Learning | Roses

The rosebushes in my backyard are exploding with color right now.  I love to look at them through my kitchen window, or my patio door, or from my deck. After I appreciate their beauty, I start thinking about gratitude. 

I'm glad I was raised by a mother who shared her love of roses with her children.  Every house we lived in had to have roses in the garden. She patiently taught me how to carefully trim rosebushes, to encourage more blooms.  She shared the technique of watering a rosebush at the base, to prevent wet leaves from causing the black spot disease (which was very common in Louisiana.) She had a collection of small vases, suitable for displaying single blossoms. I loved replacing the tired-looking blossoms with fresh cuttings. I can remember a few names of the varieties she grew: Peace, President Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth, Chrysler Imperial, American Beauty, and Freedom.

Peace Rose.  From T.Kiya's photostream on Flickr.com.
Some rights reserved.

I also think about how thankful I am that the previous owners of my house chose to plant so many bushes, and selected such a variety of types.  I don't know the names of all of them.  

Rose lovers (and trivia buffs, and other readers of non-fiction) will appreciate Douglas Brenner & Stephen Scanniello's A Rose by Any Name: the Little-Known Lore and Deep-Rooted History of Rose Names.

Did you know more than 15,000 varieties of roses are cultivated around the world? Brenner and Scanniello tell some interesting tales about the naming of some of them--not just the names, but what certain roses represented in times past. Which rose became a symbol for the American temperance movement? Which rose was named after a not-very-diplomatic diplomat? The answers to all of these questions, and many more, are revealed in this book.

4 Kids | If You Can Read This...

...thank a teacher. I'm not trying to be funny here; I'm totally serious.

When I think of the people who have inspired me, believed in me, and encouraged me, most of them are teachers. And since our parents are our first teachers, here's a shout out to my wonderful parental unit -- Norm and Sandra -- for being my first teachers.

Teachers rock. They teach us skills so we can succeed in  life. They encourage our creativity. They help us work through problems, be those math problems or just life problems in general! They teach us the importance of teamwork. They open the doors to the world of learning. Wow!

I know a whole bunch of teachers, and I know how much they do -- beyond the hours in the classroom -- to help students succeed. Heck, I know teachers who buy stuff for the classroom out of their own pockets! Don't believe me? I promise you it's true. I spent Saturday with my BFF (who just happens to be a teacher) who spent money out of her own pocket to buy some much needed stuff for one of her young students. My BFF has a heart of gold, BTW.

And history is full of great teachers!

Annie Sullivan was the pioneering teacher who overcame disability and misfortune before achieving her success as one of the most famous educators of all time. We remember her because she was Helen Keller's teacher. Read about Annie Sullivan in Marfe Ferguson Delano's book Helen's Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's Teacher.

There's also Mary McLeod Bethune, the black educator who was instrumental in creating opportunities for blacks in education and government. Read all about this extraordinary woman in Amy Robin Jones' book Mary McLeod Bethune. 

I just saw in the newspaper that my 6th grade teacher -- Mr. Albert Perez -- passed away. It's been a few years (ok, a lot of years) since I sat in his classroom at John Adams School, so I'm a tad bit fuzzy on the details. But I remember him as someone who was always encouraging to me and who made learning fun. To have an adult believe in you at a young age is quite a gift!

So thank you, Mr. Perez. You made a difference in my life.

The message for today? Thank a teacher. The lessons they teach you today will stay with you for a lifetime.

P.S. Check the Library's website later this week for the announcement of the Children's Book Week Writing Contest winners!

 

Just Life | Ungrateful Me !

At the ripe age of 40, I still needed my dad to give me a life lesson.

A while back, after years of battling with my family to not have a television set in our living room, I was outnumbered and it was decided to have an entertainment center in that room. To be honest, I wasn't trilled about it and I wasn't happy about its cost either. Anyway...

My husband was very excited about it so I went with the flow. One day, when I came home from work, my husband announced that we are the proud owner of a fancy nancy "Home Theatre".

I wasn't excited about it and I couldn't fake it either.  A few minutes later in the kitchen, my dad casually mentioned my faux pas. He said that I should have been a bit more enthusiastic about it for my husband's sake. Then to my surprise he mentioned that years ago, when he bought me a yellow mountain bike, I wasn't that excited either.

I felt so bad. I must have hurt my dad's feeling pretty badly that he could remember that event so vividly 34 years later.

I really liked my yellow bike. I kept it for many many years and  I rode all over our Air Force Base with that yellow bike.

My father is absolutely right. I have a major character flaw. I am sometimes  ungrateful.

The opposite of me is my Japanese friend Reiko who just showers you with gratefulness every time she receives even the tiniest present.

 

I don't think I am going to forget this life lesson anytime soon.

Thanks dad.

 

365 thank yous  

Emotional awareness 

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha