Missed, loved, pounced

I went back to work today after missing all of last week due to the dreadful FLU. I work as an aid in two different classes of second graders, and I was blessed today as I came into their rooms. The first class I worked in today, I heard a whispering wave of "Mrs. L....Mrs. L is back! We missed you, Mrs. L." It was so sweet, so endearing....I could almost look past the fact that it was these little smiling faces that gave me flu germs in the first place!

Two hours into the day, I switched rooms, coming in in the middle of math. As if it was planned, as soon as the door opened and I came in, they all started shouting (in the middle of math....eeek!) "Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Mrs. L. is back!" The teacher was laughing, so I imagined she was in on it too. It was fun and very welcoming. It turns out they were kind of worried about me. I opened their belated Valentine cards and candy while they were at P.E. Then when they came back in and saw my desk with the opened cards on it, one by one, they would turn, make eye contact with me and ask quietly, "Did you get mine??" It left a smile on my face for the rest of the day. =)

At home though, another little someone was wondering where I'd gone and when I'd be back. Maisy greeted me at the door, wiggling and 'smiling' like a maniac. She usually waits on the couch until I greet her, even though she is quivering and doing her 'smiling' grimace she gets when she is anxious. Since I've been home today, she's been following me around. When I sit, she lies with her chin on my legs, when I walk around, she is at my heels (sometimes pouncing them), and she was even patiently sitting on my lap while I brushed her with the wire brush, instead of squirming and trying to jump away.

I feel loved.