Along the Road to Home

I stopped to keep a promise to my sweet sister Sherry yesterday as Mike and I headed back home from a visit to Reno County, Kansas.  In the waning days before her death in the summer of 2017, I told her that every time I went home to Haven, I would stop by the cemetery where she would be buried to say "hello" to her. Yesterday I did. The wind was blowing, as usual, by the time Mike drove up to where we left her earthly remains.  That day in June was very warm and sunny, with a clear "robin's egg" blue sky above us all.  Yesterday was quite a contrast with a day of perpetually gray skies , temperatures in the 40's, and a touch of drizzle falling upon us.  Mike helped me to place some Christmas flowers into the earth near the center of our headstone and because the hour was getting late, we only remained there for a short while.  I wish I could have stayed longer, but at least for that moment one thing was a certainty. Sherry was remembered. The mon...

I took a little spill at home last evening and was the recipient of the painful reminder that a person really needs to be careful. I have absolutely no idea what prompted me to decide on the evening of the last day of school before Thanksgiving break to climb a 3 foot ladder and attempt to clean out the supply closet for the bathroom.  At 6:30 last night, it just simply sounded like the best idea ever!  I've been so thankful to have a home that came with those old fashioned 1950's era hallway cupboards.  We have filled ours to the brim and because they are so deep, it's easy for things to be forgotten at the back of them.  I was sure if I started before 7 pm that I would easily get the task done by bedtime. I was wrong. I admit it. Somewhere between the brand new pump soaps I got last weekend in Ponca and the first aid kit containing the bandages, antibiotic cream, and ace wraps it happened.  My best guess is that I didn't even bother trying to find the ...

A very strange thing happened on Thursday night here at the Renfro house in Newkirk.  It was nearly 7:15 in the evening and I had just gotten home from an activity at school.  I was tired, worn out and ready to have a bite of supper before heading off to bed for the night.  I was visiting with Mike about his day, when all of a sudden the doorbell rang.  We both wondered who would be stopping by at that time of the evening for seldom do we get a visitor after dark. I opened the door and looked out but saw no one.  I almost closed the door again but thankfully just in the nick of time, I looked down and there they were!  There were two Moose on the Loose and a note attached to the box in which they had arrived, waiting right there beside the front door.   "How do you know they were Moose on the Loose?" you might ask me. Trust me friends.  If anyone can recognize a Moose on the Loose, it'd be me. Olga on the left and Olivia on the r...

I have learned many things over the course of the last 40+ years in the business of education.  One of the best things I have learned is this. Sometimes, for the sake of the children, you have to think out of the box. A year ago today on November 10th of 2018, 7 of my 10 second graders from Grandfield, Oklahoma had the chance to do just that when we visited Ft. Sill National Cemetery near the community of Elgin, Oklahoma.  This is their story. Grandfield Elementary in Tillman County, Oklahoma was my school home for two years, beginning in August of 2017 and ending in May of this year.  I was most blessed to be assigned to the second grade room there and the opportunity could not have arrived at a better time.  6 weeks before the start of that first year, my beloved sister Sherry passed away after struggling forever it would seem from the effects of COPD.  As a lifelong Oklahoma educator, it was Sherry who had been my mentor and she was always there for me,...

Hello Saturday~ I slept in this morning past my normal 3 a.m. "time to get up and get out bed" routine.  Getting only 3 1/2 hours of sleep the night before took its toll on me.  I made up for lost time and sleep as I watched the score on my device go up by 16 points from a most miserable 63 to a better than nothing 79.   5:30 a.m. Time to get the day started. The subject of time is surely on my mind these days.  As a now mature 64-year old, I see my imaginary hourglass of sand in a different way than I used to.  It's no longer mostly full, in fact it's more than likely not even at the halfway mark any longer.  I know that there is still sand in there, but each day that passes by brings along with it the knowledge that sooner or later, it will all indeed run out.  Since I'm not the Creator, there may even be less than I think is in there.  Only the good Lord above knows that available amount.  I have brought this very subject...

We did the Macarena in class yesterday.   Yes, that's right.  We did the Macarena. Every once in a while, you have to do that.  At some point in time, a teacher has to take a step back and breathe for a moment, while at the same time allowing the kids to do the very same thing. Breathe. Just plain old breathe . There was really a method to my madness.  It's not like I just thought~ "I'm tired of doing math.  We're doing the Macarena instead kids!" No it wasn't like that at all.  A week ago last Friday, I was able to attend a leadership workshop with 4 of my students.  One of the presenters taught the kids how to determine the kind of leaders they were by taking a look at their character traits.  It was really interesting to see how the kids determined their leadership style.  At the end of that part of the training, the kids learned to do the Macarena as they used the symbols for certain animals that were assigned to their l...