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Like many of you, I have had some time to rummage through some old boxes in an attempt to organize the disarray in the basement and the closets. I stumbled (literally) upon a carton filled with remnants of my teaching career from ten years ago. What treasures! Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I read some of the heart-rending letters from my students. Then I found the workbook that I had written for the kids and their parents called Oops a Daisy – “F” Is Not for Fantastic! The pamphlet is filled with touching stories for times such as these.
The stories and booklet came about because over 60% of my middle school social studies students failed, not only my class, but most of their other subjects as well. The previous year when I was teaching high school only 30% of the students graduated. The kids told me that “F” was not failing – “F” was for fantastic and it was really “cool” to get an “F.” I set out to teach them and their parents, that receiving an “F,” was NOT fantastic! Many of the stories came from Chicken Soup for the Soul.
One day while I was in my homeroom class crowded with 43 teenaged students (everyone of them bigger than me), two police officers entered my classroom. They wanted to inspect the kids’ backpacks because they were suspicious that there was a gun in one of them. And there was. That pretty much sums up the environment that I was working in. At that time we had an entire force of security guards on campus along with a permanent police officer.
But…I didn’t need the security guards in my classroom because the kids wanted to hear their story. Known gang member students and gigantic (to me) football players would settle all the kids down quickly after the bell rang, because they knew they could hear their story as soon as they were quiet.
So, for times such as these, I want to share some of the kids’ favorite stories. They helped the students to learn gratitude and forgiveness and to calm them down. I hope they do the same for you.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER
Author Unknown
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day
A young boy, out of breath, approached me all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head titled down
And said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”
In his hand was a flower and what a pitiful sight
With its petals all worn out, not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off and play
I faked a small smile, and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating, he sat next to my side
And placed the flower into his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
“It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful too
That’s why I picked it; here it’s for you.”
The weed before me was dying or dead
Not vibrant of color: orange, yellow, or red.
But I knew I must take it or he might never leave
So I reached for the flower and replied, “Just what I need.”
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand
He held it in midair without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see; he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
“You’re welcome,” he smiled and then ran off to play
Unaware of the impact he’d had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with TRUE sight.
Though the eyes of a blind child at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all those times, I myself have been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life and appreciate every second that’s mine,
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy – another weed in his hand
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
THE COOKIE THIEF by Valerie Cox
A woman was waiting at an airport one night
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.
So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”
With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought… oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude,
Why he didn’t even show any gratitude!
She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.
She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.
If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.
(My kids loved this because I brought chocolate chip cookies the day I read it!)
THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”
The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister…please, I’m sorry but I didn’t know what else to do,” He pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop…” With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’s my brother, “he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: “Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!” God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It’s our choice to listen or not.
In last month’s blog I promised to rave about Alan Cohen’s book, A Course in Miracles Made Easy. I loved it. I listen to all my books and I love his soothing voice. I have been a student of “The Course,” for about 30 years. I am also a student of many other spiritual teachings, but for “times such as these,” I think we all could use a miracle!
This is what Amazon had to say, “A Course in Miracles (ACIM) – the self-study spiritual-thought system that teaches the way to love and forgiveness – has captivated the minds and captured the hearts of millions of people. Delivering inner peace where fear and pain once prevailed, its universal message is unsurpassed in its power to heal. Yet many students report that they have difficulty grasping the principles or keeping up with the lessons. So even while they yearn for the spiritual freedom the course offers, they put the book aside, hoping to get to it one day.
Alan Cohen, ACIM student and teacher for more than 30 years, takes the big-picture ideas of the course and brings them down to earth in 22 concise, easy-to-understand chapters. Featuring entertaining examples, stories, and real-life applications, this unique, listener-friendly guide will prove invaluable to longtime ACIM students and newcomers alike.”
I also listened to The Course in Miracles Experiment by Pam Grout. Amazon states, “It is a somewhat cheeky translation of the Workbook from A Course in Miracles. Like the original, it covers 365 lessons, one for each day of the year. Instead of posing high and mighty theories, this workbook offers simple thought experiments to use on a daily basis.”
Most of the way through Pam’s book, I was having a difficult time with the “F” word proliferating throughout a spiritual book. (“F” was NOT for fantastic!) She also refers to God as “the dude,” which was initially problematic for me. Once I got over those hiccups, I truly loved the book. In fact, I’m almost done with the second listening. Her stories are relevant, current, and hilarious; albeit a little irreverent.
Lastly, for “times such as these,” I am going to close with a commercial. I hope you understand that it is coming from my servant heart. I am a consultant with Arbonne, which has been a vegan health and wellness company for 40 years. We have healthy immunity-building and protecting products at reasonable prices and all with a 45-day money-back guarantee. Additionally, we offer a business opportunity for anyone seeking an additional stream of income and who wants to work from home. All products are ordered online and delivered in a timely manner directly to the customer. If you have any questions, please contact me or visit my websites, diannedeering.arbonne.com or https://www.diannedeering.com/arbonne/work-from-anywhere/
Here’s to a happy and healthy month filled with miracles. Please share any comments or questions.