handwritten on July 18, 2019
I just finished A Long Walk to Water-which is unbelievable for those who have not read it. It really had me thinking about the purity of water but also the simplicity of it which is probably the reason many of us take it for granted (an abundance of clean water.)
With the heat index higher this week towards the end of the week, we set up a little water station outside with a cooler and dixie cups, and I found myself on water patrol. Ironically, I had an interesting conversation with one of the little ones about water.
Student: "We can have as much water as we want?"
Me: "Of course! It's right from the water fountain. It's free."
Student: "Water is free? Why? Because everyone has it...
handwritten on July 15, 2019
If you look at the title of this post, you may remember this song. For whatever reason, I can specifically remember running around in my elementary gymnasium and listening to this song playing from the "boom-box." I used to get such a huge rush when the gym teacher played this song. I quite literally thought that I could run faster, smile bigger, be better. I think it was the first moment actually where I realized the power of music in one's soul. You may have felt it before, but sometimes when you connect to a song or you hear someone else play a song that speaks to you, it quite literally runs through your body and you feel like it almost accelerates your heartbeat. If you have had this...
handwritten on July 14, 2019
You've had those moments where you feel pride in doing something that you have not done in a while. But there are also those moments in life where you feel a rush of pride and energy whilst completing that activity you have not completed in a while. Sundays are like mini celebrations. I think I started celebrating by trying to complete a full day of work on Friday and Saturday and just "tying up the loose ends" on Saturday. I woke up to some great music at church, followed by sun shining through the park, some gardening and flower watering out back, a hello to the neighbors, a trip to my favorite local library and much more. But my biggest celebration was my running route across the bridge...
handwritten on July 13, 2019
A long time ago during my piano lesson piano recital days, I played a song. I can rememebr the cover of the song because it had someone sleeping in a hammock. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me remember the exact name, but I know that piece is still somewhere in the piano bench just waiting to be played again. And I also remember that this was during the time my piano teacher was really teaching me how to play with "feeling." We were striving for this feeling of swaying in a hammock and feeling the breeze, and I remember being pretty in awe with the piece because the way in which it was written-it actually sounded like you were swinging on a hammock over the piano keys. First time...
handwritten on July 11, 2019
There is something to be said about the calm before the storm and unexpected mishaps. There was a lull when I came in this morning. I thought I had time to grab a cup of tea at the school with a little spoonful of sugar. I sat down for a second and watched the skies darken and the rain rushed down like excited torrents spilling from the sky. It was quite honestly peaceful to listen to that rush of a waterfall pounding on the roof. Then all of a sudden, life started spilling down around me too and before I knew it, the bus going to summer academy was was stuck, teachers were calling me reporting garbage cans rolling down the stream on the sidewalk, roads were closed, small children were...
