Today was school break-up day.  Party Day.  Unofficial last day of the school year (except for tomorrow which is clean and scrub every single thing in the classroom day).
I have been counting down to this day for the past month. 
My class are tired.
I am exhausted (and for those non-teachers who scoff, don’t until you’ve done it.  I used to work in a “normal” job as a research scientist and I thought deadlines were annoying.  It’s like that but with the entire emotional health of everyone you work with thrown in as well).

But, as always, I pulled myself together to make today awesome for my class …. and I got talking to a wonderful Grandmother who has helped out in our classroom this year.

We all call her “Bumma” and I am sad to say that I don’t know her real name, just the nickname her Grandson gave her when he was little.

Turns out that Bumma is a widow too.

An older widow, that’s for sure, but she KNOWS and talking to her was just what I needed today. 
We talked about how it is so good to keep busy and feel like your have a reason to wake up and get moving each day.
We talked about how much we miss them ALL the time and especially during the holidays.
We talked about it not getting easier, but that we have just learned to live next to the grief.

…and it felt so good to have that conversation.

I have one more day of school before we break for Summer holidays … and my flagging energy has been restored by a little lady whos real name I still don’t konw.

Thank you Bumma!