I’m excited to share with you that as soon as a certain someone’s water breaks (not mine, thank you God), I will be employed as a long-term substitute teaching fifth grade in our local school district. This position is for the rest of the year, so my days of eating bon bons in my jammies while watching Days of Our Lives and receiving hourly foot rubs from my hubby are numbered.
I’ve been super busy trying to get everything bought and wrapped and baked and decorated and delivered just in case my teacher (who’s due on the 27th) goes into labor early, but just today I realized, “Piano Teacher! Mailman! Scout Leaders! Swim Coaches!” and my heart lurched a little at all the loose ends still out there. Also, the only things I’ve actually wrapped are the things that have already been given out.
But today I have nothing on the calendar except Ben’s school band concert around 2:00 this afternoon, so I will be wrapping the kids’ stuff and doing some last minute shopping. I ordered two last minute things online, one on Sunday night and one last night, and because I’m too cheap to pay for the extra shipping, I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will arrive in time. Join me in sending happy, positive, speedy thoughts to the Crocs company and Shutterfly that my items will be delivered on time, will you please?
Hanging over me, however, is a dull, thudding feeling of despair after the events of last Friday. I haven’t watched a single news report, and I can’t read any of the articles that I see, but people are posting things on Facebook and of course I see the headlines. I know that sticking my head in the sand isn’t a good way to deal with things, but in this case, I think that’s what I need to do. Horrible people live in this world, and they always have. We need to get them help, we need to keep things normal for our children, we need to silently up security in our schools, and we have to tell ourselves that for every lunatic out there, there are many many many more wonderful people. Our world is still a good place.
One thing I read on Facebook was a quote from Mr. Rogers. I love Mr. Rogers, so this quote really spoke to me. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
I will be a helper. I will be kind. I will love and care and do my best. Wouldn’t the world be an amazing place if most of us tried our best to just be kind to others, even the ones who drive us the craziest?
I will be writing less in the coming weeks, as I adjust to a full time job, but am still hoping for at least once a week, so I hope you’ll stick with me as my posts become fewer.
Merry Christmas to all of you, and if I’m ever not kind to you when you see me, give me a good kick in the shins and remind me, okay?
4 comments:
Thank you Mr.Rogers {and Beth} for my new mantra.
"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Good luck in fifth grade - lucky little ones to have you for their teacher.
I can't wait to see you and kick you in the shins!! I could wait to see if you treat me kindly or not, but I prefer to take action NOW and ask questions later, which is why I will kick you on sight. But now you know that I am going to kick you, so when you see me, you will zig and then zag and try to fancy footwork your way out of my path. But now that I know you are going to do that, I too will zig and zag and we will end up doing an awkward dance around each other. Phew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I need a cookie.
Hugest hugs to my teacher friends.
Well said my friend. And merry Christmas!
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