Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Day 25: A Beautiful Thing

Another busy day...but good news. Tomorrow is day last of this phone-a-thon. I really enjoy hanging with Tammy and Laurie but...I am a bit tired of getting home after 9:15 every night. And I'm tired of no meals at home--eating in the caf is a nice change of pace at times but day in and day out and ... well, I'm ready for homecooked meals. So the fact that tomorrow is IT? That just makes me smile.

I had to run a few errands at lunch time today. One of those errands was dropping off library books that are due. (I deserve a pat on the back for that one as I actually got them in before a fine is due. Woohoo!) Anyway, so as I am pulling out from the parking space after dropping them off inside, this lady comes running out and waves frantically at me. So of course I rolled down my window, wondering what in the world is going on--Did I have a fine afterall??? And she runs up to the car, and hands me two one-dollar bills. "These bills were in between the books that you just brought back!" she said. So I took the money and thanked her profusely.

She could have kept those two dollars. I mean seriously--it wasn't much money. I would never have missed it. But this little librarian who probably doesn't make much money at all has integrity and doing the right thing--even if it's just a couple of bucks--means that if you have to chase down a lady in a car to give back what is rightfully hers, then so be it.

This sweet little librarian let me know that there are a lot of good people in this world--people who work hard and care about the little things. And that's a beautiful thing.

Secondly, I taught ESL today. Every day when I teach, one of the office workers peaks their head in to see if everybody is in class. Well, one of my freshman girls--Sam--checks up on my ESL class. Sam is one of those kids who seemed a bit 'dark' when she first got here. She likes to look at things from a rather ... 'twisted' ... perspective. In the beginning when I taught her class, she would watch me with her arms crossed and do her best to find something she could correct: 'You spelled that wrong' (on a power point)...'Your example isn't very good and I like to call it like I see it', etc... And really--it isn't too difficult to find errors when I'm teaching. I'm far from perfect. But with Sam, I just grinned and told her that she was correct--and good job with that! And I've watched for the positives--which really hasn't been difficult. She is a genuinely good writer so I find lots of reasons to encourage her. And as this semester has progressed, I've watched Sam soften. She smiles readily now and her whole face seems brighter actually.

Anyway--the point is, today when she came in to take attendance, I said--yes, everybody is here--and she grinned, so big, and did a happy dance. It was so out of character for her, so carefree and little girlish and adorable. It made me laugh out loud--and I had to resist the urge to simply hug her.

And last of all...phone-a-thon. I will absolutely miss girl time with Tammy and Laurie. It's been so much fun swapping stories and chattering nonstop. But this evening Laurie finished her knitting project so I quickly suggested she should  continue knitting--on MY project. And she readily complied. And that's pretty spectacular! Unfortunately, I didn't happen upon this brilliant idea until the evening was almost over...but still. Maybe tomorrow evening she will forget her own knitting so that I can -- once again -- take full advantage of that 'space' in between projects. :)



Actually, I had lots of pretty spectacular things happen today. It's funny how, now that I'm blogging, the blessings are just popping up all over the place. I'm sure they always have--but I wasn't so aware as I am now.

But here are a few things that made me smile: I had to create a database of addresses for MPA rep letters and Beth randomly told me that she already has the labels ready--all I have to do is push 'print.' Hours of work saved. Oh my--thank you, Beth Grissom. And then I ate lunch in the caf today and sat at a table with a bunch of kids. That made me thankful--oh so so very very thankful--that I am no longer a teenager. I do love teens but wow are they hard on each other. And tonight when I got home? I made my chai tea mix. It's all ready for 6:00 am.

It's been a great day.

2 comments:

  1. HEY LOOK I'M COMMENTING!!! I liked your blog :) I(Shocking, I know) t's kinda funny reading about your day, and parts of it I can fill in because you told me about them! ha But I super like your librarian story. That one's my favorite :) OH, and I also liked your story on Samantha. I agree with the whole "she's softening" thing. She's super cute. AND I LOVE YOU

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  2. Hey, is there a recipe for that Chai tea thing? If so, email it! Or maybe - even better - blog it! And, like Summer Rayne, I liked that librarian story, too! There ARE a LOT of good people - so many with good, sensitive, intuitive hearts! I've found quite a few here in Arkansas! But, back to your blog, my favorite part was the Samantha story. I loved it!

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