Tag Archives: meaningful

Something different

Something interesting happened to me the other day. A tiny little green turtle made its way to my foot when I was walking at the park. My family and I stood there observing the tiny turtle making it’s way down the road.

It was one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me. Things like this mean a lot to me. They hold deep meaning.

I stood there watching this tiny little turtle make its way to my foot.

In this case, the turtle reminded me of pace. How sometimes it takes you a while to learn, to grow, or to be honest with yourself. And that’s totally okay.

There comes a time when the life lesson or growth or clarity is right in front of you, and you just can’t keep running away or hiding away from it.

You have to confront it, even if it means losing, even if it means being afraid.

Please note that I will be taking a blogging break yet again. As always, I super appreciate you who have stuck with me since the beginning and you who are new and you who shower me with kind comments.

My plan for when I come back is to continue to share with you uplifting messages of hope, peace, gratitude, and bravery.

Happy blogging & reading,

Andrea

An Unexpected, Meaningful, and Unforgettable Ending

When I found out that one of my students was no longer on my attendance roster, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it because school is over next week. This student taught me something about endings: endings can become unexpected at any moment.

I was not prepared to see him go because I thought that, as is typical with the end of the school year, my students and I would part on the same day for our summer breaks. So this kiddo got his special time of grieving from me.

I saw this student transform from a student who didn’t complete his assignments to a student that did, from a student who I constantly called out for behavior problems to a student who greeted me enthusiastically as he arrived to class.

Why this student was no longer on my roster, I didn’t find out until this week. He never told me he was moving. When I asked his classmates why he left school, they said that they didn’t know. It turns out that he’s now doing online school.

What this student will never know is that when I was a first-year teacher, he was part of the first set of students I taught. This will make that particular set of students unforgettable. These students taught me how to be a better teacher, how to be patient and firm, and how to set high expectations.

I saw this student on an almost-daily basis for 1.5 years. He became like family.

The motherly quality about being a teacher is that you always wish the best for your students as if they are you own children. You wish to protect them from pain they may encounter in the future.

So the loss of one student before the end of the school year hit me hard. It was an unexpected, meaningful, and unforgettable ending.

3 Writerly Things I Notice

#1. Writing in Movies 

The other day I was watching a romance movie that you could say had nothing to do with writing. As always, I tend to find the writerly things in movies.

In the movie, a woman gets a heart transplant. A year later, she sends a letter of thanks to the family of the donor.

This letter later played an important part in the story. The woman found the letter in the house of the man she’d fallen in love with. When she found this letter, she realized that his deceased wife had been her heart donor. 

I love the reminder that writing isn’t just important in book writing. Writing is everywhere, and it’s just as meaningful and powerful.

#2. Car Plates 

What stands out to me about daily driving are car license plates. I like finding the personalized license plates with words or shortened versions of words or phrases.

The last two that I found were “Sundown” and “Snacks”. I have no idea why the drivers chose these words for their car plates. I’m always left wondering why their chosen word is meaningful to them.

The two most memorable plates that I’ve found to date are versions Betty Boop and the Beatles. Even though I never saw the driver’s face, with just one word, I felt that I could connect with the driver of the Beatles car. I wouldn’t mind singing along to a Beatles song with them.

#3. Fortune Cookies

My opinion of fortune cookies is conflicted because the magic of the fortune cookie disappears when I get the same fortune cookie message I’ve gotten before.

The magic of the fortune cookie also disappears when the fortune cookie message isn’t well written, fun, or too vague. Messages like these usually don’t add a special quality to what I’m going through.

Sometimes I need signs or confirmations of the things going on my life or hope for the future. I know this sounds silly, but I do.

A couple of the most recent messages I’ve read say “Be daring. Try something new” and “You are only starting your path to success”. Who doesn’t need to hear these words every now and then?

I’m really curious to know, how have you found writerly things in your life?