Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Blessing Box

A number of years ago, we had a smogasbord of inservice sessions to choose from.  I honestly don't remember the name or actual topic of the session I attended, but the presenter talked about a blessing box at some point during his presentation.  The blessing box could be any box that holds those pictures, notes, letters, cards, and emails from students, parents, friends, and family that are keepsakes.  Soon after that session I received a round old-fashioned hatbox with angels and hearts on the lid.  It became my blessing box.

Today my blessing box is full of pictures my second graders proudly gave me.  One says, "You are the best techer ever."  This is from a girl who struggled and struggled, but made real strides in reading while in my class.  She is a fifth grader now and reads at grade level.  More importantly, she finds joy in reading and sometimes shares a passage from a book with me.

I have a note from a colleague thanking me for listening at just the right time.  It helps me remember to stop and take time for others.

I have a hard copy of a couple of emails from teachers thanking me for working with them and their students now that I am a literacy coach.

I have a beaded cat made by a former student a couple years after I was her teacher.  She knew my cat, Chester, had died and wanted to cheer me up.

I have a couple of notes from my dad who passed away in January.

I have a few pictures of my sons reminding me of special memories as they grew up.

There are many more things in my blessing box.  I won't list them all here, but on the days when I am sad, or frustrated, or discouraged I take the things out of my box and count my blessings one by one.

2 comments:

  1. What a special reminder to keep our blessings together so we can pull them out when we need to be uplifted. There are so many blessings that we tend to forget. I'll have to pull my blessings out of their hiding places and put them in a special place. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. I like the idea of the blessing box. My first thought was that middle schoolers don't give much to put in, but then I started remembering things that I have dropped in my desk drawer. Those items would be a good start. Thanks for sharing some of your blessings.

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