This past February, we were hit hard with snowstorms. Schools closed, cars were buried and people stayed home from work. At first, it was a major stressor…there’s so much to get done at work…we’re so far behind…another day at home with the kids?!? But when you stop to look at it from another perspective–the human…
Dear Son, There are days that I don’t smile as big. When I pick you up and put you down a little too briskly. When ‘no’ or ‘stop’ or your name seem to be the entirety of my vocabulary. Every mother does this. Mothers read these words, nodding, ‘mm-hmm’ing. They think, ‘I know what’s coming…
His sigh smells like warmth- Like a light blanket in the spring. The back of his neck covered by silky baby hair getting thicker by the day, has the softness of something not of this world. The backs of his ears dry. Little white flecks of skin I can scrape off with a nail. I’ll…
Spring break means going through my old art box and finding some collage art that never made it onto the blog! These are some I completed years ago. Summer Sensations shows all the things I love about summer time. World of Stars is a little collage poem. “A world of stars and brighter nights/Raise your…
I just got finished reading blog posts from a couple years ago and had to double check the date. I can’t believe all that time has passed. I read The First Week and Because I’m Happy and was reminded of why I do what I do. (See A Teacher’s Tale, my other blog). I was also…
Like many others, I am taking a moment to share what I am thankful for. Family I have known for years how lucky I am to come from such a loving family. My mother is caring, a little dorky, and burns toast constantly. She makes me crazy but I’m always excited to see her and…
I try every day to feel peaceful about something. It is said over and over again that we need just one moment during the day to appreciate something before we get on with the daily grind. Why only one moment? How is ‘just a moment’ effective when there are 24 hours in a day? It…
Nostalgia is the biggest bone in my body. Pictures can send me to strange places, but I’m addicted to looking at them. I recently took time to clean up my computer and found photos from my college years; years that seem not so far away. This was the most magical time of my life. I…
It’s hard to write poetry when you’re not emotionally compromised. I wonder if poetry is some secretion that leaks from one’s mind when it’s broken. Or maybe, like tears, the words come streaming out as a way to heal what burns. I suppose the production of poetry is a good reference point for one’s state…
Click here to visit my new site A Teacher’s Tales. This is a blog about my life as a new teacher. I would love to hear your stories and read comments. As always, thank you for the support!
After a six day school week, surrounded by people (yes, most of them friends) I am struck by how unfamiliar I feel to myself. I am an introvert, as many writers are, and I am well aware of my need to have quiet time to refresh so that I can be the most effective person…
What an amazingly bright, incredibly heartbreaking, phenomenal movie. A Fault in Our Stars is a movie now in theaters based off of John Green’s novel. It was a tear jerker on paper and continued to make me cry while on screen. Even though these kids and families suffer from cancer, they still find the bright…
This morning, I walk into a classroom filled with tables sprinkled with toys. Today is Child Development. I set down my bag filled with ‘healthy’ lunch, pens, books, and so many papers. The colors of the gadgets on the table contrast with the grey of the walls, the ceiling, the floors. If there were real…
Today marks exactly one month from the first day of grad school. Yes, I forked out those dollars, panicked a little…a lot…and barreled head first into the most exciting, rewarding, and stimulating time of my life. There are so many poems and essays and posts of shadows and pain, and today I’m going to write…
Today marks day one of my journey through a Master’s in Teaching program. Last night, as I lay down to sleep, I couldn’t keep my mind from buzzing..am I doing the right thing, taking out all this loan money for school?…what if I can’t make friends?…what if I end up hating it?…what if I’m late?…what…
Musings of the Mind 