Five best friends, more like sisters.
Middle school English is my life.
Real books are better than Kindles.
Three continents down, four to go.
Ben and Jerry are my boyfriends.
I love writing 6-word memoirs with my students! It's fun to see how mine change from year to year. Here are today's memoirs, written as I watched my students write their own.
Five best friends, more like sisters. Middle school English is my life. Real books are better than Kindles. Three continents down, four to go. Ben and Jerry are my boyfriends.
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Yesterday I saw the new Cinderella movie. First off, let me say: it was beautiful! I loved everything about it. So if you haven't already made plans to see it, make them now. It's worth it. Among the many things I loved about the movie was this line, repeated over and over throughout the story: "Have courage and be kind." I have been thinking about it since I saw the movie. What a wonderful life motto! I don't know that we can go very wrong in life if we remember those two things, because they encompass so much that is good. So my goal this week is to do just that: have courage to do the right thing, to do things that are hard for me, to live to my potential. And to be kind while I'm at it. I'm reading Night by Elie Wiesel with my 8th graders right now, and there's this beautiful section toward the beginning in which Wiesel starts every sentence with the phrase "Never shall I forget..." Today I had my students write a list of things that they will never forget, and I thought I'd do the same today.
Never shall I forget the moment I heard my first little sister's cry through the hospital door. I jumped up and down, yelling, "My baby's here! My baby's here!" Never shall I forget the cross-country road trip that took us to our new home in Vermont, when my loves of traveling and Ben & Jerry's ice cream were born. Never shall I forget the look on Melissa's face when she and Mom told me that Mom had cancer. Never shall I forget the day I opened my mission call and saw the words, "Spain Barcelona." Little did I know how that moment would change me and create this place in my heart for a country, a culture, and a people halfway across the world. Never shall I forget the odd mixture of smells that characterize the streets of Spain: one moment cigarette smoke, the next freshly baked bread, the next a large pile of garbage. Somehow the smells of cigarette smoke and cooking olive oil always manage to transport me back to Spain. Never shall I forget that first semester at BYU - so lonely, so overwhelmed. And of course I can't forget the rest of the semesters, either: the late nights, the roommates, the last-minute papers, the friends. Never shall I forget the first time a student called me "Miss Brown" and I realized it really does have a special ring to it. So many good memories...isn't it amazing how much memory affects us? I can't imagine what I would do without memories. What's something you will never forget? Today in my scripture study I was reading in Matthew about how if we come to Christ and learn of Him and try to be like Him, He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Amazingly, rest is something I really need right now. It's the end of the term, so I'm stressed about grading and such, but I am also worried about church responsibilities, family concerns, and my social life. Sometimes I just feel like there's not enough of me to go around. So as I prepared to go to church and other meetings today, I prayed that I would find the strength to get through this next week. Boy did I ever. Practically every talk, every song, every lesson was about pressing forward - very much a "You can do this!" kind of a Sunday. I felt like the words I heard were hand-picked for me, letting me know that God had heard my prayer and was sending me a little pep talk for the week. And maybe that's what it means when Matthew says Christ will "give us rest." He won't necessarily take away the burdens that we have, but He will strengthen us and buoy us up so that we can meet them head-on and succeed. He brings rest to our souls and hearts because He reminds us that if He's on our team, we can do anything.
Today I went to the funeral for a good man. Even though I know he is now free from the physical limitations and sicknesses he faced, it was still a pretty sad day, and he will be very missed. But instead of focusing on the sad parts of today, I wanted to remember some of the things I learned from Jason.
Someone today called Jason a "great example of manhood." I feel like these characteristics - laughter, perseverance, ability to change, and love - are some of the characteristics of a true man, and really just an all-around good person. I'm excited for the day when I can see Jason again, and I hope in the meantime I can use what he taught me to be a better woman. Thanks, buddy. See you soon.
There's just something about the road.
My sister and I have pretty different communication styles. When I have a problem, I have to talk it out - with everyone I know. I talk, and cry, and talk some more. And then I (eventually) come to a solution, which I have to tell everyone about again. Melissa, on the other hand, keeps many of her thoughts to herself. We talk, yes, but often she thinks and makes decisions and then tells me about it. Put us in the car for an hour, though, and all she wants to do is talk. And I love it! We talk about everything. Today we laughed, we cried, we sang along with the radio, and we talked. Those are my favorite times with my little sis/best friend - and for some reason, it happens most when we're in the car. It has been one of those days...you know the kind. Too much grading, frustrations in department meetings, lessons that flop, technology that won't work, students who just keep talking, no groceries, family members who feel let down...at every turn today, I felt like I could see an evidence of yet another of my failings. I was tired and overwhelmed.
And then, as I ate my Ben & Jerry's, I got this text from a friend: "I feel like you need a few giggles after your day," followed by some funny memes she had found. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my funk - not because I needed a laugh (which I did), but because I needed to know that someone cared. So, for anyone out there who needs a giggle, here you go. These are on me. Happy Slice of Life 2015! I am so excited to be participating in this challenge again, and this month I've decided to have a theme to my posts: things that make me happy. I've mentioned before that each year I choose a word that represents what I want to do that year. This year, my word is become, and each month I choose something that I want to become more of. And this weekend I have been thinking about how much I want to be happier. So I figured that I could use Slice of Life to help me with that. I've decided that each day, I will write about something that makes me happy - as a way to remind myself of all the good stuff going on in my life. Writing here is definitely something that makes me happy. It helps me think, it helps me express my emotions, it helps me remember. So I'm excited to use writing as a tool to become more happy this month. Thanks for joining me in the journey. |
About MeI'm a daughter, sister, friend, and book lover turned English teacher. This blog is all about the things I'm learning as I go through my many adventures. For more info about me, check out the About Me page. Categories
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