TGIF???

A full week of supply teaching, got me home pretty tired at 4:00 last Friday. I had taken Vimy for a long walk, before looking forward to a drink, munchies, and a snuggle with my pooch in my lazy boy.  His cousin Bella, who was staying overnight, had been dropped off, while we were out walking and was there to greet us when we opened the door.  Bella is a beautiful eight year old Border Collie whom Vimy adores.  I wanted to clean Vimy's paws first, though, before letting him loose to play with Bella, so I put out a dish of warm water to clean him off.  Bella of course, made a dash for Vimy and in her haste to nuzzle him, tipped over the bowl. She is now wet, Vimy is wetter, the entrance carpet is wet, and the landing, where I thought I could rest my butt while cleaning up the spill, was WET as well, so consequently, my backside got soaked.  Great start to my TGIF party!

I had come home feeling that I really needed to give my brain, and heart, a rest from the trials and tribulations of a difficult week. That week was spent in schools where you have children, who are always hungry, ask for food, and when you tell them to ask their parents to put more snacks in their lunchbox, reply that their parents won't give them more.  Schools where another child is obsessed with death and is constantly expressing dark thoughts about such or upsetting others by telling them they are going to die.  Schools where another little one who is in foster care loves to play Lego, but informs me he doesn't have any to play with in his foster home.  I could go on and on, so great are even the most basic needs of many children. What can I do?

Well, I can buy one child crackers and cheese.  I can ask my mother to buy the little Lego lover a nice, big box of those blocks.  I can advise the guidance counselor that one student needs extra attention.  I can half fix a child's snowsuit, by putting in a large paper clip in the zipper, where the pull up tab has broken off, so he/she can zip up the coat and not be cold.  Sometimes you just have to focus on the little things you can do to make a difference in a child's life, and NOT the BIG things that you know you don't have a chance in hell of ever fixing.

Christmas is coming.  All children need to feel the magic of Christmas. Please make that magic happen if you can, where you can, when you can, however you can, with whomever you can. Make one child's eyes light up.  God bless everyone!

 JOYEUX NOËL