The entire month of January has been long- except for the five days that Roger was here! We’ve been in survival mode and not thriving mode, but the grace of God gets us through one day at a time.
On Sunday, January 16th, my friend, Jess, helped me coordinate moving our vehicle to the car shop. The van was still running, but it was needing a tune-up. I have people that are willing to help me, it’s just hard sometimes to ask for help as I feel like I am inconveniencing someone. However, I’m thankful for Jess. She met me at the car shop, we took Emma and her daughter to a birthday party, and then Jess drove me out to the airport so that I could pick up a vehicle we were going to borrow. I am thankful for friends that allow us to use their vehicles- and their very nice vehicles! Roger contacted some of his dear island friends, and they agreed to let us borrow their nice truck. We were expecting to have our van back in a few days, but we ended up driving their vehicle for about a week. I am so thankful! God is good!
I left school a little early on Friday with Travis and Emma. Garett and Chandler wanted to stay at school as they really enjoy having gym class on Fridays. Wyatt was going with a friend after school to go bowling. But Emma and Travis were happy to come along! It worked out well that the other boys stayed behind as we wouldn’t all fit in the vehicle. It was so good to see Roger, and we soaked up every minute! We attended a church dinner and bowling activity on Friday night, and it was good for Roger to reconnected with some of the people in our church family.
On Saturday Roger took the boys to their soccer game, while Emma and I stayed at home to watch Hannah and Josh’s kids. Emma was so excited about gymnastics last Saturday, and we had paid for a month of lessons for her Christmas present. Emma enjoyed the class and she was looking forward to going again this Saturday. However, we got an email this week stating that the gymnastics class would be moved to Sunday for the next seven weeks due to a coach conflict. Well, that certainly wouldn’t work for us. Emma was pretty disappointed, but she was happy to play with the little children on Saturday. We watched the kids for several hours so that Hannah and Josh could get away for a date.
Sunday was a full day with church and teen group and spending time together. The days really did seem to fly by! Roger and I spent Monday together doing all kinds of fun stuff like laundry, banking, errands, etc. But it was good to spend time together, and I so appreciate having Roger available to pick up kids and participate in our family life. Roger and I went on a date with another couple on Monday evening. Allison and Jason invited us out to supper, so that was a nice treat. I can’t remember the last time we had a supper date with them! We enjoyed the food and fellowship, and it was especially nice as the restaurant is literally just a minute walk out the door.
Roger took the day on Tuesday to spend with the boys. We had a delayed start on Tuesday, which was kinda nice as that gave us a little extra time together. Roger took the boys to Portland to look for a hockey stick for Chandler’s birthday. Wyatt decided not to go because his class was going to be doing a science experiment. We don’t let the boys miss school for every whim, but having Roger around is a big deal. It provided an opportunity for uninterrupted conversations with the boys, and a chance for them to talk to Roger about some of their challenges and struggles. The boys will talk to me, but the older two boys frequently tell me “Mom, you think like a girl!” Um- well!
Roger had to leave on Wednesday morning. He spent some time with the boys and Emma in the morning, and then Emma and I took him to the airport around 10:00am. It was kind of a rough morning for all of us. Having Roger leave is kinda like the let down after camp is over. Everyone feels a little out of sorts and grumpy. It takes us a few days to adjust to life without Roger for a few weeks, but we will get through. We’ve made it through the longest parts, I think. Roger plans to come back in February, March, April, May and then in June, we will begin the process of moving nineteen hours across the United States.
God has been so faithful during these months. He’s provided friends to encourage me. He has allowed me to have deep conversations with our boys. He’s provided the boys with the opportunity to play soccer through the winter months. He’s given grace when I was sure I couldn’t conjure up another moment of patience. He’s given rest when we’ve been falling apart. He’s provided housing in a market where there isn’t any. He’s given Wyatt and Travis a teacher who really cares about them and wants to build a relationship with them. He’s given Chandler a teacher that loves him and prays for him regularly. He’s given Garett a depth of discernment that I haven’t seen prior to this year. He’s allowed Emma to grow and mature through challenges (although the boys would say she has a long ways to go!)
The second quarter of school has closed and it’s on to the last two quarters. I just counted up the days today and we only have 76 school days left- and so much still to teach! Please continue to pray for me both as a teacher and a mom. I want to invest in the lives of my students, but I still need to have energy and patience with my own tribe.
Chandler’s 14th birthday was on Wednesday. Fourteen years have flown by! He has matured so much in the last year, and I am so thankful for his work ethic, entrepreneur spirit, his laughter, his determination, and his resilience. It’s been a hard, long year for him but in spite of tears of frustration and discouragement, he still plods along. Chandler sees the world in only two colors- black or white. He’s been this way since he was very, very young. He thrives on relationships and people taking the time to get to know him. His love language is quality time. He can be head-strong, impatient, and outspoken, but he can also be sensitive, sweet and kind. I am so thankful for this boy of ours, and I pray for him daily that he will grow up to love Jesus and serve Him with his whole heart. His teacher at school brought him cupcakes for his birthday, and one of my teacher friends gave him an air-soft vest and in invitation to come over and play air-soft sometime- right up his alley! Despite the fact that Roger had to leave on his birthday, Chandler handled the day with maturity and a sweet spirit. He was thankful that Roger was there in the morning. Happy Birthday, Chandler!
Roger made it back safely to Michigan, and we are thankful for that. It was so nice to have the opportunity to discuss many things in person rather than over the phone or FaceTime. There really is no substitute for actual real in-person conversations. I treasured our time and memories together. This morning one of my teacher friends, Shaina, gifted me with a sweet note and a gift card to Dunkin Donuts. She wrote that she can’t solve the problem of distance, but coffee could possibly help?! Oh, yes!!! I was so thankful for the note and gift to dunkin. I’ll definitely be putting that to use!
I was so thankful for Friday to roll around! It was an emotionally draining week, and since we didn’t have all our regularly scheduled specials, the week seemed a little longer than others. I kinda was feeling like a broken record by Friday afternoon, but we made it through! I have a student teacher working with me for a couple of weeks, and I’ve savored the extra learning that we can get done by having an extra set of hands and ears. Kindergarten is a lot of sounding out letters/words, and most have not mastered the concept of silent reading! I love them dearly, and it’s going to be a change to not be teaching kindergarten next year. Kindergarten is one of my favorite ages, and I’ve enjoyed this class even when I’m exhausted. God is good.
Thank you for your continued prayers. We don’t know what the future looks like, but I’m thankful that God sees the bigger picture!
Saturday was a snow day! It was windy and snowy all day long, and it was nice to have the day to catch up on lesson plans, schedules, reading and playing some games with the kids. We made chili and brownies and watched the snow fall. The kids went outside several times, but the cold wind drove them back inside before too long. I’m thankful for snow and seasons. I also wouldn’t mind if God moved us to a warm, sunny state sometime in our future!
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