“And those whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball” #1000speak
I was not going to participate in #1000speak today because and only because, if given a subject and then told; “Okay write!”, I draw a blank. I was sure that in a week or two I would think of a hundred different posts that I could have written, but they were not coming to me when I first heard about this.
I was not going to participate until I read this post yesterday – A Story of Compassion by Kenya G. Johnson (please read it. It is well worth your time). It was a story about how one small gesture from one teacher made a difference in her life. This post led me to think about a teacher I had in the 7th grade
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Take the long way home……. #1000speak
“FISH and the Bus Driver, FISH and the Bus Driver, CHICKEN and the Bus Driver” – The school bus was a torturous place.
“FISH” and “CHICKEN” were the names they had given the girl. I don’t know why. The chant began everyday as soon as the bus pulled out of the school yard until the girl got off the bus. It went on for weeks. It was not directed at me, but it did make me very uncomfortable. I felt bad for the girl, even though the girl was older and had been very regularly awful to me.
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My friend Alison and I met in elementary school. We became fast friends and remain friends to this day. I loved everything about her, including her family. I spent so much time there, I’m sure they were afraid I would never go home. Especially in the summer. In the summertime there was more time to get there and home (it was a hike) because it stayed light out longer and the rule of “getting home before the streetlights came on” was not as impossible to adhere to. (Seriously…. how does one know when the streetlights are going to go on until they are on?)
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…and sometimes a smile is all that we need #1000speak #Compassion
Compassion comes in many forms and at times just the smallest thing – a glance or a smile can mean more than the grand gesture.
I was away and not able to participate in the May 20th #1000speak and due to some unplanned/unforeseen issues going on at the moment, I thought I wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate this time around…..
Then I saw this post from a friend of mine and it made me smile. It made me smile each and every time I read it and on a day when I really needed a smile.
It always seems to be those little things, the things that no one thinks about – that no one else might even notice that can just make your whole day brighter.
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My Friend, My Favorite Family and her “Poppy” #1000speak
Below is a post I wrote for #1000speak in April for that month’s topic “Nurturing”. I wrote about my good friend’s family. What occurred to me after reading my friend Alison’s Father’s Day tribute to her Poppy, was that this post was not only about nurturing but it was also a post about acceptance. What I neglected to mention in my original post, was the fact that Alison’s Poppy was white. Alison, her mother and brothers are black
Taking it a Step at a Time 