Another two weeks have flown by! September is coming to a close, and we’ve had our first few feelings of “fall” temperatures. By fall temperatures, I mean that the humidity has dropped some, and we don’t feel the sweat dripping down our backs at the soccer games!
Life is full- very full. I ponder sometimes whether or not it’s “too” full, but I haven’t come to any real decisions on that at the moment. I want to be present for our children and the events in their lives, but I find balance to be hard. So while I ponder and pray, I press on (ooh…look at all those “p”s. Ponder, pray, press-on!) We are in the middle of the first quarter of school, so we are in the thick of things so to speak. School is getting harder, and as teachers we’ve discovered which children shouldn’t sit next together, which ones might have a harder home life, which ones have academic struggles, which ones need some extra encouragement, and we pray that we don’t miss anything that we need to catch! I’ve enjoyed teaching art (so far). It’s fun to see the kids experiment with line art, color wheels, and work on projects for the upcoming county fair. We decided to make all the art entries “patriotic” this year. I’m amazed that not everyone thinks that they are blessed to be an American and that we live in a great nation! Oh yes, there are things that grieve my heart and soul also, but we are still so very blessed. So we had some of the students paint fireworks, some drew and colored the Statue of Liberty, and some drew the American flag. It was fun to see the art work in the various stages, and it was such a relief to finally get it all dropped off at the fair this week! It was a craaaaazzzzzyyyy week as we wrapped up the projects and delivered them to the fair this year. I want the students to do well as it’s a good representation of the school, but more than anything I want them to use their talents for God’s Glory. We are created for His glory, and we don’t magically reach an age where we need to start living that way. We need to live that way every day no matter what our age! I teach in Christian education because I value the opportunity to point kids to Jesus. I teach not just because I enjoy it, but because it’s a discipleship opportunity. If these kids don’t remember anything else from art or library classes I want them to know that I love my God, my family, my country and I love them. Oh, I want them to learn, but I want to point them to Jesus. As our college president used to say, “Life touching Life”.
Last week, Jen went to Washington D.C. with Chandler’s tenth grade trip, while Roger and I left on Wednesday for the trip to Williamsburg with 8th graders. I don’t think Wyatt was exactly thrilled that his parents came along, but he handled it well, for the most part. We got to see him interact with his classmates outside of the school walls, and that was good for us as parents too. I had never been to Jamestown before or Colonial Williamsburg, so I was happy to have the opportunity. Jamestown history feels a little old for me to relate to, but I really enjoyed walking at Colonial Williamsburg. Hearing the interpretative speaker talk about the Continental Congress and the sacrifices that those brave men made for our baby nation was enough to bring me to tears. Meanwhile, much of the class looked bored, unfortunately! To think that we got to visit the house that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both visited and shared meals at was really neat. I would’ve enjoyed spending more time at Colonial Williamsburg, and I think I’d like to take our kids back there as a family sometime. Roger and I were thankful that we had the opportunity to go, and hopefully we were a blessing to some along the way. It was nice to come home and sleep in our own beds though! I think I’m getting old!
In the past week, we’ve had cross-country meets and soccer games to add to the fun. Wyatt continues to thrive in the middle school races, and he generally places in the top 4 in the races. His friend, Kaden, is usually not far behind. It’s been a little discouraging for them as the points are based on the top three finishers per team, and there’s not been a third runner that has been close to Wyatt or Kaden. Chandler struggled after returning from Washington DC. As it’s hard to get back into running if you haven’t run in about 2 weeks! He struggled a lot in his race this week as he finished ninth, but perhaps it will be a good motivator too. This time of year always brings back my own memories of cross-country season and all the seasons that I loved my experiences. I’m a little bit bummed that I don’t think either boy will run next year, but we will see what next year brings. I have a number of reasons on why I think this is the case, none of which need mentioning here. For now, we encourage the boys and press on.
To be completely honest, it’s been a hard school year. Literally Satan has thrown darts at every turn and worked to discourage us. Travis is struggling in school, and we are trying to figure out what is BEST for Travis. Our best friends are moving away. I struggle to find the balance between school, family, and life. The boys have experienced some personal disappointments this year, and I’m constantly reminded that we need to put our rest in Jesus. Roger’s had some struggles at work too, and while I’m not trying to sound like Debbie Downer, it has been rough…that’s putting it mildly. However, God is unchanging, faithful and true. I was reminded this week of the faithfulness of God as I had a moment to drink some coffee and talk with Roger. It’s not that God is unfaithful, but rather that I am faithless. He’s constant, trustworthy and kind, while I struggle to respond Christlike.
Yesterday, the soccer/volleyball games were canceled due to the rain storm. It was kinda nice to have some extra time to work on a few other projects. Roger came into the school to do some scrimmage practice with any boys that wanted to stay and play in the rain. We were invited to the Everett’s for supper, and we are going to miss them when they move. I don’t know why God is moving them away, but I have to trust in His plan. As Laura and I sat in the driveway in the van and shared our concerns and burdens, I was reminded that deep friendships are a gift. I wasn’t looking for a like-minded “mama” bear, but God brought one into my life. I wasn’t planning on losing my best friend in North Carolina so soon after we arrived, but God knows. This is the first time that we’ve been on the other end of the moving side. Generally, we are the ones that are doing the moving, but in this instance, we’re staying and they’re moving. I’m not even going to pretend that I know what God is doing, and I’ve really, really struggled with this. But we trust. We wait. We pray. We surrender and we press on. He is faithful.
I like this song. I’m so thankful that we serve a Good, good, Father.
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