I've Got Sunshine On a Cloudy Day

April is national poetry month and tomorrow is "poem in your pocket day" at my school. Last week I started thinking long and hard about a poem that I could keep in my pocket for the day that elementary school students would enjoy and appreciate. Did I want to go the whimsical route with Shel Silverstein? Did I want to be profound and find an age appropriate Langston Hughes piece? Would choosing a basic Robert Frost appeal to everyone? Then I remembered a few books that I had on my shelf in my room. The first of these books, which I received for Christmas circa 2002, is called "Heartsongs", and was written by 11-year-old Mattie Stepanek. I remember the night I fell in love with Mattie. I was babysitting late one night when I fell asleep on the couch. I kept drifting in and out of sleep, keeping an ear on the girls upstairs and an eye on the driveway. Being late at night, the TV show I was sort of watching turned into CSPAN and a guest speaker, not much younger than

As the seasons change, many other things around us are changing too. Some changes are drastic and expected, such as the temperature or the color of nature around us. The greens, pinks, and whites become so vivid after a brown and gray winter. Another anticipated change is that of our wardrobes. The chunky sweaters are being pushed to the back of the closet and the colorful, frilly, flowery tops make their way to front row center. Other changes aren't thought about as much by some people, but a change that I'm anticipating this winter-turning-into-spring, is the change from hot coffee to iced coffee. There is something so simple yet so powerful about holding a cup of coffee between both hands. On winter weekend mornings, I would look forward to brewing my own coffee at home, wrapping myself up in a blanket, and plopping down on the couch with the hot mug between my palms. Now, as the summer air tickles us from afar, we long for that sweaty cup with the perfect combination of c