Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in.

My thoughts jumbled.
My emotions confused.
Heart pounding,
Eyes tearing,
I remember.

Breathe out.

First, it slithers in; sadness.
Next, a memory; happiness.
Then the timing; anger.
And the longing; heartache.

Breathe in.

Four years.
Four years of no hug,
no smile,
no "I love you",
no butterfly kisses.

Breathe out.

His cheeky grin,
his giant water mug,
his socks with sandals,
his contagious laughter,
his animated stories...
A smile creeps across my face.

Breathe in.

His words adorn the board beneath the calendar.
I hear them like a distant whisper.
His pictures are scattered across the walls.
A glimpse of time still held so dear.
His laughter echoes through my vacant mind.
It bounces around, from thought to thought.

Breathe out.

Gone, but never forgotten.
Away, yet still so close.
In heaven he rests,
never alone,
eternal life he chose.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Forever my hero, I love you Daddy.
10.07.08

My afternoons.

My afternoon class is usually a group of boys; only boys, ages 4-10. On occasion, I have a girl that stays for an hour or so, but I'm usually trapped in a room with young boys playing action figures and legos. Listening to their conversations is the highlight of my day. Kids really do say the darnedest things!

Here is a small compilation of things I have heard them say that I felt were worth writing down. (I will simply use a letter to represent the children's' names and a number for their age. Keep in mind, they're all boys unless otherwise specified.) The list will continue to grow. Enjoy!

..........................................................................................................................................................

*Playing some hiding game with action figures*
N(10):  "HAHA, I found you!"
E(8):    "Uh, no...you didn't. I'm black so you probably can't even see me through the
          smoke."
N(10):  "Fine. (Turns to another boy) I caught you!!"
V(6):   "No way. I'm too big to catch. I'm 500 pounds because I like McDonald's."

..........................................................................................................................................................

*His friend walks away and starts goofing around*
L(5):   "Well, I'm gonna do this while you do all your jibbelty jack. Such a waste of
        time."

..........................................................................................................................................................

*Arguing about action figures*
E(8):  "Okay, but my character is deaf."
V(6):  "Your guy is death?"
E(8):  "No, not death. Deaf! Death is when you die, deaf is when your ears die."

..........................................................................................................................................................

*Talking during snack*
N(10): "Yeah because zombies eat peoples' flesh."
Me: "Let's find something else to talk about!"
M The only girl in class (8): "Yeah! Like puppies or rainbows or stickers. Stuff like that."

..........................................................................................................................................................

*Showing me his lego creation*
E(8):  "It's like the third quadruple most amazing thing in the world."

..........................................................................................................................................................

N(10):  "Let's have a dance competition!"
L(5):    "No, I can't."
N(10):  "Well, why not?!"
L(5):     "They're my secret moves. I can't show people my secret moves. That's why
            they're called secret."

..........................................................................................................................................................

N(10):  "Gross, who just farted?"
Me:    "We don't need to talk about that. And let's use a different word next time,
         please."
V(6):    "We say toot, or pass gas, or stepping on frogs, or booty whispers."

..........................................................................................................................................................

*Talking about eating cherries*
M(5):  "Sometimes they feel juicy and taste like mushrooms."
V(6):   "But mushrooms grow out of the ground and cherries grow from..umm...God?"

..........................................................................................................................................................

O(4):  "I learned how to tie my shoes. Something about a rabbit in a hole, but my
         rabbit never stays in his hole. That's why we had six more weeks of winter."

..........................................................................................................................................................

V(6): "Ms. Miller, how old are you? Well, umm...if I had to guess, I'd say you're like 80.
       Because you look young and old. I think my mom is 85. So you look younger 
       than her, but older than me."