Eeeek

I really should be sleeping by now, and it's not just because I have to be at school early tomorrow morning. At 8am I will be donating blood for the first time, and I'm utterly frightened. My veins haven't really been friends with needles, ever, and when I lost a bit of blood during minor foot surgery in high school, I passed out, so we'll see where tomorrow takes me.

I might be shaking in my shoes, but I am also amazed and thankful for the students and staff giving blood at this blood drive, and I'm grateful for the people who organized it so that I didn't have to do a lick of work (props to Leigh Anne and some fantastic seniors).

Maybe you can be praying for all of those people giving blood tomorrow.

Lose Sight of the Trivial

Today was not about subscribing to a particular political party. Today was not about engaging in petty disagreements.

Instead, it is always about this:

"Help us...remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all." (from Rick Warren's invocation)

and this:

"...our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please." (from the inaugural address)

I cried unashamedly in T's office this morning when I saw our 44th President stride in. I had never thought this day would happen so soon in my lifetime, but it did. It is.

Encouraging Healthy Eating

Bringing food for your students does not mean that you have to buy pizza, load on the Doritos, or arm yourself with two-liter Cokes.

I brought in bunches of red grapes for my 10th graders one morning last year, and I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction: "Oooooh. Grapes! Thank you, miss!" Not a single one complained that I hadn't brought in candy or doughnuts or chips (or any of the other crap they usually eat), and each filed in line to grab some to take back to their seats.

I wish that we could encourage healthier eating in our students. It starts with the way we eat. So often curious kids will peek in my office to ask me what I'm eating ("Hummus? What's that?"), but they see me drinking a Starbucks chai latte or eating chocolate just as often. It makes me cringe to think that I (and other adults) model the things we probably wouldn't want our kids to do.

What if we brought our students hummus and flatbread instead of chips? What if we took our students out to dinner to try the bold flavors of vegetarian Indian instead of encouraging them to eat a 10-piece McNugget meal? We complain that our youth are rapidly becoming overweight. If this is the case, then we should be doing something about it instead of idly flapping our gums.