41 more days

Today never stopped.

I went to Mass early this morning.  That was the best part of the day.  That quiet contemplation and words of wisdom.  The Eucharist.  That little bit of time when Jesus is *that* close to you.  The homily was about how in order for Jesus to be powerful in our lives, we must be powerless.  It was food for thought.  I've been feeling somewhat powerless lately.

From there, I returned home, got my kiddos out of bed and out the door.  I unloaded cars at their school for a few short minutes.  There was a squirrel  nestled in the tire that cushions a cement post near the entrance to the parking lot.  I don't think it was sleeping.  I meant to email someone about it before it starts smelling... Then I rolled on to my school.  I had a few minutes, so I picked up some of the trash that had accumulated in the front seat.  Then I prayed Morning Prayer.

Then the day began.  Our custodian came to visit, and we mourned the state of our country.  For a long time after the election, we hesitated to say very much to him about our president, since most of the black people we knew were on an Obama-high.  We didn't want to offend.  But gradually talk has turned to values, and we are all on the same page there - regardless of race.  Today he said he wants to register as an independent.  It is always such a pleasure to talk to him.  Sometimes we talk religion, sometimes politics, sometimes life.

I went to my computer to try to print an IEP only to discover that the computer guy who had come on Friday had messed up more than he fixed.  My printer no longer printed from my computer, and nothing I tried seemed to matter.

Sometime during that class, my 2:30 appointment called and said they did not have transportation.  I was able to arrange for our school resource officer (campus cop) to go to pick them up.  Never mind about teaching today, though we did get some work done in my first hour class.

My eighth graders came in next.  There are only 4 of them, and 2 of them are fairly savvy with computers, so they set about solving my computer issues.  I had gotten a new laser printer last week that I decided to install with my desktop computer (where the bulk of my printing goes on).  L handled that.  He is a master.  I decided to take the one which had been hooked to the desktop and hook it up to the laptop so I can print Promethean lessons.  Never understood the whole networking printer thing.  K handled that and was so pleased with herself. 

Lunch and duty followed, then my sixth graders came in.  By this point, I was desperate to get the IEP for my 2:30 meeting finished, but realized I also needed to find the one for my 1:30 meeting.  I looked in the folder where it should be and then started to panic when I couldn't find it.  I sifted through the papers on my desk.  Once, twice.  I looked in the other filing cabinet drawers. I printed a copy from the computer.  Looked again in the folder where it was supposed to be.  Then I stopped and had a word with St. Anthony.  One more time, I looked in the folder where it was supposed to be.  And realized that I wasn't looking for an IEP that I had done. So when I looked once more in the folder where it was supposed to be, there it was!  Thank you St. Anthony.  20 minutes or more wasted looking for something that was where it was supposed to be all along.  Imagine!

I didn't finish the IEP, but got enough done.  Meetings at 1:30 and 2:30.  Non-stop until after 4:00.

Then I had my own child to pick up from school.  Home.  To the pharmacy to pick up meds.  Workout.  Planted a few plants in the garden.  Loaded the dishwasher.  Enjoyed a PBJ sandwich.  Blogged while texting the mom of one of my students.

Now I am going to put on my PJs, crawl under my covers and work on my Bible Study homework.

I heard today that there are 41 more days of school!