How Do You Show It?

“Respect is what we owe; love, what we give.” – Philip James Bailey

How do you show someone respect? This is something I have to deal with every day. As a 5th grade teacher, I am constantly trying to remind students about what it means to show someone respect. Today we live in a world where some of the most influential people show other disrespect on a daily basis. It is normal to be rude to others. From political leaders to coverabilities, the world is in a short supply of respect. As a teacher I am fighting against this daily. While overall my students are respectful towards me, they tend to be disrespectful towards each other. The pandemic did them no favors in this regard. One of my goals this year has been to teach students how to correctly interact with one another. The basic minimum that we owe each other is respect. The minimum is not friendship. We do this simply by following the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12, “Ask yourself what do you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” In other words, treat others how you want to be treated. That is the foundation.

I took these photos a few weeks ago when the flowers started blooming in Uptown Charlotte. I found this particular set right by the Rail Trail that runs by the light rail train that leads to Uptown. I love this time of the year because the entire landscape changes, and it adds so much color that you do not normally see throughout the year.