Simple things

I arrived in work this morning to find a bunch of yellow roses on my desk with a little note from a friend to say "A little something to make you smile. Huge hugs xx".

Simple things can sometimes be enough to keep me going. They were very much appreciated.

As was the fact that most of my colleagues did what I needed and didn't ask, read my face and my body language and knew that yesterday had not given me the outcome that I needed.

Then I have other colleagues who support, unquestionningly with the quiet supervision of a student who would not engage in my lesson. Another one who gave me a 30 minute lesson in how to teach about the Periodic Table.

I am very grateful for all of the small things, because they help enormously.

I drove home from Parents Evening and listened to the Archers. I confess that I listen to it quite often and have done for a while. It reminds me of someone who was a truly formidable woman - she also used to listen to it, sat at her kitchen table with a cuppa and a ciggie.

She was the mum of one of my dearest friends. We had moments of typical teenage angst, particular when she caught myself and my friend out on an spectacular attempt at subterfuge. But despite her feistiness (and at times, downright scariness) she was a lady who cared deeply about the people who came through her life.

She was very much on our side when we needed her to be. She expected us to uphold her standards even in the way that we spoke - I remember being told many times that the alphabet had 26 letters not 24 and that we should stop ourselves from dropping our t's and h's when we spoke. Makes me smile to think of it even now.

I was always welcome a her house, whenever I wanted. Even when my friend went to university and I stayed local, I sometimes popped over for a brew and a chat and never, ever felt like I wasn't a part of the household.

I know that my friend misses her mum terribly - her birthday was last week, but was remembered rather than celebrated as she passed away some years ago. I hope that my friend knows that her mum has left an indelible memory of what it means to be strong, to love and to stand firm when it is needed. I think of her often and I value the time that I got to spend with her, because she contributed to my growing up at a time that was often confusing and difficult. I also hope that my friend knows that she has those personal qualities and that I know that her mum would be so very very proud of her, as I am, even though we do not see each other so often due to the physical distance between her.

Love you D xxx