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Abundant Thankfulness
The day is calm with the sun just rising. Those early morning trips to work bring a wealth of autumn beauty with sultry pockets of fog in low lying areas and crisp coloured leaves on the myriad of trees along my path. It is a lovely drive until disaster strikes. A large metal object comes out of nowhere off the back of another vehicle. As it hurtles toward me, panic threatens to take hold. I cannot veer left or I will hit oncoming traffic. I cannot veer right or it will hit my driver’s window. In the flash of a second, I slam on the breaks, hoping to ease the…
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Where is Your Confidence?
Do you ever wish that you lived in a simpler time? I sure feel that way occasionally. I find life very complex in many areas. I was speaking with a fellow teacher the other day of how both families and school systems have changed over the years. In our early days of teaching, most families were intact. Such is not the case now as we have many students navigating the challenges of their parents living apart. In the past, more families had one stay at home parent. Today most families have both parents working in order to survive the ever-rising cost of living. Today teaching requires a lot more than…
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Mindfulness
There is a lot of talk about mindfulness these days. It is something I teach, even to my young students. It involves focusing on the present moment and accepting your thoughts and feelings, with no judgment. As a teaching tool, it is meant to calm us as we try to regulate ourselves in the midst of the flurry of what is going on around us. My naturopath actually brought up the concept of mindfulness again, suggesting I would improve my digestion if I practiced mindful eating. What is that about? It means focusing on just eating – not TV, reading a book, or texting. The theory is that if my…
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Going in Training
As a new school year begins, I face a whole new crop of students to love and direct. We spend our early days getting to know one another and building new routines. It is the same each fall as I forget how well trained my class was in the past school year. My students learn what is expected and by the end of the year they easily follow routines and tasks because they are well versed in what to do. Then I get a new batch of students who have no idea how I operate my classroom and what I expect of them. It takes many weeks of training for…
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It’s Good to Remember
Today has been a day of much thoughtfulness. As much as I would like not to, memories invade my thinking processes and emotional well-being. Why do these thoughts wheedle their way into my day? Can I not just put them aside and move forward? Two years ago, today, I faced cancer surgery. That was definitely high on the list of hard days in my life. While the memories dim somewhat, the pain of that diagnosis still makes me shudder. I really can take these memories two ways. I can dwell on the “why me” aspect. That leads me down a path of no good. My other option is to remember…
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A Living Legacy
The morning sun seeps into the room, but the woman knows it not. As I sit with her, she asks why the light is not on as it seems so dark. Her beautiful blue eyes, ones that have looked out on me since my birth, are now unseeing and darkness prevails. The sparkle is gone and struggles take hold. Another woman sits in her wheelchair, alone in a strange place. No one is familiar to her and she seems lost in the vastness of the new facility. Her joyful chuckle is not totally silenced, but it is vastly diminished. She is filled with great unhappiness at being separated from all…
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Who is Fighting This Battle Anyway?
Do you ever feel like you are continually on edge, struggling against forces seemingly out of your control? It can happen in many areas of life – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Whether it is dealing with health issues, financial difficulties, weather elements, or relationship challenges, it can become overwhelming when the fight to stay afloat is a continual occurrence. I know I could give you multiple examples from my own life. Far too frequently I am weary with trying to continue forward when the forces against me seem to prevail. Just trying to keep one foot in front of the other can be a challenge when the walls of…
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Giving What Matters
Being around children I see lots of interesting behaviours. It’s always interesting to watch how some children share. Some will freely give of what they have to others. It seems to come to them as easily as breathing. Others hold what they have close to themselves and often if they do give something to others it is their cast offs. What really matters to them they keep and only give what they find less appealing. I have found myself in the latter category on occasion. Growing up with very little monetary wise has sometimes made me cautious and protective about what I have. I guess I have had moments where…
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The Walls Come Down
It is moving day today. Once again, I must change classrooms. Throughout my teaching career I have had to pack up and restart many times. Believe me, the whole moving thing is getting old. This time is somewhat different. Almost our entire school is moving today as we make a shift to more concentrated grade areas and spaces for our students with challenges. I am moving to a permanent space – one I can finally call home for the remainder of my career. That is exciting and I am looking forward to this new start. The move is not without some grieving though. Yesterday the tears were flowing. This is…
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Just Too Much Going On
Some weeks are just more hectic than others. I have had times in my life with extensive to do lists, but this week seems to surpass them all. I would love to say that I am handling it well and that I am trusting God to get me through whatever happens. That’s not really what’s going on. Some days I am keeping my cool, but more often than not, small things set off a string of emotions and sometimes even tears result. As I take some moments to write out my thoughts and feelings (a healing thing for me) I ponder what will turn things around for me right now.…
