It has begun.

So, the new school year has begun.  And, despite my efforts to not let it be all consuming, I am already exhausted and fighting a cold.  I'm going to blame it on not being completely recovered from surgery yet.  And I don't think that's unwarranted.  Because I have tried to focus on the important and not on the "it would be nice."  A quote I read recently was this - "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."  (Voltaire)  Not that I don't want to make sure I'm doing my best.  Just that I want to make sure that I am at my best.  There's a difference there that I need to keep reminding myself of.  So, this long weekend, I have resisted the urge to get some of that beginning of the year "stuff" taken care of, and instead I have tried to take care of myself.  I have read a lot of books and sat on my front step.  Soon I will go and pick some sweet peas so that I can start my second week back with sweet peas in my house and on my desk at work - reminders of the goodness of God.  Plus, I just love the aroma!

One of the books I read had this great thought.  “A child lies like a grey pebble on the shore until a certain teacher picks him up and dips him in water, and suddenly you see all the colours and patterns in the dull stone, and it’s marvellous for the stone and marvellous for the teacher.”    Elizabeth Hay in Alone in the Classroom    p. 94  How exciting to think that I could help a child see more of the colours and patterns (gifts) that God has placed in him/her.  That's my prayer.

List of God's gifts .....

441) butterflies in my stomach as I begin a new school year

442) a friend praying for me on the first day of school

443) praying with colleagues as we begin a new year

444) a visual illustration of love overflowing and children grabbing that "love"

445) a child saying that the first day was over too soon

446) the imagination of children as they wrote stories

447) a student offering to share supplies with a classmate

448) the laughter of children

449) expressions of support from parents of my students

450) a neighbour girl's delight at showing me her new fish

451) invitation for the weekend

452) the surprise of seeing my parents outside my classroom door

453) not having to clean my house on the weekend because

454) I was able to come home to a clean house now that I've hired someone to clean my house

455) a day on the couch with a good book

456) leftovers

457) public libraries

458) flexible colleagues

459) a friend getting the job she applied for

460)scrambled eggs and bacon on a croissant

461) listening to the companionable chatting of my neighbours