Happy Friday!

 Seeing Friday may make you smile because you're thinking that it's your favorite day of the week or it indicates your weekend is about to start. You also might be thinking it's not Friday yet (or it could be when you read this!). I use this phrase as I'm sure many of you have 😊. Some of you may even say Fri- Yay!! Happy Friday has a very special meaning to me and that's what I want to share with you today. I want to share with you about two special people I worked with. One of them is my teacher friend who teaches at another school district now. The other individual has unfortunately passed away as he was the custodian at our school, Mr. Boo. I was a teacher assistant alongside my teacher friend for a while and it was great! We had so many laughs and good memories working with the students, and I learned so much 💚! When I started working with students in a specialized reading program, I moved to a class next door to my teacher friend. We continued to make wonderful memories as she was a great support to me as I was taking steps to become a teacher 😊. Remember how I told you we shared lots of laughs? You know who else loved to laugh? Mr. Boo! We looked forward to his afternoon visits every day as he would always come in with a smile, joke, laugh or encouraging word. Now, when Friday came, he definitely would come in with a big smile, we would all say "Happy Friday" to each other and do a little dance. It was our Friday tradition- just the three of us- and I loved every minute of it 💚. I remember when I got the teaching job 5 years ago and how they were both so happy for me! Mr. Boo was one of the individuals that moved my packed boxes that summer from my old class to my new class. It was that same summer 5 years ago in July that Mr. Boo passed away. He is missed so much! Mr. Boo never saw me start my teaching career, but I know he would have been smiling 😊. My teacher friend kept supporting me and we still shared our "Happy Friday" tradition even though it was different without Mr. Boo. Then, my teacher friend moved to work at another district. We still keep in touch and I continue to give her updates. Our "Happy Friday" traditions meant so much to me, especially on the hard days and it helped brighten me up. I'm so grateful for my people! Today, I want to remind you to cherish your people. Remember to cherish your words and use your words wisely. I've learned that you never know when you will share last words with someone, so we have to make our words count and choose carefully. "Happy Friday" is forever with me now because my teacher's friend daughter created a drawing that says "Happy Friday" with a chicken and I love it!! The drawing is framed and sits on my reading shelf in my new classroom I moved in this year. It's in the perfect spot! I still teach 6th grade English 😊. 

When I need a pick me up, smile, or laugh, I can look at that drawing and remember my people. So, cherish the time, laughs, moments, traditions, phrases you share, and smiles with your people. Happy Friday 💚😊!! Love and blessings to all!