Scatter the flowers

photo source "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."  ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher  (& also Kelly Clarkson) 👀Why is this happening to me?  Ever asked yourself that?  Are you asking yourself that right now?  I do.  Every. Single. Day.  Let me explain. 👀  As you may already know, I retired last year from a lucrative (haha) teaching career with 8th graders in math.  I know.  Vowing to NEVER GO BACK and literally kissing the ground I walked on that wasn't my 8th grade classroom every day, I thanked my Lord that I was free.  I was singing Alice Cooper's "School's Out" every day.  But oh dear ones, never say never.  A friend texted me and asked if I wanted to teach 8th grade math for a semester to kids that had no teacher but were learning online.  I strongly and confidently said "Nope" and shortly thereafter felt an urging (I would say that's how God directs me) and reconsidered.   Sometimes I think God has a sense of

    photo source                ~ Aibileen, from the movie "The Help" Kindness . Aibileen was demonstrating with her life the words she was speaking to the young girl who was not fully able to comprehend the irony of her world and the brevity of those words by the brave woman who spoke them. She hoped she would remember those words later. Aibileen was living out the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians , "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourself." Though she was treated as "less than", she knew in her heart what the Lord calls us to do. It is so opposite of what the daily world tells us in so many ways.                         "You deserve it."                         "They had it coming."                     "I have to go; I've got a schedule to keep."                     "I'll show them-they can

photo source "The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." ~ Abraham Lincoln 🕰   I'm obsessed with clocks - mostly French or English style - probably because they transport me to some enchanted scene from a book in another time or place.  Many cities have them as focal points on their streets, city centers etc.  I search for them at every estate sale, thrift store or garage sale I go to for my antique booths.  My husband thinks I'm weird.   photo source 🕰    I guess I'm obsessed with time.   I once read a book called "The One-Minute Manager" when I had young kids because aren't we always looking for more hours in our day to get it all done?  It really taught me to take advantage of even the smallest increments of time for little tasks because all the little tasks add up.  At the end of the day it makes a big difference.  I've used that practice my whole adult life.  However, "disclaimer"- remember, in an earlie

                                                                    photo source "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." ~ C.S. Lewis ❄ If you work in any setting - corporate America, teaching, self-employment, managing a household- you have experienced the task of setting goals, refining mission statements, defining your purpose and narrowing your focus.  It's a best practice in any of these settings, and typically done at the start of the new fiscal, calendar year or school year. As a teacher, one of the most valuable and telling tasks we are taught to do is to reflect on lessons after we've implemented them:          What went well?          What should I adjust?          Were all students engaged & included?          How was the time spent on each task?         Did I accomplish the objective? Did they learn what they were supposed to learn?         If they didn't learn it, how can I reteach it? Regardless of when it's done