Meeting with John Tallmadge

I must say tonight was by far my favorite class thus far. I was really unsure what to expect when I walked into class but, I extremely enjoyed it. I took so much out of the discussion we were able to share together that I was really touched by the end of the evening. John Tallmadge was wonderful! I had never had the chance to read any of his books or find out much about who he was so, tonight was certainly a learning experience. I found him to be one of the most down-to-earth, yet intellectual people I have ever had the chance to meet. He had a very refreshing personality and he made it beyond easy to talk to him. I felt that everyone really opened up tonight. I do not know why but, the whole evening had a special essence to it. Even the many of us who had been quiet during most lectures up to date really had the chance to share our thoughts and opinions on our journey thus far. We all really seemed inspired to share our feelings and for the first time I felt our class really came to life. It is amazing how sometimes just the simple things in life such as opening up and talking to one another can truly make everything fall into place. For me, tonight, everything that lingered in my mind finally started setting into place and really making sense. I felt our class went outside of all we had learned in the past few weeks and not only focused on applying concepts based on the class itself but, principles that we can take with is through our lives. I can say without a doubt that I heard things tonight that really touched me and inspired me in a way I never thought possible. When listening to Mr. Tallmadge I felt honored to hear his outlook on life. He explained things in a manner that really allowed me to reflect on my life up to date, what I want to make out of it and what's truly important. When he said that Spring Grove was a place that inspired us to think, a place that may not have all answers but, a place that will send us out on a search for them he really summed up the past eight weeks. I was awed at how he seemed to know what I had in my mind before I even said anything. It was as if he had been part of our class all along. I was really touched by how I felt he truly listened to all of us and how he made us feel like what we had to say was important. It was a great feeling to know that someone so wise found something "little old me" had to say as being worthwhile. I found him to be a very genuine person and I was really happy to have had the chance to meet him. I feel in a sense his presence really united our class. It was as if we all came out of our shells and allowed each other to see who we were. It really was a sense of companionship and closure to a great class. This class has by far exceeded any expectations I had. I never once expected to take as much from it as I have. I have found myself really looking forward to Thursdays the past few weeks simply because I knew for those few brief hours I could escape the craziness of life and really get away and have a chance to connect with a new person, learn something new and even have time to just think about everything that had gone on the week prior. Tonight's class allowed me to realize that sometimes even though we shut out the world for fear of being hurt or simply because we are too busy to take a step back and enjoy the life we are being given each day, we must work hard at never taking anything for advantage. We are truly blessed each time we have the chance to connect with another person. I firmly believe we could learn so much from one another if we only gave each other a chance. You never know who you might meet and that maybe, just maybe they can touch your life in a way that will never be forgotten.