The gift of herself

Four years ago, I began teaching a continuing education class through the “Idea” program at Wesleyan College. It was called “Writing Your Autobiography for Your Loved Ones.’’

So many people signed up for my first class it had to be moved from the Wesleyan campus to Macon State College because there wasn’t a large enough classroom available at Wesleyan.

I’ve taught the class more than a dozen times since October 2002 and I’ve had dozens of my students publish their books.

The 17 men and women in that first class will always be special. One of them was Gerry Hails, of Macon.

I knew Gerry had good stories to tell, and I encouraged her to get them on paper. Every time I have seen her over the past four years, I’ve always asked her how her book was progressing. I wasn’t trying to put pressure on her to complete it, just know that I was confident she could do it.

A few weeks before Christmas, I returned to my office at the Telegraph one afternoon and found a book in my mailbox. It was Gerry’s book. The title she chose was: “The Years That Were Young … Were Beautiful Years.”

Needless to say, I was very proud of her and her persistence. Thursday night, she hosted a “book signing” party. Her home was filled with friends who came to get her to sign books. I was going to stop by for a few minutes and ended up staying for two hours.

It was a fun evening, and I’m so very proud of Gerry. What a wonderful gift she has given to her friends and family -- the gift of the story of her life.

If you’re interested in taking my autobiography class, I will be teaching it in February at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. I will be teaching an independent course in Macon during the month of April. Just call me for the details. (478-256-9789.)