I am feeling especially thankful this week.
Time spent with my kids reminds me what really good eggs they are. Funny, smart, loyal and good. I think it is a measure of a truly blessed family when you can honestly say these are the people I would choose to spend my time with even if I wasn't bound by blood.
It was a good week for speeches that renewed my pride in America. The pen really is mightier than the sword as playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton first told us in 1839. Best lines of the week:
When there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit. HRC
I am asking you to join me to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what's best in us. Barrack Obama
When they go low, we go high. Michelle Obama
But the quotes that moved me the most came from the father of fallen war hero, Humayum Khan.
Have you even read the United States' Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. Look for the words liberty and equal protection of law.
You have sacrificed nothing and no one. Khizr Khan
Words matter. They hold the power to build up or to tear down. They hold the power to move us to tears and move us to action. I am extremely grateful for the words of passion and encouragement I heard this week. They make me want to be better.
I had my first day of work for the 2016-17 school year this week. After all these years I still get a little thrill out of new school supplies. As I began moving pertinent information from last year's planner onto the snow white pages of this year's, I couldn't help but feel excitement about the potential each of those unmarked days holds. Come on back, kids! I am ready for us to get to work.
Your favorite quotes of the week are also mine! What a beautiful, gracious lady Michelle is! Her speech, and those of the others you mentioned brought tears to my eyes at certain points. Yes. Words do matter. Why spend a lifetime spewing ones that degrade and hurt?
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteI love what you said about words and their power. Absolutely true!
ReplyDeleteYes, there were some incredible lines this past week :)
Is it really that time already? Back to school prep *sigh*. It's come all too soon.
Enjoy your new supplies :D
The kids won't be at school yet for a couple weeks, but staffers have started trickling in. It all goes so fast!
DeleteI remember the thrill of new supplies at back-to-school time. Hope this is a good year for you and your students!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I do too. Some of my students struggled beyond reason last year. I am praying for stability at home and school for them all.
DeleteSo soon? Definitely, the best part of back-to-school was the prospect of clean, crisp new school supplies.
ReplyDelete:-)
Love all those mighty words. Thanks for spreading their message even farther forward in this post. Why I love words so much.
Well crafted words move me so deeply.
Deleteit still knocks me out, how early the school year begins in other parts of the country. seems that many states begin in August (though a comment on Christine's post mentioned a start date in July!).
ReplyDeleteodd, as the school year is not a direct factor in my reality, but it retains a seasonal potency thats right up there with the traditional holidays. when conditions are just right, and the first morning of chill temperatures are accompanied by a 'too blue' sky, I can smell un-sharpened pencils, stiff, tissue-wrapped new shirts and the chalk-and-sawdust of a fresh from the summer school corridor
You paint a vivid picture. Last week when I walked down the freshly polished tile hallway passing all the classrooms with freshly scrubbed desks, I felt just this thing. It really is as evocative as a major holiday.
DeleteOh my wonderful internet connection fizzled AGAIN and my comment disappeared.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the power and import of words and definitely agree there were some grand ones spoken last week. I found myself moved to tears several times - and quite surprised by it, actually.
I am always amazed at the wide variety of school year start/end times in this country. We still have almost four weeks left. But we're crying about that, too, because we used to go back after Labor Day (which to me just feels "right"), but not any more. Boo hoo. I do hope you have a wonderful year!
And new school supplies? Yes!
Just logged my first day. The kids don't actually return until the 16th. So, it is those slow catch up with friends days. Can't complain about them for sure!
ReplyDeleteI was surprisingly moved by words spoken at the convention, too. I thought I was too cynical about all that. I'd come to kinda hate hearing politicians talk (even those I mostly agree with) because so often the talk seems filled with phrases that don't mean much. But I sensed an urgency that felt authentic. It felt like more than the usual rhetoric. And it lifted me up in a way I thought was no longer possible.
ReplyDeleteSending you (and your kiddos) wishes for a great school year. We have several more weeks off here, but I begin a 2-week class on Monday, so I'm definitely feeling the ending of my summer mind-set. That's OK, though. It's been a funky summer, and I think it will be good to let it go.
The kids don't return until the 16th though they are starting to trickle in to the building. I love when they are secretly anxious to get back to the routine and to us!
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