Thankful for My Many Blessings

Waking up this morning, I thought about the many things I experienced this week.  Many were good, some were not-so-good, and much of it made for a busy week.

I had fun celebrating the staff this week in honor of Teacher (aka Staff) Appreciation Week.  I did a little goodie each day, kicking off the week with manicures!  You know that was a big hit.  (One of the local businesses charged the PTO just $6 for each of them; much of their time and effort donated AND much appreciated.)  The rest of the week I sprinkled gifts and lunch/breakfast items.  It was awesome to receive the thanks for the appreciation/recognition and it seemed like it was enjoyed by all (except for when the 50 baked potatoes ended up on the smaller campus and the 25 were given to the bigger campus - lol).  I had some disappointed staff members for a short time until we corrected that error.  Oops!

Quite a few of our students experience some challenging lives.  I am thankful to have grown up in a two-parent home that was STABLE.  Stable is the key word here.  I have witnessed situations this year I could have never imagined and experienced true stories I have only heard of.  Yet, despite their challenges, they smile, come up and give you a big hug and lead you to believe that everything is okay.  A tough day cannot remain too tough as long as I make my way through the hallways of our buildings and see their smiling faces.  You have to find a good balance to hold them accountable while being empathetic of their situations, situations which they do not control.

Here they are cheering on the baseball and softball teams as they left for State on Friday.
They were so proud of their posters.

I share this as a reminder to myself, and to others who need to read it, to be thankful for the many blessings in our lives.  Do the things that appear to be challenges really hold much significance?  Oftentimes that is put in perspective as I experience situations like I did this week.

Have a weekend like no other!