We’ve been enjoying a few days of unusually warm Maine weather, which has been lovely for outside recess time! It has not been a lovely as teachers endeavor to teach a few more important things before school is wrapped up! However, this is the time of year where we indulge in a bit longer recess, more hands-on learning experiences, learning through writing letters outside with chalk or “Mother, May I?” while reviewing service words. We are getting there! Both the students and the teachers have started on a countdown to the end, and the Lord continues to give us grace and mercy.
This past week I celebrated another birthday...each birthday is a gift from God and a reminder that He has a plan and purpose for my life. I spent the day teaching, covering lunch duty, and teaching music classes as we continue to prepare for our Patriotic program, and a staff meeting. I was blessed by so many sweet and simple gestures...a homemade note from a student; a friend, Hannah, making me some mini cheesecakes and bringing some flowers; my friend, Bethany, giving me a beautiful plant, a few birthday cards from friends and family...it was a good day. Roger offered to take me out to dinner that evening, but by the time we got home, it was good to be home. We made plans to celebrate at a later time. Neither of us knows when that will happen, but the thought is there. Roger continues to be overwhelmed with work and school board responsibilities, but again, God continues to give grace. We continue to be in fervent prayer for whatever God has for us- it’s the waiting that’s hard!
On Tuesday, my friend, Allison and I snuck away for lunch together. A few select restaurants have indoor seating now, so it was nice to be able to sit and chat for an hour. It’s amazing how fast time flies when it’s time spent with a dear friend. I’ve know Allison for almost five years now, and every year our friendship becomes dearer. She’s often the one that tells me “that’s a bad idea” or the one that comes up with a “simple” idea that we can do together and it morphs into a big project! I’m so thankful to have a friend to “do life” with here in Maine. We both attend the same church, and we both have students in the school. We both are passionate about several things in our lives, I’m just louder about it! :)
Our last early-release day for the year was on Wednesday. My sister, Hannah, and her husband, Josh, invited us to come on their boat with them for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day in Maine, and it was a relaxing afternoon. If I’m not careful and intentional, I can easily become a work-alcoholic where I become controlled by my to-do list. But out on a boat in the afternoon sun leads it’s way to a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy time with family. Roger was working, but the boys had a great time fishing. Emma, Wyatt and Travis got in the lake...brrrr!!
Because we had an early release day on Wednesday, I taught a quick music class on Thursday. We are getting to the nitty, gritty details of the program such as walking quietly, watching the teacher, re-doing small errors. Our school is currently without an administrator, (something to be praying about) but we had an applicant come and observe at the school on Thursday. This person is an amazing music teacher and has directed several big productions at area schools. And this person came to observe the music class! I was a little nervous as my degree is NOT in music, but it’s something that I’ve taught for the past four years. And I felt like the practice didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked, but oh well. Anyways, after the practice and the students were dismissed, this person came up to me and told me what a great job the 7/8 grade had done on their performance! “Moved to tears” were the words used as this person had observed the students working on practicing Patriotic music and speeches. I’m looking forward to having this program behind us, but oh so excited to see what God is going to do through the hard work of these students!
Friday found us all excited to be wrapping up another week of school! Thank you, Jesus! We have chapel on Friday mornings, and this morning we found out that the chapel speaker was not going to be able to make it for chapel. The school office found someone willing to fill in on short notice, but he wouldn’t need all the chapel time. Oh perfect! It was a golden opportunity for some whole school practice singing for the program! Another fellow teacher teaches the younger grades for music, so it provided an opportunity for students to perform for a live audience. While we missed our scheduled chapel speaker, I love how God works out so many details for us! In the afternoon, I helped with a beach cleanup that involved students in 1-8th grade. It was a great afternoon as the sun was shining, the students were happy to be out of class, and it provided a service opportunity.
We have continued to stay at our friends house as we are house sitting for another few days. It’s been a good experience, but we will all be thankful to go home. But while we’ve been not sleeping at our house, we’ve continued to work on projects around our house. Roger and the boys have been working on some landscaping around the house, while I’ve been preparing to do some more painting. This time in the boys room! My parents are coming in a few days, so we’ve been extra busy as we anticipate that. I have a few projects that I need my dad’s help. The boys continue to mow at the neighbors every week, and that’s been a good job for them.
We went to a work get together for Roger’s work in the evening as the whole family was invited. Things are never the same once someone passes away or leadership changes. It’s been a rough year, and last night was a reminder of how much we’ve missed Rogers boss. Hard on our children, harder on Roger. Life never stays the same, and as believers we know Who holds tomorrow. It’s easy to become anxious over what might happen or what might not happen, but we rest in the One who holds it all. What I really want our children to see through all of this is the faithfulness of God. Life isn’t fair, it’s not always easy, and changes are hard, but we can rest in the promises of a faithful, unchanging God.
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