Crying

I am not a crier. However, when it does happen, it is typically a public event. Today that event was a read-aloud. My 5th graders and I were using the last 20 minutes of our reading time to finish a book we began yesterday. It was one by my favorite author, Patricia Polacco, and I should have known. I only read her books aloud a few times a year because her writing so perfectly captures emotion that moves me.

The Christmas Tapestry, today's book, was a perfect blending of sadness and hope. Perhaps based on an amazing true story, I began to tear up when I learned that the woman from the bus stop had been separated from her family by the Nazis. I looked around the table and 8 little boys looked at me with some confusion. The 2 girls were more supportive. One boy asked, "Are you crying?" I then explained a little bit of history and the children seemed to understand.

The crying continued (read: really began to roll) when there was a wonderful twist of fate that I will not ruin for you. At that point, one boy slowly hid his face inside the top of his shirt. Another one could no longer look at me. But, one was sharing a cry with me. And, for the first time that morning, they were all focused on something other than vacation. It was a very good day.