Today I Loved

I loved the haziness of the morning, but that the sun broke through as I crested the hill by my school.

I loved the random emails I got from small group friends to wish me a good first day with kids and to tell me they were praying.

I loved the jewel green of my new shirt, and the click, click, click of my heels on my classroom floor.

I loved my student Desiree who came in before 1st period to hug me and look around my classroom to say, "I'm gonna miss this room."

I loved Max and Andy and Cameron who came by to tell me they missed me and to tell my new students, in Max's words, "You guys don't know how lucky you are."

I loved that my new students laughed at my lame jokes WAY earlier than most students ever do.

I loved that my classes seemed fun and excited about the year.

I loved seeing the girls in their first day outfits with perfectly styled hair, and the boys nervously checking them out.

I loved the camaraderie among colleagues as we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off to make sure people got where they needed to be (and that we did, too.)

I loved that my foul-mouthed colleague told me she had "butterflies" this morning about meeting new kids. Me, too.

I loved that my assistant principal took my study hall away to give me a more open (lower stress) tutoring time because of my heavy class load.

I loved the lightness and exuberance of the faculty in our after-school debrief of the first day.

I loved driving home in the hot sun, AC blasting, and feeling hopeful about my year.