Head in the Clouds!

Today was a really, really, really cool day. To you, it won't seem that great, but I tell ya, the older I get the more I am finding joy in the simplest things in life. I also find that working in an elementary school is a bonus too.

I started the day with a hug from my adopted child, Chase. Okay, so he isn't really my adopted kid, but he is in a way since his Mom is one of my good friends I am allowed to treat him as such. Everyday I start my day with a hug from Chase and I tell ya, it is one of the highlights of my day everyday.

I proceeded to do state testing with my new student. He is a sharp kid, who is becoming one of my favorites very quickly. After he was done, he turned to me and said, "So, do you have your coffee today?" And by coffee, he meant, "Do you have your Pepsi today?" I just smiled. The kid knows me well already. I love that!

I checked email before lunch, and I had an email from my friend who ended the friendship with me last month stating that she has gotten a job teaching in another district. I found myself excited for her, and am glad God used me to help her start a new career. It is my prayer that her dreams will continue to come true, even though I'm not invited to watch them come to pass.

I did lunch recess today, and sat on the picnic tables to watch the kids. I had students come and go, chit chatting with me off and on. This is normal. At the end of recess, a girl came up to me and told me she was upset because another girl had said that she wouldn't play with her. I stood there and listened, and pulled the other girls over and talked to them. I stood there and we talked for about ten minutes. I shared how friendships can be hard, and I shared that I just recently lost a close friend because I was told that she didn't want to be my friend. They seemed to appreciate the honesty. The girls looked at each other, and seemed to work it out, which was nice. Apologies, and an invitation to play the next recess were exchanged. I realize they're fifth graders, and it's spring of fifth grade, and fights will still come. But my thought was, maybe God gave me the last chapter of my life to be able to relate to these kids better. I realize there was a whole lot more for me to learn from the last chapter of my life, but I was glad I had some insight to give them that I didn't have before. Kinda cool.

After I came in from recess, Mr. H. came and asked me if I'd be willing to talk to Mr. C.'s class about CP. I told him sure, anytime. And then Mr. H. wondered if I could go right then. Well, considering all I was doing was reading email, I said sure. I went in and got to share my CP story with a class of fourth graders. Apparently when the kids were coming in from recess, one of his kids was not saying nice things about me as he entered the building. He didn't tell me the child's name, and that was perfectly fine with me. It was just fun to share my story. Mr. C. doesn't know it, but he and his wife really are two of my favorite people on the planet, and it was cool to get to share my story with him. Very cool.

I went and tutored Jay after school today. He was BOUNCING off the walls. I mean, the hardest day I've had with him in A WHILE. It took about the same amount of time but keeping him on task was hard. Anyway, part of the way through the session he said, "Will you come to my graduation from High School?" I stopped. I haven't had one student say that to me. I was blessed. Very blessed...

Tonight I had Amie K over for the evening. She is a strong woman of the Lord, also in her season of singleness, and we had fun laughing and sharing our joys and struggles. I love to be reminded that there are other single people waiting...strong women of God who are digging there own well and having their OWN history in God. I LOVE that. Amie and I also share our love of Pepsi and M&M's. Tell me, how much better can life get?

All this was great, but my favorite part of the day was during second recess. I sat on the same picnic bench to watch the kids, and Mac came over to chat. I looked at a cloud in the sky and asked Mac what he saw. We spent most of the recess sharing what we saw in the cloud. Some of the things we saw were a boat, a tuba, a fish, and a hat. It was priceless...we just sat and stared and watched it change, and move. At the end of recess, we saw a cross in the cloud. And, I could make out a person on a cross. And it even had a halo on top of it! I wish I had taken a picture! It was INCREDIBLE! Some of the kids thought it was an angel with a halo. I was OKAY with that. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. I went over after the kids were lined up and shared it with a class. It was priceless, and something I will never forget. It was the highlight of my day!

And now it's the weekend, and I am pumped. I get to sleep in tomorrow!

What a GREAT day!

Later!