Ep. 33 - The Mentor Ft. Aleta Barnes - Find the Good News with Oran Parker

2019-04-03

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I don’t think it would be very hard to Find the Good News in this world if every young person could have a teacher like the one I had between 1990 and 1992. I imagine that many, many students who had this special lady as a mentor would tell a similar story about how she taught them a lesson that they still use today, or that she showed them a side of themselves that they didn’t know they had. Perhaps she encouraged them to do something they didn’t think they could do, pushed them to get outside of their shell, get over their fears. ...

I don’t think it would be very hard to Find the Good News in this world if every young person could have a teacher like the one I had between 1990 and 1992. I imagine that many, many students who had this special lady as a mentor would tell a similar story about how she taught them a lesson that they still use today, or that she showed them a side of themselves that they didn’t know they had. Perhaps she encouraged them to do something they didn’t think they could do, pushed them to get outside of their shell, get over their fears. Maybe it was that nudge that has made all of the difference since. All of those stories would be true if you had a speech teacher like Aleta Barnes. Not too long ago I ran into Aleta at the Sulphur High Homecoming parade. I say her smiling face, and we had a chance to visit for quite a while. It was a joy to see that familiar twinkle, experience her , and kindness, and the sound of her familiar voice only made me realize just how much I’d missed her. Time melted away, and I was 16 and 17 again, thrilled to be meeting parts of myself I never knew existed. Sure, Aleta’s class was called “speech,” but in truth, we were learning how to communicate, not only with others but with ourselves. Aleta taught us to look inside at who we really are, to face our fears, to calm our minds, to cultivate understanding and empathy toward others, and retain and recall information, which only made me hungrier for more. For over 20 years I thought fondly of Aleta and her lessons, and people that know me well would often notice how often I would bring those lessons into my conversations. I think it’s important to give credit where it is deserved, and Aleta Barnes deserves a lot of credit for many of the good things I’ve been a part of. In fact, I truly believe that if I hadn’t been blessed to have Aleta Barnes in my life, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you behind this microphone today. When I asked her to come to visit with me on Find the Good News, she graciously agreed. When she came to visit me in the studio, I got to do something that so many don’t. I was able to tell my good teacher, my mentor, all of the ways she changed my life. I got to express how much she means to me still. We had a wonderful conversation, one I’m so happy to share with you. I hope the voice that imparted all of those lessons on me so many ago, will be good news for you like it was for me.

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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT ALETA BARNES >> www.facebook.com/aleta.barnes

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

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