Cartwheels for a Teacher

Blog #5

      The students were standing at the door of my classroom on the last day of school. The announcement I was to make was a total surprise to my students.  I related to my third grade students that I would be their teacher again for fourth grade. This is not at all what they had previously been told.  My gut level feeling was that they would be disappointed, because it might seem like retention to have the same teacher two years in a row.

     As soon as I made the announcement, a very quiet, hardworking boy, named Maleik, did a very uncharacteristic thing.  He turned around, threw his hands in the air and performed two consecutive cartwheels springing around the classroom sporting the biggest smile I had seen from him all year.  Over the years, as a teacher, I have received a lot of beautiful cards, gifts,pictures and some very kind words, but I never had such a sweet surprise as the two cartwheel display of joy and affection!

Surprised by Joy

Blog #4

       The C.S. Lewis book title, Surprised by Joy, so well expresses how that feeling of joy somehow can catch you off guard. I love reading the word joy in the Bible and thinking about it.  I love “the joy of finding something beautiful in an unexpected place”. The word joy itself makes me smile. 

       I even collect items with the word joy on them.  I have a red pillow with the word embroidered on it. I got that free at a friend’s garage sale.  There is a  rock in between the basil and the hydrangea in my garden with the word joy on it.  I paid a dollar for that at our church’s garage sale.

      The word joy is on my favorite sterling silver charm on my charm bracelet.  It is a teapot with raised letters on it spelling out this beautiful word.  The teapot reminds me of the joy found in serving others. Serving others is one of the greatest secrets of a joyful life, as I see it.

      When you are doing something for someone else, a feeling of joy might just tap you on the shoulder and you may be “surprised by joy”.

The Joy of Finding Something Beautiful in an Unexpected Place

Blog #3

     The college professor told us to bring our favorite library books to the children’s literature class the following week.  I picked out Heidi, Little Women and others, but to my surprise we did not share our love of the books.  Instead he gave us some California poppies and explained that they have nyctinasty. (This is the property that some plants have that makes them close at night and open in the morning.  The plant, if put in a totally dark room, would still do the same.)  He told us to put a flower in each of our favorite library books. By doing this we would give to someone we did not know “the joy of finding something beautiful in an unexpected place.”

      He said that his daughter had found a pressed flower in a library book and was just thrilled by it. It was “the joy of finding something beautiful in an unexpected place.” There is the question begging for a response: who put it there and why?  It feels almost like a message in a bottle.

      My mother pressed flowers and four-leaf clovers in some of her favorite childhood books, only to be discovered several decades later, by her book-loving children. They were a joy to find and a connection to make!

      What a great lesson this graduate school professor gave his students, who were also educators! An appreciation was gained for finding something beautiful in an unexpected place and learning to give that joy to others in and out of our classrooms.

Why I am Blogging

Blog #2  Why I am Blogging

      The purpose of this blog is to reflect on joy:  how to plant it, how to water it, how to develop it, how to make it grow and how to savor it.   When you reflect on something, talk about it, write about it, and read about it; the concept is reinforced and refined.

 

      What are those things that Paul tells us to think about? “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

      I would love it if this blog could be a place to share joy. Please join me in sharing the sources of joy that are a part of your life.

Flowers Inside

Flowers Inside

Flowers to cut,

Bring them inside.

The heart will open:

Joy will abide.

Outside they’re beautiful,

Natural and true.

Inside their meaning

Is special to you,

A budding reminder

Of  joy, hope and love.

Promises vibrant

That come from above.

Temporary though this splendor be,

Seize the season gracefully.

Flowers to cut,

Bring them inside.

Spread the beauty:

Joy will abide.