Daily from sunrise to sunset I
am living in constant gratitude for my many blessings.
As I awaken to birds
singing and roosters crowing, I look forward to seeing the smiling faces of
the children I have been entrusted to teach.
Musical chairs and homemade coconut ice cream are our favorites!
I love that every morning at
school the children sing the Thai National Anthem and have a prayer. I love the
overall respect for elders and education. Last week we took a field trip to see the sea turtles released into the ocean. It is a conservation program run by the Thai Royal Navy. They find the endangered eggs and let them hatch and the babies grow to all different sizes. The students were fascinated with the program.
I have been in Thailand a
little over one year now and I still marvel every day at the kindness and beauty of
this country. As I walked along the narrow dirt road to school yesterday, I
stopped to take in the sheer simple magnificence of brilliant flowers blooming everywhere
alongside ripening bananas and coconuts in the trees.
Then at school we watched
caterpillars cocooning in preparation for their annual transformation into
butterflies. What a metaphor for life as we let go of last year and prepare
to transform our lives in 2012.
Our school year ends the
beginning of March and begins again in May, just in time for the butterflies. I
am happy at school and lucky to be only minutes away from some of Thailand’s
magnificent beaches so I have decided to stay and teach another year. I will
spend March and April in China visiting my wonderful Grandsons, Aidan and Taylor.
As I stand on my small
balcony to look at the warm golden pinks of sunset and wait for grandmother
moon to rise, casting her brilliant glow on mother earth, I silently send forth
waves of gratitude and appreciation for all this beauty.
