From Her Heart

It's that time again, the month of lasts. 

Last band banquet - check 

last academic banquet - check 

last band concert - check 

last AP test - check 

last PROM, next weekend.  

Yesterday Jacob's class took their last group graduation picture before Baccalaureate. Here's a shot of our senior as he headed out the door. Another thing to check off of our list. It's a nice event, actually, that prayer service for the seniors. Optional, of course, but we decided to attend. Several alumni from my elementary school were in leadership roles: the welcome, the invocation, the song. The song, that's what stuck with me. 

Actually not the song, so much, as the singer, a girl named Ariana whom I vividly remember as a third grader, mostly from my knitting club. It was our first year, ten years ago, and she was so happy and proud to bring her grandmother to mentor. It's funny the things that you remember about people. Her grandmother knits continental style and I hadn't seen that before. Ariana learned easily and knit some beautiful patches for that first quilt we ever made. Anyway, I've only seen her one other time since third grade, when she was a freshman and worked on a project in Spanish class with our daughter.

Yesterday, she was on the agenda to sing the song Every Heart Has A Story To Tell by Sara Haze. She walked gracefully up the stairs and onto the stage and told us that this song is about lessons learned. Then she went on to say that she learned a lesson just today, to always bring a second CD in case the one you have doesn't want to cooperate with the equipment. She added that she'd be singing it for us a cappella today, but that next time she'd bring a spare. And then this courageous, resilient, poised young woman, all alone on stage in a crowded auditorium, sang this beautifully haunting ballad. 

By herself. 

From her heart.

I didn't have my flip cam, but there's a You Tube clip of the song; just imagine a voice every bit as mesmerizing but without the accompaniment.

My heart is so happy about kids like Ariana in the Class of 2013.

Find Your Voice

What it said was that this is AmAzInG.

What it didn't say is to have your tissues ready.

What I know is that it feels like a Sparks novel ...

Prepare to be inspired by these beautiful

junior high songsters in their tribute to

a positively influential force in their lives, 

to a teacher who helped them find their voice:

Melissa Smith . . .

 Their

choir director,  

confidant, 

counselor, 

coach,

cheerleader,

musician, 

mentor, 

mom, 

guide,  

encourager, 

teacher,

friend

and . . .

So grab your tissues and click {here} for the montage tribute

 compiled with admiration, love and gratitude

by choir mom and photographer Caroline Clark.

We'll miss you, Melissa!

Alice In Dairyland

If you're not from Wisconsin, you might think 

I meant Alice in Wonderland, but those of you who hail from

 America's Dairyland know what being crowned 

Alice In Dairyland 

means. It is with pride and pleasure that I share the good news that the 66th Alice in Dairyland is my niece, Kristin Natzke Olson. 

Click {here} to watch her television interview.

Kristin will start her Alice adventure on June 3rd and spend the year as an Ambassador for the Agriculture Industry. Last year's Alice made ~400 school visits, so I have no doubt that Kristin will be one busy beauty. I'm not sure they'll let her come to Texas as part of her outreach tour, but you better believe we'll be sending an invitation to this year's Alice 

to come to Friendswood. 

Congratulations, Kristin, we are so proud of you!

Why Knot?

Today I'm excited because we dressed as rockers to celebrate our volunteers who rock!

Such a Motley Crew we are!

Anywho, how many times have your students been stuck on a problem and the solution was pretty much staring at them, just willing them to figure it out? Sometimes we just have to let go and look at it from a different angle, with a different mindset, or from a different point of view, right?

Enter The Knot exercise. This is such a great visual for the need to keep an opened mind, to have a growth mindset, to allow yourself go after something from a different angle, to think outside of 
that proverbial box.

Give each student a 12" piece of rope, yarn, or string. Instruct them to hold one end in each hand and, without letting go, tie a knot. They'll try for awhile, but it's knot going to work! Process that with them. What do they do with seemingly impossible tasks, problems without clear solutions, like that one? Whom do they go to for help? How do they choose those people? This might just lead you into a "someone you trust" lesson, too!

Now lay that same piece of string down and cross your arms. With arms crossed, use your hands (one for each end) to pick up the rope. Uncross your arms and watch that knot magically appear.

Here's a quick tutorial to show you how it's done ...

why knot try it?

What other things could you use the knot to illustrate?

You'll Call Her Mommy

Happy Mother's Day!

I am truly blessed to not only have a wonderful mom 

but to have found many, many surrogate moms 

to enrich my life and help me along the way. 

I'm also incredibly blessed to be a mom to three beautiful children.

When our youngest was about to be born, my friend Rhonda gave me a copy of this poem and I cried like a baby. I thought at the time that it was just because my hormones were all out of whack, but I came across it on video this morning and the tears came again. 

If you're up to it, watch Little Angel {here}.

Since then, I've given it out to many other moms

 and today I share it with you.

**********

Little Angel

Once upon a time, there was a baby ready to be born.

So one day the child asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there, being so small and helpless?”

God said, “Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and she will take care of you.”

The child said, “But tell me, here in Heaven, I don’t do anything else but sing and smile. That’s enough for me to be happy.”

“Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel’s love and be happy.”

“And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t know the language that men talk?”

“Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”

“And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?”

“Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”

“I’ve heard that on earth there are bad men.  Who will protect me?”

“Your angel will defend you, even if it means risking her life.”

“But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.”

“Your angel will always talk about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.”

At that moment, there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the little child in a hurry asked softly, “Oh, God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.”

God said, “Your angel’s name is of no importance. You’ll call her mommy.”

**********

 NOTE: The copy that I received did not have an author's name, so if you know who wrote this heartwarming piece, please pass his/her name along so that I can properly credit it.

PPBF: The Granddaughter Necklace

Today's PPBF is a perfect pick for the Friday before Mother's Day!

Title: The Granddaughter Necklace
Author: Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline
Publisher: Arthur A. Levin Books (an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.)
Date: January 1, 2013
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes: genealogy, roots, ancestry, grandparents, family ties, relationships
Brief synopsis: A necklace becomes a treasured heirloom when it is handed down from generation to generation.
Opening page:  Once there was a girl named Frances, who took a boat across the sea. Her mother gave her a glittering necklace that would belong to me someday. Handed down through generations, it's a necklace worn by the women and girls in my family.
Resources:  
Read a comprehensive review at the Picturebook Depot blog {here}
Turn the keychain activity {here} into a keepsake necklace
Visit the author's webpage {here}
Make Family History Fun with Family Tree Kids {here}

Why I like this book:  We wouldn't be who or what we are without our ancestors; what fun it is to uncover information about and honor the memory of those relatives who forged the way for us. I found myself feeling gratitude to my ancestors while I read from past to present the story of each of the women who wore this special piece of jewelry. This heartwarming treasure will undoubtedly make you wonder a little bit more about your great-great-great grandmother, too. Study the names in the book. Don't you just love the name Frances? Research this year's most popular names. I heard on the radio this morning that the most common boy's name has been Jacob for the last 14 years in a row. What about the girl's name? In the book, you'll see names of old like Evon, Mildred, Cordelia, and Sallie. My mom's name is Marilyn. What's yours? Use it as a springboard for making (or continuing to work on) your own family tree and enjoy the trip down memory lane.