“Gracious acceptance is an art - an art which most never bother to cultivate.... Accepting another person's gift is allowing him to express his feelings for you.”

Moore Family Tree 2014
2014 is almost finished.  What a year it has been!  Never in my wildest imagination could I have known what this year would hold for me.  My dad has been sick, and well, and sick again-and is finally headed towards peace about his new health challenges.  My son graduated high school and began college.  My daughter started driving and continues to evolve as a remarkable human being and lovely young woman. My husband and I celebrated our marriage, put in a pool, and I am more madly in love with him today than I was when we met.  I grew closer with my brother-which I did not even think was possible-and learned to embrace family far and near.  I lost my grandmother and through celebrating her life found joy in the small things with my sister, our boys and my mom. I have deepened friendships and begun new ones. Professionally I have had the opportunity to grow and participate in so much, I am overwhelmed.  My life has been filled with so much to cherish and celebrate, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  I have tried to be open to receiving the gifts that I have been given but that is often a challenge.  Although it sounds weird, I cherish receiving.

On the last day of school with my seniors, I gave each one of them a gift I had made for them.  This year, our final assignment was a "Mrs. Moore-ism" on something I had read-an idea called "the gift of words".  The idea behind it is that words, quotations, song lyrics, movie lines, can be gifts to us that hear them and use them in our own ways to comfort, cheer or connect us.  My challenge to my students was to take the word or words that had been a gift to them, write (only for me) the word(s) and an explanation, and then to find a way to give these words as a gift.  As the words started to roll in, I received 72 gifts from my students.  Reading their words was truly a gift as I learned so much about them.  Even the simplest words held such great meaning for them.  I cherished receiving them.

The day came to exchange our gifts of words.  I had envisioned kids using scrapbook paper and markers (glitter is always awesome) and writing their words and wrapping their ideas simply.  I was WRONG!  Students did everything from writing on stuffed animals, making elaborate canvases, creating t-shirts, writing on candy wrappers-it was incredible.  We did a fun gift exchange, kind of a dirty Santa game, and then each student opened their gifts.  Once they opened them, they got to talk to the giver and find out about the gift.  Then, if they wanted to, the receiver and giver got to share with the class.  Every single student shared.  I was overwhelmed at the respect each student showed.  I was also so surprised at how many students cherished their gifts once they learned the meaning behind them.  Students showed bravery, honesty, and trust in sharing their stories and creating gifts. Students openly shared about things such as overcoming physical and emotional challenges, immigrating from another country, losing loved ones, divorce, coming out about their sexuality, falling in love for the first time-and much much more.  It was truly unbelievable to watch as all of my students sat and listened and cherished the gifts they had been given.
Some Last Days Pics with Seniors 2015

Many students talked about wanting to take these gifts with them to decorate their college dorm rooms or how they couldn't wait to show them to their families.  Then, I gave them the gifts I had made for them. I bought coffee cups from the dollar store, and wrote their quotations, words or lyrics on them and baked them in the oven (thank you Pinterest).  I loved making them and thinking over their words again.  I was amazed as I was wrapping them that I remembered which words went with which students (I have 72 seniors this year).  The gift I had received from each one of them of their words truly made an impact on me.  I genuinely cherish receiving these gifts.  I will cherish the gifts they gave on that day forever.

So often I feel compelled to cherish giving or forget how truly wonderful it is to be the receiver of so much.  I am grateful I have been the receiver of so much loveliness over the course of this year. I am thinking about what my word of focus will be for 2015 and I can't wait to see what next year has for me.

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