Today I Love Secret Spy S'more Missions - Slice of Life 2014 Day 6

One of the things I am challenging myself with during this year's Slice of Life Challenge is to write some more poetry...My friend Cathy is good at poetry...I am not very good at poetry.  I think most of the time I am simply centering the words on the page and hoping it LOOKS like a poem even if it doesn't SOUND like one! Be that as it may...here's what 8th grade was up to this morning!  Be kind...

Have you ever tried to be sneaky?

Have you ever tried to be sneaky 

with 

twenty three

 8th graders in tow?

Let me tell you, it's a bit of a challenge!

A representative from a local high school visited yesterday

 and left a goodie bag for my 8^th grade students

with pencils and a s'more kit inside!

What a nice gesture!

 

We had a bit of free time in our morning today,

so we took a 

secret 

spy 

mission

 down to the kitchen

Aw man!  My graham cracker broke!

You notice the size difference at 8th grade!

Don't forget which one is yours!

to put the

crackers

and chocolate

and marshmallows

 together

 on a baking sheet and

 pop

 them into the oven.

 

The girls had guard duty at the door...

 

practicing their Charlie's Angels pose. 

(Although, I don’t think they know who Charlie’s Angels are...

and I am fine with that!)

Of course, 

someone

 had to turn the lights

 off

at some point 

in the process

 

causing all kinds of

squeals

hoots

 and

 hollers.

Long 

story

 short…

We had a great time…

And I hope we have…

S’more!

(Snort!)

Today I Love Making a Difference

     How do know you're making a difference?  I've been thinking a lot about this these past few days...ever since I saw these lovely sidewalk chalk drawings the other day.  We all strive to make our mark on the world in our own way, don't we?  The young sidewalk artists at school made their mark in a beautifully multicolored, yet very temporary fashion.  I doubt after tomorrow's rain, their art will still exist. 

     My middle schoolers were striving to do their best on their standardized tests this week, to the point that one young man told me on Friday, "My brain hurts."  (Poor guy; so did mine, and I only had to administer the tests.)  Will those scores make a difference?  That one depends on who you ask!  Darling daughter and her high school team mates excelled at their latest track meet, proving to themselves that hard work and positive thinking do pay off...yes, a good difference and solid life lessons learned!  And just today I enjoyed the best of the best produced by the fine artists around our league at their championship art show. I know of one young lady who got up at 2:00 this morning to finish her piece...it took best of show.  Hmmm…  I spent the remainder of the day with a bunch of other ladies making memories last at a day long scrap booking crop.  Will any of THAT make a difference?  After the last crop I attended, my boy man thanked me for chronicling his childhood.  He thanked me!  (I'm still picking my jaw up off the ground!) 

     Our 8th graders head off on their 8th grade trip first thing Monday morning.  When we prayed them out on Friday we reminded them that the minute their eyes open on Monday, they are on God's clock.  We prayed that God would open their eyes to every possible opportunity to serve in His name, from opening doors for folks, to picking up litter, to serving at a soup kitchen, to simply being good people. We reminded them that they will be representing our Christian school and that they may possibly be the only Bible some people ever get the chance to "read".  I certainly hope they make their mark next week. 

     Many of you tell me that my little obsession here makes a bit of a difference in your day.  There's not really a "Today I Love Police", but I do believe it's been just about a year that I've been striving to make a difference in this small way.  I've been very intentional about trying each day to put a little bit of positive out into the world.  I don't know if it's made a difference for you or not, but it has for me.  My whole way of thinking has changed. Circumstances that a year ago would have disabled me both spiritually and emotionally, can now in some small way, if not truly be appreciated, can at least be withstood with a bit more grace than before.  My prayer for you, dear friends, is the same that it is for my 8th graders...that God will open your eyes to the opportunities that surround you to simply make a difference.  Today, I love making a difference.

Today I Love Inspiration

For those of you who have been around for awhile, you know that I post one time a day and only one time.  When I post I post positive.  No trauma drama from this mama...at least not here in FB Land!  (Or blog land either for that matter since this is cross-posting!)  

Well, after bordering on negative yesterday, today was another one of those days where I thought to myself, "Maybe today's the day...maybe there are no more things to love.  Maybe today's the day I need to hang it up and just love chocolate chip cookies and get out of the feel good game."  Chocolate chip cookies are my fall back for when I really do run out of things to love...if such a day should ever arrive.

Not so! Last Tuesday, I shared here about a wonderful Poetry Slam performance I had found on youtube.  I am sad to say that I do not remember the bunny trail of links it took me to find it or who the original "sharer" was, but Touchscreen was very well received by my 7th and 8th graders.  Today I was amazed and surprised by a poem that one of my 8th grade students wrote and shared on Facebook.  His timing was impeccable and I told him so...I also told him it made me cry.  He said, "Oh, cool!  I mean...umm..."  I reassured him that they were good, happy, "teacher" tears and asked for his permission to share his work here.  I am doubly impressed that when he posted it, he remembered to include the "inspired by" line at the bottom.  

Thanks for making my day, Clayton!  Today I love inspiration!

Tagging used to be for recess.
Tweeting used to be for birds.
We used to look out windows.
Has technology changed our words?
We used to develop pictures
In the photoshop.
And the Amazon was a river,
A favorite vacation stop.
And instead of using Facebook,
Shouldn't a book be facing me?
Our technology really has
Changed the world we see.
 

Written by Clayton A.

 Inspired by Marshall Davis Jones
2nd place poetry slam
Look him up on YouTube!