Courage Doesn't Always Roar: A Teacher's Quest to Be Better Each Day

"Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us- and those around us- more effectively. Look for the learning." -Louisa May Alcott When something bad happens to someone you love, life stops for a while. When it clicks back, everyone has emotions and opinions, feelings and fears. It all swirls, much like a tornado, leaving your emotional landscape ravaged. There are those I know who are angry, who throw blame, who talk about vindication and who wish misery on others. It's pain upon pain.  Martin Luther King Jr. said, "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." And so, love is always the answer. Gratitude, light, kindness, love. Walking through the pain but not adding to the pain. Seeing the blessings, acknowledging that there are lessons here.  I'm going to look for the learning. 

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm." -Willa Cather         When my son Alex was born, the cord was wrapped around his neck. Alarms sounded and doctors rushed into the room. They whisked him to another corner of the room as I asked, in confusion, "Why isn't he crying?" The nurse who assisted me during the delivery reassured me he was fine, just "stunned."  Then, they let me hold him.         The moment Alex was placed in my arms, and I looked into his little perfect face, it was as if I had known him all my life. This baby I had been praying for, dreaming about and worrying about for months and months was here and somehow it was like I've always known him. It was a moment like no other.        Because of his rough start, he had to spend a few days in the NICU, being monitored. He was a very hearty baby among many babies who were premature. The night he was born, they wheeled me into the nursery of t