Scribble Picnic - LADYBUG / ICAD - Day 49 - Charm Bracelet

Our Scribble Picnic theme for the week is LADYBUG and today's ICAD prompt is CHARM BRACELET and thinking about them both a memory clicked.  

One of our special education teachers passed away a few years ago.  She had ovarian cancer and by the time she was diagnosed she was already at Stage IV.  When school ended in June of that year we never expected that she would not be returning in September.  Or ever.

I was asked to help plan a little memorial for her.  Something that her students could take part in.  

I remembered that she had been very distraught over losing her ladybug charm bracelet at school one day.  She had told me that she loved ladybugs and her husband had bought it for her.  (It was much more elaborate than the one I have illustrated.)  To my knowledge, the bracelet never turned up.  

Because she had a love for ladybugs, in the spring I planned a ladybug release.  I found a nursery that sold them in containers of hundreds in each.  We took her former students and anyone else from the building who wanted to take part out to the playground.  Our principal had a few words and then I read this:

"Mrs. _ loved ladybugs - maybe because of their bright color, or maybe because they are so small. Or, maybe it was because of all the good they can do - just like she wished for her students.  For whatever reason it was that she loved them think about this - When a ladybug opens it's wings to fly, you'll be surprised to see that the wings form a heart.  And...... it's in our hearts that we will keep the memory of Mrs. _ and all the good she did."

We also planted a tree in her memory.  A redbud that has beautiful magenta blooms in the spring that give way to heart-shaped leaves.  It was planted outside our principal's window and when his door is open I can see it.  

While I was searching for the card that I had with the write-up on it (it was glued in a journal from around that time period) I came across a few of these drawings below.  Before I worked in the school office I used to substitute teach and in my "go bag" I always kept some markers and paper/notebook to have something to do should there be a lot of prep time.  This was something that I had doodled during one of those periods.  It was chock full of ladybugs so I thought I'd share it also today.

I see by the clock that it's already Thursday here, but I believe I still can post this at the Picnic this week since it's officially held in another time zone.  Let me hurry on over there to check that out and to see all the other ladybug/ladybird entries for this week.  You can click here to join me.  And if you want to join the Picnic next week, the theme is CURTAIN.