Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Inspiring Mindfulness
Today I'm thinking about mindfulness.
About being in the moment.
About savoring every second.
About the power of deep breathing.
You see, chaos has come calling a lot lately;
October tends to be like that.
Lots of planning, lots of running around.
Football games.
Band competitions.
Homecoming Weekend.
Character Counts Week.
Red Ribbon Week.
Fall festivals.
At-risk data collection.
SOCKtober.
Halloween.
But just because chaos invites us in
doesn't mean we have to go, right?
I found myself helping some fifth-grade girls
breathe through their drama today,
and wondered why I don't do more of that for myself.
Breathe.
Just breathe.
And be.
Just be.
I often wake up craving a nap.
To get away.
To relax.
To restore.
And I think it's a wake-up call
to do a better job with mindfulness and self-care.
So in my research, I've found these resources:
***************************
In case you missed my guest post at Free Spirit Press last week on the importance of teaching fairness, click {here} to go there.
And, as an update in our personal journey,
Joshua's high school marching band
qualified as one of the 39 6A bands to march in the
Texas State Marching Band Competition.
So next Tuesday, they'll take their show called
Dot To Dot
to San Antonio to perform in the Alamodome.
As the dots on the field during this year's poetry-in-motion unfold,
engaged spectators are visually inspired with reminders to
Look Forward,
Trust In Something,
Follow Your Heart,
Connect The Dots.
We are so proud of their hard work,
their determination and drive,
their passion and perseverance
in their quest for the best
and we thank the dedicated directors,
the proud and very patient parents,
and the valued volunteers
for giving of their time and talent
to be that village that every child needs.
Good luck, Band.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Make A Mark
Happy International Dot Day!
Have you seen Emily Arrow's new song based on Peter Reynolds' book ISH yet?
Isn't she just precious-ish?
I'll admit it; I went all fan girl when she Tweeted me that she's working on the sheet music for the ukulele.
I'm on it!
And there's another ukulele sensation on the scene;
have you seen this little singer songwriter?
Amazing Grace.
I admire how she's making her mark,
one original song at a time, big time!
The ukulele really is a magical little instrument,
especially when you have these little rays of sunshine
singing and clapping along. So many blessings.
It has been a busy few weeks as we get another school year way under way. This past week at Parent Night I tried something new, a seed that grew from a collaboration with Susan, a counseling colleague in PA. This ...
became THIS!
There are so many sweet sentiments on this wall of fame,
our caregivers' hopes, goals, and dreams for their children,
many of which have nothing to do with academics.
One of my favorites?
You can ... be a rainbow of joy.
So touching.
We also celebrated our grandparents with a breakfast ...
and car hopped through Happy Hour at Sonic!
A FUNdraising end to a terrific week.
How have you been making your mark?
Sunday, September 4, 2016
A Stronger Song
I almost didn't go to church this morning, because it's a holiday weekend here, and I was feeling kind of lazy. But we're starting a Karen Kingsbury book study and I'd invited my friend Carol to join me for our Sunday School class so I went, because I said I would. And I'm so glad I did, because our teacher shared this video clip, which really has me thinking, reflecting, and wondering.
It's so interesting, the two versions of Amazing Grace that this talented music director sang. The first one was pretty textbook, safe and clean. But when the host gives him a new perspective from which to sing it and couples it with his permission to bring it, his voice amplifies and he sings with incredible passion.
So today's question is this: What makes your song better?
Is it trust? A willingness to be vulnerable? Knowing your why?
Is it a safe place? Community? Unconditional positive regard?
Lately I've been thinking a lot about my recovery from being hit
by that drunk driver because that life-changing event ended up
strengthening my song.
It taught me to slow down and savor,
it taught me to be grateful in all things,
and it taught me to forgive.
Even though it was a dark season of panic and pain,
the whole ordeal held an opportunity,
the burden hid a blessing.
I just had to be willing to look for it
and be ready to recognize the gift when it found me.
It took a lot of patience, persistence and perseverance;
sometimes more than I thought I could muster.
But it was totally worth the work.
Liz Murray had this to say about staying the course:
It takes courage to change our song,
to trust enough to leave the script,
to share our music with passion,
to sing it out for the whole world to hear.
How will you sing a stronger song today? Tomorrow?
This week? This month? This year?
This week? This month? This year?
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Joyfully Enough
Today I'm thinking about my 2016 one little word:
 |
| Paper design by Barbara Leyne |
What if every day we remembered to recite this mantra?
What if we felt it, believed it, embraced it?
What if we taught it to our children?
What if they lived it?
Yesterday Joshua spent the day at an All-Region band rehearsal
with a Director named Preston Hazzard from Frisco ISD. I immediately admired how he connected with our teenagers and was moved to tears when he expressed gratitude to them as they were about to take the stage. He has an obviously happy personality, and their time together resulted in a phenomenal performance of five beautiful pieces, most notably a mashup of Beethoven's Ode to Joy and John Adams' A Short Ride In A Fast Machine called
joyRIDE by Michael Markowski (shared with his permission).
The cool part for the musicians on stage that day is that this piece was written when the composer was just a senior in high school. It's incredible what kids can accomplish, when inspiration and passion meet dedication, determination and drive.
And here's the connection: Like Mr. Markowski's musical masterpiece,
life is a joy ride.
It takes us all over the place.
It can be fun and adventuresome.
But it can also be riddled with unsettling obstacles.
Sometimes it's played out in a major key, sometimes in a minor one.
Sometimes it's big, sometimes it's small.
Sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down.
And what an unbelievable difference it makes
when who we are, what we've done, and what we have is
enough.
Sufficient.
Plenty.
As we exited the concert, we were treated to this
gorgeously-colorful layered cloud canvas.
And I left there hoping that our children always know that when they give their personal best,
that it is enough.
Whether they've earned a spot in the All-Region band or not.
Whether they've made all As or not.
Whether their life is on a high note right now or not.
That who they are,
what they have,
what they're doing,
that it's all enough.
And when it doesn't seem like enough to them,
that they know whom they can turn to and trust
to remind them that they are joyfully more than enough.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Minor Alterations
Every so often, a song really speaks to me. When I first heard David Lovrien's Minor Alterations four years ago, however, it didn't necessarily grab me. But last week when Joshua's band played it, it did. And it doesn't want to let go.
 |
| Click for purchasing information |
I think it's because I hear it now as kind of a metaphor. For life. Just as Mr. Lovrien twisted all of the notes in these popular holiday tunes from a major key to a minor one, so our journey sometimes detours from a pleasantly paved road to a bitterly bumpy one, from a comfortable cruise to a tempestuous trek.
And then, like this medley, it feels just a little off.
But, with the help of your family and friends and a little bit a lot of faith,
you make it work. And in the end, it resolves.
You find harmony again.
Life ebbs and flows like that,
so sometimes we have to make minor alterations.
Grab some coffee, hot chocolate or tea, turn it up an enjoy the Friendswood High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Gregory Dick, performing
David Lovrien's holiday masterpiece . . .
. . . while you ponder the metaphor and reflect upon
the twists and turns that your life took this year.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Because Kids Deserve It
I've never been a huge fan of the word deserve and the entitlement that it can easily conjure up in my mind, but when I see it as #kidsdeserveit,
my thinking totally starts to change.
Kids deserve creativity, so yesterday I wrote this song on my morning walk
and then I learned to play it on my ukulele ...
and then I learned to play it on my ukulele ...
all of that before stumbling on this post about creativity that asks
Coincidental? I think not.
It got me to thinking about what exactly my students deserve from me.
So I made a list.
So I made a list.
They deserve someone who thrives on connecting.
And giving them a safe place to learn and grow.
And helping them make strong character choices.
And showing empathy, compassion and kindness.
And coaching them to be a trustworthy friend.
And sparking their passion and energy.
And cultivating a growth mindset together.
And taking chances.
And messing up. And being okay with it.
And apologizing. And breathing in grace.
And forgiving. Over and over again.
And affirming one another, so that they know they matter.
And expressing gratitude.
And modeling how to be a servant leader,
who makes the world better.
Because kids deserve all of that ... and more.
They deserve my best.
Every. Day.
Every. Day.
When I met with them today, we played a little game.
Because kids love games.
I covered up the skills that as a counselor I can help with ...
and the students predicted what each icon represented.
It was serious fun ... and they were rockin' it!
We walked around our new space and I told them a bit about
our Sensory Room.
Kids love stuff that taps into their senses.
We even used our stage to role-play introductions with our new friends. They were so engaged that their thirty-minute block of time just flew by.
Because kids love acting. Or watching.
Because kids love acting. Or watching.
One of my third graders asked if they could come back every day.
Best affirmation ever.
Best affirmation ever.
We wrapped up the visit with a snippet from Jon Gordon's
The Energy Bus for kids.
The Energy Bus for kids.
So this school year, I pledge to be joyfully in the moment,
to work on loving what is,
and to give my best effort in all I do.
Because kids deserve it.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
