Friday Afternoons

I know that Friday afternoons are exciting for most people for a variety of reasons. The weekend has arrived with promises of a change of pace and activity. There will be more time for friends and family and sleep. Friday afternoons at a school have a energy all their own. Kids, in general, are naturally geared towards anticipation and excitement. It's almost impossible, at least for me, to be unaffected by their energy. There is a flurry of activity. Students are headed out for sports practices or joining up to crash each other's houses for video game or movie marathons, sleepovers, or birthday parties.

Today, we've just finished up Hobbit Day in the 7th grade. All of the students and some of the teachers, myself included arrived decked out as characters from the book or from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When someone mentions a dress up day, my ears prick up and my mind races into planning mode. I showed up at Eowyn from LOTR since The Hobbit is lacking in female characters, and I like the idea that she's royalty but also a tough chick who wants to join the men and go off to fight.

Another reason for the anticipation on this particular day is that it's absolutely frigid outside and have been spitting snow at us all day. The weather predictors are saying that we could get a nice little snow overnight, and while we all wish that had come on a school day we still relish the idea of getting to play around in a little winter wonderland tomorrow. We don't get much snow here in Middle Tennessee, so, for us, every little bit counts.

Whatever the weekend brings, I'm hoping and praying for peace, fun, and safety for all my students, friends, and family and for unexpected blessings just around the corner.

(I know I haven't written for this blog for about two years now. In fact, I've done precious little writing, and it's high time for me to start again, and so, here I go....)