Life is funny sometimes.

Just a week ago, I was grieving for a close friend and three former students who had suddenly lost their husband/father to a heart attack.

The week that followed was an exhausting blur as I continued to deal with a demanding school year that was rendered even more hectic by the end of the grading period, parent-teacher conferences, the craziness of Homecoming Week, trips to the dentist and foot doctor, typing on my genealogy newsletter, and writing letters for a friend who is running for an elective office.

While all that was going on, my Cardinals were in the midst of a World Series, the games of which often ended later than the recommended bedtime for someone who has to get up at 5 a.m. on school days.

Friday night, I left Homecoming festivities early to return home to watch Game 5. As if to punish myself for sneaking away early, I tripped over either my own feet or a kitty as soon as I was in the door. New pain in a leg already problematic because of heel bursitis caused me to consider calling my neighbor to take me to the ER. However, that trip would mean missing Game 5 entirely, and since nothing was bleeding or hanging at odd angles, I didn't want to miss what could be the clinching game.

My efforts were rewarded about 10:22 when Cardinal reliever Adam Wainwright struck out the last Tiger to make the Cardinals world champions. As the team and fans in St. Louis celebrated with champagne, I hoisted a Diet Dew Decaf to wash down some Aleve and then rubbed Icy Hot into my leg.

The Cardinals are champions of the world! Heartache to happiness in less than a week. Yep, life is funny sometimes. And my leg is okay, too ~ though I'm moving even more slowly than usual, and last night I discovered trying to maneuver on a step stool isn't such a good idea when your leg is wounded. However, the only casualty in that adventure was a Yankee candle and a sunflower topper.

Now my personal winter begins and will last until the players report to spring training in February. But this winter may have a somewhat warmer glow than did the 24 previous ones.

Go, Cardinals! :)

Parents of two of my students e-mailed this to me:

After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right.

"You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

"You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

"You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, workmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

"You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams.

"You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

"You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

"You want me to do all this and then you tell me...I CAN'T PRAY?"

When my very good friend and colleague left for school this morning, everything was as normal as could be. By ten this morning, she was a widow ~ her husband dying of a sudden massive heart attack. You just never know when something like that will hit. As another good friend always says, *Life isn't a dress rehearsal.* Make the best of each day the Lord gives to us ~ and don't forget to say *I love you!*

Words to live by...

Hmmmm....

Nope ~ seriously, I don't like this idea. Even if teachers were to lock their guns away somewhere, enterprising students could find their way to the firearms if their motivations were strong enough. Too many classrooms have to be unlocked during the day. However, maybe arming administrators isn't such a bad idea ~ except for that principal who shot the kittens. GGGGGGGRRRRRRR!

I wonder whether I could post this cartoon in my classroom without problems from the *State*? Every year we have a *Prayer at the Pole* at the flagpole in front of our school, and each year the crowds get bigger: faculty, staff, students, parents, and other people from the community ~ consequently, I think many share my belief in the power of prayer.

Still, we can all probably learn a lesson about forgiveness from the Amish. I read this AP article online this morning:

Dozens of Amish neighbors came out Saturday to mourn the quiet milkman who killed five of their young girls and wounded five more in a brief, unfathomable rampage.

Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, was buried in his wife's family plot behind a small Methodist church, a few miles from the one-room schoolhouse he stormed Monday.

His wife, Marie, and their three small children looked on as Roberts was buried beside the pink, heart-shaped grave of the infant daughter whose death nine years ago apparently haunted him, said Bruce Porter, a fire department chaplain from Colorado who attended the service.

About half of perhaps 75 mourners on hand were Amish.

"It's the love, the forgiveness, the heartfelt forgiveness they have toward the family. I broke down and cried seeing it displayed," said Porter, who had come to Pennsylvania to offer what help he could. He said Marie Roberts was also touched.

"She was absolutely deeply moved, by just the love shown," Porter said.

No matter how dismal the world can get sometimes, I continue to believe that love is the most powerful force in the universe.

Thanks be to God.

But on a lighter note... :) Remember that old saying, "When God created men, She was only joking"? Or "Of course, God made man before He made woman ~ you always make a rough draft before you create a masterpiece"? :)

Did I mention that I'm heartsick? :(

A sign of the times... :(

As a teacher and a human being, I am heartsick about the recent killings of innocent children in their schools. Many people are talking about what could have/should have been done to prevent such tragedies, and these kinds of dialogues usually revolve around measures like increased security and metal detectors. However, our superintendent, David Rademacher, forwarded us all an interesting MSNBC article that contains observations and suggestions that ALL schools, great and small, can use.

The article says, in part, "Metal detectors and police officers in schools are not likely to stop school shootings, and are potentially harmful," according to federal researchers who conducted the most thorough study of school shootings across the nation. The study finds that schools should be paying more attention to listening to students.

The entire article can be found here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15111439/from/ET/

Working for a living can surely get in the way of some other kinds of activities ~ like posting in a blog. This school year has been too much with me, with hectic, stressful days and wall-to-wall homework each night. My heel continues to be a problem, too. Wednesday I got another cortisone shot, but there were no magical results this time. The dose was bigger ~ the shot itself hurt like heck ~ and since then my whole leg has ached. I still await the magic. :)

In the meantime, I will share more pictures of my fuzzy four just because they make me smile. In fact, when I was having a particularly bad day and really missing my mama, I lay on my bed and cried ~ and Joey put his paws around my neck and licked my face. Who wouldn't be cheered up by that kind of love! :)