Good people

I am blessed by some really good people in my life. Here, I want to take a moment to tell you who and why.

1. My uncle and his wife. I just have to say that they have really come on as some good "grandparenting" role models. With the loss of my dad two summers ago, I was somewhat worried that my kids would lose my side of the family. I don't go to church where I grew up, which means they don't really know all of them from church. My brother moved to MD. My mom moved to MT. Sometimes I feel I'm the lone Nicholson - even though I know that is not true. But busy lives change what you are able to do for your kids, too, and so seeing my side of the family doesn't happen a whole lot. Anyway, I'm so glad to have Uncle P and Aunt K (who my kids cannot stop calling grandpa and grandma - even though we've tried to break the habit - and really, who cares if they call them that?) in my kids' lives. They are SO GOOD with them. They are patient with the boys and love them and they do as much as they can with them. I love it. It gives them someone from my side to connect to on a regular basis. Of course, they know and love my mom and Jon and Todd, Micah, and Grace, but at the same time the distance between them and us creates a barrier that P and K don't deal with. I'm very thankful for them. I love them and love that they love my children.

2. I'm blessed by Lynn H. I work with her, and she took the time to have her mentally handicapped students write thank you notes to me for coming back to school second semester. Their sentences spelled out how much they missed me. On a day when I can barely imagine leaving my little girl with the babysitter and am in tears over it, I got the letters from Kelcy and John and MicKinzie and others. My tears changed their origin. I'm blessed that Lynn would take the time to do that and that their loving little hearts thought through it all and wanted to tell me those things. I wrote them a note back, and I think I'll keep my letters from them as a reminder of why I teach.

3. I have wonderful children. They were so good tonight. They didn't argue with me when I gave them instructions. They are so loving. They just want me to be with them. When is the last time someone just truly wanted to be with me? For no other reason than that they love me....I have 5 little ones that do that for me every day. Forgive me God, when I fail to see them like You do.