TGIF!!! I hope you all survived the week without too much stress, drama, and angst.
To all my teacher friends out there, we're all in this mess together. We will do what we can with what we've been given, and we'll try our best to make a difference for our students. To my friends with school-age children or grandchildren, please be patient with your teachers. We are truly doing the best we can with an extremely difficult situation. We are being asked to make the impossible, possible. We are being asked to teach in ways we never could have imagined. And those of us with thirty plus years as educators are being asked to use technology that we are not being adequately trained to use. Let's just be kind, respectful, and patient with each other, and hopefully, we'll figure this all out.
So my best friend /teaching buddy and I spent this entire past week holed up in my house from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyday in preparation for Remote Learning. We spent over 16 hours in ZOOM meetings, and many more hours doing virtual learning lesson plans, contacting parents, figuring out how all the technology we're supposed to use works, and then getting it hooked up correctly at my kitchen table. I thought you might like to see where I will be teaching my third graders this year (or at least for the first quarter). We're affectionately calling it "Our Kitchen Classroom." Some days, we felt like giving up, others we just wanted to cry; but we leaned on each other and made it through. To my friend, I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else but you! We WILL make this work.
In my novel, Murdered By The Books, my main character, Jillian, has a bestie she relies on just like I lean on mine. Jillian and Becca met on the first day of kindergarten and have been tight ever since. They grew up together, went through school together, attended the same university, and then returned to their hometown together. Jillian and Becca have shared their joys, their sorrows, their hopes and their dreams, and even a few secrets.
And this leads me to today's teaser starring Jillian and Becca. I hope you enjoy it!
~~~“I cannot believe you, Jillian Kay,” shouted an extremely agitated Becca. “I have to hear from my husband that you’ve been snuggling up to a hunky fireman all afternoon. And there was a kiss involved? Some best friend you are!” Becca stomped into Jillian’s apartment and flopped down on the couch. Apparently, she was planning to stay for a while, so the pups took the opportunity to jump up next to their mama’s best friend and snuggle in. They knew from experience that Becca was always willing to give belly rubs and kisses.
“Well, hello to you too, Becca,” replied Jillian. ”Wow, you pulled out my middle name, so you must really be steamed,” Jillian tried to tease her friend into a better mood, but Becca just scowled back.
“Ok, ok,“ Jillian said. “I’m sorry. I probably should have called you before Ethan got home and blabbed about Travis and I.”
“Probably? Probably! You’re damn right you should’ve called me,” Becca continued to rant. “Best friends are supposed to share these kind of details ASAP. It’s written somewhere in the Best Friends Code of Conduct, I’m sure. Did I not call you immediately after Ethan kissed me in the eighth grade? Didn’t I tell you all about our first date at the movies? Didn’t I come running to this very apartment when Ethan asked me if we could give our relationship another try? And who did I call the minute after he proposed to me?”
“Me to all of the above questions,” Jillian answered quietly.
She realized she’d been so wrapped up in her own thoughts about Travis that she had really hurt Becca’s feelings. Hearing about this from Ethan must have really stung. A heartfelt apology was definitely in order here.
“Becca, I am truly sorry,” Jillian began. “I have no excuse for this. I should have called you as soon as Travis left this evening. I don’t know what I was thinking. Can you please forgive me?” She gave Becca her most pathetic look hoping it would help.
“Wait, Travis was here? Tonight? Ethan didn’t tell me that,” Becca said calming down slightly as she realized there was more to the story. She patted the cushion next to her. “Sit. Spill.”
“First, can I get you something to drink? A beer? Some wine? Anything?“ offered Jillian.
“Let me hear your story first, then I’ll decide what kind of beverage it calls for,” Becca replied.
Like Jillian and Becca, I have a few very special women in my life who I consider my Beccas. They know who they are, but I hope they know how truly blessed I am to have them in my life. I hope each of you has a Becca in your life who makes you laugh, listens to your problems, and protects your secrets. Be sure to tell them how much they mean to you the next time you see or talk to them. Make sure they know how important they are to you.
Well it's 6 o'clock on Friday night, and I should start thinking about dinner. Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe and healthy out there.
Until next time,
Jodi