Celebrating two birthdays on a beautiful evening in June. Simple. Festive. Thankful. Days of summer.
Category Archives: Faith
Packing up the home office
Today was a teacher workday and in between meetings, I started packing up my basement office. I have been teaching virtually from my little spot, overlooking the back yard with my Bassett Hound and two cats nearby since the school year started. I moved downstairs to start the 2020-2021 school year, after managing the springContinue reading “Packing up the home office”
Grad School Life
I’ll never forget the exact moment I decided to pursue a Master’s degree, later in life. I was taking part as the parent in a difficult and somewhat contentious local screening/Special Education Eligibility meeting for my daughter. The meeting was a complete mess. I didn’t know much about Special Education or how schools work atContinue reading “Grad School Life”
The Weekend Before Life Goes On
As an educator and parent, I feel a profound sense of duty and obligation to help our young people adjust through additional doses of kindness and grace, and the recognition that our students, all students, have experienced trauma over the past year; some more than others, and they need us to prioritize their social-emotional well being over everything else, first.
Winter Birthday
It’s hard to believe this February birthday brings us very close to the one year mark of so much change in all of our lives. Last year was a landmark birthday of festive celebration; a Virginia wine country bus tour and a restaurant family gathering at a favorite spot. The pre-COVID memories of just oneContinue reading “Winter Birthday”
Always on My Mind
The end of January and first days of February are typically days of remembrance for me. Some years are more difficult and sad than others. Grief waxes and wanes like that. The dates in a year mean something, and there’s just no way around them. Dad passed away on a Sunday at the end ofContinue reading “Always on My Mind”
January
There is no month which more effectively takes my breath away a grief which never ends although it changes faces year after year Hope resides on the other side but seldom within the coldest month of the year unless I stand at the edge of the ocean where even bitter winter winds do not deterContinue reading “January”
Out Here on My Own
The day after high school graduation, I was on plane back to my hometown of Boston, MA. I had secured a summer job in downtown Boston and housing in the form of an attic bedroom in a nearby suburb, in exchange for a few hours of babysitting a week. I was 17 years old. LifeContinue reading “Out Here on My Own”
Freshman Year of High School
I still remember the fall of 1983. Freshman year of high school in Massachusetts. It was so exciting and so terrifying, all at the same time. Fall field hockey. Homecoming float committee. Football games. Trying to navigate the hallways; figure out how to open your locker. I still remember walking down that long corridor toContinue reading “Freshman Year of High School”
Running Bleachers
I am pretty sure there is not a person in my circle of life who has not expressed a certain level of discontent with their current fitness level after the past few months of some pretty significant stress and quarantine. As a teacher who easily clocks 4-6 miles a day at work in dress shoes,Continue reading “Running Bleachers”