What I learned from my teacher

There are people in life, whose names we keep in our hearts for
ever. And at this time of the year we think even more often
about them and the difference they made in our lives. One of
those people is my teacher Alexander Raiev – the greatest man
I’ve ever known, and a living Bulgarian treasure. I loved this
man like my own father, and miss him a great deal. He belonged to
that old, romantic generation of true masters, who carried the
priceless values and ethics of the Guild system into our modern
time, and kept them alive. I was so fortunate to inherit a
portion of his wealth of knowledge, and experience. We built
that unique, precious, almost sacred relationship, that can only
develop between the Master and an apprentice. He didn’t only
teach me silversmithing – he often spoke about the philosophy
of life, the mystery of human nature. He taught me how to
respect and earn the respect of other people, how to make
friends, how to read and understand one’s character, and help
others feel valuable and important. We did not come into this
world to simply consume it’s fruits, but to enjoy Life and leave
something behind us for the others to enjoy. Life isn’t just
eating and sleeping – life is creating and sharing. And he did
share his knowledge generously. What a great man! I don’t
understand why people like him should ever die. At this most
joyful time of the year, lets remember our teachers once again,
and thank them for making a difference in our lives! I would
like to tell my teacher: Master, I treasure every moment of the
time we’ve spent together! Valentin