Ode to crazy weeks...
This is by far one of the craziest weeks...ever! Maybe second only to the week we got married.
Our school has invited about 12 'big time' donors from Chicago in for observations tomorrow (Tuesday). They are a random sampling of people who participated in an Outward Bound and are in love with the concept. The donors are not educators, just people with money who would love to support an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school. They are interested in starting one in or around Chicago. So, that means-- we've been working overtime to prepare! They will be in the building from 8-12pm... and in the 3rd grade classroom from 10-11... oh, the pressure! Lord help me if AJ, Danyea, and Dushawn lose control in one of their giggling fits.... or Isaiah accidently kisses someone else... or Kenny farts... or Kanesha hits someone... or Jermaine rolls around on the classroom floor... oh, the possibility of disaster!
The hardest part of tomorrow morning is that there is also a funeral. Jason's friend from high school, who still lives near Waukesha, is experiencing probably one of the hardest times of his life. His wife (27 years old), of only 3 years, died last week. They were watching TV on the couch-- he got up to go to bed and asked if she would like to join him-- she said she was pretty tired and was going to stay on the couch-- she passed out-- he tried to wake her up-- she did not respond-- he called the ambulance-- she was in a coma for a week-- with absolutely no brain activity-- she died on Wednesday-- as far as we know, it was an irregular heart beat/ skip/heart attack-- totally unsuspected-- and the worst part is-- they had their first baby 8 weeks ago-- it's just heart wrenching-- Jason and I can hardly talk about it without tearing up-- they had no warning-- and nothing but a full life together with a new baby to look forward to-- Jason is going to go to the funeral-- I just can't--
I can't because tomorrow is probably the most important day of the school year as far as demonstrating our success as a City of Milwaukee-- Outward Bound charter school-- and I also can't because I have a really hard time with funerals. I had a number of close friends-- one very close friend-- die young-- and I can feel the emotional pain of the funeral as if it was yesterday-- images that will never be erased from my mind--
I don't mean to be morbid... but I do declare that when I die... I want to be cremated... I want a room full of pictures of me laughing and doing all of the things I love to do in all of the places I love to be... and my ashes are to be spread in my favorite places... Land O' Lakes... and maybe a few from the pontoon boat on Lake Camelot... and maybe a few over the Grand Canyon... and maybe a few at Disney World... just imagine the list by the time I am 80... someone will have a lot of work to do dividing me between all of my favorite places :)
so hugs and kisses and love to all... death brings appreciation for life... and all of those that make life as wonderful as it is... and you are some of those people...
Our school has invited about 12 'big time' donors from Chicago in for observations tomorrow (Tuesday). They are a random sampling of people who participated in an Outward Bound and are in love with the concept. The donors are not educators, just people with money who would love to support an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school. They are interested in starting one in or around Chicago. So, that means-- we've been working overtime to prepare! They will be in the building from 8-12pm... and in the 3rd grade classroom from 10-11... oh, the pressure! Lord help me if AJ, Danyea, and Dushawn lose control in one of their giggling fits.... or Isaiah accidently kisses someone else... or Kenny farts... or Kanesha hits someone... or Jermaine rolls around on the classroom floor... oh, the possibility of disaster!
The hardest part of tomorrow morning is that there is also a funeral. Jason's friend from high school, who still lives near Waukesha, is experiencing probably one of the hardest times of his life. His wife (27 years old), of only 3 years, died last week. They were watching TV on the couch-- he got up to go to bed and asked if she would like to join him-- she said she was pretty tired and was going to stay on the couch-- she passed out-- he tried to wake her up-- she did not respond-- he called the ambulance-- she was in a coma for a week-- with absolutely no brain activity-- she died on Wednesday-- as far as we know, it was an irregular heart beat/ skip/heart attack-- totally unsuspected-- and the worst part is-- they had their first baby 8 weeks ago-- it's just heart wrenching-- Jason and I can hardly talk about it without tearing up-- they had no warning-- and nothing but a full life together with a new baby to look forward to-- Jason is going to go to the funeral-- I just can't--
I can't because tomorrow is probably the most important day of the school year as far as demonstrating our success as a City of Milwaukee-- Outward Bound charter school-- and I also can't because I have a really hard time with funerals. I had a number of close friends-- one very close friend-- die young-- and I can feel the emotional pain of the funeral as if it was yesterday-- images that will never be erased from my mind--
I don't mean to be morbid... but I do declare that when I die... I want to be cremated... I want a room full of pictures of me laughing and doing all of the things I love to do in all of the places I love to be... and my ashes are to be spread in my favorite places... Land O' Lakes... and maybe a few from the pontoon boat on Lake Camelot... and maybe a few over the Grand Canyon... and maybe a few at Disney World... just imagine the list by the time I am 80... someone will have a lot of work to do dividing me between all of my favorite places :)
so hugs and kisses and love to all... death brings appreciation for life... and all of those that make life as wonderful as it is... and you are some of those people...
posted by Brocks at 6:29 PM
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