Get Up

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Bales;

just look at this beautiful display in our library collaboratory!

Totally made by kids.
And what would the season of kindness be without a winter superheroes board, southern style? Here's my new creation for our Great Kindness Challenge.

Today I saw this growth mindset masterpiece on a visit to Ross Elementary just down the road. Don't you love how the black and white changes to a colorful burst of brain power as the fixed mindset changes to a growth mindset?

The reason for today's visit to Ross centered around this man,

our favorite ventriloquist Dennis Lee,

and his miraculous story of 

resilience and recovery,

of healing and hope,

of gratitude and generosity.

When my friend Jenn switched schools this year, I naturally assumed that she would bring Dennis' show to her new school family. He is, after all, our favorite performer because of his powerful, passionate character campaign. When she told me that the budget didn't support the cost of his show and that her Roadrunners weren't going to be seeing his show, I felt a tug to ask Dennis when he came to us in October if he'd be willing to work with me to bring his show to them. As it turned out, I missed Dennis' show this year so I texted him asking if I could hire him to do his Lite As A Feather show for Ross. He wrote me back almost immediately and told me to make it happen, that he'd like to do his show for them ... at no charge {to them or me}.

Dennis Lee is a gift. Not because he's a wildly talented and hilariously engaging ventriloquist {although that's totally true and he's oh, so fun to watch on stage}, but because he's a wildly generous and incredibly compassionate friend to everyone who is lucky enough to cross his path. Dennis Lee walks the talk, now more than ever after surviving a life-threatening collision this past March which makes it painful at best to even walk at all. Today he treated my friend's school family to a beautifully powerful message, to get up even when we don't want to or when we think we can't, to lift people up instead of tearing them down, and to always ask "why not?" instead of "why?" He encouraged those little Roadrunners to unpack the icky stuff that weighs them down and get it out of their wagon. And he let them know that they deserve to be loved because they are a treasure. 

Tears filled my eyes as I watched my friend Dennis cast his magic spell on this school family; what an experience as they giggled, gasped, laughed, clapped, and enjoyed the inspiration that is Dennis Lee. Thank you, Dennis, for your determination to get back up and keep on growing. Clearly God has big plans for you. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your AmAzInG journey.