MARVELOUS MONDAY

Today was a rainy, damp, day. A kind of day that you wish you could curl up in your bed and sleep the hours away. A day that sometimes fills our minds with the color blue. A day that can be very difficult for those facing a loss of some kind, an illness, or perhaps missing someone they love. It can be tough if we let,  “blue”  attach to our soul.  I must admit that blue has found me from time to time. Sometimes blue stuck around way too long, and I knew that I had to make some changes. It was incredible how a group of children changed my blue to yellow faster than the snap of my fingers.

My blue started back in 1994 when my husband died of a massive heart attack. I returned to my classroom one week after he passed and everything involved around his death was taken care of.  With a heavy heart, I was determined to get back into my routine and do the best for each one of my students. I was not going to allow my students to see or feel the blue I was feeling. It rained on the third day back, and I found myself struggling. Even though I smiled and carried on our morning lessons. I think some of them knew that I was sad.

I will never forget one little boy asking for a sheet of yellow construction paper. I reminded him that it was not free time, but he told me that it was important. He asked if another student could help him. Since he asked nicely, I gave my permission. As I worked with a group of students, the two boys worked to complete their project.

They work on their daily work until I was finished with my group. As I looked up, I saw a little hand waving like a flag on a windy day. He walked up with his hands behind his back, asked me to close my eyes, and not to open them until he told me to. Within a few seconds, I heard the children, saying “Aw.” This precious little boy and his sidekick made me the most beautiful yellow paper sun with rays that looked like spikes.

I have to admit, that sun that took two pieces of paper and some scotch tape touched my heart beyond belief.  But it was what he said that made me hold back the tears. He reminded me that every time it rained, I told them that we would need to make our own sunshine.

He then handed me the beautiful bright yellow sun and said, ” Please don’t be sad. Here is your sunshine.”  We hung the paper sun on the bulletin board, and every time I looked at it, I smiled. Those two little boys, the one with the idea and his helper will never know how much they touched my heart.

Whenever I felt sad, I knew the paper sun was there as a reminder that the day would be a bright day, a yellow day.  An amazing thing happened, the yellow started taking over my heart, and by the end of the year, the yellow had spread, and the blue started to fade. I still have that paper sun. It’s not as bright as when it was made but it still shines for me.

So, when the blues settle into your soul, make yourself a little yellow sun and see what happens. Wishing you a marvelous Monday!