Valentine Parties

     Today was both boys' Valentine parties. I was able to make it to both for a few minutes. I'm so blessed to have them with me at school. 

A New Perspective

     Tonight Logan went with our church to deliver Valentines the children made to some people in nursing and retirement homes. On the way home he was telling me how much fun he had. One man gave him a granola bar because he was happy to get visitors. He doesn't get visitors very often. Logan then told me Grandpa (Lo's great-grandpa) is lucky because he has us to visit him, and he gets to live with Aunt Calli. Then he told me they're going to go back to play games with the people. He was so excited. Small kindnesses make the world a better place. We are so very blessed. 

Saturday Snapshots

A Sweet Memory Made

    Last night Lucas melted down. We tried everything we could think of to console him, but he wouldn't settle down. Finally I climbed into bed with him, held him, and sang old hymns to him until he calmed down. Tonight at bedtime, he asked me to sing to him again. I climbed into bed again and sang hymns to him. I'm not the worst singer but I'm certainly not the best by a long shot either. But it made me feel so good when he asked for me to sing again. That is a moment I'll cherish forever. 

The Mean Girl

     This week in my second grade ELA class, we're reading Each Kindness. It's the story of two girls-Chloe and Maya. Maya is the new girl whose clothes are old and the wrong season. The teacher seats Maya by Chloe. Maya smiles but Chloe doesn't smile. Instead she stares out the window. As the story progresses, the other girls laugh at Maya and refuse to play with her. One day Maya is absent and the teacher uses a stone and bowl of water to teach her students about the ripple effect of kindness. "Each kindness no matter how small makes the world a little better place." In that moment Chloe is saddened and embarrassed by how she's treated Maya. She vows to smile at Maya and apologize. Maya is absent many days before the teachers announces her family had to move away. The story ends with Chloe reflecting on how she never got to show Maya kindness.

     As we read the story, my heart was burdened with the people I had the opportunity to show kindness to and didn't. The people who smiled at me and I ignored and looked the other way. How many times have I let my silence scream my disapproval or hurt in the name of passive aggression? Some of these I can go back and apologize to, but some I won't ever have the chance to try to right. After all, "I'm sorry" doesn't always fix it.

     The shame I felt when I admitted that I've been the mean girl who ignored and withheld smiles and said things that weren't necessarily mean to others who heard them, but I knew they would hurt the other person's feelings was overwhelming. And my the best excuse-they did it to me was even more flimsy and pathetic when spoken aloud to my students. 

    There's a mean girl in all of us and when we let her out, we can't undo all the damage she does. 

     And sometimes we don't get a second chance to show kindness. 

Calli's Baby Shower

     

     We can't wait to meet this sweet baby boy!

Choir Attendance Awards

     Last night was a big night of celebrations at the Shaw house! The boys had perfect attendance for children's choir during the fall semester. Miss Karice ordered them medals, but they hadn't come in yet, so she surprised them with big bags of their favorite candy. We love and appreciate Miss Karice so much!