This is blogpost that is a bit different from others I have written. I don’t discuss technology, I reflect on interaction with my family and I get a bit philosophical. Belt yourself in and enjoy the ride 
Today was day one of our annual convention. Now, most years, I usually look forward to convention for a number of reasons. First, it is a time for our family to spend a few nights in a hotel, water-sliding and having fun. I enjoy the time I get to spend with my kid on the slide, in the hot-tub and generally hanging out. Second, I get to network with people I usually only see once a year. It is a time to get reacquainted, get caught up, discuss new things and generally socialize outside the normal group. Finally, I usually find a few nuggets that I can tuck away and think about later that will help me in some way.
This year was not to be. First, two of my boys have chicken pox. They broke out on Friday and Sunday so they are not going anywhere but on the couch and in the tub with the old oatmeal sock. This means that there will be no family getaway and I’ll have to drive the two hours back and forth to the convention. It isn’t too bad but I sure was looking forward to the slide (and the hot-tub!!!) Once there, the keynote speaker for today wasn’t that great. Well, in all my years of going to conventions, he was at the bottom. He was downright depressing and almost antagonistic. Then my first session was not what I expected and was another lame duck. 0 for 2!
The third session was a general meeting for our teacher’s association and I ended up keeping my job of vp. Not that bad but there is some expectation I will be president in June. Uh, NO! We ended the day with an executive meeting - which was okay. We still have some groups of teachers who are not happy with the new system but don’t have any solutions to fix things.
Well, after this I was not “excited” about the trip home and then back and then home after this day. However, three of my daughters and a few their friends had made the trek with me to do shopping. We decided to go to Fuddruckers for supper, which is where I met my wife when we were in university, was the beginning of a great 3 hours of fun as we went to McNally and Robinson’s (book store) and then to Walmart to buy DVD players for our school (can’t beat 32.00 C!!) We had a blast. They were fun, goofy, not too loud and just great to be around. Just for the record, in our family, I am the one who likes to shop so I have taken my girls on about 4 shopping trips in the last few years. We go and spend the day browsing shops, looking for bargains and just going through the stores. Sometimes they even ask my opinion!! So there we were in Walmart, looking for shoes, trying on hats, watching a movie, scanning the computer games (I got my Star Wars game!!!! I am so excited - I’ll let you know how I do as I’m going to play a bit after this post!!) They tried on perfume which was disgusting, looked at jewellery and even spent some time in the the fish, toy and appliance departments. They figured a new blender would make a great Valentine’s gift for their mother! (Can you imagine where I’d be sleeping if I did that!)
Our drive home was them going through pictures on my Macbook - discussing the past 6 years and 3 communities we have lived in. So, what was looking like a complete downer turned into a great time. The convention still doesn’t look too appealing but the time I had with the girls and their friends was worth it all.
And I was able to find my wife a Valentine gift - card with bubble bath, cd, and massage oil;) (the oldest girl was a bit “unnerved” by my gift - “I’m going to need serious therapy after this” were here exact words!) All in all it was well worth the time.
It made me realize that sometimes, if we don’t sift through the sands of our life carefully and allow the unexpected treasures to pop up, we get caught up in the disappointment of what was suppose to be. As an administrator, (see, always thinking about school!) it makes me realize that we need to be open to each and every student we encounter, looking for their treasure that sometimes may be buried deep inside. If we don’t take the time to sift and look, who will? For most of them, we are the last adult they see before leaving school, maybe evening quitting. We really must look deep and sift slowly, especially with those individuals who make it most difficult. In our busy and hectic lives, it is easy to miss an opportunity with one of those students and that is why we must be ever vigilant in looking for those moments and not letting them slip through our fingers. As I have been told “One cannot hold sand but with open hands.”
