What a wonderful saying and a true statement at that.  Honestly, life is not always a bed of roses.  We can go onto social media and see all these wonderful things happening for people and think..."Huh, I wonder why my life is not like that?"  Well, actually, your life may be just like that.  We only see a glimpse of what people want us to see on social media. If we truly open our eyes and look around there are miracles happening all around us, moment by moment. The baby that smiles at us, the bird that chirps, the ray of sunlight that glimmers through our window, and the extra dollar we find in our coat pocket.  Miracles that we notice, help to bring us happiness.  What are the little things you are thankful for?  Here are some of mine:  watching my grandson as he sleeps, finishing reading some great books during quarantine, organizing my house, the grass turning so green, my husband making me laugh, my daughters calling me to say I love you and my students succeeding despite what comes their way.

Well, this was definitely not how we thought we were going to be spending our spring and the end of the school year. We have talked all year about being resilient. This is most definitely putting our backpacks full of resiliency strategies to the test.  Although we are all in this together, we do not all have the same struggles and concerns.  I can say this has been tough for many reasons for me, but I have also looked for the positives.  I have had many alumni checking in on my family and me  and we are catching it up. They are also donating to our 24/7 food pantry! I have been able to zoom, face time and chat with many friends and family that I do not typically have the time to see and talk with.  I am working out daily and getting a ton done around the house.  I am enjoying cooking, taking pictures with my camera, reading and spending a lot of time with my husband and my grandson Brody.  I won't list all the hard things...trying to be positive.  I LOVE all the chats I have with you and I also am enjoying seeing your passion projects and our word picture message "In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Please Be Kind" come to fruition.  By the way...we received so many positive messages about that!!  You all rock. What is something that you can say you have learned through all of this about yourself as a learner and person ?
Much love <3,
Mrs. Colla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv_KZY8nvvw

Watch this video.  Kids are amazing and do so much to brighten our days.  Please share a funny story about your child  or a child you know.

This is so funny!  Obviously not true, but funny. Taking that 30 second vacation at home to just sit and breathe is so important to be healthy.  We all have stressful moments with our children and our families.  Laughing truly helps...humor truly helps.  What is something you laughed at recently with your child?

Set yourself up for success.  What does this quote mean to you?

Believing in your child is one of the most important things you can do.  How do you show your child you believe in him or her/

Please share about what you believe love is.  I feel love is a two way street of mutual respect.  It is honesty and always having that person's best interest in mind.  It is loving that person on good and bad days.  It is trust, goal oriented and learning and growing together.  Love is fun, exciting and never ending if it is true love.

Such a true and powerful statement. What storm came to clear your path? Mine was when I was in nursing school and I was placed in a nursing home.   I knew that was not the career for me and decided to drop out of nursing school.  I went home to tell my parents who were very disappointed.  It has now been 30 years of doing a job that I LOVE.  My path was cleared by the storm.

Spending time thinking about what you are grateful for can really change your attitude for the day.  The first thing I do upon waking is say five things I am grateful for:

Today mine were:
my family
my home
my friends
my students
my school-Shared Journeys

Doing this daily is of great benefit!  What are your five for today?

The wonderful question of the day, what are you doing for others? 

At home:
At school:
In the community:
For your family:

Please share.

What are some of the things you once thought you could not do that you now accomplished or are working on accomplishing?  For example, I never thought I could raise four daughters while working full-time and going to school for my master's degree, but I did. Strength is a powerful tool to help you reach your goals.

Happy New Year!  2020!!  Wow!  What an exciting time.  Fresh start.  Time to look ahead.  What are the top three things you are looking forward to in 2020?

1.  New Grandbaby
2.  Trip to Costa Rica
3.  Summer family trip