I thought of Debi’s song (“Does your Boxwood grow like Mrs. Davis Garden”) as I was writing this special letter for Mrs.Davis. Can you see the influence of this amazing song? (see Gardening Therapy on this site and order one of Debi’s CD’s for yourself and a gift). I believe you will be encouraged, inspired and if you open your heart to the winds of the Holy Spirit you to will be stirred in your creative flow. Let us keep the flow moving until we see Jesus.
(cover of Debi’s CD, see Gardening Therapy for your copy)
January 23, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: Mrs. Evelyn Davis
I am deeply honored to recommend Mrs. Evelyn Davis as Teacher of
Distinction. She is certainly deserving of this prestigious honor. Let me
try to impress upon you the reasons as a teacher, I feel Ms. Davis is such a
value to her colleagues here at Lake Harbor Middle School.
I met Mrs. Davis six years ago, when we first opened Lake Harbor Middle
School. Having come from a school, which was well established, I was
somewhat shocked at first with the nearly bare shelves. You could say that
Ms. Davis was confronted with a garden to be cultivated. Ms. Davis had an
awesome task before her of planting or filling those shelves with books that
were of every genre and which seemed to be desirous to be picked up and
which would blossom and come alive in the hands students. She worked on
grants and birthday clubs to put more and more books on the shelves. With
her background experience she was able to tap into a wellspring of knowledge
on what books children were interested in, and she got those put on the
shelves. She held book fairs that packed out the library with little more
than wiggle room. She enticed children to buy with added freebies and set
up boxes with teacher’s wish list. As a teacher, we were so delighted with
added treasures. Ms. Davis’s garden of books grew and grew.
Today, like a well-kept garden, you will find row after row of every
subject area planted on the shelves. If not, Ms. Davis, will hear you and
be about the task of seeing this hole of knowledge filled. Not only are
there many genres of books, there are also many videos to supplement
teachers’ lessons. Another resource or planting is art prints. From a few
in number to numerous with lesson plans attached these plantings have found
their way in to the Davis gallery of resources with videos of artist at a
hands reach.
Mrs. Davis is a wonderful resource to tap into for teachers. I have
many times gone to her to find books, which would go beyond the curriculum.
She has always attended to my needs with such kindness and a smile. I
really feel that her uniqueness is found in her passion to put the written
word into the hands of those who want it just like putting tasty morsels
into the hands of someone who is very hungry. And these students are hungry
for the knowledge, the seed that these books hold.
Mrs. Davis is very attentive to students who visit her garden of books.
I’ve never heard her raise her voice. She is interested in fostering each
child’s uniqueness. She knows their hobbies and desires for the future and
knows how to link them to right book. She loves to see her garden of
students blossom into maturing, knowledgeable young men and women.
I would like to thank Mrs. Davis for sharing her garden of renown with
all the students here at Lake Harbor Middle School. She certainly is a
gardener who is attentive to every detail of her plot of resources. We
thank her for cultivating a JOY of books and resources in all who stop by to
enjoy the fruits of her garden.
Sincerely,
Rena K. Oynes
Don’t forget to get your CD, bless Debi, bless The Daily Lily, bless yourself and bless all those around you with reaching out and buying a CD, give, encourage and move like an Eagle in ’07!
thedailylily.com 
Oh Mrs. Davis, I am in love with you! Tears of joy spring forth onto my aging face as I think of others like you that blazed a trail for me as a little girl growing up in a small town of NC. I had inside of me a love for a world that I did not know existed. I would read the only book I could find “The Holy Bible” and I knew there was a real big world somewhere some place because I read it there. Then one day so tiny I was then, had not even gone to school but knew and longed in my heart to see pictures and books of things I could read in the Bible or hear read to me come alive. A bookmobile drove onto our street. My life changed to form and mold me to whom I am today, a lover of reading. God gave me a unique gift to read very early but getting the books at that time in history was not easy. But people like you would always show up and never enough of them but ONE just like YOU would change my world and has changed the world.
Another little note of interest my older brother was a marine and overseas just at the end of the war and he would send postcards home with writings and pictures telling where he was. They would always have a historic site or the people of the land on them. Just reading the cards and seeing the cultures of these beautiful people brought to my heart that I wanted to go and tell the whole world about Jesus. I have experience that as well. All from reading. Thanks to my Mother, older brothers and sisters and ones just like Mrs. Davis I am and have always been so happy. Just find a book.
My congratulations go out to you Mrs. Davis, as well as Rena and our First Lady, Laura Bush and ALL everywhere that makes reading possible for a child.
Again, I’m sure the adult whether teacher or parent or other will never know how God uses this resource working inside a little child to form the image of Jesus. Blessings to all that helps a child read.
Mrs. Davis I am hugging you, embracing you and send thoughts, prayers, love and blessings to you. May God’s garden of renown forever bloom because of you.
When I read of the empty shelves and then how Mrs. Davis you filled them and then the children and others could feast on that bounty…I was reminded of how our Lord and Savior Jesus saw empty lives and then He filled them…for others to feast on the bounty within each life…along with Rena I agree Debis CD the song “Does your Boxwood grow like Mrs. Davis Garden” sure reminds me of this Mrs. Davis Garden….and it also brought to mind this old hymn by Knowles Shaw from 1874….”sowing in the morning sowing seeds of kindess sowing in the noontide and the dwey eve. waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping. we(she) shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves”…what a harvest what a garden what a teacher…..dj
I also work with Ms. Davis and everything that Rena states in her article I also witnessed. Again, I am so fortunate to work with such caring, devoted teachers as Rena and Ms. Davis. I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to work with and experience God’s hand in our school by watching these teachers work with our students. We have gardens blooming all over our school.
Kathy
How wildly elating these articles are and how they send a soaring joy into my heart as I read about Ms. Davis and her ability to bring the gift of knowledge to the students of your school. And, it brings back the memories of every Saturday morning when Sister Grandma would take us to the Richmond Memorial Library on Ross Street…a lovely, old classical looking structure and how my heart would race, wildly, as I encountered the stacks and shelves of lovely, exciting books, the smell of parchment and book leaves, and listen to the story hour that our public Librarian would present to us children, as we were seated on the carpet, before her. I still get that surge of excitement whenever I walk into a Library or a bookstore, even after so many years. So many books! Such exciting facts and fantasy! But, AH! finally, the greatest treasure book of all…. I found the BOOK OF BOOKS AND THE TRUTH OF TRUTHS, the HOLY BIBLE. And this BOOK of BOOKS gives more meaning to the articles and the other books and stories that I read for I now view almost all literature in the light of this great masterpiece; greater than Chaucer; greater than Shakespeare, God’s Word! Oh, that every school child would have the sacred privelege of reading God’s Holy Word, the BIBLE and finding the true meaning of LOVE, GRACE, Joy and LIFE!
A great and auspicious “THANK YOU”, Ms. Davis and Rena and the true teachers of children, the inspired ones, who love and care for their students beyond the chalkboard, beyond just their little minds, beyond the call of duty, but have highest and utmost regard for their hearts and their souls.
God bless you, indeed.
To those of you who have not yet heard Debi’s ” theraputic masterpiece of songs” her new CD, GARDEN THERAPY, you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to be ministered to in a delightful way. In the style of a minstrel, Debi’s original songs spin forth their melodic stories & tales, charming, clever, touching, tender. You will smile about the “fish in the pond”, you might shed a tear about a “garden memorial”, but you will be ministered to by her unique approach and by this true balladeer of song. Do give yourself the opportunity to acquire Debi’s GARDEN THERAPY. There’s nothing around, quite like it! You’ll see!!
Mrs.Davis of Lakewood Harbour Middle School, what dedication and passion I see in you as I read Rena’s commendation! I love the analogy Rena draws to the song “Mrs. Davis’ Garden” in that Mrs. Davis lovingly shares her knowledge and ‘garden library’ of boxwoods with friends and neighbors so that their lives may be enriched. And so the history and preservation of this early American plant of notoriety will not be lost, but will be handed down to successive generations. How like Mrs. Davis’ school library where it sounds as though the love of reading and learning will also be passed down through the generations because of the seed that has been planted in each heart and life and mind. Mrs. Davis, you truly represent a great laborer of love. Many congratulations!
When I was young and in kindergarten and first and second grades, living in Hawaii, my teacher’s name was Miss Young and I remember on her shelves too was this large display of books and I would oh so want to just do just like she would do when she would pick them up and read them to us…showing us the pictures and tell us what they were doing…I wanted to read too…then one day she put us in a circle and gave us all the same book and slowly day by day as we sat in that circle we each had a turn with Miss Young to read a sentence in that book…then one day she said we could chose a book from off her shelf to take home and read..and when we finished it we could chose another…and another…boy was I thrilled…I picked out my big book and took it home and read…”Dick and Jane Play with Spot”….to me that was just wonderful and it was because, If it were not for teachers like Mrs. Davis and Miss young not one person who is on this Daily Lily web site would be reading or responding to all that is even here…and so once again I give praise to God for this teacher and all teachers who take the time to teach and truly care for children….blessings to you Mrs Davis..dj