June 22, 2001 - my eighteenth birthday and the first day of pre-orientation at Grove City College.
  I was visiting the school with my father, scoping out the other students, determining my major and trying to decide which classes to take.
  My trusty father accompanied me on the trip and also decided to throw in his two cents about the most beneficial classes.
  My writing was atrocious – both of my parents had let me in on that little secret a number of times.
  They never attacked my ability to write but rather the lack of instruction I received on
how to write.
 

“Effective Writing, Talia you have to sign up for it.” 
 

“Dad!
  I hate writing.
  This is the only college in the history of the world that doesn’t require an English 101, please don’t make me take anything English.”

“Talia, if you want to get anywhere in life you need to learn how to write.”

I begrudgingly followed his advice and effectively earned my first C ever, albeit the knowledge I earned.

The following year I signed up for an additional writing class and the year after that the advanced version of Effective Writing – Advanced Writing.
  (I had Dr. Price again and this time earned an A+).
  Throughout the years I stopped over in Dr. Price’s office just to say hi and we became friends.
  He was one of my favorite professors, he challenged me and believed in what I didn’t think existed – talent to write.

Over the course of my four years at Grove City I took six different writing classes as well as six other courses in literature.
  I’m a year out of college and have signed up for another writing class – I love to write!
  A couple of people have taken notice and asked me to help edit a couple of manuscripts.
  This part of my life can mostly be attributed to the professor I learned so much from my very first writing class – Effective Writing, Dr. Price.
 

In the past year a number of times it has popped into my head to write Dr. Price a little note just to let him know the influence he has had on my life and how I am succeeding at what he taught me.
  I always made a mental note to figure out his email address and write him but never followed up.

Dr. Price was killed in a car wreck two weeks ago.
  I found out last night.
  This comes in the wake of multiple other deaths that surround me (and marks the 4^th for GCC this year). 
 I am beginning to resonate with the adults who complain that adolescents think they are immortal.  While aware of my own mortality I never took it seriously, but life is short.  Praise you Jesus for life.  It also makes me more aware that I want my life to count for something.  Unless the Lord specifically told me to be a missionary to the secular work place, I don't think I could do it.  I have roughly 70-80 years on this earth to make an eternal difference - I'm praying that I can.