Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5021888/
Coach, mentor, guide, teacher, parent, counselor �" it’s difficult to call out the differences among these labels when we are thinking of mentors. But wherever we are, each day of our lives, people are shaping us �" influencing who we are in the moment and who we will become. Mentorship is a powerful force for strengthening our talents, directing our purpose �" or the opposite.Reflecting on the mentors in our lives, it’s important to remember that parenting requires a significant amount of mentoring. Hopefully empowering and sometimes irritating �" our lives as children, even grown children, are impacted greatly by the actions and attitudes of our parents as mentors. Clara Ann Titze Neugebauer, my mother-in-law for almost 45 years, mentored quietly but fiercely, seldom telling us what she expected of us, yet we always knew. She recently passed away and in reflecting on her life, I was struck by remembrances of her mentorship. She was described as a woman of strong faith, steadfast loyalty, intellectual curiosity, refreshing sensibility, and infectious good humor.
When Roger and his brothers Bob and Brian were young, Clara had the idea of publishing a neighborhood newspaper that they named The Belmont Bugle. The Boys (as ...