Day 1256

I'm passionate about reading with children, a volunteering opportunity that's close to my heart. With 34 years of teaching elementary students under my belt, supporting young readers is second nature. Ranger and I always cherish our time listening with rapt attention.

The other day, my mind wandered back to read-alouds in my classroom, where students would eagerly anticipate the afternoon reading session. They loved critiquing my character voices, ensuring consistency from one day to the next.

One year, I was reading the new book, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo, and made the mistake of reading it aloud before carefully skimming the content. At one point, I turned the page and discovered one of the main characters suddenly died. To my horror, my throat closed and tears filled my eyes. Talking about “eyes”, every young second grader had their own locked on mine. Trying desperately to recover, a young child near the front whispered, “Are you crying?!?!?!" I took a ragged breath and leaned into a teachable moment…

“Yes, I am crying. The story is so real to me and my heart broke when I read those sad words. I know all of you have cried before and I want you to know it is OK to show sadness. There is no shame in tears and l feel safe shedding a few in front of all of you. Never be ashamed of your genuine tears or sadness. It allows others to see into your heart and step forward to understand that grief.”

I now allow my tears to flow when my heart needs to shed some sadness. Those who love me understand. Tears can be the most genuine way to honor whatever, or whoever, your heart aches for.