In a world with asphalt-covered roads leading to any number of opportunities and options, we decided to take a family walk on a secluded trail. The story is anticlimactic if you only look at the chain of events: Family goes on a walk. They take pup on his first real hike. All hands, feet, and […]
Favorite Reads from 2018
I added quite a few new genres and authors to my reading list this year. Some of the new styles and voices moved me in new ways while a couple of authors I’ve respected for a long time continued to make their mark on my heart. Here are the five titles that inspired or stuck […]
RE: Insert Action Here
Re: a prefix, used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or backward” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion (Dictionary.com) I’m going a slightly different direction with my one little word this year by choosing a prefix rather than a whole word for my one little […]
My Friday Haiku
One of my writing goals for this year is to write more poetry. The most rewarding practice that has come from that goal is to write a haiku each Friday. It all started when one of my administrators shared that she writes haikus about various scenarios that she experiences on the job, so I began […]
A Rearview Look at Fear
One thing I love about taking time to wonder as I work to embrace the word this year is how the most profound revelations come in the simplest of moments. Take, for example, when I was backing up my new car the other day. I have had the car about a week, and the entire […]
Blogging Birthday Reflections
In June 2009, I started a blog. I had no idea what on earth that would come to mean to me, but it was a trendy new thing that a few people I knew were dabbling in, and I wanted a place where I could post pictures and memories of my newborn so that family […]
Lessons Learned About Loss & Miracles
I’ve contemplated two words a great deal in recent months: loss and miracle. Both locally and nationally, I’ve witnessed immense loss and have worked hard to come to peace with it. Our world is in a state of great unrest at the same time that the humans that I know personally have been feeling the […]
Tips for Creating Hope in Spring
Spring has always been one my favorite seasons because of its beauty and temperatures, but above everything else, its breathtaking symbol of hope. In spite of my love for spring, I can’t think of a single year that I’ve taught where I haven’t felt overwhelmed and unable to do much else besides work more hours […]
Why I Teach
Third quarter is always the most challenging time of the school year, and it’s difficult to persist with the demands that inevitably come. Fortunately for me, I recently had someone ask me why, with all of the difficulties of this career, I choose to teach. While I knew the answer, it was a perfect opportunity […]
Five
Five You are new and grandiose Bringing with you change Big kid stuff Like kindergarten And learning to read Five You are more of what was sweet about four Tea parties and princess dresses “Pretend that…” opening a new world To your eyes and heart throughout each day While always having a song in your […]