Sunshine In The Storm

As August ends, I hear rumblings; can it be that more rain is headed our way. If you're in the south, then you know it has been a stormy, soggy month. 

We're ready to see more of the sun, that's for sure. 

In leadership classes this week, we've been reading What Do You Do With A Problem? by Kobi Yamada. In this engaging text, the narrator is trying to figure out what to do with the problem that finds and is following him. The illustrations are drawn in such a way that the problem starts out looking like a black cloud and continues to grow to almost-hurricane proportions. As he talks his way through the problem, he realizes that the secret to problems is that they actually hold an opportunity. So I said to my students that it was kind of like finding blessings in your burdens, sunshine in your storm. That's when a new student challenged me with, "What if your problem is so bad that there's no way to find anything good in it? What then?" 

Such a melancholy yet beautiful segue into a discussion about the role of the school counselor, someone to guide you when you're lost, to comfort you when you're sad, to light the path in your darkness, to help you move in right direction. 

Someone to spread cheerfulness.
Someone to remind you that you matter. 

Someone to share joy. 

Someone to listen.

Someone to understand.

Someone to care and hold your heart when you're hurting.

Here now, some pictures of where I get to do what I love:

The stage to the right, for our role plays.

The Puppet Palace in the far back corner.

The Counselor Cafe kidney table in the center.

Behind it, through that opened door, we have a Peace Room ...

filled with lots of different textures to help soothe our senses.

Feelings books, a reflection mirror, warm fuzzies, oh my.

Here's our Crayons to College bulletin board behind the stage

and a close up of our Pillar Power board. 

Team Trustworthiness? I choose YOU.

Just outside of Leadership Central, a 7 Habits of Happy Kids display.

Click the picture to download the lettering from Mel at From The Pond.

I am abundantly blessed to do what I love and love what I do.

In case you missed my guest post about trustworthiness

at Free Spirit Press earlier this week, click the graphic below.

Here's to a daily dose of that glorious Vitamin D.