I admit the first thing I did was take a picture of the room with my iPhone. I wanted to capture the moment when none of the balloons were disturbed or popped. I wanted to share the site with others. It had obviously been a painstaking task for a group to place so many balloons in this space. I grinned ear to ear as I thought of who the culprits might've been. (There were a long list of suspects:) As my classes came and went each of my upperclassmen had an emotional reaction- some more than others- but a smile or a laugh or a gleam in their eye. Some students tossed the balloons in the air. Some tried to hit their unexpecting friends. Still others tried to make their mark on the exterior of the latex with a sharpie. But they all played. They all remembered for a moment what it was like to be a child... and they just played.
It was the last official day for seniors and as I said good bye to these young people a few circled back around near the end of the day to say their own farewell. With tears in their eyes and heavy hearts I felt their sadness as they were leaving behind what they've known their whole short lives, but for someone that has seen a few classes graduate, I also felt the optimism they couldn't quite grasp yet. As these seniors walk to the light of graduation their lives are so full of possibilities and opportunities. So many wonderful things these individuals will experience. As the balloons in my classroom lie still prior to 1st peirod's bell waiting for their audience . . . so too does life wait for its participants. Go on, get moving, get out there and play!
