“The miracle is this: The more we share, the more we have.”

~ Leonard Nimoy ~

Last week, I shared Jacqueline Woodson’s heart-breaking Each Kindness (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) with a fourth-grade class to begin a series of lessons on theme. As I read these words, “This is what kindness does, Ms. Albert said. Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world,” the image sending Slice of Life posts out into the world came into my mind. There’s an important difference, though. When you share a Slice of Life post, the ripples of kindness return to you in wonderful and surprising ways.

I wrote my first March Slice of Life Challenge post without much forethought to what a month of blogging EVERY DAY would entail. I certainly didn’t have a plan. I know that I NEVER anticipated the way my posts would ripple back to me.

Through this warm, supportive community, I’ve made so many friends I’m afraid if I start to mention you all, I’ll forget someone. When I was NCTE’s national convention last November, I don’t think there was a single session when I didn’t sit with a friend made through Slice of Life or blogging. The truth is, the kindness sent out by this community is overwhelming. Thank you to all of you who have influenced me and helped me grow as a teacher, writer, and human being.

Bruce Coville wrote in his poem, “Ripples” that

“Words and gestures ripple outward,

What shores they reach we cannot name.”

I can’t wait to see where this year’s ripples take us. Happy Slicing, everyone!

Thank you to Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, and Beth for this space for teachers and others to share their stories each day during the month of March and on Tuesdays throughout the year. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.