• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Edwards Church

United Church of Christ | Saxonville, Massachusetts

  • About
    • Staff
    • Open and Affirming
    • FAQ
    • Accessibility
    • History
    • Rentals
  • Worship
  • Faith Formation
  • Mission
  • Music
  • Serving
    • Ministry of Congregational Life
    • Ministry of Outreach and Justice
    • Ministry of Spiritual Life
    • Ministry of Administration
  • Sermons
  • Rentals
  • Giving

10 Years Later…

May 27, 2020 by Rev. Liz Garrigan-Byerly

A Devotion by Liz Garrigan-Byerly

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Tenth grade was a tough year for me. I was going through a lot personally and to protect myself, I wore an armor of sarcasm and self-sufficiency (with a heavy dose of eye rolling and head on the desk, a la Claire Danes’ character in “My So Called Life”). Mrs. Snavely, my English teacher was the worst: her cheery disposition that bordered on saccharin, her eternal optimism that collided with my jaded realism, her sing-songy voice that reminded me of nursery school. It wasn’t just the rhythm; it was the actual voice. Because Mrs. Snavely was also my 4-year-old nursery school teacher and that made it all the more terrible (probably because I was embarrassed by how sullen and rude I was in her class).

10 years later, Mrs. Snavely would again become my teacher, in a less traditional way. My husband and I did a year of voluntary service at the same place her husband had 40 years prior and on a church camping trip, we swapped memories and bonded. Since then, she has continued to teach me. We are not close; I only see Mrs. Snavely (I still can’t bring myself to call her Vida Sue!) about once a year, but there is always an instant connection. And from a distance, I have come to learn a great deal from her and her life—how to live faithfully, graciously, hopefully, playfully, lovingly. I’ve even learned how to forgive my teenage self because of her; her consistent and warm embrace of me made it clear that I was loved and treasured no matter what.

Our teachers keep teaching us, whether we have them in multiple classrooms or not, whether we stay connected to them or not, whether they (or even we) know it or not. As I watch “remote learning” unfold in real time (and in my own house), I’ve come to realize and appreciate just how much learning depends on relationship and interactions. I’ve learned that from Mrs. Snavely too.

Heavenly Teacher, thank you for Mrs. Snavely and all the teachers in our lives. Amen.

Filed Under: Easter Devotional 2020

Primary Sidebar

Easter Season

Come Join Us!

Set your GPS for 39 Edwards Street, Framingham. We have plenty of parking!

We’d love to welcome you for worship Sundays at 10 am in our sanctuary (39 Edwards Street, Framingham) or on livestream. We’d also love to talk with you about weekday programs, our congregation, and your hopes (email Rev. Clark at pastor@edwardschurch.org or call 508-877-2050).

To sign up for events or to help out, click here.

Support Edwards Church

To donate to Edwards Church by Paypal, please use the link below. Please indicate in the notes field how you would like the donation directed:

Open and Affirming

Lenten Devotional

Upcoming Events

Please sign up, for our weekly email to get the latest events.

Open Spirit

Photo Galleries

Pentecost 2018
Pentecost 2018
Painting Improv 2018
Painting Improv 2018
Easter 2018
Easter 2018
Palm Sunday 2018
Palm Sunday 2018

Footer

About

  • Staff
  • Accessibility
  • FAQ
  • History

Boards

  • Ministry of Spiritual Life
  • Ministry of Outreach and Justice
  • Ministry of Administration
  • Ministry of Congregational Life

Committees

  • Our Teams

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in