Whoops! Like my sister, I too have gotten a little tired of actually writing my thankfulness posts every day....I don't think I will become a professional blogger anytime soon!
Yesterday, I was thankful that I only have three days of school this week :) Yay!
And today, I was reminded of something I am thankful for every day of my life. As anyone who has been reading this blog knows, the building I work in used to be a church. I was sitting with some kindergarteners today at the end of the day, and one little boy looked at the stained glass windows and said "Where's God? I want to see one with God."
"Well, I don't think that there is a stained glass window of God," I responded. Then, thinking better of my first answer, I said "But there's Jesus," pointing to a picture of Jesus and the disciples. "Do you see him with the halo around his head?"
A different little boy said quietly, "Jesus did everything for us. He did everything for us."
And yes, Jesus did--and I am so very thankful for him.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Giving Thanks: Day 20 & 21
Yesterday I was thankful that we have so much and we are able to make a child's life happier by putting together a small shoe box. The joy that these children have always brings tears to my eyes. My mom and I went shopping to buy our items for our boxes this year--it's always fun to imagine the kids opening their boxes and seeing the things we picked out for them, and it's humbling to know how much we have compared to so many around us. My Aunt Faith packed and sent over 40 boxes this year, which inspires me to pack my very own next year. Here's a video about Operation Christmas Child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG6GU5g76t4. Even though I am so happy for the kids who receive the gifts, I'm also saddened knowing that there are kiddos right in my neighborhood without the basic necessities that I take for granted--a winter coat, school supplies, boots, gloves...the list goes on. I hope some of the boxes that we pack come right back to Buffalo for the kids here, and I hope that if they don't, I can somehow brighten the lives of the neighborhood kids that I've come to love.
Today I am thankful for family, specifically (today) the Sard side of the family. Like I said yesterday, today was the party for my Grandma Sard's 75th birthday, and I got to see a lot of that side of the family today.
If I do say so myself, we are a fun bunch, and it was wonderful to share time with them and celebrate my Grandma. We ate pizza and wings, watched the Bills win (!), and laughed a lot. I swapped stories with my aunt who is a teacher, looked at quilt patterns with my Grandma and mom, talked about wedding plans for my cousin's fiancée. It was a ton of fun and I can't wait to see them all again on New Year's (our annual Sard family Christmas get-together!).
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| This is the most recent picture I have (2008) of my Grandma and her kids: My mom, Uncle Bill, and Uncle Mike |
If I do say so myself, we are a fun bunch, and it was wonderful to share time with them and celebrate my Grandma. We ate pizza and wings, watched the Bills win (!), and laughed a lot. I swapped stories with my aunt who is a teacher, looked at quilt patterns with my Grandma and mom, talked about wedding plans for my cousin's fiancée. It was a ton of fun and I can't wait to see them all again on New Year's (our annual Sard family Christmas get-together!).
Friday, November 19, 2010
Giving Thanks: Day 19
I'm thankful that I'm home safe and sound from a long bus trip, that tomorrow is my last Reading Saturday until after Christmas, and that I get to see the Sard side of my family this weekend for my Grandma's 75th birthday :)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Giving Thanks: Day 18
Today, I'm thankful that I have parents that taught me how to take everything with a grain of salt. It was useful today in many ways...
-When a first grader tried to insult me by telling me "You're a couch!"
-When a kid accidentally dumped over his container of Trix and milk, in the process spilling it all over his hair and arms and the child's arms next to him.
-When a kid asked me if my necklace was made of "chocolate rocks."
-When one girl continually calls me "Miss Joy-anna" (I also hear "Miss Luanne" and "Mrs. Joanna" and my favorite, "Miss Caramel")
I do not think I would be able to work with children if I did not have a good sense of humor and the ability (in general) to take unimportant things lightly :) Thanks, parents!
-When a first grader tried to insult me by telling me "You're a couch!"
-When a kid accidentally dumped over his container of Trix and milk, in the process spilling it all over his hair and arms and the child's arms next to him.
-When a kid asked me if my necklace was made of "chocolate rocks."
-When one girl continually calls me "Miss Joy-anna" (I also hear "Miss Luanne" and "Mrs. Joanna" and my favorite, "Miss Caramel")
I do not think I would be able to work with children if I did not have a good sense of humor and the ability (in general) to take unimportant things lightly :) Thanks, parents!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Giving Thanks: Day 17
I'm thankful that I finally have my very own room at school! I spent a lot of time today organizing and putting stuff together in it...it's definitely not decorated, but I think it will make my enrichment classes so much better. I won't have to run from building to building lugging games, papers, books, etc...and my students will get a little change of pace from their usual classroom. When it's closer to complete, I'll post some pictures!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Giving Thanks: Day 16
I have many, many things to be thankful for today, but because it's almost bedtime, I'm just going to write about one of them: my car!
It may sound kind of silly, but after my little car accident, I realized how much I love my car. For those of you who don't know, my wonderful parents gave me my car as an early graduation present before I did student teaching so I could drive around in a safe and reliable vehicle (not the 16 year old car that I would have been driving otherwise!). It's an adorable blue Honda Fit and it's zippy and cute and perfect for me. When I was getting my car fixed, I was driving around a different car, which is nice, but so different from mine, that it made me appreciate mine even more! Not only do I like it just because it's a cool little car, but because of all of the love that it represents and all the memories that I have in it already.
Various other things I was thankful for today:
-The look on a children's faces when they find out they get to keep a library book for a whole week!
-Leftovers
-The gorgeous building that I work in
-Kiddos :)
It may sound kind of silly, but after my little car accident, I realized how much I love my car. For those of you who don't know, my wonderful parents gave me my car as an early graduation present before I did student teaching so I could drive around in a safe and reliable vehicle (not the 16 year old car that I would have been driving otherwise!). It's an adorable blue Honda Fit and it's zippy and cute and perfect for me. When I was getting my car fixed, I was driving around a different car, which is nice, but so different from mine, that it made me appreciate mine even more! Not only do I like it just because it's a cool little car, but because of all of the love that it represents and all the memories that I have in it already.
Various other things I was thankful for today:
-The look on a children's faces when they find out they get to keep a library book for a whole week!
-Leftovers
-The gorgeous building that I work in
-Kiddos :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Giving Thanks: Day 15
Well! Another Monday has come, and is almost gone. So what am I thankful for today?
Books! I'm so thankful for the wonderful world of literature in which I have the privilege of working. I was barcoding and organizing books in the KCCS library today (not necessarily my favorite of tasks), and it's made me think about how lucky I am that I get to spend my days around children's literature--my favorite genre! I love the beautiful illustrations in a picture book, the unique and eye-catching covers of chapter books, and the fantastic characters and plots of both! Now, of course, there is some not-so-good literature (like Cat Party, which--wait, have you already guessed it? is a sight-word book about cats having a party) but there is also wonderful literature like The Phantom Tollbooth and The Mysterious Benedict Society and Click, Clack, Moo that open up a whole new world to children (and adults!).
Yes, I love books, of all kinds. And so does the rest of my family...in fact, if you want to see my sister's take on the world of literature, you can read her blog at http://thecheerfulreader.wordpress.com/. I would write more about how living in a family that kept a book in every room, relished the idea of a reading supper, and thought going to a bookstore before a vacation was the bee's knees may have also contributed to my love of books, but now I'm off to read a little bit of Pride and Prejudice and hit the sack!
Books! I'm so thankful for the wonderful world of literature in which I have the privilege of working. I was barcoding and organizing books in the KCCS library today (not necessarily my favorite of tasks), and it's made me think about how lucky I am that I get to spend my days around children's literature--my favorite genre! I love the beautiful illustrations in a picture book, the unique and eye-catching covers of chapter books, and the fantastic characters and plots of both! Now, of course, there is some not-so-good literature (like Cat Party, which--wait, have you already guessed it? is a sight-word book about cats having a party) but there is also wonderful literature like The Phantom Tollbooth and The Mysterious Benedict Society and Click, Clack, Moo that open up a whole new world to children (and adults!).
Yes, I love books, of all kinds. And so does the rest of my family...in fact, if you want to see my sister's take on the world of literature, you can read her blog at http://thecheerfulreader.wordpress.com/. I would write more about how living in a family that kept a book in every room, relished the idea of a reading supper, and thought going to a bookstore before a vacation was the bee's knees may have also contributed to my love of books, but now I'm off to read a little bit of Pride and Prejudice and hit the sack!
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