Last week marked the end of another Mothers Who Write workshop. I’ve lost track of how many we’ve taught. This one, like those before it, was the best yet.

We don’t play favorites, of course (wink, wink — what teacher doesn’t?!) but Deborah and I both have very cushy spots in our hearts for our long-time student Estelle Gracer.

As we say in class, “show don’t tell,” and so I’ll show you, with a video Estelle’s son Richard taped in Sedona this weekend. In it, she is reading a wonderful poem she wrote for class. You can also read it on her blog.

I sat next to Estelle at our end-of-the-workshop reading on Saturday, and as always, she had some good advice. When I complimented her outfit, she shook her scarf at me and said, “No matter what you’re wearing, you can always dress it up with a nice scarf!”

Yes, I replied, but I’m already wearing my cowgirl boots. Estelle looked at my completely plain black outfit (save for the bit of trim on the boots) and smiled kindly, eyebrows raised just a bit.

I’m hard-pressed to think of a woman who’s better at accessorizing — not just when it comes to clothing, but to her home and even her life — than Estelle. She’s taught me a lot, and I’m looking forward to the lesson.