I have a new job.....

....and I love it very much. The boss is very sweet and kind, and the working conditions are the best. The payscale....well, I get paid in hugs and it is the best kind of paycheck a working woman could ever want.

I learn so much each and every day. I learn that the world is not always what it seems to be. There has been one child in class who is so bright and proficient. She loves to learn, but in the past few weeks she has been acting out. Her life is not an easy one, and one can only wonder what obstacles she faces when she leaves the classroom.

So I try to think of ways to let these children know that they are loved and cared for. So when I told one of the children that I was not going to be there next week since I was going on vacation she asked me where I was going. I told her I was going to the Apple Farm, and then she asked me if I would bring apples as treats for the students.

I told her I would...that it would be OUR surprise and then I asked her what kind of apple was her favorite. She likes green sour apples ( yikes) and so I brought apples for ALL the class and one special apple just for her.

I also found a special book about a Grandmother whose job it was to pick apples. This sweet little girl in Mrs. Hein's class has parents who are farmworkers and I thought she would enjoy a book devoted to people who provide the food that we all eat.

Mrs. Hein read the story, and I poured fresh apple juice that was as crisp and delicious as the apples I had in my bag. Each child got an apple, and Mrs. Hein snuck the special green apple in my little friends desk as a reward for "keeping our apple secret".

Mrs. Hein says that she has been on much better behavior since last week....maybe life is not as burdensome, or maybe she just needed to feel special and cared for. I think we all need LOTS of that in our lives.

I think this picture says it all.....a working environment that I look forward to more than I can tell you. No worries that I am not keeping my night job, because I love that one too. I guess I am just one very lucky working lady!