I watched a movie the last couple of mornings while I was in my basement exercising before school...I know, I know, I watch way too much TV, but at least I was exercising at the same time, right!?! Anyway, the movie was called, The Map of All the Tiny Perfect Things...I don't want to spoil the movie if you decide to watch it, but it centers on the idea that mixed in with all the broken parts of life, there are many, many, tiny perfect things that happen too. The movie reminds the watcher that if we focus only on the negative, we might miss the tiny and perfect. It's those perfect things that get us through - tide us over - when the hard parts seem to want to take over.
So what kinds of tiny perfect things do I mean?
Think...
A flower growing through a crack on a sidewalk, belting out, and nailing, the lyrics of a favorite song, a perfectly shaped cloud in the sky, looking at just the right place at just the right time to see a whale breaching in the wide ocean, or The last slice of apple pie a-al-mode on a summer afternoon!
Tiny. Perfect. Things. I want you to watch out for them over the break! In fact, make a list, keep a journal, or simply make a mental note. Bring me back some gems after the break. I want you all looking for perfect things among the hard ones and I want to hear about how they help you see the beauty of this sometimes challenging life.
A former CBMS parent posted a song on social media that I listened to yesterday and I felt like it matched this idea of life's beautiful things mixed into everyday normalcy. Have a listen.
"Cover me in Sunshine...shower me with good times...tell me that the world's been spinning since the beginning, and everything'll be alright." So don't forget, bring me those good times, those "perfect moments" after the break! I want to hear about all your little things!
For today's last Black History Month Spotlight, I want to bring your attention to two individuals I think you should know about. (Since I didn't do a spotlight during my busy day yesterday I am glad to highlight two today).
William Henry Hastie was an accomplished lawyer who was one of the first African American members of the President Roosevelt Administration, serving as a race relations advisor. He was the first African American Federal Judge, appointed in 1937, and as was the first African American to hold the post of governor of a U.S. territory, (The Virgin Islands). Hastie had an esteemed career and held many other important posts, both political and academic. He certainly helped pave the way for others to follow in his footsteps.
In 1967, another African American lawyer and Judge, Thurgood Marshall, became the first black man to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. He was appointed by President Johnson and became widely respected as a Judge who stood proudly as a champion for civil rights. During his time on the bench in the highest court in our nation, and in his 30-year career prior to that, he was passionate about civil rights for all Americans.
This afternoon, as we close our formal celebration of Black History Month, we send a silent (or maybe a loud) thank you out into the universe to all those unsung heroes of our culture and history that we didn't have time to touch upon here in these blog posts. We remember that it is on the shoulders of those that come before us that we ride. I hope that as a society we live our lives in such ways as to make them pound and to not let their hard work be in vain.
Have a great vacation everyone! Stay safe, and have fun!
If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately. From the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) : September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a time to share resources and stories in an effort to shed light on this highly taboo and stigmatized topic. We use this month to reach out to those affected by suicide, raise awareness, and connect individuals with suicidal ideation to treatment services. It is also important to ensure that individuals, friends, and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention. Here are your local resources for suicide prevention : Who can you connect with at CBMS for help ? Mrs. Hempey, School Counselor - 802-583-8071 or jhempey@huusd.org or just come to my office! Mr. Estes, Vice Principal - joshestes@huusd.org Hillary, Dean of Students...
Welcome to the last Monday! So, I know I told you on Friday that I was giving you your last, "assignment," which was to think about your summer goals and the habits you will create to get there, but...I lied! One more thing I want you to do is to watch this CNN/Sesame Street Racism Town Hall with your family (If you haven't watched it already!) Yes, I know you are middle schoolers, yes, I know that Sesame Street is aimed at toddlers and young kids, but I watched it with my 7 and 9-year-old kids on Saturday, and there is a lot of good conversation here that is appropriate to young audiences and will help you and your families start conversations about race, racism, and antiracism. I think that one of the hardest things about helping to break the cycle of oppression and systematic racism is just starting this conversation, and this Town Hall helps to open that door, so please find some time to sit with your family to check it out. Don't just get ...
Howdy, all! So this morning, as I exercised and prepared for my day, I pondered what I wanted to write to you all today. I was thinking about humor and how much it has helped me through all of this. An example is a text thread I have going between my sister, and brother and myself. A week or so ago, my brother made a funny comment about the way our family is quirky and weird, and we all got to sending Gif's and Memes back and forth to communicate our feelings about the comment. By the end of it, I was laughing so hard that my kids got out of bed to see what was so funny. Only my siblings really understand the hilarity associated with the interworkings of our childhood, so the continued text thread has been one of the sources of humor that has kept me afloat these past few weeks. Nevermind that no one else would get it. It's fun for us! I tell you this story, why? Because the idea of shari...
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