IN MEMORY OF


WHY I LOVE TEACHING by Mary Lou West

        One of my greatest joys is observing children. They are a wonderful source of encouragement. It is easy to forget aches and pains when watching them play. Jesus must have felt that they were encouraging as well. In Matthew 18:3 He says that we must become as little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

        Here are a few things that I have observed while working with children.


           Children are humble and therefore very teachable.

          The cradle roll class learns about God and how to pray to Him. They are beginning to understand the concept before they leave the class. Over the years we have had children who want to lead in the prayer and they are not even two years old yet. And they usually have a big “Amen” at the end; and then they will turn to the teacher and say, “Now, you pray.”

        Children forgive quickly and easily. They often settle their disputes while the adults are trying to figure out what the problem is. While an adult is still thinking of a way to resolve the conflict, the children have already made up and are playing.

        Children are not prejudiced and have no malice toward anyone. These attitudes have to be learned and acquired.

        Children are exuberant and enjoy life. It is in their nature to be happy.


        These are just a few characteristics learned from children. They can be a very special source of encouragement for all of us.

- - Mary Lou West

Original comment from personal worker:
   Mary Lou has worked for almost thirty years with early childhood, kindergarten, and primary grades. She has worked for years with several class levels of the church and recently with the Cradle Roll .

Mary Lou passed away on August 2, 2025




POEM ADAPTED FROM CO-PILOT

Fifty-nine winters, fifty-nine springs,
We danced through life on quiet wings.
Through every storm, through every sun,
You were my heart, my only one.

You taught me grace in daily things,
In folded clothes, in birds that sing.
In laughter shared, in tears we dried,
In every moment side by side.

Your hands once held the world with care,
Now heaven holds you, soft and fair.
But I will carry what you gave-
Your strength, your smile, the way you prayed.

No final breath can break the thread
Of all the words we left unsaid.
For love like ours does not depart-
It lives within the grieving heart.

She moved through life with quiet light,
A steady flame, serene and bright.
In every glance, in every word,
Her love was felt, though softly heard.

Though time has drawn its curtain wide,
She walks beside me, not outside.
In morning sun and twilight blue,
My heart still speaks: I love you too.

And when I reach that final shore,
Where pain and parting are no more,
I'll find her there, with eyes aglow-
At peace with Jesus, whom we know.