of my life. Then I noticed Pheona, now 8 years old, standing on a chair and staring deeply into my eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she softly repeated, “You came back to see us. You came back!” I nodded and said, “Yes, Pheona! I came back to see you.”
Jen called the kids back to rejoin the circle to resume the council meeting. As the talking piece made its way from one child to the next, I heard some of the most touching words from the kids about how much they appreciated me as their teacher, how thankful they were to me for caring about them and never giving up on them. Listening to such sincere and loving expressions of gratitude, I felt cradled in a state of oneness. It was as if I was enraptured by the accolades of the universe, which gave me the gift of sharing so much joy with the people who I really cared about.
Indeed, that day was one of the happiest of my life. I got to experience the mighty capacity of love. But it wasn’t just the love that did it. It was that togetherness aspect of love - the mutual sharing of feelings that I always place in such high regard. In my opinion, it’s damn important and completely worth striving for. It’s what makes my world go round and round and round. How can I be so sure? Because my heart told me so. And I’m pretty sure that hearts have a pretty solid record of telling the truth.
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