TaborTalk Blog

Although we are only entering our third week of being away from Tabor, it feels like an eternity since I finished my last mid-term and was headed home for spring break.

The most vivid memories I have of my father are of him singing. His voice was soft and gentle, and would always lull me to sleep as a restless child. He would sing when we would comb beaches for new sea-glass, on our car rides to the local library, and while making pancakes at 6am. My Dad’s voice was warm, and could make any song sound good. He even wrote some of his own music, singing of butterflies leaving and coming back another day, and others about balloons floating far, far away. His absolute favorite song was Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” that incorporated melodies and lyrics from several songs of love. Every time he sang the lyrics, “Well I see trees of green, and red roses too, I’ll watch them bloom for me and you, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world,” I could not have agreed more.

Someone recently asked me what I thought might have been the best weekend activity so far this year. It is hard for me to pick just one because, of course, I want everything that we plan from weekend to weekend to be the best. But after thinking about it, two things come to mind.

Proctors arrived to campus a few days early on September 1^st for the proctor orientation that would take place over the course of the week. We met with Mr. Millette twice a day for our training, which consisted of various leadership training activities and lectures.

It’s 10:20 p.m. on a Wednesday night in Baxter House.  Dorm meeting is over, a yellow sheet cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles has been devoured, and six girls sit on the floor of the Common Room playing Bananagrams.  With midyear assessments behind them, the girls are more relaxed and cheerful -- back to their old selves.

The "R word" campaign to me is all about bringing awareness to our community here at Tabor. I hear the "R word" very often and never thought much of it. Now that I have been working with young athletes with intellectual impairments once a week, I see how capable they really are. The children improve on their skills every week, whether its shooting hoops or kicking a soccer ball they put their best effort into everything they do. Using the "R word" with a negative demeanor is hurtful. After seeing many "R word" campaigns online I thought it would be effective to make one here at Tabor. It truly was, hearing some of the personal stories was amazing and really helped to make the video more personal. I have already seen a huge impact in our Tabor community.