Love, Actually
"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love, actually, is all around." --Prime Minister in Love, Actually
I love the holiday season. A sense of shared humanity and anticipation emanates from everyone I see, anywhere I am. A sense of camaraderie and joy pervades everything. Of course, this love is everywhere all the time, but it seems more accessible and palpable during the holidays.
The last couple weeks, the selflessness, thoughtfulness, and love of the holiday season manifested in my life in multiple ways, and left me in awe of people’s capacity to love. Honestly, it was humbling.
In the last issue of this newsletter, I mentioned that my colleagues and I have been taking turns bringing in holiday treats to share. When I asked one of my colleagues for her recipe for the delectable peppermint almonds she’d brought in, she confessed she’d bought them—and two days later, brought a bag of them to school for me.
I also mentioned the door-decorating contest in my hallway at school, and how this year, for the first time, I was watching from the sidelines.
As the deadline for the contest approached, my next door colleague, who’s new to our school this year, asked if I was going to decorate my door. I admitted I wasn’t this year, and that I was a bit sad about it, but didn’t have the time or bandwidth at the moment. She offered to bring in a wreath for my door, and I gratefully accepted the offer. That night, she texted me photos of a couple wreaths and asked which I’d prefer. I told her to surprise me.
I was in for an even bigger surprise when I got to school.
When I got to my classroom, I discovered someone had decorated it for me, sometime between when I left the day before, and when I arrived that morning. I later found out that my secret door decorators were three of my busiest colleagues, who had stayed late after school to surprise me. The decorations were clearly tailored to me: Stockings featuring dogs and stuffed with plush dogs hung from the door. Snowflakes dotted the door. Wrapping paper featuring dogs hung here and there. I learned they’d also wanted to include photographs of The Littles, but didn’t have any. Luckily, I have a drawer full of photos of Nacho, Soda, Jack, and Sadie, so I added them to the door as a final touch. Now, my classroom door is festive and happy, and several students have commented on how cute it is.
My next door colleague did bring in a wreath, and I happily added it to my cheerful, puppy picture adorned door.
Later that same day, the upstairs hallway had a potluck. I was unable to participate due to a lunchtime meeting, and another colleague noticed I had skipped out on the feast. Remembering how much I love chocolate, he brought me an entire plate of chocolatey desserts from the potluck I wasn’t able to attend.
Last week, I was battling an illness that kept me out of school for the last three days leading up to winter break. I believe this is the only time in my 17-year career I have ever missed three unplanned consecutive days of school for health reasons. I hope it will remain the only time. While I was out, text messages and emails from supportive colleagues came in multiple times a day. People checking on me. Offering to print my sub plans, to water my classroom plants, to drop off soup—even to stop by after school and walk The Littles.
The Littles, however, won’t even take a walk with Matty if I’m not joining, so the one thing I did manage to do every day I wasn’t well (except the rainy one) was walk The Littles. One of the days was particularly challenging. I got up to walk them and between the couch and my coat, realized I was going to (not for the faint of heart) vomit. Which I did. And then I texted my sister for prayerful support, put on my coat, and stepped out for a walk. I knew this walk was motivated by my love for The Littles, so nothing could hinder its happening. Every time I felt a tinge of discomfort, I focused on The Littles’ prancing feet and the joy this walk was bringing them. I looked at the gray clouds above, tinged with pink and gold as the sun began to set. I waved at neighbors doing yardwork.
Not a block away from my house (we didn’t get much farther away than that), a school bus pulled over right beside us and the driver opened the doors. I expected a flood of wild, school’s-out-for-Christmas elementary students to come bursting forth, but instead, the driver smiled and said, “I used to see you out walking all the time. I hadn’t seen you in a while and I was worried. I’m so happy to see you out!” Well, now wasn’t that some further evidence of love and proof that I was supposed to be on that walk? I wished her happy holidays, and she closed her doors and pulled off. The Littles and I finished our walk, and went back to bed.
Anyway, this has been a rather long-winded way to say I hope this holiday season, you’re able to accept and share the love and joy that comes with Christmas, and stays all year round.
What I’m Reading
I’m about a third of the way through Tristan Gooley’s How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You’ve Never Noticed and loving every page. It manages to be both philosophical and practical. Here are just two (of many) highlights:
“The only certainty is that you will get just one opportunity to experience each scene exactly the way it is” (17).
“Getting lost and then finding our way back is part of a life that balances an abundance of fresh discovery with an avoidance of premature death” (46).
I’ve also learned that the dead tops of golden rod, where the seeds are, make excellent tinder, and that if I draw a mental line from the crescent moon’s top tip to its bottom tip and down to the horizon line, I can always find south. I tried the latter in my backyard the other night, knowing from there which way south is—and it worked.
Writer Spotlights
Congratulations to author Judith Bice, who just hit the one year birthday of her first novel, HEY, WHITE GIRL (Atmosphere Press, 2021).
According to Judith, “It has been a ride! On the adult side, I've been the guests of book clubs, libraries, and signings. On the Young Adult side, the book is a finalist for the YAVA 2023 Award, and I was able to present at the VASSL Conference (Virginia Association of School Librarians) in November with ‘Teaching History through Literature with a Focus on Empathy.’”
For educators interested in adding the book to their reading lists, there are resources for teachers and students on her website: https://judithbice.com.
Win an award? Have a new book coming out? Present at a conference? Publish an article? Want it shared in the “Writer Spotlights” section of an upcoming issue? I’d love to share your writerly news! Fill out this Google Form for a chance to be featured!
What I’m Working On
My Debut Novel: An Expected End
Forty is the new 30, orange is the new black, and 4 o’clock is the new 5 o’clock—literally if we’re talking about the end of Daylight Savings Time last month, but also just in my writing life in general.
Lots of writers get up at 5am to devote some quiet time to their craft—but I already get up at 5 o’clock just to get ready for and arrive to work on time. Like those 5am-ers, though, I, too, need to find some time in the day to devote to my writing. As a result, more mornings than not over the last several weeks (up until I started feeling poorly), I’ve been rising an hour earlier to squeeze in some writing/revising ahead of the workday. Fortunately, winter break began yesterday, so I should be able to find some time for my writing without getting up at 4am, even tomorrow, the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice (on a personal note, it’s also Matty’s and my engagement anniversary).
Outdoor Writing
Several days ago, I got to view and comment on the proof of my first article for my 2023 Explore More column in Cooperative Living Magazine. I’m excited to see it in print next month.
Teacher Life
Writing Contest Adjudicating
As it turns out, there was such a strong response for the juror request put out by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards this year that, instead of adjudicating, I’ll serve as a backup judge should another juror need to bow out last-minute.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to learning more about my role as a judge for the 2023 Page Turner Awards.
Volunteer Work
Submissions and Board member reports for the winter issue of the Bay Quarter Bulletin, a community newsletter I orchestrate for Bay Quarter Shores, are due Thursday for a newsletter to go out New Year’s Day.
The Littles
Below, Soda stares at me out from under her hooded fleece sweater.
Nacho keeps vigil over me while I recuperate.
Look What I Saw Outside
I glanced up while walking the Littles one afternoon over the weekend and saw these clouds, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. I’ve come up with a list of appropriate names to describe them: spear clouds, picket fence clouds, comet tail clouds, paintbrush clouds, brushstroke clouds, miniblinds clouds, toothpick clouds… But I don’t know what they’re actually called.
Links to My Latest
Writing
My most recently published piece is still “Two Rivers, Three States and a Lot of Paddling: A whitewater rafting adventure in Harpers Ferry,” which appears in Cooperative Living Magazine.
Literary Calendar
December
December 21, 2022 (tomorrow!) | 5:30 PM | Chicken Soup for the Soul Reading and Book Signing with Lauren Mosher at Richmond Animal League.
February
February 25, 2023 | 10:00 AM-4:00PM | “Teaching Literature for Liberation” | This in-person workshop will share new frameworks and lesson plans for teaching Vietnamese-American literature, particularly in secondary schools. Breakfast and lunch provided. Register online HERE.
Want your literary event to appear on the Literary Calendar in the next issue of my newsletter? I love to share book signings, writing conferences, literary festivals, workshops, classes, and readings. Just fill out this Google Form for a chance to be featured!