Possibly Insightful Ramblings

I drove past an elementary school today while the kids were out at recess. And I realized how much I miss recess - not so much the recesses of my elementary school days, but those of a couple months ago when I would play tag with my little second graders. I miss those kids. A LOT. I miss their jokes and teasing and questions and games and love. And I feel a little melancholy thinking that I'll probably never see those little kids again, and after a few weeks or months - or perhaps on the day I left - they will have forgotten "Mrs. Nay" and the time we spent together. But those few brief months that our lives intersected were wonderful, and definitely changed me for the better. There's a quote I love from the current LDS church instruction manual  that reads, "We feel that our happiness will not be complete in the kingdom of heaven unless we enjoy the companionship of our families and those of our friends and associates with whom we have become acquainted and in...

Some of the best friends I made this past semester were seven years old. Tuesday afternoons were the highlight of my week as I headed down to a local elementary school to spend time with these kids.   The after school program started off with snack time. I sat with my second graders at our table and talked with them about field trips, school, friends, movies, and whatever great stories they happened to invent. As we got to know each other better over the course of the semester, some of the kids became adamant that I would sit by them during snack time. One day, my second graders decided that there was a “girls’ table” and a “boys’ table.” And in second grade, cooties are a very real danger. “Nay, come sit with us!” a little girl yelled as I approached. “No, Mrs. Nay, sit by me!” pleaded a little boy. I stood between the two, torn because I didn’t want to play favorites and risk making some of my little friends hate me. But the girls made my decision for me by ...