It was the first day back to work after Christmas Break...no students, just teachers...yet still, I did not want to be at school. I sat in my room ~ staring at the work before me ~ the piles left from the substitute on that last day, the day I'd stayed home with a flu-ish child. I was hungry and tired, wanting a nap, which was precisely my mood when you appeared at my door. "I finally printed my wedding pictures," you said. I was afraid of what you held in your hand. Documentation that I was there, too much of me... but that was then. "This is for you. I want you to keep this and be reminded of how far you've come. I don't recognize this person anymore." That is what you said. You didn't recognize the 'me' of fourteen months ago. Of course we both know that you do recognize me. The minute I open my sassy mouth and make you laugh, you know it's really me. But what a gift you've given: Encouragement. A pat on the back. Proof of where I've been...and of a weight to which I'll never return. In the future, I hope there will again be a time when you look at the me of today and say, "I don't recognize this person anymore." The journey is worth it, even if I must sleep my way through the hunger pangs to reach my goal. Thank you thank you thank you, my friend. Just remember, you can always contact Houston if you have a problem. You are my Houston, too. This, Jen, is my love note to you.
xoxo, ~ S.
"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is a fitting quote from my little book today, considering the subject of the post is 'love notes'. The interaction with Jen isn't the only happiness that was sent my way earlier this week. As I was driving home, I noticed something tucked under the windshield wiper. A love note. For me. *sigh* I love you, too!
There is another kind of love note that has me smiling today. It's not really even a note per se, but it is a message. Today as my students prepared to write their rather BIG ideas in Writer's Workshop, they asked for my help in spelling certain words. We have talked about strategies for 'helping ourselves' but today, I spelled the words aloud for them, and let them "teach" their classmates as they wrote the words on the board. I love the kidwriting. I love the thought processes behind the words. I love that my students use verbs like 'pierced' and dream of destinations like 'Maui'. I love that my first graders are brilliant. I know it, and so do they. I hope they never, ever forget that someone believed that about them. I hope they never stop believing it about themselves. That is my love note to them.
A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. ~Vince Lombardi
No comments:
Post a Comment