When I was a little girl, probably around 8 or 9, I became obsessed with the movie
Pollyanna. I drove my parents (and grandparents) absolutely batty with that movie, begging to watch it multiple times a day. Now, as I find myself on the other end of a child's fondness for repetetition (
Pride and Prejudice and
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken are in
heavy rotation around here), I can understand how too much of a good thing can become annoying. But, despite that, I still have a fondness for Pollyanna. One of my favorite things about that movie is the Glad Game. If you haven't seen the film (and really, you should probably drop what you're doing right this very second and update your Netflix queue), the Glad Game was invented by Pollyanna's father and basically revolves around the premise that no matter how dire and unpleasant the circumstances, you can always find something to be glad about. What a beautiful lesson for a child. And perhaps even more important for us grown ups.
Today, I'm glad about gladiolas. My grandmother has a big gladiola bed in her yard, and she picked this bouquet for me yesterday when Kate and I went to visit her. These gladiolas are extra special too, because I gave my grandmother the bulbs for a Valentine's Day present in 2008. I was still teaching at the time, and had bought them from a student for an FFA (Future Farmers of America) fundraiser. I took them to her the afternoon of February 13th, and later that same evening, I went to the hospital. The next day (Valentine's Day), I welcomed my sweet Kate into this world. So every year since, when I see these beautiful flowers, I'm reminded of that special, magical time. And it makes me very glad indeed.
When I was a little girl, probably around 8 or 9, I became obsessed with the movie Pollyanna. I drove my parents (and grandparents) absolutely batty with that movie, begging to watch it multiple times a day. Now, as I find myself on the other end of a child's fondness for repetetition (Pride and Prejudice and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken are in heavy rotation around here), I can understand how too much of a good thing can become annoying. But, despite that, I still have a fondness for Pollyanna. One of my favorite things about that movie is the Glad Game. If you haven't seen the film (and really, you should probably drop what you're doing right this very second and update your Netflix queue), the Glad Game was invented by Pollyanna's father and basically revolves around the premise that no matter how dire and unpleasant the circumstances, you can always find something to be glad about. What a beautiful lesson for a child. And perhaps even more important for us grown ups. 
Today, I'm glad about gladiolas. My grandmother has a big gladiola bed in her yard, and she picked this bouquet for me yesterday when Kate and I went to visit her. These gladiolas are extra special too, because I gave my grandmother the bulbs for a Valentine's Day present in 2008. I was still teaching at the time, and had bought them from a student for an FFA (Future Farmers of America) fundraiser. I took them to her the afternoon of February 13th, and later that same evening, I went to the hospital. The next day (Valentine's Day), I welcomed my sweet Kate into this world. So every year since, when I see these beautiful flowers, I'm reminded of that special, magical time. And it makes me very glad indeed. 
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