Fortune Cookies For All.

So yesterday my 3/4 grade class was reading Wonderopolis, a wonder filled internet site that always has a wonder of the day. It was about fortune cookies. The class learned about the beginnings of the fortune cookie and even how to make fortune cookies. Every night I have my students write in their "nightly journals". Last night was about the fortune cookies. This morning one of my students came in proudly and said, "I have something for you and the class." Out came a plastic bag labeled with a Chinese symbol that meant good fortune. Inside the bag were homemade fortune cookies, complete with homemade fortunes. I had sent home the recipe for fortune cookies, not really expecting anyone to make them so soon. As we gathered in our circle, he began to pass out the cookies. "I'm not sure if you will get the right ones or not," he said to us all. I eagerly opened mine and it said, "you will get stronger." He said that I was suppose to get the one that said "your cold will be gone tomorrow." I have been struggling with the winter cold...sneezing. I was so pleased with the thoughtfulness of this little guy with a big heart. I was also pleased with the response of the rest of the class. Another opportunity to build community. Sharing our kindness and laughter over a fortune cookie.

Step By Step

She knew that she could do it. Yet there was a part of her that doubted. So she started climbing. Every Tuesday night her dad would take her to the local Y and she would learn about climbing. Climbing that high wall. Each foot finding a safe place to rest. Each hand reaching higher. Sometimes confidently taking those steps. Sometimes gingerly taking those steps. Sometimes stopping midair and hovering. Hovering and waiting for courage to kick in. There was a bell at the top of the yellow wall that she was climbing. She desperately wanted to ring that bell. She knew that she could do it. She saw her teacher watching her climb. She was 3/4 of the way to the top when suddenly she stopped and said she couldn't do it. Yes you can she heard a voice inside her say. Yes you can. So each step up, each step up, each step up. The bell so close she could hear it ringing before she actually rang it. Oh yes she rang it. She rang it and rang it and rang it. Yes you can.

Plants...Roots....New Growth....

I am a plant lover. I did not grow up in house with lots of plants. I am not even sure when it started. I remember that a therapist that I had started going to when I had some major trauma going on in my life had this beautiful huge maiden hair fern. If you don't know a maiden hair fern, let's just say it is delicate. I tried and tried to grow one for awhile and then finally got it to grow, with some help from a friend. In order for it to grow it needs to have moisture around it. It is so beautiful in the light...sun light coming through the windows. I look at it and it reminds me of where I have been and where I am now. I have another plant that someone gave me that is kind of prickly, but it has flowers...red or yellow. The person that gave it to me had given it to me as a cutting and was rooting it. It stayed in water...I'm not kidding, about 3 years. I looked at that cutting, gaining strength, making so many roots that it would be hard to die. I finally put it in soil last year and another accomplishment...It is growing and has red flowers pretty much all the time. I look at it and think sometimes it takes awhile to make a change, after things have stayed the same for a long time. It may be fear that holds me back. I just love seeing the growth, new growth. I also love knowing that there are lots of possibilities in the plants as they grow and as they rest.

A Just Be Place.

My husband and I have been going to this area up north in Maine for over 20 years. We usually camp...stay in these primitive sites right on the river. Mt. Katahdin is in the background and the Peneobscot River is right in front. It is the swift river part of the river, the loud noise of the water where you can't hear the noise in your head...everything goes away except for the sound of the river and the view of the majestic mountain. It is just outside of Baxter State Park. It is remote...no cell phones, no computers. It is heaven. My soul always feels refreshed and renewed when I go there. We were there this past summer and walking along the river where we always walk. There are a group of camps on the river that we walk past and have dreamed about owning. Well this year, the one with the best view was for sale...hhhmmmm. I wonder how much they want for it??? Two weeks later we had an appointment to look at the camp that had been for sale for a few years. We liked what we saw and also saw that the price had been dropped some. We left the appointment and said we would think about it. Three days later, the realtor called and emailed and said that the owner had dropped the price $30,000. I couldn't get on the phone fast enough to say we wanted it and my husband was on his way with a deposit. 6 months Later and we know own this little bit of heaven. I feel so blessed. It is so much more than a view. It is a slow-down place, put it in perspective place, a just be place.

$75 First Car

I remember my first car. Somethings about it I will never forget. It was an English Ford Cortina. It was white. It was my first car. I was 17 years old. I could afford it. My father found the car for me. The first child of 7 drivers...he was probably thinking this could get expensive. It had been owned by a couple that kept it in their garage. They only wanted $75 for it. My father said there was something I should know about it...before I got too excited. It had been in a fire. He then proceeded to tell me that the owners had kept a blanket on top of the engine(not sure why) and they had started it up and the blanket caught fire and they drove through the garage. (I am not kidding about this...this is how I remember the story being told). So my new to me car was white...it just had primer black paint on the hood that had needed work after the fire and the crashing through the garage. I can tell you that I was just so excited that I had a car that I could overlook the cosmetics. I remember that I loved that car. I loved that car even when it wouldn't start in the winter and my father would push it back, back, back to the far back part of the driveway. Usually saying something about it staying there till spring. I remember that I would come home from college and quietly go to the car and get it to start and convince my father that it too could have a front spot in the driveway. I have had other cars through the years, but I will always remember my first not all white car and the journeys it took me on.

The Price of a Horse.

My daughter is 20...how can that be?

Just yesterday she was asking for a pony. 7 years old and riding a big horse...First riding lessons and she discovered it was soon to be her passion. Neither my husband or I grew up with horses. Neither of us knew anything about horses. Soon we would discover that there would be a farm and horses in our lives. The first horse came in the size of a pony. Who knew that ponies could be bad? A surprise birthday present at 10. Manny entered our lives. He was a 12 year old pony that had supposedly worked at a summer camp. Norah, my daughter, learned a lot from Manny. Never give up! You can fall and still get up and ride again! Get back in the saddle and tell him where you want to go! There were more horses that came...Geronimo, the paint horse, that was suppose to be a jumper. He jumped...only when he wanted to...and sometimes without warning. More lessons. Hold on. Be prepared. Adventures can be unexpected and fun. Payday. A short stay with a love of a horse. A rescue horse that taught Norah how to really jump. One of her last jumps she faltered and fell. The vet said that it was a neurological problem that was not going to get better. More lessons. Love can hurt. Goodbyes can be lived through. There are more stories to tell. My eyes fill as I recall some of the ones already spoken and more yet to speak. My heart is also filled with the love of my daughter and wonderful world of horses that she introduced into our lives. The cost of a horse...priceless.

Slice of Life in Maine

http://twowritingteachers.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/sols_5-colors_w1.jpg Today I sit looking out at the swirling snow. A snow day. I am an elementary school teacher so the words "snow day" still mean something to me. It means a non-hurried, take your time kind of day. It means "who could I have breakfast with this morning?". We have the woodstove loaded and my 4 dogs are laying around. Here truly is a slice of life in Maine.