Most days my job fills my soul; I laugh until I cry and the hours between 8 and 4 disappear faster than a box of Little Debbies left on my kitchen counter.
Some days my job stabs my soul; I want to cry until I can fix all the ugliness in my students’ lives and it breaks me that I can’t.
One of these days happened last week. As I do just about every day, I got a new student who had just started as a patient in the Child and Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program. Like all of my kids, all I knew about him when he walked in my classroom was his name and age.
He was one of those people that instantly captures a piece of you soul without even trying. His sweet, kind personality immediately swooped in and took hold of my heart.
As with all my new kiddos, I invited him to fill out his choice of getting-to-know-you sheets. This is what he wrote:
No family. No friends. I immediately wanted to go home and make him mashed potatoes and gravy. Instead, we found some math that was a good fit for him and we visited while he worked. When he finished his math, he asked if he could spell words using the magnets on the filing cabinet. Of course you can! He asked for spelling help, and when he was done he stepped to the side so I could read what he wrote:
This sweet boy, who doesn’t even have most of the people or things I take for granted, has a better outlook on life than I do many days.
I grumble about a messy house left in the wake of my boys. I complain that I’m tired and don’t want to do all these dishes or that pile of laundry. But those things are only present because of the family I get to come home to everyday. I’ve seen signs that say, “Bless this mess.” I need one that says, “Blessed by this mess.”
Looking forward, my goal is to reframe the lens through which I see “my messy house” and focus on the family I love so dearly. They may be dirty, sloppy boys, but they are MY dirty, sloppy boys. They make my dreams come true and I am beyond thankful for them everyday.
I’m still brainstorming a legitimate reason to explain how I can bring mashed potatoes and gravy to school tomorrow. Let me know if you have any ideas.
Two constainers of each item.
Then some goofy thing like “man, I brought the wrong things in my lunch” someone at home only got the meat lunch. Guess I have to share.” Would you like some potatoes and gravy?
Something like that scenario