Letter 99 - Who Was The Lady Who Unlocked Minds on Her Porch??
Hello Bregdan Women!
While many of the letters are written about well-known women, I believe EVERY woman has the power to make a difference in the world.
EVERY woman can choose to live a life that offers purpose, passion and fulfillment.
Kathy chose to do just that!
Every afternoon, 68-year-old Kathy set up two folding chairs and a chalkboard on her porch. Rain or shine, she’d write, “Homework help. Free. All ages.”
Her neighbors in the quiet town of Cedar Hills thought she was wasting her retirement. “Kids today have tutors and iPads,” muttered Mrs. Jenny, watering her roses.
She clearly didn’t have the passion that Kathy did.
Kathy had a reason for her actions. Her husband, a former principal, had passed the year before, leaving her his favorite quote “A mind left untaught is a door left unlocked.”
I love this!
Kathy took that quote, pondered it, and decided what action she would take.
The first visitor was Manny, a 9-year-old who’d missed three weeks of school after his dad lost his job. “I don’t get fractions,” he mumbled, kicking a pebble. Kathy handed him a cookie and drew a pizza on the chalkboard. “Let’s split it into slices. Your turn.”
By sunset, Manny was grinning. “So that’s how it works!”
The door in his mind had been unlocked.
Word spread slowly. A single mom, working nights at the hospital, left her daughter Lily with Kathy.
Jake, a shy teenager, slunk over to “borrow notes”, but stayed to learn poetry.
His mind had been unlocked.
Kathy’s porch became a mosaic of mismatched chairs, dog-eared textbooks, and laughter. Others caught her passion.
Retired engineers taught algebra.
A former librarian read stories aloud.
Even Manny’s dad joined, brushing up on Excel for job interviews.
Then came the letter.
“CEASE & DESIST. Unlicensed educational activity.”
The town council called it a “safety hazard.”
Kathy’s son begged her to quit. “You’re risking fines!”
Kathy was shaken, but her husband’s words resonated in her mind. “A mind left untaught is a door left unlocked.”
She thought of all the doors that had been unlocked. All the lives that had been changed.
She would fight.
What she didn’t know that night was that others had made the same decision.
The next morning, 30 kids and parents crowded Kathy’s lawn, holding protest signs,
“Our brains need her!”
“Where’s the harm in kindness?”
A local reporter filmed Jake reciting a poem he’d written, “Her porch is our castle. Her chalkboard, our shield.”
The council caved. Sort of.
“You can use the old rec center. But no budget. Fix it yourself.”
I’m sure they believed Kathy would be overwhelmed and stop teaching – without them having to do more. They could not have been more wrong!
Volunteers transformed the crumbling building. Teens painted murals of books. Carpenters built desks from donated wood. A grandmother knitted cushions.
They called it The Open Door Learning Center.
Teachers donated supplies. Parents traded shifts for snacks.
Last week, Lily won a statewide essay contest. Her topic? “The lady who unlocked my world.”
Kathy still sits on her porch some days, sipping tea. The chalkboard now reads, “Knowledge is a seed. Plant it anywhere.”
What an amazing Bregdan Woman!
YOU have the ability to look around and see what you can do in the world. You’ll make a difference – which is powerful – but you’ll also fill your life with purpose, connections, and relationships. It doesn’t get any better than that!
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We’re on this journey with you… (and have 2 FREE Gifts for you below…)
Ginny & Suess
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What a great story! Kudos to Kathy! Homework/schoolwork is a lot different than it was back in my day. It's not always easy for me to help my kids. I definitely would have appreciated a "Kathy" in my neighborhood!