tiny blooms

I came back to my classroom today to find teeny tiny flowers scattered across my desk with a drawing of a little girl crying and a note that says, "My hart has been torchured and broken to say good-bye." It's not a new thing to stumble upon little piles of tiny blooms- it happens every spring. But today it struck me as a symbol of all of the things I am going to miss about teaching next year. I think that sometimes I take the notes, flowers, crystal figurines, homemade conglomorations of glitter, construction paper and glue and little echoes of "I love you, Mrs. G." for granted.

Perhaps it is because I have been looking forward to being a stay-at-home mama for so long, but I didn't realize the sadness that would come with leaving my little school in the ghetto. I will miss these kids. And I will miss this job. And next spring, I'll miss finding piles of wilted spring flowers with precious notes on my desk.