EVERY DAY STARTS WITH A POWERFUL POSITIVE By J1 Reporter Regina Anyaegbunam
Carol Greenwood is a light that shines from Room 211 on the second floor of Western Hills Elementary School’s recently renovated building. A light has to be turned off occasionally to conserve energy and keep up its brilliance. Taking a break every now and then is good to do. It is necessary in order to meet the demands of everyday living with teaching a fourth/fifth grade combo. Enjoying a Diet Coke and a Bacon Turkey Bravo with a side of chips from Panera is how Carol Greenwood went about this. Ideally a Diet Mountain Dew, maybe a nut mix… or chips… or crackers, and a day with the dogs is how to escape from the intense realities of being a teacher. Today, she’s taking a short break in the comfort of a Panera booth. Greenwood starts her days by opening up emails and getting ready for the school day. Then ends her days by cleaning up the mess created throughout the day. Nights are spent grading. Weekends are spent planning. Retreating to her family cabin in northern Iowa has proven to be beneficial to disconnect and re-collect her thoughts. “I love to just not have any sound and let
my brain think instead of grew up in a small town. having to go on that overThe two attracted, despite drive,” Greenwood said. their differences, on a blind One sound she enjoys is date. Thanks to their meetthe sound of song. Greening, Greenwood was able wood exemplifies “lifting to learn from the two and every voice and singing” by their different perspectives shining her light with her on life. “Between the two of voice, “I love singing and them, we learned a lot about I get to sing every Sunday diversity and caring for othdown at the Kroc Center.” ers,” Greenwood said. Singing Two is not main new for things Greenher father wood would who has preach been were singing forgivesince the ness and age of 5. gratitude. “I was in To this various day she choirs, still values groups, those and a things and -Carol Greenwood solo applies singer as them to well.” her moral Greenwood grew up as code. “My faith in God is the daughter of a Methodist the strongest moral code minister and often relocatthat I have, I know it sounds ed to different small towns cliche, but I think to myself in situations: ‘What would around Iowa. “He would Jesus do?’” get assigned another place One Sunday night in to go, so we’d all have to 2019, Greenwood encounleave.” Greenwood and her tered a little miracle on her siblings, an older brother and sister, sang in trios at all way home from the Kroc Center. “I saw this itty bitty of their churches. dog running around and I Her mom was very citified. She grew up in the big thought, well, ‘Whose dog city of Boston, the complete is that?’” Any stray dog captures opposite of her father who
“My father always said we are to do for others and that is our job, to always do for others.”
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her heart, “If I see a stray dog, I pick it up.” Like many dog lovers, she feels as though she loves dogs more than humans sometimes. She tried repeatedly to get him off the streets, especially after noticing his limp. After 45 minutes and several failed attempts, she decided to call the Humane Society and leave it in their hands. She tried driving away, but a pull at her heart told her she couldn’t. She turned around to find him again and eventually found his head poking out of a bush. Greenwood continued to follow and felt defeated by the constant rejection from the dog. She had given up on the chase again. She sat down at a picnic table nearby and asked God for help to save this “little boy.” She lowered her head, made eye contact with the “little boy” and said for the umpteenth time, “Come here little boy” And the dog trotted over to her, wagged its tail, and sat down in front of her. This shook Greenwood who recalled thinking, “Oh my gosh, it’s a real time miracle.” She brought him to the Humane Society and wanted to adopt him knowing he’d been on the streets for a while. She feared adopting someone else’s dog, but still
