handwritten on April 7, 2019
My husband and myself decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather today and walk down to the Strip. For those unfamiliar, the Strip is probably one of the most whimsical and authentic spots in Pittsburgh. Not only is it culturally diverse, but it has a rich history of fresh markets as well as a history of getting others to realize the importance of people and community in the city of Pittsburgh.
We stopped along to grab a bite to eat or look at one of the shops we 'could not quite remember.' However, at the end of the long Strip, we felt the need to step into Wholey's Fish Market. It's funny because I have known my husband for about seven years and never have I heard him talk about...
handwritten on April 6, 2019
This morning I scurried around the kitchen at around 4:44 AM. I was making casseroles and more casseroles and cutting potatoes and making more casseroles. And in this beautiful casserole frenzy I was reminded of two things: how fun it is to prepare food for others in the comfort of a home in the spirit of hospitality. And how just encountering the mere act of the sun rising really allows you to acknowledge and understand and appreciate the simplicity and yet complexity of the blessings of a new day. Watching that sun rise through the window just lifted my very being. Sometimes we need that reminder that days are individual entities with a rising and the falling of that same sun-no blurred...
handwritten on April 5, 2019
There are some days in which the pulse of one's heart and the heart of the world can be felt a million miles away. And the beat is loud and purposeful.
This afternoon around 2:00 PM, we stopped all class to conduct a "read-aloud" performed by our new student who had arrived from Mexico only four months ago. Since then, the beat of his voice has slowly become louder, more energetic, more confident and vibrant.
He chanted the class chant this morning with a beat of power: "I know I can. Be what I want to be. If I work hard at it. I'll be where I want to be." A smile on his face.
There was a bit of trembling in his voice when he began his reading. "The Big Hungry Caterpillar." He was ready...
handwritten on April 4, 2019
I was at Urban Impact tonight sitting on the third floor and one of the students experienced a nosebleed in the middle of a song. We went down to the first floor together to grab a drink of water, a wet paper towel and clean up his chin and the rest of his face. He seemed pretty unphased by the whole dilemma.
And sometimes when you are forced to take just a little break, you have the most wonderful conversations. We were sitting across from one another at the table and we were talking about school and the fact that he was in third grade and I am a third grade teacher. We talked about his friends and his favorite subject. I complimented him on his stellar improv drum skills to which he...
handwritten on April 2, 2019
I walked through the doors this morning expecting the usual. People passing by at the copy machine. Me rushing around trying to figure out plans for the day. Smiling children. Bells ringing. Shuffling feet. All of those things occurred this fine Tuesday but there were some some unexpected surprises.
Only five minutes walking to the copier, I realized one of my colleagues was crying. And she never cries. Apparently, her cat was incredibly sick and she was going to have to put it down today. With tears running down her face she apologized multiple times for crying. I always find it interesting that we as humans feel the need to apologize for our uncontrollable tears. With no cat of my own, I...
