Story #6 from #200students200stories: The Spring

Today's story is about the beautiful spring. These pictures are drawings made by students from Iman's classroom at the Nour Center.

I visited yesterday for the first time in almost a year, and as always, was immediately overwhelmed by the joy and love present in this space. I'm sharing pictures of the students' artwork because they embody the story and spirit of the Nour Center better than any words I can write.

On these pages are drawings about the coming of spring. There are flowers, gardens, birds, children playing - and of course, messages of love. Ten minutes after I walked into the classroom, as Iman cut out flower and butterfly shapes for the children, and patiently dealt with my presence (the interruption of the dynamic that any visitor causes), the students started handing me their artwork. They asked me how to spell my name and then started adding it to their drawings and proudly gifting them to me.

I'm sharing a few of them with you here because as students of the Nour Center celebrated the coming of spring, it seemed to me that we should celebrate alongside them, acknowledging all that spring brings with it - flowers, longer days, the renewal of life, and the promise of playing outside on a warm, sunny day without a care in the world.