Letter to Principal Reba Gilman from Parent Doug Hill
Dear Reba,
I keep reliving the phone call from Lenore that informed me of dear Rita’s death and shake my head in disbelief, feel that emptiness in my heart, and realize what a friend we all have lost. I cannot imagine the depths of your grief and the sense of loss you feel over losing your wingman, your confidante, and most importantly, your friend.
I think the expression of grief through words is virtually impossible, so awkward in it’s presentation and at times devoid of true emotion, that I won’t even attempt to utter those phrases that just never sum up the power of our emotions. But, I will shout loud my hallelujahs of joy and love and appreciation for Rita Creighton (though I know she would just shake them off with a slight blush and tell us not to be so ridiculous) and what she meant to me, my son, all of AHS, and to you.
I calculated that over the past three years, through our PTSA meetings, various school functions, and just bumping into Rita, my time spent with her MIGHT have been all of 10 hours. A far cry from a lifetime as a Mother, a wife, and a friend, but those 10 hours with Rita were as good as it gets for me. You see, Rita just wrapped you up in her love; her love of life, her love for her family, and for us at Aviation High School, her love for this school. The first time I met Rita, she came up to me, eyes twinkling, with that big smile on her face and said, Oh, I just love your Son. Yes she did, I knew she loved my Son, but I totally realized in that statement that she just loved all of our sons and daughters and all of those who equally love doing that which strengthens and teaches our sons and daughters.
Every day we can wake up and accept the grace and love that is given freely to all of us. The goal of taking in that grace and love is not to hoard it or store it away for a time when we FEEL like expressing it, but to act as a conduit for it’s dispersal to all those who we interact with on a daily basis. Rita had a direct line to that grace and love and the moment she took it in she immediately dispersed it with the dignity and honesty I can only hope to achieve in my day-to-day dealings. All of you in the aviation world look for the perfect wingman, that individual who will be there in any situation, who takes on the hard tasks so our lives are easier, who will love us unconditionally, who will defiantly stand in the face of danger and dare that perpetrator to take them on so our lives are spared. Who would we all want as our wingman, who would we all want sharing our foxhole when the bullets are whizzing by our ears and the turmoil and tumult of our lives seems out of hand. When the tasks of survival seem so overwhelming that throwing up our hands in resignation and surrender seems like the only thing to do? Who would we want? I would want Rita right by me, deep down in that foxhole, smiling that infectious smile, telling me that she knew the ONLY person to call to make sure we all survived and ultimately thrived, to thwart our fears and ultimately wrap us up with that extraordinary Rita Creighton love. Wow, what a wingman!!!!
Reba, feel blessed and thankful, as I know you do, for having had Rita as your friend, your sounding board, your confidante, and your wingman. Many of us go through our lives without having had that kind of relationship. Read this passage and afterwards just smile knowing how fortunate you were and still are to have Rita in your life- She is really not gone, maybe physically for the time being, but oh how we all can still hear her words of comfort, feel the warmth of her love, and be comforted in knowing that our dear Rita is truly in a place where “The Sky is Not the Limit”
THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE;
Who cannot be bought
Whose word is their bond
Who put character above wealth
Who possess opinions and a will
Who are larger than their vocations
Who do not hesitate to take chances
Who will not lose their individuality in a crowd
Who will be as honest in small things as in great things
Who will make no compromise with wrong
Whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires
Who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it”
Who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity
Who do not believe that shrewdness cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success
Who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular
Who can say “yes” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says ‘No”
Sound like Rita? I think so.
In the New Testament there is the greatest treatise and definition of love ever recorded. At the culmination of that wonderful passage, the question is asked. Of the three things that guide our lives, faith, hope and love, which of these, teacher, is the greatest. Faith- there are chinks in our armor for those unanswerable questions and life’s speed bumps. Hopes- they can be dashed on the beach of dreams in the twinkling of an eye. But love, yes the greatest of these three is love. It goes on forever, it never dies. That is why I LOVE the knowledge that one day we all will be re-united with those who have loved us and who we have loved back as best as we can in the place where eternal joy and happiness prevail. And Rita will be right there at the welcome mat beaming with pride and joy over all you have accomplished with your life of giving to our children and working so hard because it is what YOU LOVE in life.
Doug Hill