Blessings, part 2

Not only is today's writing "Blessings, part 2," it's writing-with-sophomores, part 2.  My T/Th section of sophomores is a little bit bigger class, but aside from numbers, they are basically the same...interested and eager learners for the most part.  A fun group to teach and work with.  We are listening to Yo Yo Ma while we write...another one of the blessings in my life :)

When I was thinking of the word "blessings" a few minutes ago, I thought of how many of my friends end their letters with the word "blessings."  Quite a few of them do in fact, both male and female.  In a way, it's kind of a throw-away tag line, maybe even a trendy one.  I know when I first became a principal I was concerned (not in a major way) about how I would end--and begin, for that matter--any communication I sent from my office.  My direct supervisor always ended his missives with "4 His Kids."  His supervisor closed hers with, you got it, "Blessings."  So...what was my tag line going to be?   Truth?  I never did figure it out.  Many times it would be "Take Care."  But that would depend on how well I knew the recipient.  Most of the time, I just tried to say something that sounded like a satisfying ending...almost like the ending of an essay!  My salutation dilemma I solved with a simple "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," or "Good Evening," depending on when I was writing.

But back to the blessings.  A blessing today is our Week of Prayer speaker.  He looks almost exactly like Kris Kristofferson, but few of our students would know who that was.  They think he looks like Jesus, a dirty-blond-haired Jesus.  And he's telling them some pretty cool stories of Jesus, so in a way, that fits.  Anyway, he's been a huge blessing to us and it's only his second day.