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I Believe

Last week on Facebook, I saw a post with a list. Every item on the list began with I believe. I wondered what I would write. Here's my list, my poem...

I believe in deciphering the shapes of clouds
I believe in honesty
I believe in being present, in the moment
I believe in teaching students first and language arts second
I believe that doing right is better than being right
I believe in peppermint: a cure that all ails, tastes heavenly, and smells divine
I believe in silliness and giggling

I believe in family
I believe in unconditional, hard, messy, painful, but-oh-so-worth it love
I believe in God
I believe in praying

I believe in music
I believe in singing at the top of my lungs
I believe in listening more than talking (although, I need reminders)
I believe in poetry


I believe in being awesome and loving yourself
I believe in "yes, and" rather than "no, but"
I believe in words and their power
I believe in writing as thinking, feeling, and expressing
I believe in books


I believe in gratitude and pink tutus
I believe in my dog, Leo 
I believe in quiet moments  
I believe in the power of the sunrise (particularly at the beach)


I believe...

 This is a first draft and I'm loving the idea. It's so much fun to write and I'm sure that more ideas will pop up, so expect much revision. I'm going to post for Two Writing Teacher's Slice of Life today, but this is definitely a work in progress. Thanks for reading. Please add your comments...what do you believe in? 

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Comments

  1. Kevin HodgsonNovember 19, 2013 at 6:18 AM

    Nice start to the poem. I believe you are on the right track ...
    :)
    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Margaret SimonNovember 19, 2013 at 6:53 AM

    I like this idea too. I should try it with my students. Love the dog picture. He's adorable. By the way, I believe we could be friends. We believe in the same things.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 19, 2013 at 9:02 AM

    The words. " I believe" are powerful. You have used them to clarify what matters most. The repeating phrase adds depth. This is something I want to try.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JulieanneNovember 19, 2013 at 9:22 AM

    Agreed! I believe so powerful. So many things you said trigger big emotions in me too. It's kind of contagious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tara @ A Teaching LifeNovember 19, 2013 at 10:31 AM

    So lovely...each I believe builds on the one before.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dana MurphyNovember 19, 2013 at 4:00 PM

    Love the repeating line. You touched on so many different aspects of your life here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousNovember 19, 2013 at 8:01 PM

    You did such a nice job of interspersing different kinds of details and editorial comments on them. I believe this is a great structure for you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Leigh Anne EckNovember 19, 2013 at 9:22 PM

    I really like this. I think this is a great way to reflect. I might have to try this....would be a good March slice!

    ReplyDelete
  9. CatherineNovember 19, 2013 at 10:11 PM

    Family and pink tutus, books and dogs. So many of these would be on my list, too. I love this idea, and your poem, Michelle! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Linda BNovember 19, 2013 at 10:54 PM

    Lovely, Michelle. You will end up with something to keep that's very special. I believe in those beach sunsets too!

    ReplyDelete

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