The Sunrise Story

Friday has come and is almost gone...it's late in the day for me to be writing, but here I am writing. Challenges push me out of my comfort zone. Blogging at night is strange to me, but since I haven't had two minutes to sit down and write all day...here I am.  I am going to write a list...a gratitude list... I'm grateful for an extra-long walk with Bella, for student producers on B-AM News, for good friends who show up, for unexpected laughter. I'm grateful for a co-teacher who knows when I need a break, for students who teach me, for time to read and write alongside them,  for my acai-blueberry-pomegranate vitamin water, for an impromptu visit to Red Robin,  for the quiet bedroom where I end my day. I'm grateful for the wagging tail I see, for the lessons I learn,  for the mistakes I make,  for the words I write. Thank you. 

Life seems to be moving at hyperspeed. There are days when it's hard to stop and catch my breath. I'm working on practicing gratitude during these times. Here are some things which bring me joy and for which I'm thankful... 1. Students who challenge me and make me laugh. 2. Acts of kindness. 3. Laughing (and crying) with friends who see me and love me. 4. Phone calls and FaceTime with family. 5. Time spent in the pages of my notebook where I feel safe and free. 6. Walks and cuddles with Bella. 7. A school where I feel heard and valued. 8. The taste of my coffee in the morning. 9. Spending time making and creating 10. Long drives where I belt out my favorite tunes. 11. Making lists. 12. Cozy blankets and pillows. 13. My favorite blue ice cube trays that make my tiny ice cubes. 14. Making plans to attend & present at NCTE. 15. Pausing and listening. Just sitting down and jotting this list has helped me on this gloomy and rainy morning...

I'm grateful. Today I'm grateful. For what? Well, I'm glad you asked... Grateful for (in no particular order)... 1. achieving goals I've set for myself 2. friends who love & support me 3. writing, writing, writing 4. being an auntie & a Godmother 5. my family 6. memories of those who are no longer here 7. laughter 8. creativity 9. my voice 10. strong, resilient, brilliant students 11. a school community where I feel valued 12. being a teacher 13. books 14. twinkle lights 15. pens 16. notebooks 17. learning new things 18. grace 19. Bella, my sweet dog 20. mail 21. Oreos 22. the lunch gang And so much more. Sometimes, in the middle of a busy, messy, stressed life it's important to reflect and be grateful. I'm grateful for this blog and all of my readers.  March is the Slice of Life Challenge. I'll be sharing a post each day in the month of March. Please join me at Two Writing Teachers ...

November is a time when I bring the practice of gratitude to my daily routine. Each day I share one reason for which I'm grateful on social media. It's simple. It's small, but it's powerful. Spending time searching for the good changes my perspective. We live in a world of pain and struggle where sometimes hope seems lost. Those feelings can be overwhelming, so instead, I spend my energy working on finding the grace in my world. When you look for gratitude, you begin to see it more and more. Here are some reasons for my gratitude: Thank you to Ruth Ayres for providing this space for sharing our celebrations. Please join us and share your own!

I'm grateful for... 1. my loving, crazy, amazing family 2. my brave, hard working, sometimes silly students 3. my loving, grace-filled, kind friends 4. books to read 5. notebooks to fill 6. just the right pens 7. my sweet Bella 8. peppermint coffee 9. soft, warm, cozy blankets 10. writing to soothe my soul 11. traveling to discover 12. mittens 13. sense of accomplishment 14. stickers 15. hugs 16. daily phone chats with mom 17. warm socks 18. bubble bath 19. memories of dad 20. autumn 21. faith 22. showing up Being grateful...expressing gratitude...it's contagious and powerful. It can change my mood and change my day. What's on your list?  Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers .

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers . I'm still sick. It's hard to focus and concentrate. I had to call in sick to work. I had to cancel a presentation at a conference. I refuse to miss a day of blogging, so I'm showing up and telling my story...messy and all! Being sick magnifies everything...tiny annoyances send me into tears and a good nap feels life changing. I'm going to focus on the good stuff and practice some gratitude. I'm grateful for... friends who take care of me & look out for me my sister sending me texts to make me laugh aunts who check in on me my mom who loves me  Netflix & Hulu good books lots of nap Tamiflu Ibuprofen water, lots of water

Thank you to Holly for this wonderful link up to celebrate our spiritual journey. Today the topic is GRATITUDE. Join us! Being grateful changed my life.  It's all about perspective.  The red light can aggravate me and make me annoyed...or it can be a signal to slow down, enjoy the song on the radio, or have time to say a prayer. Being in a state of gratitude is what I work towards...yet, there are so many moments when I fall short.  Sharing gratitude helps. Having a practice of gratitude helps me. I share my gratitude with friends and family each morning. The accountability helps me continue this practice, especially on days when I want to quit. It's changed me. I look for the small things for which to be grateful and I notice the big things more easily!  Gratitude is contagious. Recently, I shared a gratitude challenge from a blogging friend, Terje , with my students.  Capture a list of 100 things to be grateful for. Today a student shared her list...

Here's a list JUST for my mom!!! I'm grateful for... 1. My mom 2. Daily phone calls 3. Sharing book recommendations 4. Talking about teaching 5. How cute she is 6. What a great grandmother she is 7. Shopping together 8. Trips 9. Swimming in the ocean 10. How much she loves her family!

My blogging friend, Terje, wrote a blog post about Capturing Gratitude . I decided to take the challenge. So in NO particular order, here are 100 things for which I'm grateful... 1. My smart nephew Jack 2. My wonderful niece Jillian 3. My mom & dad who gave me a wonderful childhood 4.  Laughing & talking with my sister 5. My aunts who add so much to my life 6. My uncles who love me 7. My cousins near and far 8. Friends who add so much to my life 9. My faith   10. Books 11. HGTV 12. My students 13. Laughing so hard until I cry 14. Quiet walks outside 15. Bella  16. Memories of Leo 17. Notebooks, so many notebooks 18. Writing and the peace it brings me 19. PLN 20. Learning new things 21. Making new friends 22. My church family 23. Yummy peppermint coffee 24. Curled up in a comfy bed 25. Warm sweats on a cool autumn morning 26. Sounds of the ocean 27. Living the examined life 28. Finding exactly what I need at the store...and it's on sa...

I'm so grateful to Holly for the inspiration and opportunity to write about my spiritual journey. Please stop by  her blog  and share your own spiritual journey. I love this link up! It's 7:38pm on Wednesday night and I got home about an hour ago from work...with a bit more work ahead of me...so this will be short and sweet. This week I feel like there have been lots of God moments...I feel like He is ever so present in my life! Praying Mantis: A beautiful praying mantis was on my car door as I was leaving for school on the first day. I looked it up and I found this : " Praying Mantis reminds you to have patience with yourself, with growing your wisdom. It also reminds you to have patience in acquiring what you want...When you are still, you can hear that inner knowingness that has impeccable timing. Be still and listen with openness, not fear. That’s when wisdom will emerge." Rainbow: Last night a strong and scary thunderstorm blew through here. ...

Slice of Life Challenge Please join the challenge over at  Two Writing Teachers ! Including today, there are nine days left in the SOLC. I'm sad. Writing everyday has been a challenge, but with each day it's gotten easier...and it became fun!  This month has changed me in ways I never imagined. I sliced last year...but I didn't really engage. This year, I feel like I belong here. This group of writers inspires me everyday to write my very best, because it's what they give on their blogs. This group of writers shows unimaginable kindness when a blog post touches on a sensitive subject. To have an audience such as this to read my writing, has built my confidence and taught me so much...about writing, about life, about myself. I want THIS experience for my students in class. I strive to create this exact atmosphere where they start out scared and wondering, "Am I good enough?" And leave confident that they can call themselves a writer.  It m...

Slice of Life Sharing my slice of life (#slice2013) over at  Two Writing Teachers.   Please join us! On Wednesday I turn 42.  I love birthdays.  Celebrating!  Laughing!  Singing! Birthday cake...presents...cards!  But this year, I wanted something different. Something more. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I read it somewhere...I wish I could remember where. For my birthday this year, I'm going to practice acts of kindness. Twenty-two (since my birthday is on the 22nd) during the week of my birthday. (Although I am going to try for 42, since I'm 42 years old.)  I'm starting today...Sunday!  I have a list of 22 ideas... Can't share the ideas...yet! Excited to start!! I'll journal and blog about what I actually accomplished and what happened. Celebrate my birthday with me! Be generous! Spread joy! Do something special for someone else and share it in the comments here. I can...

Saturday celebration is here again! I can tell this is becoming a routine in my life as I'm starting to notice things throughout the week and I hold onto them to include here on Saturday. Thank you for that, Ruth !  I practice gratitude on a daily basis. Each morning, I send out an email listing those things and people for which I am grateful. Here are my emails from this week:  Monday:   Grateful for... a TWO day work week long drives with audiobooks finding just the right song at just the right time celebrating life's moments with friends holding babies and having them snuggle into your neck when they get sleepy finding items on your grocery list...on SALE!! Tuesday: Grateful for...  The new Valentine book by Adriana Trigiani Snuggling in bed after a chilly day Family!!!! Jeans today at school Still praying I'll be able to travel north! Wednesday:   Today I'm grateful for a  day to relax and read my...

Thank you for this opportunity to celebrate and be grateful. The timing of this is perfect! Last week, Kate Roberts wrote a post on her blog, indent , about gratitude and I borrowed one of her gratitude rituals of a Daily Gratitude Email. I started one with a small group of friends and another with some of my family. This daily email which takes a few minutes to compose and send has changed my outlook on life. I've done the thing where I write things down for which I'm grateful, but this works better for me because I'm sharing it with people I love! Here's one of my favorite emails from my aunt: My writing notebook! Oh I'll celebrate my writing notebook. I love writing in it and it makes me happy.  The title is "I untangle life in my writing."  It's my 56th notebook. I've been keeping them since I was ten years old! I designed this one myself and bought it on Etsy. (I highly recommend the shop Transient Books !) Here's ...