Since I attempted to save a bird this week and in my quest to be a kinder, gentler soul, hee hee, I stopped by the nursery school where my best friend teaches.  Shelly and I have been friends since 1969.  She is my best friend and my go-to person for a hug. I trusted her with my kids when they were ready for nursery school and even then, I am sure my paranoia made her chuckle at night. I cannot imagine life without her and she was on my mind this morning so I thought I would stop by.

I pull up to the school and I am stopped, rightfully so, by a person asking me why I was there, I had no child in tow.  “I need a Shelly hug” I told her and that got me in the door.

Now I am all pressed and ready for a day at work.  I am cool and clean and just slugged an ice coffee from Starbuck’s.

I walk in and I see that familiar picture:  my best friend is shoeless, holding 2 crying children aching for their mothers.  Behind her are other campers struggling to put on bathing suits and flip flops.  There is food on the table, Barbie undies on the floor and another little boy so sad that someone took his toy.

I am melting at the sight of this, literally and figuratively.

But there is Shelly, cool and calm and she turns to me and gives me a hug and kiss like no other friend can do or has ever been able to mimic. She is all that and  bag of chips:  a great teacher because she is great person.  I am truly blessed.

Teachers are wonderful and giving souls, all day, every day.  They raise our children and spend time helping them become people.  My children have been lucky in the Niskayuna Schools to have been influenced by the best.  I will not attempt to name them all because my heart would break if I missed one and hurt that person’s feelings. 

My friend Kim is a teacher…she has that teacher look.  When I don’t think I can push in the Spin class or lift that weight, I get that look…spectacular.  Kim just got her Master’s Degree…wa-hoo!

So thank a teacher today and be patient when school starts.  They are getting to know our kids and that is no easy task.

Mr. Pletman is the 6th Grade English teacher sent home a list of quotes.  There are so many great ones:
                                 Don’t mistake popularity for leadership.
                                 The best advice is to just sit and think.

           Do all the good you can by all the means you can in all the ways you can as long as ever you can!

….and to quote Forest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.