Slice of Life, Day 18-- "The Annual 'I Am' Poem"

**I used to do this every year with my 6th graders. Their honesty and vulnerability at that age always touched me. This will be my seventh "I Am" poem and every year it is different.**

I am a dreamer and an encourager.
I wonder if life ever settles down into a routine, or if feeling a bit unsettled is just how life is.
I see the my dog at my feet, my sweet companion.
I hear the jets taking off faintly in the distance of my home and wonder where people are headed tonight.
I want to live in the moment, but sometimes tomorrow has me preoccupied.
I am a dreamer and an encourager.

I pretend that having a chronic disease is easy; it's not.
I feel touched by the kindness I see in small gestures.
I touch the future by teaching; it is a vocation that pays out, not in money, but in future victories.
I feel tired and hopeful at the same time--is that possible?
I cry after the fact, hardly ever when it's the "right" time.
I am a dreamer and an encourager.

I understand that there is beauty in each day, and it is my job to help kids look up to see it.
I say that putting one foot in front of the other is all it takes sometimes to make it through a hard stretch.
I dream of publishing a book someday.
I try to keep in touch with people, but it's so hard!
I hope Spring Break comes fast--4 more days!!
I am a dreamer and an encourager.