An Interview with Gail Mesplay

I had never dreamed that I would be an author. I was a high school history teacher for thirty years and thus the spoken work was my profession. I loved books but didn’t feel there was a book inside of me waiting to be written. As I approached retirement, however, I started writing a meditation book for teachers. It served as a legacy that I could leave other teachers and it was also a way to work through the monumental passage of leaving something that I loved for the unknown of retirement. A Moment of Peace and Quiet: Meditations for Teachers was the book that helped me move out of the career stage of my life and into the freedom and challenges of retirement.

My second book, Tapestries: Words of Devotion on the Second Half of Life, was also a way to move through a passage; this time into my sixth decade. I loved so many aspects of being a senior citizen and yet so many situations came into my life that I found puzzling and confusing. Writing this book helped me see this last phase of life as a wonderful and purposeful challenge and I hope others will also find it useful as they move through the second half of their lives.

My spirituality defines who I am and thus is a part of everything that I read and write. My Christian up bringing gave me a strong foundation that allowed and encouraged me to explore the spirituality of all religions. I have been greatly influenced by the spiritual peacemakers: Jesus Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama. All of these people inspire me and thus are my role models. "Make me an instrument of thy peace," is a prayer that I constantly hold in my heart.

After finding a full and rewarding life in teaching, I have found an equally full life in my work as a hospice volunteer. I have been working with the sick and dying for five years and find that the patients are giving me so much more than I can give them. I marvel that they are willing to allow me to be a part of this last stage of their lives. The founder of my hospice continually reminds us that a hospice is about living and not dying and that is how I try to approach each hour that I am working at this special and sacred place.

I love to read, write, travel and spend time with my husband, Ken, and my tabby cat, Nell. In September 2004, I traveled to Tibet with a group of friends. We had the unique experience of being able to drive across the "roof top of the world." We passed through the Himalayan Mountains and over passes at 17,000 feet above sea level, which was high even for a person living in the Rocky Mountains. Traveling through such sacred land was a real pilgrimage and will be one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. As seniors we need challenges and I am now currently trying to find new ones.