Skip to main content

Looking for the Words


empty places
empty spaces
taking the time
to miss loved ones
phone calls
a text
an email
words written in sand
“I Love You”
the day continues
as I put away the memories
of loved ones far away

reaching out to embrace all
I have close to me
Patti
windows open, music blaring
voices raised in song
while cruising down the road
the Atlantic so close
beach sand between my toes
the music of the waves lulling me to sleep

the day continues
as I dream of the blessings
of everything new and so near

reflecting on the start of all
I gained time with my brother
Jamie who took me
road trippin’ from GA to NC
awaiting me
no place to live
no mode of transportation
knowing it would work out
a smiling face at McDonalds
taking me to a Cadillac
on hold just for me
SOLD
further down the road
a house
on hold just for me
ready to move in the next day
a stranger-soon-to-be-colleague
opening her house to me
until I had one of my own
soon the smiling faces of students
laughter filling my classroom
I became part of a team
sunshine each day
new friends and old friends
making the world a little smaller

the day continues
as I wake up on the beach
and realize
I LOVE MY LIFE

Now if I could just find the words…

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2010 at 12:34 PM

    Oh Mandie what a way you have with words to express yourself. But anyone who really knows you know that you not only love your life you love your family, students and friends also. I am so proud of what you have accomplished in the short time I have known you. KEEP ON GOING. yOU WILL ALL BE TOGATHER AS A COMPLETE FAMILY ONE OF THESE DAYS.
    Love you and miss you. Marguerite

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aging sucks.....or does it?

Upon first thought, watching a parent age sucks. Unnoticeable at first. A bit of a stoop, some creaking in the knees, whitening of the hair. The doctor’s visits begin, as do the pills One for high blood pressure, another to thin the blood, and a handful of vitamins to top it off. The signs are there, but it is easier to see him as he has always been. My father, a pillar of strength. Until my pillar was knocked off-kilter. A simple surgery and the mortality of my father looked me square in the eye when the drugs took hold of his brain. Amidst his fidgeting and confusion, I realized…AGING SUCKS! And then….enlightenment dawned upon me….AGING IS BEAUTIFUL Wrinkles tell of smiles while silver hair speaks a life of memories. Knees creaky after years of kneeling in prayer, offering up a lap, and climbing up the stairs for one more kiss goodnight. Almost forty-eight years of memories nestled in my heart. Memories of my father. Taking us to church each Sunday Building and fixing ...
2 comments
Read more

Fiery Passion

It is 10:44am on Wednesday morning. I sit here in a darkened classroom with no power. During the last 24 hours I have walked a student down to the office with a big knot on her head as the result of a fight; counseled the other half of the fight on different choices she could have made; been an object of a discussion between two teachers; backed my car into a ditch; and restrained a girl. Oh, yeah, and I taught about Civil Rights a bit also. My life continues to be an adventure! Fast forward nine hours. My day at school has come to a close giving me a few moments to sit and reflect on the adventure of the last day and a half. I continue to contemplate what could be done to teach the girls how to embrace the fiery passion they have within rather than to let it out through fighting. Let’s take a walk back through time….. In every other school I have taught in, teachers have a lunch break. This is not the case at BMS. Teachers eat with the students, albeit at a separate table. We...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Art of Being Thankful

Yup! This entry is going to be totally cliché. After all, it is that time of year where we stop and think about what we are thankful for in our lives. So here it is. My list of thankful. 1.    One less kid home for the holidays Sean won’t be coming home for the holidays this year. He has been with me every year at Christmas since 1988. I will miss him dreadfully. However, I am so very thankful that he will be spending the holidays honoring fallen soldiers. I am thankful for the man of repute he has become. Most of all, I am thankful he is not one of the fallen. 2.   Unemployment Tony does not have a typical job down here. A few days a week, he drives a rickshaw for tips only and substitutes whenever he gets the opportunity. While we never know what we can count on for the budget, I know I can count on him to be there for the girls; to clean the house; to get the vacuuming done; and so much more. I cannot even fathom how he could enjoy working inside the...
1 comment
Read more