When someone I know retired from teaching, his colleagues and students gave him a great farewell party. As always, he was quick to respond with a speech that touched the audience. Here is an excerpt:
May all the teachings of those you admire become a part of you so that you may call upon them. Remember those whose lives you have touched and who have touched yours. They are always a part of you, even if those encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than its form. May you not become too concerned with status, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless possibilities, that each of us is different in our own way. What you may feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in each other. What you feel you lack in the present may become a strength in the future. May you see your future as filled with promise and possibility. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself and not be dependent upon another’s judgment of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved.
