I have been on hiatus for two weeks, a much needed break and necessary to get me to where I was going. Sunday morning is a good day to get back in the saddle. I came across a story that lit a spark in my heart, and I hope by reading it – it, too, may improve your humanity as well. I hope you enjoy this short story and please stay tuned for more inspiring parables and tales of the always mischievous Pearl Bailey, the Dog!
I am always seeking to report stories about splendid people who personify kindness and unconditional love. I needn’t look further than the story of Curtis Jenkins from Dallas Texas. His story left me with tears of joy and a grin on my face as wide as the State of Texas itself.
As I read the story of Mr. Jenkins, I studied his magnificent face of mahogany colored skin and blazing white teeth. I immediately got lost in his soulful eyes. A tower of a man with hands as big as mitts, his exterior hid the kind heart that lay within his body.
Mr. Jenkins is a school bus driver. Some might scoff and say that job is menial, yet Mr. Jenkins (and the parents of the children he carries) see it as anything but… Despite the early morning hours of his pick-ups, and the weather sours he has to contend with, Mr. Jenkins has made it his purpose to turn his job into a teaching moment for ‘his kids’. He treats the students he carries like a family, and from that he has assigned responsibilities to each child that rides with him. Take for example, he has assigned counselor jobs, cleanup officers, safety patrols, etc. These assignments earn the students “bus bucks”. It is a teaching system devised by a humble man in order to fulfill a daily presence in these young lives.
Curtis Jenkins is a deeply devout married man who is doing important work. The most important is the talk he gives in front of the bus every morning. In his great oratory voice that takes on the quality of an impassioned pastor, Mr. Jenkins guides the children with statements like ‘Walk with purpose’, ‘Everyone deserves a chance’, and ‘Never count anyone out’.
His assessment of his life’s path is simple and spiritual: “I’m always walking in the light of whatever God has asked me to do.”
I say Mr. Jenkins is a modern day super hero and his investment in these children is breeding in them all the leadership skills this next generation will need to soar forward. Bravo Mr. Jenkins, you inspire us all!