his "shining eyes"

 

The Spark of Jim Keighton

birders name a "spark" bird,

an experience with one particular entity

who opened their soul,

then divine order revealed itself 

and drew them into a lifelong love,

Jim is that too rare teacher

who lives that spark,

he has opened countless students and friends

into seeing and feeling the infectious light

that can flare within every moment,

I was gifted with teaching alongside him,

for decades as a science teacher

I have hoped to help middle school kids

find their way through the door of science,

in part because of Jim,

and what I saw in his students,

how often the attitude switches turned to "on,"

I loved to hear Jim wax on and on about the hawks

that pulled him to the mountains 

and had him spend many hours

up on a ridge with binoculars and note-taking,

I still find the notes he made at CFS

as to where Native American artifacts were found,

one former student praised him on Facebook for his "shining eyes,"

that description moves me, for to be with Jim

has always been to be with his joy in the moment,

with the joy of his appreciation of you,

and with his joy of the divine fire

that our lives can spark anew.

by Henry H. Walker

March 24, ‘24