Greetings

Day 28 of 31 at TWT!

Last night I couldn't fall asleep. Not the awful, anxiety-driven can't-fall-asleep, but the excited, Christmas-morning can't-fall-asleep. And this morning, I didn't even mind when my alarm went off two and a half hours earlier than I'd been getting up last week. I get to see my kids! I wonder how they're doing? I can't wait to continue our Slice of Life mini-lessons this week! I can't wait to see what everyone is reading! 

At 7:15, when Little Sweetie would have normally been waking me up, I was practically skipping around the room. Turning on the happy lamps, changing the calendar and the idiom of the week, adjusting the pillows and rugs... getting our little "home" all ready.

Bouncy steps mingled with half-tired smiles. "Hi, Mrs. M!" "I missed you!" "How was your break?" "You finished The False Prince?! See, I told you the ending was great!" "I liked your posts over break!" "I didn't go anywhere either, but I had fun taking my baby to the zoo and the park! Sometimes, the best break is just to relax, right?" Many of my students don't have exciting breaks, unlike many other kids in our upscale suburban town. For some of my kids, break isn't really even a very nice time. "I was kind of glad to be back into the routine of school, weren't you?"

I love this job. I LOVE this job! Genuinely full of joy, my heart reached out with invisible hugs as each of those sweet students walked into my room. Noticing and enjoying the familiarity of their haircuts, their clothes, their smiles, their strength. Remembering their stories.

And at 4:00, when I walked into my mom's house, the other side of my new life. I love this too. What a bundle of adorableness! Little Sweetie giggling, wiggling, squealing and cooing. All flailing arms and thrashing legs, with her most gigantic jaw-stretching smile. "Ma-ma-ma!" The best feeling in the world.

In greetings, our most true feelings shine through.