March 28, 2007

•   The Daily News

    

     
  

  1  Welcome home everyone!

  2  This is Wednesday and lots of people are on Spring Break and Sannozay is the only thing that makes any real sense to a lot of us.

  3  Say what you will; this is home. San Jose.

  4  That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

  5   Home.

   

  6  Until you've been somewhere that isn't home, you don't realize how wonderful life is when you're home.

   

  7  Yesterday I was trying to explain to my students the difference between denotation and connotation in poetry.

                                                

                             

   

  8  I know, I know. How on Earth did ANY of us ever make it through life without knowing THAT one?

   

  9  But just for ducks, why not follow this for a sec?

   

  10  Thanks. Once a teacher, always a teacher.

   

  11  Anyway I had mentioned that denotation is the dictionary definition of a word, the technical breakdown. House and home, for example, are both "a building in which one resides."

   

  12  Connotation is the world that comes with the word, and all the things that seem naturally associated with it.

   

                                    

   

  13  A house then, is a place you live. To some people, their house is where they eat and sleep, but isn't necessarily their "home". Their home would be perhaps associated with a more comfortable world, somewhere they can hear laughter and smell good food cooking in the oven, a place to remain warm and safe.

   

  14  For many of us, our houses ARE our homes. We think of being able to act goofy with those we love, to enjoy hugs and barbecues with family and friends, and to feel completely loved.

   

  15  Add to that your own hometown. You might live in a house, and hopefully even a home. But the place that really works sometimes is the place you grew up, the familiar hills and small streets, the neighbor who waters his lawn each morning at 6 a.m., the familiar laughter and places spent with friends and loved ones. All these places have their moments.

   

  16  I'm teaching the great Greek epic The Odyssey right now. It's pretty much the story of a guy who just wants to go home, but can't seem to get there.

   

  17 Oh, there's a lot more, but it's an epic journey story in which a guy sets out on a journey, or a quest, and in his head, as in anyone's head who has departed, he always thinks back of home. Can you go home again? I say you can, and that you always can.

   

  18  So many of us made it home this week, myself included.

   

  19  I remember flying into San Jose just a few weeks ago and looking out over the wing and seeing the rolling familiar green hills out my window. As we got closer to the ground, we flew through some clouds, and when it cleared, I saw things I just take for granted: Lake Cunningham, the Fairmont, schools, neighborhoods, trees, and finally the touchdown and bounce.

   

  20  And the sound of applause.

   

  21  Yesterday I got trapped at the school. I was there for sixteen hours and to many,  it wasn't enough.

   

  22  At around one o'clock I met up with both Caitlin and Nicole, my wonderful daughters. We decided to just up and leave and go to the Macaroni Grill for lunch. The waitress was wonderful, and provided us with crayons. Naturally it enhanced the goofiness and made all of us laugh and enjoy the brief moments we had, but those brief moments were golden.

   

  23 When I got back to the school to face more demands of more people, which is pretty much my job, Nhat was standing at the top of the stairs with a gift for me. I smiled and thought it was such a thoughtful thing. He had to leave, but he took the time to do that.

   

  23  That was home as well. Later I was in the gym watching the students planning thier Battle of the Classes and received a phone call filled with support and laughter from Helene. I couldn't leave but it didn't matter, because home managed to find me.

   

  24  I also had voicemails wishing me well, and e-mails from many of you, the most important of which were from my Mom and Dad, They sang to me. My sister Gayle wrote and my sister Linda called, and so many others too numerous to mention. 

   

  25  After all that I thought of how lucky I am to have a home. I began writing this DN when I got home, and found those good ol' pictures of home.

   

  26  Then of course, my computer froze. I just laughed.

   

  27  Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.

   

  28  Thanks to all of you for giving me life.

   

  29  And for letting me know what home is all about.

   

  30  Peace.

   

                                      

   

                                                                ~H~

                                              

   

   

                                               

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