Some Words of Wisdom…and a Freebie!

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

–Martin Luther King, Jr.

As usual, Dr. King nailed it with this gem. He left us a huge legacy of good advice, but this particular piece of wisdom resonates with me at the moment.

To give you a concrete connection, I remember taking the Metro in to the National Zoo with my family when I was a kid. Parking is a bear in Washington, D.C., so the train was the best option. I was so stoked to see the pandas that I didn’t mind being squished in with all the other commuters. We had to stand, and our legs were on fire. Since I had a massive escalator phobia, I’d made my poor parents take the stairs through all the stations instead. When we got off the train, we followed the sea of people to what we hoped would be an exit. Like clouds after a storm, the human fog suddenly cleared at the base of the most enormous escalator I’d ever seen. I couldn’t see the top. There were no stairs. There was no elevator. There was no other option. This three story Tyrannosaurus Rex of a moving staircase stood between me and Ling-Ling. My parents looked at me and shrugged. I had to get on.

And I did. I gripped the rail and ground my teeth. I squeezed my eyes shut and thought about pandas. I opened my eyes just enough to see when we approached the last stair so I wouldn’t trip and almost fall like I’d done at Thalhimer’s Department Store a couple years back when I developed the fear.

Suddenly, the sun broke through that long black hole. I stepped onto the street above and fought the urge to hug the asphalt. It hit me then that I would have to go back down that sucker. I felt ill. The sacrifices a little kid would make to see a real live panda in person!

Now that I’m all grown up, the staircases are symbolic. This blog is a good example. I started it without a clear picture in mind of where I could end up with it. Sherri Miller, over at the Techie Chick, encouraged me to publish materials I create for my classroom students on Teachers Pay Teachers, like she does. So that’s exactly what I’m doing. And today, I’m officially open for business. The top of the staircase isn’t yet visible. But when you hit 40, that’s a good thing. I’m not ready to see the light at the top yet. I’m perfectly content to keep climbing!

To inspire you, to celebrate my new store, and to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I’m giving away a set of writing prompt cards based on Dr. King’s famous quotes. You can use these with your students, or like I just did. Need some journaling inspiration? Grab these 24 task cards from my TPT Store and fire away. Click the picture and you will link right to the cards! Don’t forget to rate my store and the cards while you’re there! I’ve included links to other products celebrating Dr. King’s birthday as well. Just scroll to the bottom of this page to find them.!

Which of Dr. King’s quotes do you like the best? How has he inspired YOU? What staircases are YOU climbing today?

Check out these additional products at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store, Meaningful Connections in the Classroom.

This post has been linked to Mama Kat’s World Famous Writing Workshop!