Clear Pools of Hope

Every now and then God and the universe grants a clear view of our calling. I was given such a moment recently....

My work is loving the child who

• would rather be playing
•  longs to learn but hates to be told
•  usually does the wrong thing before she gets the right thing
•  needs to be parallel before she really gets what it means
• needs a new chance every morning
•  is surrounded by people who believe in him even though he is determined not to believe in himself
•  yearns to discover in this own time, however fast or slow that may be
•  has reverent respect for simple beauty because so much of life is too complicated
•  when asked to use the word with in a sentence says, "Peace be with you"
•  hugs you because she got an 80% on her test
•  doesn't laugh when someone reads "of"  as "for" because he does it all the time himself
•  gets the wonders of life but doesn't always grasp the logic
•  grasps the logic but doesn't get all the unwritten rules of human interactions
• needs to hop, jump, shake and stir
•  loves the teacher who shows his humanity
• lives with injustice and therefore understands it
•  longs to be asked a question that isn't in the book

My work is to be in love, in love's purest form, with this child and to see in him the budding of a flower. To look in her eyes and see clear pools of hope.

My work, thank God, is to love this child.





Thanks to my children and my students who inspire me. Thanks to my big brother Phil for the lovely picture of the budding flower.
~Ellen~