“expecto petronum”
—
“dear miss kennedy, i know this spell. if you do that magic it just keeps you safe from stuff if you are in danger.”
– from my student, l.
—
one of kindest and most wonderful gifts i’ve ever received
—
“kindness is a magical spell –
performed by enlightened beings –
meant to enchant hearts and lift weary souls that they might fly.”
-richelle e. goodrich
when someone in our class
got injured while playing outside
the kinder quickly sprang into action
creating art and cards for their friend
23 pieces of art from 14 children
given to her to know she was cared about
a quiet smile was her gift back to them.
—
“making art is like giving a gift: evidence of your spirit and that you are here.”
– paddy mitchell
kinder shares a bowl filled with her red loose parts treasure salad
(it’s a secret recipe)
—
“the heart that gives, gathers.”
-tao te ching
today a ladybug stopped by our classroom veterinary clinic
the kinder docs looked at it closely with a magnifying glass
decided it might be having trouble flying
after much discussion, more close looks, a few notes on a paper, a phone call,
and a blood pressure check of one of the other docs
their good care and magic worked
and the ladybug flew away home.
—
“true compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it.”
-daniel goleman
The lighter penguin is an elderly female whose partner died this year. The darker one is a younger male who lost his partner two years ago. Biologists have followed them as they meet every night to comfort each other. They stand for hours together watching the lights in Melbourne. Photographer Tobias Baumgaertner captured this image of two widowed fairy penguins looking over the Melbourne skyline. It has won an award in Oceanographic magazine’s Ocean Photography Awards 2020.
—
“at the end of the day, the ones who really matter
will be the ones standing next to you watching the sun set
and assuring you that it will rise again in the morning.”
-ash sweeney
—
story credit: natureblowsmymind
carried from home to school
clutched in chubby hand
tiny simple gift
brings precious beauty
to a teacher’s heart.
—
“sometimes, said pooh, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
-a.a. milne – winnie the pooh
a surprise gift to the neighborhood dogs
—
“the simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
-mahatma gandhi
This sculpture was built by the Irish people in their own country to honor the American Choctaw Indian tribe.
They were grateful because the Choctaw people sent money to Ireland
when they learned that Irish people were starving due to the potato famine.
And that is a lesson in how to be a person in this world.
—
“Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do,
but it is giving me that which you need more than I do.”
-Khalil Gibran
==
source: open homes, open hearts u.s., karen waters
‘a friend will bring you a big surprise soon’
– a surprise good fortune left for me today by my friend at the car wash
“acknowledge your good fortune by sharing it.”
-stephen king
going the extra mile
—
“always be a little kinder than necessary.”
-james m. barrie (author of peter pan)
—
ann arbor townies 2021
I didn't have my glasses on.... 