Visitor's Gifts

We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.

e.e. Cummings

Last week my husband and I hosted my former professor and advisor from Valdosta State, Dr. Jane Zahner, in our home for a couple of nights. Jane was in town for the COMO conference where she promoted the VSU Instructional Technology programs and demonstrated her Off Off Campus blog during her professional blogging presentation.


In most paradigms, hosts dispense hospitality to guests: a gift. Unquestionably, Fife and I were the true gift recipients, not she. To my delight, she entertained us with stories of seasonal cats, coyote-dogs, her Hungarian exchange, and the upcoming whooping crane migration, but she also listened, laughed, and came down on the right side of some of my hot-button topics. Gracious to include me in her presentation, she also gave seasoned advice and technical support for my own presentation, while cheering me on and calming my illogical, but serious, jitters. Even better, she validated my work on a big project, gave thoughtful ideas for promoting it to possible publication, and agreed to share her valued feedback on its revision: each a durable gift with transformative power.

What a joy it was to share the wit and wisdom of this fascinating, fearless, and generous woman for a few days. . . and what a gift to continue learning from her.