Good Friday

I love you. I love you more.

Babies

Holding babies is extremely comforting and brings me great joy! Thank you, Jesus for babies.

Fool Loved First

“We love because he first loved us.”—1 John 4:19

God loves me through so many friends who have reached out to me recently in tough times, and through humor—especially in my classroom. This love sustains me and inspires me to share joy with others.

April Fools’ Day is a catalyst for comical vignettes. Here are First Grade's jokes of the day:

“There’s an elephant behind you!” broke the ice, which prompted… “There’s an egg behind you!”

…What? Where? You don’t say!

“There’s a chick on your head!”

Theme-related jokes upped the ante; ironically, the chick eggs were delivered to our classroom incubator today.

My favorite joke was:

“Today’s not April Fools’ Day!”… “April Fools!”

Childlikeness must be what it means to be a fool for Christ – dependence on His mercy in the moment, and seeking joy there, even when the world tempts me to become anxious about the future.

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We also created chick haikus recently. I wrote a few examples on the board. One of my students got the concept, but wanted to know who would write the poems.

“Who’s it going to be by?” she asked, “Robert Louis Stevenson” or [my first and last name]?”

Her exposure to poetry is clearly limited to my classroom…but I could not contain surprised laughter when she used my first name… of course, the other kids just took it in stride.

I told this same child that there would be a desk check that day. When her desk was clean, she announced to me, “My desk is ready to meet you. It’s ready to say, ‘Hello.’”

I laughed and was shocked to see how clean it really was. I congratulated her on its impeccable state and she gleefully replied, “What’s my prize? A sticker? A really big trophy? A stick?” (We’re still working on the Easter Vigil fire…)

Another day I told her that she cracks me up. She replied, “You are the best teacher ever! I’m going to write you a thank you card.”

I haven’t received it yet, but I’m sure she will. Her homemade “Snow Days” card is on my fridge. The outside says, “Happy Snow Days,” and inside is the thoughtfully obvious message, “This is for you.”

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Another child found a treasure in the scrap paper bin today (used mostly for Spelling tests and paper airplanes).

“This is cool!” she exclaimed as she held a homework template I had made, but not given the children since they received assignment books –yesterday—and there was no longer a need. “Today is a very cool day for me,” she reiterated. (Simply because she found a HOMEWORK template in the SCRAP bin).

The children have begun to fashion “air craft carriers” out of desks pushed together at Choice Time—an education term (?) for free play at the end of the day. I’ve laid the law: No airplanes may fly in the air; but the little ones discovered a loop hole…the planes can leave their hands if the folded paper slides over desk “air craft carriers,” built like runways.

This new invention is a simple joy factory— for me too.

Once, with my back to the planes, I heard a knock at the door. I looked out and saw parents in dialogue at the end of the hall. They watched my interaction with a second grader who held an airplane in his hand.

“Is this yours?” he asked.

Well, it definitely wasn’t mine, I wanted to say… (the craftsmanship with probably a whole sleeve of staples was way too advanced), but I could not deny that it was not one of my student’s. I mean, there really weren’t any other options. Of course it belongs to us! But who wants to admit that?

First grade splits a classroom with second grade and I have no doubt that The Little Airplane That Could “flew” off the “air craft carrier” right under the classroom divider into second grade.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for that student to see an airplane zoom past his feet as he attempted to soak in some last bit of new knowledge before dismissal …

Needless to say, I met the gaze of the parents, laughed wholeheartedly red faced, without explanation, and returned to my room.

Why do I think I need a lot to be happy? I really just need love and laughter. Which comes from God reaching out to me, running after me, LOVING ME FIRST in the present moment.

Thank you God for the joy of today. Please help me to live HERE. Through Mary (my Mother and friend). Amen.

P.S. Our holy water has grown “allergies” … green algae. And I let my germ-a-phobe students wash their foreheads in the bathroom so they won’t get “sick.” Perhaps I’ll let them wash the bottle tomorrow. Thank you God for your everyday love.  

Never Alone

We're reading Charlotte's Web in my class right now...before Wilbur met Charlotte he was very lonely. I asked the children to write about loneliness in their journals. 

Most of my students had no problem thinking of a time when they felt lonely. One child wrote about when his sister locked him of his room; another child felt lonely when his neighbors played without him.

Two children could not identify with the experience. 

One of my girls could only empathize-- she said that her parents felt lonely when she went to a friends house to sleep over. 

And one of the boys could not imagine ever being alone. 

"It's really hard," he said trying to think of what to write. "Because Jesus is always with me."

Thank you, Jesus! I need to remember this simple dependence and pure trust daily.

Matt Mahr's song All the People Said Amen captures this child's Truth and conveys the ultimate necessity of God's healing love; it is an anthem to me when I feel lonely. The tune begins:

"You're not alone if you're lonely 

When you're feeling frail, you're not the only 

We are all the same, in need of mercy 

To be forgiven and be free

That's all you got to lean on 

But thank God it's all you need..."

In reality, God, You're the only one that can fill the deepest recesses of my heart. 

Lord, help me to be childlike and fall into the safe merciful peace of Your Sacred Heart whenever I feel lonely. Through Mary, Amen.

A cool drink

There is nothing more refreshing than the Eucharist.

Crocuses

It's here! It's here! It's finally here! 

Spring.

And "Crocuses are another name for coughing."

Second and first grade went on a Spring walk today during which I was reminded of some "songs" my little ones wrote using  their spelling lists last week.

Here's my favorite:

In the winter we celebrate the white snowballs. 

Spring is next! 

Then our feet get hotter. 

The river has melted. 

The wind will blow us away in winter, in winter.

We plant plants in Spring. 

We can cut the song with scissors. 

We had 1 foot of snow. 

We spent our money on toys!

Artistic Analysis: 

Clearly the repetition of "in winter" makes that the climax of the song. The tune was humorously catchy albeit devoid of any clear sensible rhythm. And the last three lines signify the students' triumph -- and anxiety at nearing the end of the spelling list without a lyrical plan, though the second to last line attempts to recapture the piece's masterful theme.

Most importantly, our feet get hotter. Thank you, Jesus!

Mouse Rap

My kids just finished memorizing The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson. And given my current ailments, I've  been inspired to write my own sickbed rap.

A mouse is chompin' on the wood at mom's mansion

and I'm lyin' on the couch wishin' I were dancin'

sick with nausea as she makes cookies,

 oh lookie I hope I don't toss em!

Mama comes to visit and hears that creature chewin'

and oh boy the sick feelin's growin '

If I could be that mouse, I'd be so cheerful

 but mama wants to give that little thing an earful 

(She's fearful it'll eat all her food)

Mom's on a hunt to find that 

noisy ro-dent

I'd  try'n save 'im but my 

energy is so-spent. 

Little critter, I'm glad we share this moment .

Your persistent presence lightens my mood.