"You make me happy when skies are gray..."

Yesterday I stayed late at work trying to find an interesting current event to share with my students this morning, but after about an hour of searching, I couldn't find anything that wasn't incredibly disturbing, depressing, and/or degrading. As I perused the stories, my hope for the future quickly dwindled to fear. I finally gave up and headed for home. The feeling stayed with me for a few hours, but eventually I was able to get my mind to focus on other things. When I woke up this morning, it hit me that I still didn't have a current event. As soon as I got to work, I went to CNN.com only to find the same, and even more depressing stories headlining the news. When class began, I told my kids about my struggle in trying to find something interesting to share with them. Of course, they were curious about these "horrific" stories I'd found, so we briefly discussed a few things going on. I was relieved to find they were as bothered as I was. After we'd shared a few of our thoughts, the heavy feelings I'd been carrying were gone. Just that brief discussion had helped me to deal with my confusion and fear.

It's easy for the world to look at teenagers and blame them for all past, present, and future problems--and, sometimes, I'm one of those people--but today, as I sat back and watched them work, I was overwhelmed with how much I love them. These kids are real. They may act tough, but they worry about their future. They care about what's happening around them. And, what I most appreciated today, they care about me. As I stood there giving my daily "Do good things with your lives!" speech, they listened, and they comforted, and they lifted. Hoodlums? Sometimes. Do I love them? Always.

"Ain't no mountain high enough to keep me from you..."

I came home tonight to find a package waiting for me in the foyer. Inside I found a set of 3 cd's my sister had made for me. She also sent a note telling me she appreciated me as a sister and loved me. I was crying before I'd finished reading the few lines she'd written. I've been listening to the mix of familiar songs all evening, and I've been wrapped up in memories of my sisters. There are also a few new songs...songs Jen knew I could relate to. A few weeks ago, I received a package from my other sister, Gwen. She'd made me a fantastic skirt for no reason at all--just to tell me she loved me. I know I often take them for granted, but tonight, I am keenly aware of what incredible women surround me in my family. They have silently stood by me while I've worked my way through things the past few months. They haven't prodded or pushed, they've only loved and prayed. And I have no doubt that those prayers have been the main sustaining force in my life.