Overcoming Sadness When It Drags You Down

Unless you ignore the news completely, you are aware of all the shootings and violence happening in our world recently. Yesterday it finally got to me, and it grabbed hold of me tightly. I was finishing up tutorials where one of my boys had come in to work on his writing portfolio. I clicked on my Facebook app and saw the news about the shooting in California. He and I were both shocked, and I left school feeling like I needed to cry.


This morning I felt it even more heavily, especially since the news seems to have a constant stream of updates and new information. I am thankful for the news. I am also disgusted and saddened that this has happened yet again. I know something needs to be done, but I am not at all confident that anything will be done anytime soon.


That sadness has permeated my world today and I needed to do something about it. My students write in their journals every day to a specific prompt word, their journal writing is also supposed to be in a specific style. I decided that I needed my kids to help me see some light in this all too dark world. It has been my experience that when I am down or feeling the horrors of the world close in on my heart that my kids are most often the ones to help me through it and into the light of hope.


So, instead of writing a journal prompt today, here is what I put up on the board:

Like always, they came through. Here are just a few of the beautiful notes my kids wrote and will then spread to random people in the hallway today. I love that so many of them have added the phrase "pass it on" somewhere on their cards. I even had several who wanted to do more than one.

When you feel down, let your kids know. It's important they see you as real people, and they will usually take an extra few minutes to help bring you up.