Three Years' Worth of Valentine's Day Posts

Valentine's Day 2016

I received a Valentine's card from Johnny D. at work. He has Down's Syndrome, and doesn't read. He chose the card especially for me, though... It reads, "You're still the reason I can't wait to get home each day."

I bought chocolate-covered strawberries to share with the Bible quiz team, but forgot to bring them to practice. I ended up eating them with roommates.

In the car on Saturday, Charlene gave me one of her silk roses, sharing her gift from another friend.

My aunt and uncle gave me and my cousins beautiful flowers. Uncle Ralph made a special trip to my cousin's house to drop them off, and I got them when I went to cousin lunch. What a delight!

It is bothering me that I did not give anything thematic this weekend. I barely got places on time. I enjoyed the fruit of others' labor, and ate well and drove a lot, and hope it was helpful. But I didn't think far enough ahead to write a note or buy a gift. The one thing I did buy, I forgot to give, and ended up eating myself. (I am so serious: I just finished the last strawberry.)

Valentine's Day 2017

I was a million miles away from everyone I love. It was chilly and rainy this week. I went to French class at the end of the day, and home afterward, and probably did an hour's worth of work and watched a show on Netflix before getting ready for bed.

Did love cross my mind? Maybe in that self-pitying way that asks, "where is the love owed me?" But I can't remember.

Valentine's Day 2018 

I participated in nine parent-teacher conferences for at-risk students. I spoke very little in these meetings. At some, there were 14 adults, including parents, teachers, administrators, all sitting with a student to say, "We care about you. We see you're failing. What is going on?"

I stayed on campus to attend the school play, and to discourage disruptive behavior in the audience. Then I struggled to keep my eyes open long enough to get ready for bed.

I was tired, but happy to find at the end of the day that some of what I had done was loving. 

"Merlin" Is My Personal Favorite

I don't teach spelling. And it doesn't lower my students' hand-written essay grades if they mess up with spelling, as long as it's understandable. As I read their essays (many of them very thoughtful!) on The Great Gatsby, I found a surprising variety for ways of spelling "Myrtle."

Martyle
Merlin
Mertal
Mertil
Mertin
Merytial
Merytile
Mrytle
Myrle
Myrtile
Myrttle
Mytle

Year's End Reflections, 2017

Where were you on NYE 2017?

-Oncle Blend restaurant, Casablanca

Who were you with on NYE 2017?
-Stacey, Shanti, Mandy, Llewelyn, and their two sweet friends

What was the hardest you laughed in 2017?
-H period, grade 7... Fidu got stuck under some desks, and his face was the strangest mixture of terror and surprise. I laugh until I pee just retelling it!

What was the best moment of 2017?
-sitting on the front steps, held close, holding Scrappy the cat, looking up at the moon and the minaret.

What was an embarrassing moment of 2017?
-It had to do with an Uber, and a bunch of taxi drivers calling the police, and my cousins seeing me lose my mind.

What day in 2017 would you live over and over?
-There were so many beautiful trips, people, and days this year. It was a charmed year. I would re-live a trip to the zoo in Chicago, an evening in Prague, an afternoon on the dunes of Merzouga... But whole days that I remember:

-Stacey, Carolyn C., Sandy, and Marcia and I explored Paris for a day. Sandy had the map, and knew what was going on. I stared wide-eyed, feet only occasionally touching the ground. 

-Carmen and I visited Rabat together this fall, and start to finish, it was so relaxing. We let our feet take us wherever there was movement: the casbah and the medina, an art museum, the mausoleum and the Tour Hassan II. We let our talk be whatever we thought of, and we thought of many interesting things.

What was your favorite song of 2017?
-"Ashes and Flames" by John Mark McMillan

What was your favorite movie/show of 2017?
-The Great British Bake-Off

-Brooklyn 99

Most memorable trip of 2017?

-The top moment of the many trips was when my aunt and cousins came here, and we traveled an hour to the south of Casa. A sweet dog led us from our riad to a stony shore (not a typo; a dog led us there: magical, right?) where we watched the sun set from the eastern side of the Atlantic.

What was your biggest lesson of 2017?
-Love is a good risk. You can love.

Who was the most influential person in your year?
-Tyler

What was the bravest thing you did in 2017?
-I didn't make plans for winter break: three weeks to find solid ground, mostly alone.

What was the kindest thing you did in 2017?
-Probably one of those moments when I told the truth in order to benefit someone else, even though it cost me something to do it. I have no particular moment in mind, I just think that's a kind thing we can do for each other, out of earnest love and compassion.

What was the best advice you gave, or the best conversation you had in 2017?
-Two eleventh-grade girls stayed after school for help on their essays this fall. That conversation was a prize to me. They were such a delight to see outside of the classroom pressure and on their own terms.