being thankful...

It has been a ridiculous long time since I posted!  I have been so busy lately and I have missed the time I usually take to slow down and appreciate my life in writing.  The picture above is the inside of my classroom door.  The students told me something that "lifts them up" or makes them happy....Kirk said "Making cards to make my Gramma feel better."  He is talking about my Gramma Sullivan who is currently healing up from a fall and awaiting another bypass surgery.  My heart stops when I think about something happening to her.  She is my only grandparent and my absolute favorite family member.  I have always felt so special to her, and I hope Kirk's cards really did help "lift her up."  Another kiddo said that "my friend Kirk" made him smile.  That makes me smile, too.

How funny is this little boy?  I love that he is so carefree and happy. 

 I see my kiddos at school deal with stress and family problems, and it makes my heart and mind hurt.  A few weeks ago, one of my little kiddos told me that his tv didn't work because he "didn't have no electric."  I did a little investigating, and questioned him a little, and true enough, he has no electricity.  He said they wear their coats when it's cold inside and they use flashlights when it gets dark.  I had to turn my face away from him to keep from crying.  I quickly called our Family Resource Center and they made a home visit and offered some help.  His mother quickly called me the next day to ask if I "turned them in."  I explained that I did, only out of concern, and that I wanted the best for their son and their family.  It all ended up ok, and hopefully I opened a door with this family that will help me help them.  I would gladly put that little guy in my car and bring him home.  He is a such a sweet boy.  It shreds me to think that he is in a cold, dark place right now.  I have taught long enough to know I can't solve the world's problems, and that lots of these families suck the life out of me....but there is something about this little guy.  He has a place in my heart.  Maybe he has had this effect on me because he plays with my little boy everyday.  I pray every night that I can help make a difference.

Kirk picked the biggest bunch of "flowers" for me.  He drives me crazy, and he melts my heart.  The older he gets, the harder I want to hold on to him.  This time next year he will be making his way in kindergarten, probably reading on his own and doing homework.  He tells me he is never going to leave my house.  I tell him that he will want to leave when he goes to college, although a small part of me knows I will want him to stay with me forever.  I took the "flowers" home and put then in a vase with water.  And I might have shed a small tear.  Or two. 

 I'm thankful for my son, my husband, our family, my students, and my life. I hope to remember that every day.  I know I always want things I don't have, and problems that I think I have to be solved, but I need to slow down and appreciate what I have.  I think I will just stop and smell my "flowers."  Haha.