Words to hold

20 of 31 at Two Writing Teachers!

Two days before Spring Break and the end of the quarter. Day 20 of the March Challenge. For the past few days, I haven't had a second to breathe. My desk, usually an organized mess of several specific to-do piles, is now a muddled whirlpool of cluttered papers falling all over each other. I've been frustrated and frazzled. I'm just trying to stay afloat.

When the warning bell rang this morning, A. suddenly appeared in my doorway, his giddiest grin (which only appears every once in a while) stretched across his face. "Here!" Nearly bouncing with excitement, he handed me an elegant envelope.

"What's this?!" My voice squeaked out my surprise. It's just Spring Break, not a holiday or the end of the year...

"The writing's kinda messy on the envelope..." he mumbled with a sideways smile.

"That's ok! But what..."

"It's a thank-you note!" he declared, puffing himself up and flashing me that rare huge smile again. Before I could open it, he ran off to class.

I split the sticky seal with my finger and pulled out an exquisite card. A bubbly warm feeling spread across my cheeks... and then the ending took my breath away.

His whole family proudly came to watch him present at our multicultural literacy event.

"You don't give up on people when they give up on themselves." I repeated it under my breath like a mantra.

When you're lost at sea, sometimes all you need is an anchor to pull you back where you belong. When the world is swirling around you, all it takes is a few simple words to keep you grounded. I'll hold these in my heart forever.