The dogs and I have been out in this “mild, mild wind, and a mild looking sky. On such a day – very much such a sweetness as this” we should remember the strokes of grace freely given to us — the joy of these and all animals, this early break in winter, flowers beginning to show themselves in green shoots along southern walls, the relief of shrugging off heavy coats, the knowledge that as I write this the birds are moving north in clouds so massive they can be tracked on radar. And in Florida the survivors of Parkland and their friends and families are mobilizing at the State Capitol and making plans for gathering in Washington in March.
My God, what have we done to deserve these kids?
I loved teaching for many reasons as I now love story time with preschoolers at my job. The deepest reason why I loved the classroom is because those students sustained me. Whatever I gave them, I received back ten-fold — their unflinching good humor, their irreverence, their resilience, their capacity for hope, and in many, a fearlessness that gave me courage. The secret most teachers know is that we do this work because kids stretch the dimensions of our joy in living.
Now, in Florida and elsewhere, they are rising up today and showing us what endurance and bravery look like.
We have done nothing to deserve these kids, all of these kids. Such blessings are freely given. As adults we have not earned them.
They have given us the opening to earn them now.
