In the city

Yesterday's picture from my iPhone.

After work, several teachers and I headed to Atlanta, GA for a training. I love the lights in the city!

"Sunshine is my quest." ~ Winston Churchill

Tonight, we got to recognize two of our students at the school board meeting for just being great students. We were suppose to pick one outstanding student but couldn't narrow it down beyond the two. The nominations were sent in for the powers that be to make a decision. They couldn't decide between the two either.

So, in the end, both my students who are fighting leukemia were recognized for being outstanding students tonight.

Those two often remind me to be thankful for every minute. I wish everyone could have their happy attitude.

It was a great Monday.

Resurrection Fern

Went for a little walk today after the rain stopped. One of the best things about living in the south are the awesome little Resurrection Ferns that grow on the big, stately oak trees. They look dead and dried up until it rains and then they just revive.

Lois Lane

They recently named the alley across the street from my house and the name just cracks me up!

"Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors." ~ Louisa May Alcott

Is it wrong to eat M&Ms for supper?

I thought not.

And Life Goes On

This Christmas Cactus has been a part of the family for about seven years. It was a gift from a teacher and it always brings back memories of a particular student. The day I got this cactus Angry Boy was hiding under my desk refusing to come out.

Angry Boy had been horrifically abused for the first six years of his life and he didn't know how to handle the rage that resulted from the loss of trust. He often hid under furniture refusing to talk or comply with any redirections.

On that particular day, I remember telling Angry Boy that he was safe with me. There was nothing he could do to make me not love him. Angry Boy growled and cowered deeper under my desk.

I went about doing some paper work telling Angry Boy that I would be ready to talk when he was ready.

After some time, I realized that Angry Boy was reaching up to the top of my desk and plucking off the blooms on my new Christmas Cactus. When he saw that I saw, he smiled - and not a nice smile. I know he thought he'd upset me.

I simply reached over and grabbed the plant placing it closer to him. The move baffled him. He picked off a couple more blooms while looking at me. I just smiled at him. He then crawled out from under the desk, picked up the plant and placed it back where it belonged. It was the beginning of building some trust with a little boy who didn't know how to trust. A few months later, he was adopted by a relative who lived in another state and he moved away.

That year the Christmas Cactus had only a few blooms as most were picked off. Each year since, it has grown and flourished.

I hope the same is true for Angry Boy.

Reminders

The joyous lift of the leaves on a gray winter day is enough to remind me to smile.

Man, oh man has it gotten cold! The cold weather combined with the lovely sinus infection I'm fighting (not to mention a several 12 hour work days) has seriously gotten in the way of my running. I may just need to wear my running shoes to work and run the halls.