Joyful Sunday -- Finding My Joy During a Time of Grief

 

Joy and grief do not usually go together. The idea of joy however is for joy to be there no matter the circumstances. I have been trying to find my joy this year, and it has been a bit difficult the last week or so. At school, MLK week is tough. We have parent/teacher/student conferences for two and a half days. These are 15-minute online conferences with the entire group of teachers the student has. We work from 8 to 5 with a few breaks. This year was very different for me. On Thursday morning my sister texted me asking me to call her when I had a break. I did. She let me know the hospice nurse was pretty sure our father was transitioning. Now a few years ago an ER doctor told us this and we all ran to his side and got Covid from him. So, the first struggle was, do we go or do we wait. I decided I needed to go after talking to Steve. We gave Hazel the choice of going with us. So, we picked her up at boarding school and drove to Connecticut to say our final goodbyes. Now I missed an afternoon of conferences as a result. I promised Hazel we would not spend the night in Connecticut. She didn't think she could handle it. The next morning, I started conferences again. Steve asked me if I was going to and my answer was, "What else am I going to do? Sit and cry all day?" I made it through all the morning conferences and started my afternoon ones. As my first afternoon conference came to an end, I received the news that he had passed. That was the end of conferences for me.

How to Be Best in Class -- a Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Lorena M. Proia to bring you this post.

Do you have a pet? Is it a dog? How does your dog see the world? One of my friends has a golden lab and he is afraid of everything! The only things he hurts are the wild bunnies in her yard. It is so funny to see a rather large dog who is so scared. He also loves just about every person. We joke that if someone broke into her house, he would go over to them and lick them or try to get them to play. Even well-trained dogs have their own personalities and ways of seeing the world. Today we are sharing a beautiful picture book about a dog who definitely lives her life her own way. The book is How to Be Best in Class by Lorena M. Proia. There is a giveaway after my review!

Raven's Gift: A Feathered Flight of Faith -- #ReadYourWorld Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today is the BIG DAY!! It is Read Your World Day! To celebrate we get to share our last Read Your World review for 2026! The book is Raven's Gift: A Feathered Flight of Faith by Claire Annette Noland and illustrated by Desiree Cordon. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and is a Christmas book. But before I tell you about this fun book, let's tell you about Read Your World Day!

Suuban's First Day: A First Day of Herding Story

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love books that share what life is like in different cultures. Today I get to share one that allows us to learn about the Nomad life in Somalia. The book is Suuban's First Day: A First Day of Herding Story by Shugri Salh and illustrated by Àlàbá Ònájìn. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6. 

Imaginative & Fun New Picture Books

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

I love books that just make me happy and make me think. Today I am sharing two newly released picture books that do just that. Each is creative and gives a different point of view. They are both recommended for ages 4 to 8. The first book is Crouton: One Cat's Adoption Story by Kristine A. Lombardi.