Sometimes I Think the Kids Get It More Than We Do

The other day in class we read "The Sneetches," a poem by Dr. Seuss.  It deals with how we treat people who are different than we are.  The class was given a short essay to write describing what they felt was the theme of this poem.  One of my students wrote:

The Sneetches

What does the poem, The Sneetches, mean? I think that it means that it doesn't matter what race, religion, country, and even gender you are. All that matters is that we are all humans and should not go against each other. Sure we may disagree at certain times, but it doesn't mean that you have to beat up or even kill that person just because of what they think. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You also shouldn't think that your race or skin color is the best because that will corrupt you and make you look down at other people and think of them as less than human like what Adolf Hitler did to the Jews. He hated them so much that he would not even waste bullets on them and used gas on them instead to kill them. We should not fight against each other and should cherish each other. War is a foolish mistake that we as humans make. Again, I think that the theme of The Sneetches is that it doesn't matter what race, skin, religion, country, or gender you are and that we are all humans no matter what.

When they get it, like this student obviously did, it makes me feel like no matter how hard teaching is, THIS is why we teach.  These kids are our future, and if the future is left in the hands of students like mine, I look forward to it.

Each Day is a Gift

A friend emailed this to me, and it was so valuable to me that I decided it to present it to my class.  I was amazed at the impact it also had on them.  They realized that if we can find things to complain about every day, we can spend that time finding things to rejoice in as well.  We did an exercise where we each presented the good things about life.  They amazed me with their answers.  These kids rule my world!

Here is the email:

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. 
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. 
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. 
I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. 
Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.' 
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied. 
Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. 
Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture isarranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 
'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with theparts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life. 
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. 
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! 
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. 
I am still depositing. 
'Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 
1. Free your heart from hatred. 
2. Free your mind from worries. 
3. Live simply. 
4. Give more. 
5. Expect less. 

Some Kind of Wonderful

How many people are blessed to be able to call their work their life's calling as well?  I love teaching.  I love seeing kids learn, grow, and become wonderful young people and productive adults.  I was on Facebook (big surprise) this morning and just marveled at the fantastic young people who used to be students of mine.  They are working, raising families, and doing great things.  It makes me so proud, so priviledged to be able to wake up each morning and teach.  God, thank you so much for guiding me in the direction of teaching when I was young.

Remembering Mom as Mother's Day Draws Near

It doesn't get any easier. The Mother's Days, seeing the commercials, seeing flowers and forgetting, just for a moment, that she isn't there to send them to. The yearning for just one more touch, just one more conversation, just one more kiss, or hug. For those of you who still have your mothers; cherish her, hold her, and put aside the petty differences you may have, because she won't be there forever, and regrets aren't something that are easy to deal with.

For you mom, once again, what I said at your service still speaks from my heart. I love you very, very much.

William Penn once wrote:
"They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it.
Death cannot kill what never dies.
Nor can spirits ever be divided that love and live in the same divine principle:
the root and record of their friendship.
If absence be not death, neither is theirs.
Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the sea;
...they live for one another still.
This is the comfort of friends: that though they may be said to die,
yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense immortal,
because they are everpresent."

Mom was such an effervescent personality, one that drew you in with her smile, befriended you with loyalty, someone you always knew would be there for you. Mom didn’t have a very cohesive childhood; she longed for a family that would embrace each other, and, when she became a parent, created that very family, one that loved deeply, and cared about each other more than anything else.

I grew up in this wonderful family, and have so many wonderful memories of my childhood, growing up with two fantastic parents. I was, to put it mildly, the difficult child, the one that took every ounce of patience my mom could muster to raise. I remember one day that was particularly hard for my mother. I was around eight or nine years of age, and, having discovered the joys of the eyeroll and the use of the word “whatever,” used it to full effect on that day. After my brother and sister went to bed, I went into my parents’ room where my mom was reading. I looked down at the book she was reading, Dobson’s book ‘The Strong-Willed Child.” I looked at the book, looked at her, and said, “You are reading that because of me, huh mom.” She smiled, put the book aside, drew me into her bed, and told me, “Leigh Ann, no matter what, I will always love you, more than you can possibly know.” That night we talked and talked, and, while it didn’t deter my behavior much, it did make me realize that no matter what I did, I had a place to turn to, two parents who would always be there for me. I’ll never forget that night.

These past two weeks I’ve been thinking, How do we let a mother go?
How do we say “I’m ready now
to go on without you”?
How can we ever have a clue of what that really means?


And all of a sudden
The moment is upon us, and there’s no turning back.

And then we know what grief is,….
and guilt and love and things undone.

Try to prepare and we will fail in some way, be it subtle or looming….

But there is peace too.
Peace and acceptance and overwhelming love.
Waves and waves of conflicting emotion,
And laughter too,
and memories we hadn’t recalled lately
come flooding back in shared company..

and it’s all about you mom…

And there’s gratitude.. so much of that, that we had you, such a wonderful mother…
Bright and shining, nobody’s fool,
Independent, but humble too;
Smart, and kind, and fun.

And so very loving..

A part of you has passed away, but much is carried everyday within us, and will as long as we are here.

This may be a final tribute,
A day to celebrate your life and say goodbye,
But it’s not final.
Everyday I’ll celebrate in some way, just by the virtue of how you shaped my life,
The absolute and incredible fortune that I knew you.
As a mother, a woman, and a friend.

Amazing Grace

My recent bout with the H1N1 virus was a doozy. I have never been so sick, so virally sick, in my life. I felt like I had no control, and I was fortunate enough to have the best sister in the world come over and actually take care of me for a week. For a person as fiercely independent as me, allowing Andrea to basically make all decisions and just take care of me, you know how sick I had to have been.

Today is the first day that I really feel like myself again. No more dizziness, high fever, hacking cough (ok, just a little hacking cough)body aches and chills, this was the worst flu I've ever had. It consumes a person.

A couple of days ago, when Andi had to rush me to the ER because I was so dizzy and out of it I couldn't really even think, I asked God to please, just please guide me through this. I couldn't really even answer the basic questions the doctor was asking me, and I could see by the worried look on my sister's face that she was scared as well. There is something about giving a situation so totally to God that is liberating, in a way. I had to trust in him, because I, the person who always has to be in control, wasn't able to function. It was scary, but God is good, he is so very good, and I am so glad he is the guiding force in my life.

It's About Time...

Haven't updated in a while. I've been so busy with the start of school. I have a wonderful new class, probably one of the best I've ever had. They are so excited about learning, so accepting of the new responsibilities they have as sixth graders, such lovers of life. This is my 26th year of teaching, and I am so blessed to be able to say that I love it as much as I did when I first started. And I'm better, too!

I was thinking the other day, as I lay in bed with the flu, about just how fortunate I am to have found my purpose in life. So many people wander aimlessly along life's road, never truly knowing what they are doing, what their purpose is. God has blessed me with this understanding, and, as I get older and hopefully wiser, I realize just how wonderful I feel doing what I love.

Rumi once said, "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." Yep. That's it in a nutshell.

Thank you, God, for all you've given me, and thank you for all you are.

I Didn't Know My Own Strength

As many of you know, the past few years have been so very difficult for me. Losing a best friend, losing the love of my life, then losing my mom, coupled with finding out and dealing with lupus; I'm ashamed to say that I lost hope, that I gave up. I gained all that weight and was so disconnected from who I used to be, from all that I wanted to be. And I just didn't care.

I don't know what turned it around. Perhaps, in my darkest time, reaching out to my creator, he intervened, and gave me the strength to fight back. Or, perhaps, he helped me find that strength within myself. I feel stronger than ever now, have lost thirty pounds (yes, I have a long way to go), and have reconnected with the things that matter most to me: family, helping others, teaching, and most importantly, God.

I'm glad I finally, as my friend would have said, "Pulled my head out." It was getting dark in there, and it wasn't very comfortable. For those of you who are and have always been there for me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and look forward to sharing the rest of my life with you.

This song, by Whitney Houston, really tells it, doesn't it?



Whitney Houston - I Didn't Know My Own Strength

Lost touch with my soul
I had no where to turn
I had no where to go
Lost sight of my dream,
Thought it would be the end of me
I thought I’d never make it through
I had no hope to hold on to,
I thought I would break

I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength

Found hope in my heart,
I found the light to life
My way out the dark
Found all that I need
Here inside of me
I thought I’d never find my way
I thought I’d never lift that weight
I thought I would break

I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength

There were so many times I
Wondered how I’d get through the night I
Thought took all I could take

I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength

Southern California Fire Volunteer Information

For those of you that want to volunteer to help the fire fighters or volunteer at a temporary shelter, here is a number to call and places to volunteer:

Call to donate:
American Red Cross - Greater Los Angeles Area: 866-548-8226

In addition, before you drop off anything at a fire station, call 323-881-2411 to see what is needed.

Fire Stations that are accepting food and water donations:

FIRE STATION #11	2521 N EL MOLINO AVE ALTADENA, 91001
FIRE STATION #12	2760 N LINCOLN AVE ALTADENA, 91001
FIRE STATION #19	1729 W FOOTHILL BLVD LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, 91011
FIRE STATION #63	4526 N RAMSDELL AVE LA CRESCENTA, 91214
FIRE STATION #66	2764 E EATON CYN DR PASADENA, 91107
FIRE STATION #74	12587 N DEXTER PARK RD SAN FERNANDO, 91342
FIRE STATION #82 - HDQTRS	352 N FOOTHILL BLVD LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, 91011

Shelters:

Red Cross Evacuation Shelter
Verdugo Hills High School
10625 Plainview Ave
Tujunga, CA 91042

Marie Kerr Park
2723 Rancho Vista Blvd
Palmdale, CA 93551
(661) 267-5551

Golden Valley High School
27051 Robert C Lee Parkway
Santa Clarita CA 91350

La Cañada High School.
4463 Oak Grove Dr,
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011-3797

Thanks for any help you can give.

Weight Loss

I've hit the quarter century mark in my weight loss quest. Yep, 25 pounds. Gotta keep it going.

Just an Update

Sometimes it's hard to find interesting things to blog about, especially when your car is in the shop and you have the flu. So I'll update you on all the boring, regular things in my life. Yeah, one month before I make my last car payment, the damn thing breaks down. The good news? It'll only cost a couple hundred bucks to fix. It will be ready tomorrow, so I'll have my wheels back. It's actually been kind of refreshing to just hang out at home.

On top of that, I got the flu this week, but it really wasn't as bad as usual. My lupus is definitely getting better. I am so excited about this new treatment plan and health food regimen. I've lost 20 pounds and have more energy than I've had in a long time. I just got back from walking a mile and a half, and feel great. Flu only lasted two days. Hell, it usually goes on and on. I just keep praying that I can continue to feel this great. God willing, it's gonna be a great school year and a brand new me. Thank you, God, for putting this treatment in my path and helping me stick with it.

Talk to you all later, and God bless.