Happy Birthday, Jay!

Last December when Teresa told me that she was going to call all of her brothers' and sisters' chiidren on their birthdays, I told her that I would do a post on each one of them. If you have followed my blog, you have know that Teresa has made sure that I have done this.

With our family being as close as we are, I would love to write something about everyone one of our wonderful cousins. And possibly over the years, I will make this goal. I haven't written about any of the in-laws (or out-laws), other than Joan who was my first post. I wrote about Joan because of how much what she did for our John meant.

However, today I am going to make an exception and I want to say a special birthday to Jay Henderson, Cecilia's wonderful husband and the father of Monica, David, Mark, Annie, Katie, and Matthew. I feel as though Jay is like my brother-in-law. You see, Jay is always there for all of us Through the years, I have asked Jay to help me many times with different situations. Jay is one of the "salt of the earth" people who doesn't have a lot to say, but can always be counted on no matter what!

Jay is so supportive of our family in every way. He is a wonderful husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. His unconditional love and support is always something to be counted on. And he is fun!!!

Cecilia is so fortunate to have such a great man as Jay. And our family is fortunate to have Jay for so many reasons.

I know that Yaya and Pat in particular will totally agree with me on this. Jay is a great human being and I thank him for all of the great times we have had. He is a quiet and gentle man, who puts family first and loves our Cecilia so much.

So happy birthday, Jay!! I love having you in my life!! You are the best!!! Let's celebrate!!! (I think we will at the "old fogies" dinner at Yaya's Saturday.)

Putting Things Into Perspective

Every week at school I can't imagine things getting any worse, and yet it does. Never did I ever think that so many really difficult issues could arise like they have with the current economic crisis. I have seen the ups and downs of our economy and how it has affected our district over the years, but it has been nothing like this.

This past week, I had to meet with some of our classified staff to tell them about hours that are being cut which means losing health insurance benefits. These are longtime and loyal employees. We have also had to make our class sizes larger in order to make even deeper budget cuts. Each day and hour bring more bad news and very sad situations. Over the years, I have had to deal with many unpleasant issues as a principal. However, this is beyond anything I ever thought could happen. I know that as part of my job, I have to do some very unpleasant and difficult things, but these past weeks have been the absolute worst. Amidst all of this garbage, the school year goes on. We have to remember why we are there--for the children. So this time of year brings awards, etc. So I have had the honor of calling parents with good news. I have always said that the range of emotion that one goes through in a short time can be so unbelievable. I didn't know it would ever be the way it has been lately.

On Tuesday, I came back to my office from one of the many very depressing district meetings that we have had lately. I noticed that there was a wheelchair by my office. I asked who it belonged to and was told that it belongs to a parent who is dealing with terminal cancer.

A few weeks ago, we were approached by a non-profit organization that helps women with a variety of services. They provide legal aid, social workers, job counselors, and even help with how to dress, etc. Their purpose is to help women who have had set backs in life to get on with their lives and find out their own self-worth. They also provide classes in budgeting, parenting, and almost anything else that is needed. They had been referred to our school by the Chamber of Commerce because they knew how much we do for families. They are trying to branch out into our side of the valley. After meeting with the ladies in charge and reading about what they have to offer, I was very excited to have them be a part of our community. Once they get established, they will find a permanent location. As we were talking to the ladies a few weeks ago, I could think of so many parents who would benefit.

So last week was their first week at our school. They had several appointments already lined up, one of which was the parent with cancer. I walked out of my office a bit later and the mom was getting into her wheelchair. She was so sweet and asked me how I was. We talked for a few minutes and then she said she wanted to thank me. She proceeded to tell me that she had just been with the legal person filling out her living will. I was so taken aback by this and just told her I was glad we were able to help her. We talked a few more minutes and then she left. I went in to my office, shut my door, and cried for a few minutes. I had to pull it together for the next issue.

This was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had our final Flag Ceremony of the year. At each Flag Ceremony, our local Kiwanis Club presents a bicycle, helmet, and lock to a student "caught with character." Teachers submit names and I chose one student each month. This is one part of my job that I love!!! The young lady who won this time is a first grader who has a very serious form of arthritis, but you would never know it if you saw her. She always has a huge smile on her little face and a big hug to give you. She has dealt and continues to deal with much pain each day. Some of the treatment that she has undergone is almost worse than her disease. But she is at school almost every day no matter what, works her heart out, and loves to be a Tiger. Although our job is to teach her to read, write, and learn math, she teaches all of us something every single day. I feel privileged to be her principal. Her parents are incredible and so supportive and trusting of us.

Both this mom and this young lady show courage that cannot be measured by any assessment or AIMS test. They demonstrate each day that life should be lived to the fullest no matter what obstacles may come our way. They truly put everything that is happening right now into perspective. Once again, I feel that these two events happening this week were not a coincidence. I believe that the resiliency displayed by both of these incredible humans can help all of us, but especially they have helped me. For that I am so thankful!

And I do believe that there are "Angels Among Us!!!"

Great News About My Favorite Place on Earth!

I have written previous posts about our cabin in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. Our family, along with two other close family friends, bought this cabin in December of 1960 when I was in sixth grade. It is on the eastern slope of the Chiricahua Mountains near a very small place called Portal. It is about 60 miles from Douglas. In order to get there, you must go into New Mexico by a very small town called Rodeo and then back into Arizona. It is very remote and very beautiful!!

Because it is so close to Douglas, our families would go up to the cabin almost every Sunday after church. We have a guest book going back to 1960 and it is amazing to read. It holds such incredible memories.

As I got older, I always loved to go to the cabin and spend a few days whenever I could. When my kids were little and we spent summers in Douglas, we spent a lot of time at the cabin. We still go every chance we get as everyone loves the cabin. Our cousins from all over love to go up there,too.

The area is called Cave Creek and our cabin is in south fork. There is only one other cabin in this part of the canyon and a picnic area about a mile down. No camping is allowed at the picnic area. There are many unusual birds and insects in this area which draw people from all over the world. However, it is still out of the way and not many people know about it.

This cabin is truly a cabin. We haul water from the creek and boil it on the stove for warm water to do dishes and wash our faces and hands. We have a small shed with a generator for electricity. We also have an outhouse. Yet, it is the most comfortable place you could ever want to be. The beauty and serenity can not be matched anywhere that I have ever been. There is no television, no radio, no telephone service--just the natural beauty of this part of Arizona. You can truly relax there.

Our cabin is on forest service land and through the years we have had to deal with times when we were afraid that the government would take back our lease. Several years ago, we found out that we had the cabin for sure until 2008. As a result, we didn't do much to fix the cabin up as we didn't know what was going to happen.

Teresa keeps very informed and does whatever is required by the Forest Service at any time. She has gotten several letters in the last several months about an inspection that was coming up. So last Wednesday, she got a ride up to the cabin and waited for the ranger to come by to tell us what was needed and whether or not the lease would be extended.

Wednesday night she called with the incredible news that we get a 20 year lease!!! There are some things that we have to do as far as improvements are concerned, but this is such great news!!!!!

I was worried about what might happen to our cabin and couldn't imagine what it would be like to not be able to go there anymore. I look so forward to my time spent in this most beautiful place and I am so thankful that we can have it for at least the next 20 years....that should be enough for me!!!

Cinco de Mayo--A Whole Year Has Passed...

It was May 5 a year ago that our Mary lost her battle with cancer down in Douglas. She died on May 5th and was buried on the day that is Mother's Day is celebrated in Mexico. This Sunday is Mother's Day in the U.S. I will be remembering my wonderful mother and our Mary on Sunday.

So much has happened in the past year and it has gone by very fast. We were down in Douglas over the Fourth of July and Labor Day. It seems so strange not to see Mary in the kitchen making tortillas for us. I miss those homemade tortillas, but more than that, I miss Mary. She was always there for our family. I know my Aunt Teresa misses her and that it has been hard to be in that big old house on 14th Street with all of the memories.

Mary taught me how to fix all of the Mexican food that I make for the many occasions at school and at home. Every time I make red or green chili or beans I think about Mary.

Mary's family is still a part of our family and always will be. We appreciate how much they help Teresa down in Douglas.

I continue to be thankful for having this wonderful lady in my life for many reasons. She was a simple person without many worldly possessions, but she gave so much to all of us, particularly Judy and I. I attribute much of who I am today to her influence in my life. A year passes so quickly anymore.........

A Longtime Friendship That Means So Much!

Last week I sent a birthday email to my dear friend, Susan, as I do each year. Susan and I have been friends for more than 40 years since high school in Douglas.

We were roommates at ASU and right after we graduated. Susan is a wonderful friend. She may not remember this, but she did something for me many years ago that I will never, ever forget.

Right after I graduated from ASU, my mom was critically ill and was in the hospital in Tucson. One of my cousins was getting married here in the valley and so everyone was here for her wedding. The weekend of the wedding, my mom took a turn for the worse and I felt that I needed to be in Tucson. Susan had just met a guy named Brian who was stationed with the Marines in Yuma. He was coming up to Tempe for the weekend and it was to be their first date. I think Susan had a special feeling about him. However, she postponed that first date until the following week so that she could go with me to Tucson so that I wouldn't be going down there by myself. It meant so much to me then and truly has been an act of kindness and friendship that I have never forgotten. And that good feeling about Brian was right as they have been married for many years now.

For many years, Susan and her husband, Brian, lived in Texas. We saw each other sometimes at Christmas when we were all in Douglas visiting our families. Susan's son and Patrick are the same age and had fun together when they were little.

When my mom died in 2002, Susan came for the funeral. The next summer, Cameron, Kerri, and I drove to Texas for Elliot's wedding. We had a great time visiting with Susan's family. I hadn't seen her mom in many years as she has moved to Texas also. Susan's mom died shortly after and we talked on the phone that day. We haven't been able to get together since because Susan travels a lot in her job and mine requires so much time. We have kept in touch through email.

Susan and Brian have two beautiful grandsons, Matthew and Cody. I know how crazy she is about them!!

To my surprise, I got an email on Friday from Susan telling me that she and Brian have moved to Douglas. Brian is going to be working at the hospital in Douglas. Susan's father is a medical doctor and has been very dedicated to the hospital. Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled as this means that we will get to see each other much more often!!

So, Susie, I can't believe that we have gotten this old. You said that you didn't feel 60 other than being tired from the last month of working and moving. I agree as I don't feel that old either!! I am so happy that you are closer and that we will be able to get together more often. You are a wonderful friend and I love you!

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." As I said you probably don't even remember what you did that weekend over 37 years ago, but it meant so much to me then. Thank you for being such a great friend for so many years!

When Thank You Isn't Enough to Convey Gratitude...

Yesterday was quite a day! In a typical day in the life of a principal, the range of emotions can be unbelievable. One minute you are laughing at something darling that a child said, five minutes later you might be dealing with an angry parent. Then a staff member may come in with a personal difficulty that you listen to and empathize with. Two students will be in a fight and you must deal with that issue. So in the course of an hour you may go from laughing, to sternness, to.........

Well yesterday was definitely that kind of day. In this post I am only going to talk about what in incredible day it was for me. The morning started when our wonderful student newscasters, Riley and Briley, announced on the morning news that I had been named Gilbert Education Foundation Administrator of the Year. I had found out about this award about a week ago. The students in my school had all written a word to describe me and made a "wordle" for me. A wordle takes all of the words and mixes them together to make word art. The really cool thing about it is that it takes the words that are used the most and makes them stand out more. I had never seen one before. Then they invited each class in our school to send their two best huggers to the office to give me a hug. In the next few minutes, I was visited by about 50 kids and got the best hugs. I was so touched by this. Thank you, Riley, Briley, Cade, and Tom!!!!
Last night was the Gilbert Education Foundation dinner where the awards were given out. My wonderfully supportive family was there and I thank them for being there with me. Teresa, Judy, Glennie, Kerri, Yaya, Pat, Cecilia and Jay were all there. It meant a lot to me. Thank you, Judy, for paying for everyone.Two of my wonderful teacher friends were also there, Dottie and Carol. They had written nomination letters for me and Dottie put them all together in a wonderful scrapbook. I had not read them until this morning--I don't know what to say. Thank you, Dottie, Carol, Barb, Louise, Kathy, Nurse Barb, Shirley, Heather, Shannon, and Dolores for the letters you wrote. I will cherish them forever!!
I was honored along with two colleagues in the district--one teacher and one support staff. I couldn't think of anyone better to get an honor with than Sherry Hornby from our district testing department. Sherry is one of the nicest human beings that you would ever want to be around. She is at Gilbert El quite often as she participates in our Tiger Buddy mentoring program. She is a wonderful mentor to a student each year and always goes above and beyond. Thank you, Sherry, for all that you do!

The Gilbert Education Foundation has given financial assistance to many of our families at Gilbert El over the past several years. They have been generous and have always given when I have called. I feel so honored to have been chosen by them for this award. Thank you to Darcey, Shane, Jeff and everyone associated with the Foundation!!!

Something else happened yesterday that I think says everything about what being an educator is all about as far as I am concerned. I am going to give a little background first. There is a mom at our school who has terminal cancer. She has two elementary age children, a high school daughter, and a four year old son. This is their first year at our school. They have no family in the area. Our social worker and nurse and our parent liaison have gone above and beyond for this family, as have several of the teachers and parents in the children's classrooms. Above and beyond doesn't even begin to explain what they have done. Last weekend, one of our teachers, Nancy, arranged to have her daughter-in-law who is a photographer, take pictures of the family so that the children would have a lasting gift of their mom. Jan, another teacher, took mom to get her hair done for the photo shoot. I am putting the link to the blog so that you can see these beautiful pictures and read what Tami wrote on her blog. I can guarantee that it will bring tears to your eyes. Here is the site: www.tamiproffitt.blogspot.com It is the post for Sunday, April 19.

About noon, I walked out of my office and saw a deputy sheriff come in the door with what looked like an envelope in her hand. There was a lot of activity in the office right then so she waited patiently. I stood out there for a minute to see why she was there as law enforcement visits aren't always "fun." I heard her tell Cris that she went to Gilbert El as a child and that her mother had died when she was 10. She told Cris that everyone had been so kind to her when her mom died and she has always remembered that kindness. She went on to explain to Cris that she had found out about the mom with terminal cancer from Tami's blog and she asked about what school it was. When she found out it was Gilbert El, she wanted to do something. So she handed Cris the envelope and said that it was for the family. When Cris asked her name, she said she didn't want to give it. She just wanted to give back because of how she had been treated as a child. In the envelope were five $20 bills....

This says it all to me and the fact that it happened yesterday....... This just confirms my belief that what we as educators do each day makes such a profound impact in so many, many ways and in ways we may never know.

I am very grateful that I have the job that I do, at the school where I am, with the teachers, staff, and students that I work with each and every day. Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to convey all of my emotions, but I will say it anyway...........

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Surfing AZ Way!

It has been a very long week at school this week. So much going on and so much to still figure out. In the past, April and May have been planning months for next school year. With all of the budget crisis, no one has any answers about what will be happening next school year. I had two meetings this week that were very long. We needed to have them, but we really didn't find out anything that will help us with planning at this time. It is very frustrating for everyone involved!!

Tonight I had the first grade musical, which was absolutely darling. Our first graders presented "The Mice from Outerspace" for all of their families. It was followed by the PTSO meeting. We are in need of parents willing to be officers on our PTSO. For some reason, we have had a difficult time finding parents who are willing to commit to this. I think it is so much uncertainty with the economy.

In my job, I must deal with everything that is happening. It is so hard to hear all of the sad stories that are happening right now......

So when I got home tonight about 8:15, Cameron and Kerri were in the pool. Pancho, with is obsession with balls, was running around the pool with his yelping bark in hopes that they would throw a ball for him to fetch. You can hear him for blocks!! Cameron yelled at me to go out and see my little Lucy who had gotten on the little surfboard and was riding around the pool without a care in the world, providing some laughter in a yucky week!

What would we do without the joy that our pets bring to us? I know my life would not be the same!! They bring such unconditional joy and love to us each and every day. I can tell you that "I LOVE LUCY!"