The Day Got Better

I felt much better this morning, after my ear/nose/throat issue the day before.  But late Thursday night, we got word that another student--this time at the local junior high--had committed suicide.  It was exactly one month form the high school student who took her life.  So this morning I woke up wondering what was wrong with the world that these kids are taking permanent ends to their temporary problems.  That, and, WHAT is going on here?!?

Sadly, there is no explanation, and luckily I don't have to be responsible for figuring out the "why" of these two deaths.  But as I went about my day--including two trips to the school for volunteer work--I recognized that amount of care that the kids try to offer others.  Not just my kids--but all the kids I come into contact with each day.

Sometimes it is the friends who stop by to see their buddy during lunch who just got home from having his wisdom teeth removed.  Yes, these boys showed up to tease and make fun of hteir friendwhile he was still under the affects of the anesthesia, but they do it because they love him.

Other times it is the ballroom team who come to the front office as a whole group to bring their trophies from their state competition to show the principals an the office staffers.  They were congratulated by the staff and then congratulated each other for their individual work.

Once in a while it is the kid who offers to buy his friend a sucker or slushy just because it is Friday.

Today included a gaggle of Student Council kids who came to the store to help their Japanese exchange students--there were about a dozen here on a cultural exchange for the day that "shadowed" the student council to all their classes--exchange the size of their American T-shirts to fit their tiny Japanese student bodies.  Good thing we sell Youth Larges

There is much to see that makes me hopeful in my observations of public school kids.  I'm glad to notice, otherwise I'd be so depressed I wouldn't bother getting out of bed each day.