First Grade Elephant Story

Once upon a time a yellow, squishy, soft, snuggly elephant named Ellie lived in the desert. Every day Ellie drank water from a small stream. One day the stream disappeared. 

Ellie decided to stomp really hard to make holes to find water. All she found was dust. Suddenly she felt a raindrop. 

Quickly she stomped a big hole. It filled up with water. Ellie was happy. She danced in the rain. 

The end.

Wonder

I found this sign at a department store the other day when I when I did a million things to avoid pre-date jitters (I also swam a lot of laps in the pool that night, practiced my new aqua aerobics moves in the water waking lane, and decided it was a good time to buy a kerosene lamp from an antique store). I think this sign might become a new mantra in my life.

Tonight a friend said beautiful stained glass is made up of a lot of broken pieces--like people in a community. Nobody's perfect but God can create wonderful beauty out of brokenness.

Earlier today a student asked if we could have popsicles after our walk to the park. My sense of wonder was sparked...I thought about the inner workings of a child's brain and pondered if there might be a popsicle factory under the floor of our classroom...or if it was sneakily still summertime.

I also met a woman today who asked me at the apartment mailboxes whether or not I had a cat.

Our conversation went like this:

Betty (her first question upon seeing me): Do you have a cat? 

Me: No, I don't.

Betty: Do you like cats? 

Me: No, I don't really like cats that much.

Betty: I just visited my brother and he has lots of cats!

Thank God for Betty's brother who can provide her with the opportunity to enjoy cats! I wonder what makes people like cats. I also wonder if Betty is lonely. And I wonder if that was really Jesus visiting me. 

Menagerie

There's a family of parrots that lives below me ...with a couple of dogs. Sometimes the dogs talk to the parrots. 

Either that or they try to eat them. 

Once I talked to the parrots. It was difficult to decipher their response through the floor; I think they congratulated me on the move...and mentioned that really quiet humans live with them too. 

Thank you, Jesus.

Poetry

My crutches are gone. My boot is off. Orthotics cradle my toes. 

I moved again. I even pay rent. Thank you, God, for St. Joe. 

My sister got married. I have a godson.

These two truths aren't related.

My students learn. Time off I earn. Creativity makes me elated!

Thank you God for this little blog that you inspired a year ago. Please give me the grace...let's get it bumpin again!