Gratitude

Something amazing happened at work today.

The kids were gathering in the back waiting for instructions for their afternoon activity and as soon as I entered the room, Cindy said, "Lanae and Jza'ceir, you are going to go to the library right now with Miss Autumn and she's going to do some mediation between you two."

What? I could hardly believe my ears. Really? She wanted me to do that? I was surprised because she hasn't always been supportive/understanding/confident of my ability to deal with discipline issues. I felt proud because it was a sign that she thought I was capable, and grateful that she was giving me a chance to use the communication skills I've been trying to cultivate. I'm more used to her giving me advice, which often feels like criticism, so her asking me to do that is about the highest praise I've received all year.

saying our farewells

We had our first true community night in about three months last night, and our last one of the year. it was wonderful. Conor is leaving tomorrow and Megan leaves on Saturday, so since they won’t be coming to our closing retreat, I felt like we needed a way to say farewell to each other and reflect on our year together. It was a lovely hour of just reminiscing and sharing and laughing and enjoying each other’s company and our quirks and ups and downs as a community. Despite our mix of contrasting interests, personalities, and backgrounds, we made it through a year together without having any major conflicts and managed to get along for the most part. And that’s something to celebrate!