May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You

Who would ever want to be 14 again?

My kids say, "NEVER!"

The year of bulging waist-lines and acne,

mean girls and guys who sing to the tune of, 

"My _________'s bigger than your _________."

The fill-in-the-blank of comparison and competition.

I heard a teacher call it,

8th-grade-itis.

Having taken 2 semesters of nursing, 

"itis" is "inflammation of."

To some parents and teacher,
this time of hormones
would definitely be considered an infection.

I say all that to say this,

I loved my 8th grade year.

Oh, I was the obnoxious kid

with the big mouth, the bulging waistline,

and bad acne who was caught for 

chewing gum in class, getting in the face of a classmate,

talking back to a teacher, leading the class in chorus
when the teacher turned his head,

skipping PE and getting an F in conduct.

I had been to the office so many times

for a paddling

that the principal thought he was my daddy.

The proverbial, 

"this hurts me more than it hurts you,"

became redundant.

It was the year of the "crush."

I loved my chorus teacher.
Music is my heart
and he became the "heart of my affection."
Ahhhhhh.....
(LOL!)

We listened to LP's and 8 Tracks
to the tune of

Otis Redding's,
"Sitting on the Dock of the Bay."

 Mr. Knight also taught us the classics,

like,
"Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money,
Maybe we're ragged and funny,
but we travel along,
singing a song,
Side by side."

"Don't know what's coming tomorrow,
maybe it's trouble and sorrow
but we'll travel the road
sharing our load,
Side by side."

(A good reminder as we face the new year!)

It was in his class that I learned to sing,
by notes ear,
harmony.

"May the Good Lord bless and keep you,
whether near or far away.
May you find that long awaited
golden day.

May your troubles all be small ones
And your fortune ten times ten.
May the Good Lord bless and keep you,
'til we meet again.

May you walk with sunlight shining,
and a blue bird in every tree.
May there be a living lining 
back of every cloud you see.

Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows
Never mind what might have been.
May the Good Lord bless and keep you
'til we meet again."

A perfect song for a farewell to the old,
and a perfect song as we face the new.

Our 8th grade graduation
closed with our singing,
our alma mater.

"In the heart of dear ole' Tennille
Glorious to see
Stands our gallant alma mater, 
Dear old TSE."

To you my friends,
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
in 2014,

Bonnie:)