The Game's Afoot

In addition to teaching 5 hours of classes, I also have a class of "actors" last period of the day for a class affectionately called "Speech and Drama". In effect, the school has given me carte blanche to take a bunch of unusual children and give them a safe place to be themselves.

Lately, this means playing board games. Well, sort of.

First, we took on Quelf. (If you've never played, you're missing out on HOURS of excitement!) This was the perfect thing for my goofy bunch!

Then, the piece de resistance: Life Size Clue! We designed the stage as the board, brought in props, and performed as the characters! Each pair represented a character from the classic game. So fun! And it was a great way for this crew to learn stagecraft and terms (stage left, anyone?)

Stay tuned for more episodes from this (clearly) unique class!

Small Groups and Ivy

I had such a good time yesterday evening, at the new women's meeting at church. Although calling it a meeting makes it seem like a drudgery, it is really fun! I think sometimes I just need to hang out with friends, in this case, no matter what age. Our group may be a Bible study of sorts, but it's also about getting together. It's about the support we feel from being with each other, sharing our concerns, laughing with each other, learning more about each other, and yes, learning from the Bible. And of course, eating snacks. :) We had about 5 at our first meeting, and we had 8 last night. Hopefully, even more will come in February, when the weather is nicer (maybe).

The best part of the evening, I think, was just being with other women. So often, the groups I'm with are either groups of both men & women, or groups of children. It's nice to just be with friends who know and understand you, and love you for who you are.

One thing we do at the end of the get-together involves an "invisible trinket". It's something that we imagine taking with us from the meeting, to think about for the rest of the month, until we get a new "treasure" at our next session. The trinket from last night was an ivy cutting (completely imaginary, but substantial). It's to remind me that a life of love is like an ivy: take care of it and it will grow, and you can share it with others. I totally love that thought!

We are studying a book, but I don't remember the name of it. The thing is, that part isn't really that important. The most important thing is being in the moment, knowing that you are loved and understood. And trust me, that's a God thing!