Dreams can come true

BULA readers! Today marks the 100th day of the year and if you have any personal goals to achieve whether it be health, academic, career, or even sporting, today is a great day to start living those dreams towards success.

Talking of personal goals, this week, a relative of mine contacted me from Australia and was feeling rather depressed as he had just celebrated his 30th birthday. He was in a very boring job and felt that he hadn’t done anything worthwhile during his three decades of living.

In fact, he felt he wanted to achieve more in his life, but just didn’t know how to go about improving himself.

This reminded me of a wonderful and inspiring individual I read about a few years ago called Joseph Sonnier and today I am going to recall his story for you as this man truly demonstrates the human spirit of achieving your goals in life, however big or small.

Sonnier was born in the State of Louisiana, US, and just like many young men in the 1980s was looking for work once he had left school. Luckily his old schoolteacher who was now the principal of the Port Barre Elementary School in Louisiana suggested he apply for a position of janitor at his school.

In 1981, Sonnier got the job as the school janitor and for 27 years he worked hard and tirelessly as the janitor for Port Barre Elementary. He liked his work, but also felt he had so much more to offer.

During the day Sonnier would observe the work of other teachers and felt that one day given the chance he could also become a good teacher.

The principal knew Sonnier from his student days and remembered him as being a good student, and one day told him, that he would be more useful in marking papers than picking them up and putting them in the bin.

This statement sparked something in Sonnier and at the age of 39, he decided to pursue this dream of becoming a teacher by enrolling at the Louisiana State University and doing whatever was needed to achieve this goal.

Working full-time while going back to university wasn’t easy. Sonnier would get to work as a janitor at 5 in the morning and then leave for Louisiana State University at 7am.

After classes, he would come back at 8:30pm and work the rest of his hours as a janitor, usually until about midnight then go home study and get two or three hours of sleep.

So, whenever Sonnier wasn’t cleaning classrooms, he was attending university or studying.

This hard work paid off when he got his teaching degree and finally made his dream come true by becoming a teacher and an excellent one at that.

Not stopping there, he continued to study while he was teaching and earned a Master of Science and Education.

Sonnier was a natural in the education field, having empathy and understanding for all students and fellow co-workers, which only added to his teaching ability.

The final icing on the cake for this heartwarming story was that the same janitor who worked tirelessly at Port Barre Elementary School in Louisiana, walked through those same door’s years later not as a teacher, but as the principal of the very same school.

What a wonderful achievement starting as a hardworking janitor to a compassionate and caring schoolteacher and finally to a dignified and charismatic principal of the very same school he started working at.

When I sent Sonnier’s story to my depressed relative in Australia, it indeed inspired him to look within himself and refocus his goals in life.

I pray Sonnier’s story also inspires you to dream big and encourages you to continue to chase your dreams and never give up.

God bless and be safe.