Safety

I was sitting with one of my sixth graders, Ioca, on Friday. We were talking about the possibility of unicorns existing in this world. She was pretty confident they were on the highest mountains of Jamaica, and although I have never been graced with a unicorns presence, I certainly do not have evidence of their non existence.

She pointed to a small leaf. It was nestled within various other leaves in the "bush", as Jamaicans like to call it. As she extended her finger to touch the tiny plant, it clasped shut, only to reopen seconds later. Even the most slightest touch caused the leaf to quickly deny the world and retreat to its own safety, into its own self. Like a safety mechanism, right? I had never seen a plant that responded like this to a persons touch. But that is what it is, after all. A safety mechanism.

Isn't that what many of us do...with the slightest suspicion of closeness from a stranger, we close right up, claiming we are private people.

It's none of their business, right?

Or is it just a safety mechanism?

But what about the beauty that lies within?

I mean who is to say Ioca is wrong...Maybe unicorns are real after all...

Uniquely Perfect

I met a man this morning. He asked me if I was writing a book. I told him, "yeah..." and he said, "Well, aren't we all?"

The universe works in mysterious ways but things seem to work out

People of faith believe it is because God loves us. God delivers.

The world is just so beautiful...especially when people say they love you and mean it, even though you may have been strangers an hour ago

Great conversations are happening at this very moment. all around the world.

Because people are meant to feel. feel the earth, feel the air, feel the love around them. and talk about it.

And this world can be a better place, if we become committed to the better world...starting with how we treat eachother, how we love eachother, how we act around eachother.

I've been blessed in my life with my family and friends, who have made me feel so very loved and cherished and supported.

They make me feel warm inside. happy. loved.

You know, that kind of warmth you feel after a long day of cold rain
and just as the sun is setting you get a glimpse of the rays
as they gently touch your skin and you smile
because the world is beautiful.

Thats the warmth I am talking about.
Thats the beauty I am trying to explain.

Sometimes we encounter people who exert warmth and beauty
in their tiniest movements,
in their words,
in their stillness.

Their presence soothes. Their energy comforts. Their aura enlightens. They are warm. They are beautiful.

The make your heart flutter and you remember them for days. They are purely human for all of their humanness- The humanness that brings together and the humanness that tears apart. The humanness that is imperfect.

Then, in so many ways, perfect.

Uniquely perfect, that is.

Circles and Circimference

I taught grade six yesterday. A bunch of bubbling twelve year olds, not at all excited about circles and circumference. Even I wasn't excited about circles and circumference. But they have a huge country-wide test on Thursday and Friday that determines the high school they get accepted into and essentially much of the rest of their life.

They were laughing and playing throughout the entire lesson as twelve year olds do, until their teacher finally became frustrated and left, instructing them to get her when they were ready to learn.

I was sitting within earshot, curious to see their next move. Several children rose from their seats to resume the duty of the teacher, but soon realized they had no idea how to do any of the examples in their books and retreated back to their seat.

"Miss Amber?" I soon heard. "Can you come a teach?"

I rose apprehensively from my seat and made my way over to their table. Circles and circumference...how can I put this in twelve year old terms? So I jumped in...and they listened and still laughed and goofed off, but were actually answering my questions and actually learning!

Learning.

It was pretty much a Christmas miracle, as far as I was concerned...these children barely have pencils to write with, but despite it all, are still energetic, innocent and want to learn. And about an hour later, their teacher walked back in, relieved they were actually working and thrilled that they had learned the material. I had won them for the rest of the day, if I wanted them, she told me. So they were mine, and we talked about which high school they wanted to attend and why, along with more on circles and diameter. I think I even recall me saying at least once "Practice makes perfect" (thanks mom) and I never enjoyed the topic more. Their innocent energy made me laugh, but they also made me proud and impressed me, as they really tried their best, despite the issues of poverty they face daily.

I smiled as they celebrated a correct answer with a victory dance or kissed their teeth with an wrong one.

They giggled when I wiped chalk on my forehead. They also loved to continually measure their height against mine...me mostly being on losing end of that game.

But it was a beautiful day and refreshed me, despite the difficulty in keeping their attention at times. Nothing spectacular happened. It was an ordinary day in many ways. I just taught grade six. And I was happy.