grace in young minds

sorry i've been MIA lately.  we had our accreditation visit at school and i have been doing nothing other than that for the last few weeks.  i'm happy to announce that it is now over and i am back to my regularly-scheduled day-to-day insanity!

i've had several occasions lately on which to chat with little ones about God, faith, heaven, etc.  just had to share...

upon reading a book called If Jesus Came to My House..., 2nd graders wrote their own pages.  excerpts include:

• If Jesus came to my house, I would make him tea and cookies.  Then we could read a story.
• If Jesus came to my house, I hope he could swim, because I would want to take him in my pool.  (Shouldn't be a problem...he can walk on water!)
• If Jesus came to my house, I would tell him we had to go to Applebee's, because it tastes better than what my mom makes.

sooooo cute!  and not a single mention of tv, nintendo ds, or any other electronic device!

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i happened to walk in the other day when 7th grade was discussing the gospel writers.  they took some time to tell me what they had learned about each one.  i asked them if they ever wondered what it must have been like to have lived when Jesus did- to have actually eaten with him and talked with him and hung out like friends.  they thought for a minute and then one replied, "as sad as it is, i bet the people who did live with him didn't fully appreciate him at the time.  they probably had no idea how good they had it."  to which another replied, "kind of like us today."

these kids...so deep!

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a particularly feisty 1st grader was running around the church during choir practice the other day, rather than sitting in the pew with her peers singing.  she ran up on the altar and it looked like she was playing with the flowers around the statue of Mary.  i walked up to her and explained that they are only for looking, not for touching.  to which she responded, "but miss k, i was just smelling them.  they smell so good.  i think they must be what heaven smells like."  

sigh.  what do you say to that?

out of the mouths of babes...

grace in controlled chaos

controlled chaos.  a term i've heard used often to describe the magic that happens everyday in classrooms.  after finishing my first week as a principal, however, i have a whole new understanding of it on a macro-level.  let me explain.

while i am no longer the person immediately responsible for twenty-something pre-adolescents every minute of the day,  i am now ultimately responsible for two hundred-plus children- their overall well-being, the quality of the education they are receiving, their parents' satisfaction, etc.  i'm also responsible for the twenty-ish adults who work in the building- for their well-being, for their relative happiness and job satisfaction, etc.  i'm also responsible for a century-old building and all of the fun that accompanies it.


what this looks like on a daily basis is me constantly on the move.  there is no "typical day", but here is a glance at one of my days last week:
7:00  Daily Mass
7:30  Walk around outside, greeting students and parents, answering questions, etc.
7:45  Accompany pre-k and k classes inside in an attempt to minimize tears and clingy parents
8:00  Help students lead prayer over the intercom
8:10  Check in with secretary; make sure she's not totally overwhelmed yet
8:20  Make rounds, greet each class, check in with each teacher
9:00  Deal with kindergartener who is hiding in the coat closet and refusing to come out
9:15  Check back in with secretary; attempt to not act overwhelmed when she hands me six phone messages for people I need to call back; attempt to return said calls
10:00  Meet with parent who doesn't understand paperwork for lunch program
10:30  Meet with parent who needs additional financial aid
11:00  Attempt to check email while aforementioned kindergartener sits at table in my office because he refuses to go back to his classroom
11:15  FedEx delivery of more textbooks; unpack boxes, deliver books to classrooms
11:30  Check in with first round of students having lunch out in the hall
11:45  Speak briefly with pastor who stops by to check in
12:00  Check in with second round of lunch
12:30  Check in with final round of lunch
12:45  Get four new phone messages from secretary; too overwhelmed to call back, I sit down and try to eat at least part of my lunch before something else gets thrown my way
1:00  Take 7th graders over to church to practice for Mass they are leading next week
1:30  Pre-k teacher comes into office with two students who were biting each other; previous policy was that biters immediately went home, no questions asked.  Decide quickly that this isn't fair since we haven't informed parents of this yet this year.  Tell teacher to send home warning, add policy description to this week's newsletter.
1:45  Attempt to respond to a few emails (only get to 2 out of 17)
2:10  Help students lead closing prayer and announcements over the intercom
2:15 Go outside with pre-k and k classes to help with dismissal, speak to mother of aforementioned kindergartener about ideas to help him transition more easily
2:45  Get back inside to be attacked by 5 teachers in a row needing different things
3:00  Find out what needs to be done before tomorrow from secretary before she leaves for the day; begin getting said things done.
7:00  Head home


Here's the thing: I don't want to jinx it, but right now, I'm thriving on the constant bombardment of different things.  Not only is everyday different, but every minute is different.  I never know what's coming next, and I love it.  It's energizing.  And relatively speaking, I've been able to handle everything that's come my way so far, in a relatively controlled manner.  Let's hope that's not just beginner's luck.

grace after grace after grace

all day long.  thank God, some days are like that!

• driving to school on a beautiful clear morning, with the pinkish-orange sun coming up and reflecting on the charles (oh how i love thee, storrow drive!), windows down, hair drying in the breeze.

• as i'm pulling into town, i drive past the bus stop.  an extremely inebriated woman (at 6:30 am- yikes) yells out to me, "HEYYYYYY!!!"  i smiled and said hi back (what else to do?).  she yelled back, "God bless you, ma'am!  have a great day!"  what better way to start one's day?  i mean, really.
• went to daily mass before school.  message: our words must be kind and our actions must reflect our words.  solid.
• came out of mass to children and parents everywhere.  walked around introducing myself and welcoming the kids.  loved speaking spanish!
• got to help numerous kindergarten students find their classroom...soooo precious.  did i mention i have the cutest kids ever?
• led morning prayer over the intercom (yay for figuring out the intercom, which appears to be older than my grandma!) and met with a mother whose husband has recently lost his job and she begged for a scholarship.  it was so humbling.  she started crying in my office and said she'd do anything she could- even clean bathrooms.  there are few things more inspiring than parents who so desperately want their children to receive a catholic education that they are willing to scrub toilets.
• saw a friend of mine who used to teach gym at my old school...his daughter is at my new school.  he told me their commute is so long that they were planning to pull her out and put her in public schools there, but when they found out i was coming, they decided she had to stay.  yeah, i definitely almost started crying right then and there.
• went around to visit every classroom.  helped kindergarten take a "field trip" to the bathroom.  listened to a story with 2nd grade.  3rd grade was writing letters to Jesus.  it was so great it felt surreal.  too good to be true.
• two deliveries- a lucky bamboo plant from my amazing mentor from last year and 2 dozen roses from my parents for our foyer...so sweet!  and added to some beautiful cards i've received this week from dear friends...i am so blessed.
• at dismissal a little girl in 4th grade gave me a homemade card in an envelope that said, "welcome ms. k--we love you and are glad you're here!"  can i just say precious one last time?
• we had an awesome cpr training this afternoon, with the exception of one of my teachers getting really sick, feeling faint, and having an irregular heartbeat.  we called an ambulance and they're keeping her in the hospital overnight, but think she'll be fine.  it was really scary, but thank God there were plenty of people (including a trained emt) around who could help.  also, after she left, we all came together and prayed.  talk about getting thrown into the role of spiritual leader!
• pretty sure the day couldn't have been any better.  well, maybe if i had gotten home before 6pm.  but other than that, pretty perfect!

grace in unexpected bargains

today was a great day.  and it's only 1:08 pm.  it started with teacher appreciation day at staples, followed by a yard sale around the corner from my house, and a trip to home depot to buy paint for the bathrooms at school.  i got some good deals at each place, but my true blessing of the day was in a set of five (count them- FIVE) of these chairs (normally priced at $87.36 each) for fifty bucks.  we have been re-vamping our office at school, and really need some tables and chairs to spruce things up and bring ourselves into this century. 

what we had before was functional, i'll say that, but i've realized how much i am really mentally affected by my surroundings, and aesthetics are important, i don't care what anyone says.  it makes a big difference to walk into a clutter-free, organized, reasonably updated office rather than the opposite.  we're not totally there yet, but we're on our way, and someone told me recently that direction is more important than speed, so i'm going with it.  i think there's a lot of wisdom in that little saying!  the chairs we had before looked more or less like this:


yeah...little bit of money spent = big mental health savings.  thank you, God, for good bargains and nice neighbors!

graceful productivity

i have to (sadly) admit that since i started my new job six weeks ago, every day has been relatively tough.  meaning, i come home exhausted and with a headache- everyday.  thanks be to God, i am thrilled to share that today was different.  of course, there was still the normal chaos and non-stop activity, but today also brought two wonderful meetings with teachers, and a quiet afternoon of solid work. 

today i accomplished all of the following:

• followed directions from the technology guy over the phone and fixed our internet when it was down (this was a source of great pride for me, i'm not gonna lie)
• registered a new student
• translated four posters and 14 bulletin announcements into Spanish
• created a master schedule for all special classes for the coming years
• set up meetings with the teachers i have not yet met with
• caught 6 mice in traps
• created a to-do list for the next two weeks before school starts
• hired a music teacher
• set up volunteers to help distribute textbooks and move things that need to be moved the rest of this week
• broke into a locked closet (couldn't find the key) and found a missing step stool for the nuns
• got an estimate on new flooring for the middle school hallway
• dealt with two not-so-happy parents over the phone and (i think) took care of things
• probably a lot of other things that i can't think of right now

the result:  i left school (albeit at 6:45 pm) tonight feeling accomplished, worthwhile, somewhat in control, and headache-free.  here's hoping for many more days like today!

eat. pray. love.

it's been a bestseller for years.  now it's a box office hit, thanks to julia roberts.  something inside me says it's much more than a book and a movie.  you may disagree with me completely- and you reserve the right to your own opinion- there is plenty of criticism out there for this book/movie/woman/story.  i guess i just feel like, at its heart, it's a story about the journey toward oneself, which is ultimately a journey we can all relate to.  no, we don't all experience the pain of divorce...but we all experience pain.  no, we don't all run to italy to stuff ourselves with pasta, but we all seek some type of pleasure to numb the pain.  no, we don't all buy into eastern religious practices at the drop of a hat, but we all seek God in our own ways.  finally, we don't all travel to bali to hang out with a toothless medicine man and end up finding love, but we often return to the place where we first recognized truth, and we often find love when we give up looking for it.  there is something very universal about this story.  her story is my story- and your story. 

it reminds me of another story i've been reading lately...the story of a franciscan priest who walked the camino.  was he running away after a bitter divorce?  no, he chose to walk the camino in thanksgiving for 10 years of being a priest and the many blessings in his life during that time.  completely different motivations- very similar journey.  the journey inward.  the journey to oneself.  the journey to God.  in "eat pray love", the main character is searching for God, and is struck when told, "God lives in you- as you."  it's the age-old story of searching the world to find what you had all along- what changes in the process is you.  you develop new eyes- a new heart- a new attitude- and suddenly you can see/feel/appreciate/love that which you have always had. 

i was thinking about this wisdom- eat. pray. love.  i think there is something to it.  and all i can think about is the prayer and love involved in eating, and the nourishment and love involved in prayer, and the hunger and prayer involved in loving.  they are all so inter-woven.  take the last supper, for example (let's be honest- if you're going to use a meal as an example, that's the one to use!).  yes, there was eating (at least, bread was broken, right?).  but there was so much love present at that table- among jesus and his friends.  and where two or more are gathered...clearly the whole meal was one big prayer, as jesus reminded/foretold his disciples the essence of what he really wanted them to remember...God was definitely present there.  and every time i go to mass and receive the eucharist, yes, i am eating bread (transformed into jesus' body), but i'm also praying, loving, and receiving divine love.  take it down a notch.  thanksgiving dinner with the family.  lots of eating.  prayers of gratitude, whether spoken or not.  and don't even try to tell me that you don't just overflow with love as you look around the table and realize what a great gift you have in those people around you.  in shared meals, we come hungry and broken.  we leave full and whole.  eat.  pray.  love.  maybe it really is that simple.

grace in days off

my mom and grandma have always lived by mother cabrini's quote, "we have all of eternity in which to rest; now let us work!"

don't get me wrong, i love to work hard- especially at work worth doing, which is how i think of the work expected of me everyday.  most of the time, i love what i do.

but it's summer, gosh darn it, and sometimes you just need a day off!

this week has been such a gift of grace to me.  they are doing the floors at school, an annual event that every teacher dreads (because it means getting everything off the floor and ready to be moved) and every administrator loves (because it means "working from home" or not working at all!).  my week has been a balance of the two.  i have been checking voicemail and email and responding as much as i can with the resources i have here at home, as well as doing some planning, ordering of school supplies, etc.  but i've also done a lot of sitting around in my pj's, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, running errands and just generally taking care of myself and doing the things i don't normally have/make time for.  not quite the adventures that ferris chose for his day off, but perfect for me.

it has been divine.

tomorrow, i'm going in to school to check on the progress  the floors and do some work at school that i can't do here at home.  even though i know it's going to be a long day, i'm actually excited to get in there and get busy.  that's the grace of a day off...mental rest, relaxation, and preparation for the next day on.