It's About To Happen

There are certain days that you can think back on year after year, remembering where you were and what you did. Generally they are spread out, (unless you are one of those people who chooses to get married on a birthday so you have a better chance of remembering both!) Sometimes dates overlap, (like my sister-in-law's and niece's birthdays). Occasionally cycles overlap - a calendar date and a lunar calendar occurrence, for example. I can't think of another time that three completely different events have happened concurrently.

Tomorrow will change all of that.

Tomorrow is February 14th - it is obviously Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day comes with all kinds of emotional baggage for folks of all ages. It is also very much a cultural occasion. I like the excuse of the day to be given chocolate and flowers (if the country I live in hasn't banned the sale of flowers on that day). I'm optimistic for tomorrow as the seniors decided to sponsor 'Friendship Grams' and I'm pretty sure someone made sure to get money from my husband! 

For a parent of a TCK I try to find ways for my child to experience a holiday as closely to what she might if we were in Seattle. I make sure there are Valentines for her to give to each of her classmates. We work for days ahead of time to get them filled out, find ways to check that everyone's names are spelled correctly, and anyone special (favorite teachers or neighbors) also get something prepared for them. (This year all of the neighborhood boys are getting a homemade craft and a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It may not seem like much, but that stuff is hard to come by around here!)

As a teacher, Valentine's Day can be a recipe for too much sugar, or hurt feelings, or both. I'm at a school that doesn't have parties. Friendship Grams will be put in their backpacks to be opened AFTER they have left the building, and I only have one kid for whom the idea of giving out Valentines would cross the mind of any of their parents. I'm anticipating a low key day.

Tomorrow is also 46 days before Easter, which makes it Ash Wednesday. Whoa. That's a change of pace from Valentine's Day! Instead of chocolate and flowers and friendship and love it is a remembrance of our mortality. Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten season, a chance to prepare ourselves for the biggest celebration in Christendom. 

Tomorrow will also be marked, in my little corner of the world, by primary classrooms in particular. It's our 100th day of school. For those of you who may be far removed from any young children - it's a BIG deal. Imagine everything being about counting, and collections  of 100, and celebrating the largest milestone you couldn't even imagine when it was the first day of school.

(Tomorrow is also the second Wednesday of the month, which brings several meetings for me, in scattered locations across the globe. My alarm gets set unbelievably early for a Tuesday evening meeting, PST. In addition, I meet with the Literacy Coaches across my district - all of which are 900 miles from me. Finally, there is an Elementary Faculty Meeting after school.)

Tomorrow is about to happen.