It seems the perfect remedy
For curing sadness
Would be listening
To a happy song-
But when feeling low
Who wants to hear Put on a Happy Face?
Not before wallowing a bit, anyway
Though it may sound silly
The best medicine
Just might be that familiar tune
From a well-worn sad song
I know it might not make sense
Treating sadness
With more sadness
But give it a try
Next time you’re feeling blue
Let the melancholy notes
Wash over you like an old friend
One who sympathizes
One who understands
One who longs to take your sadness
And add it to their own
Controlled Chaos
My students are on a three-day rotation for specials. Tomorrow is day three since our return from a week of distance learning. Whew! So many emotions. So much exhaustion.
When students returned, they got a surprise-ten brand new keyboards! Their first question when entering the classroom?
Are we going to play those?
Oh, yes, you are. 😊
By the end of the day tomorrow, all my students will have spent time exploring a piano. Now, this was not a piano lesson, as such. It was a chance. A chance to experience something new. A chance to be in their own little world for a few minutes.
This plan meant giving up some control. For me, that is. I divided each class, K-5th grade, into three groups. While one group explored on the keyboards, the other groups colored, played games, or read books. Loud, chaotic, but so worth it!
Music was so much fun today!
That is the first time I’ve ever played the piano.
Will we get to do this again?
Yes, sweet friends, we will do this again. Probably next week. ❤️
Simply Sunday
Open My Eyes
Some roads we travel daily
Others rarely
The first serve their purpose
Transporting us from
Point A to point B
The second calls to us
Invites, at certain times in life
Carries us to pinnacles
Capable of renewing passions
Often dwindled by the daily-
Roads worth traveling
Views worth beholding
Even if it means
Closing my eyes
Around the steep curves
Trusting the one in control
Will let me know
When it is safe
To open my eyes and look around
Inviting me to fathom
How far I’ve come
And how small I am
In comparison
To the vastness
Of this world
For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
Possibilities
Seven little letters
On seven little keys
Along with their neighbors
The twins and triplets
Stepping and hopping
Walking and dancing
In and around
Up and over each other
A musical little bunch
Together, they will make you
Laugh, cry, maybe even dance
Depending on their patterns
And when you learn
To play them
Creating patterns
Of your own
Well, the possibilities are endless
Hopeful
I wrote these two poems as part of an Instagram writing challenge. Thought I would share them here as well. ❤️
Rest
Hurry, hurry
Push, push
Full speed ahead
Barely time to breathe
Until suddenly
An uncontrollable
Full stop
Leading to a fall
Flat on my face
Flat on my back
Unable to move
Unable to think
Unable to connect-
Don’t move
Breathe
Breathe again
Slowly rise
Take a few steps
Sit down
And rest
Spark
One tiny match
Hesitation
Before striking
Be careful
Don’t burn your finger
One tiny spark
Share it quickly
Before it dies
Light a candle
It will light the next
From one hand
To another
Until light pushes
The darkness away
An Old Friend
A jeans and t-shirt girl
That is what I call myself
Oh, I enjoy getting dressed up
For the occasional night out
But if you ask my preference
The answer never changes-
A comfy pair of jeans
And a favorite t-shirt
Now, those jeans can’t be comfy
Without a little wear
Walking down a rugged path
Resting on a large rock or two
Carrying smooth pebbles in my pocket-
They find their purpose that way
Not just a protective covering
No, much more
A reminder of where I’ve been-
Legs crossed sitting by the fire
Those jeans feel like an old friend-
And the t-shirt?
Well… if it’s my James Taylor t-shirt
There is no contest-
Today was a virtual/distance learning day for students in our district. Yes, we know in-person learning is best. But when so many teachers, staff, and regular subs are out sick, it makes in-person learning pretty much impossible.
That meant I pushed out music lessons/activities for students on an online platform. I receive a notification each time a student submits a response. They always make me smile.
After lunch, I noticed a stack of boxes near my classroom. I quickly discovered they were the new keyboards recently ordered for my piano class! Ten of them, complete with stands, headphones, pedals. I’ve got some work to do tomorrow!
This may not have been an ideal teaching day. But there were bright spots. And here I am, sitting on the floor in front of those beautiful boxes, wearing a favorite pair of jeans and a school t-shirt. It was a good day…
Simply Sunday
With Hope
I stare into the dancing flames
Reds, yellows, oranges
Rising from the dry wood
Shifting on the ground
Fanning the playful flames
I warm my cold hands
Not too close-flames that warm
May also burn
Extinguishing the dying flames-
Water mixing with fire
I stare at the rising steam
The blackened wood
Leaving behind the cold
Leaving behind my worries
I walk with hope
Into the light of a new day
Renewal
I watch you
Intricately
Designed
Miniature
Works of art
No one like
The other
Dancing
Across the sky
Making your way
To the ground
To a tree branch
To the tip of my nose
I watch you
Eagerly wishing
Your numbers
Would grow
And blanket the earth
In hopeful renewal
Fall, little snowflakes, fall
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
Morning News
Yesterday, I listened to an uplifting story on the morning news. An unlikely connection between two people living on different continents.
Their initial meeting was over the phone, a call intended to scam. But the man on the receiving end of the call heard something besides the rehearsed message.
In his own words, “…something in that young man’s voice. I could feel that he was a broken person.” He initiated a conversation that turned into a friendship.
If you would like to hear the whole story, check out this link. https://youtu.be/HlbCXHdRcrM
This story led to the following poem. It also made me think of a song, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother. Think I will save that for another day. 😉
Each Other’s Keepers
Sometimes heard
In the voice
Not thru words
In subtle timbres
Tiny waves of uncertainty
Rustling their way
Out from under
Rubble of worries
Cautiously searching
For one listening ear
One open heart
Two reaching hands
Willing to help
Carry the burden
Lessen the weight
If only for a moment
Will my ears hear the waves in your voice?
Will my heart see the need in your eyes?
Will my hands reach out and lift you?
My heart says you would do the same for me
Home
Today, I heard you calling my name
A few notes from a familiar song
In the passing of minutes, maybe seconds
A few notes, but only one word
Each new song the same
One after another, after another
Only a few notes, still the same word
I heard you again even after the music stopped
This time, a whisper from the row of pines across the road
I could smell their fresh, clean scent in my memories
See their lovely green against the blue sky
As in the songs, also in the pines
I heard you calling my name
At the end of my fifth-grade music class today, we watched the Pentatonix video, Home. It is a medley of songs all about, you guessed it, home.
I asked students to count how many different songs they heard. I counted right along with them. The total was fourteen! ( I missed one. 😉)
Though our purpose was listening to count, the activity had a slightly different impact on me. I found myself wanting to make a list and listen to each individual song. Maybe another day…
Simply Sunday
For This Day
Too much time
Spent looking back
And my mind
Becomes cluttered
With only questions
No clear answers
Too much time
Spent looking ahead
And my heart
Becomes unsettled
Hovering over
All the what-if’s
Time wasted
Ignoring moments
Formed for this day
Missing opportunities
For peace to come
Right when needed
Time guarded
Thankful when
My heart and mind
Can rest securely
On the promises
Covering all my days
This past week had its challenges. Everyone in my house was sick with a cold and cough. It was the first week back to school. Needless to say, there was little time for writing or reading the words of my fellow bloggers.
In the middle of all that, I was reminded of the importance of being thankful for each day. And to look for the good in each day. It may be cold outside, but the sun is shining brightly!
Piano Girl 