Things...just things.

Now that the school year is coming to an end, and another chapter in our lives is closing, it is making me think. What have I learned so far? Have I accomplished what I was intended to do? Heavy questions, I know, especially when I should be asleep.

There have been quite a few events that have defined me. They have changed how I view the world and I have learned life lessons from all of them. Some of the things I have learned are that God only gives you what you can handle. If it feels like you can't stand up under it, rely on Him to take care of it and you, to stretch you to where He needs you to be. Yes, it will probably be trying, and maybe even painful, but you will grow and learn. Something else I've learned is that you have to look for the good in life, especially in the dark days. The good days are filled with it--love, laughter, happiness. But when you find the glimmer of good in those hard days, it is all the more sweet and precious. It reminds you why you persevere.

Another thing I've learned is to say what you need to say. If it is important, do it right away. You might never get the opportunity to do it again. If you wait, it becomes more difficult and might lose it's effectiveness. I think about my parents often. The last thing I said to both of them was that I loved them. With Mom it was right at the end, and I had this overwhelming urge to blurt it out--it was almost like a voice in my head yelling, "Say it! Say it now!" and I did. I would have regretted that moment for the rest of my life if I hadn't said what I needed to say.

I think I am on my way to accomplishing what I was meant to do. I know that teaching is my calling. I've known that for a long time, but now I'm beginning to think there's more to it than that. Teaching is a very important task. Not just the education part of it, but the human part of it too. There have been days that learning math and reading have gone to the wayside, and just simple caring has been the priority. People need to be nurtured, to be loved, and listened to. They need to know that there is someone who is willing to be there for them, and that they matter. When I taught preschool this wasn't a priority as much, because they were still babies. School age children is a different ball game. They all needed love and acceptance, but sometimes the school age children didn't get that from home. School was the only place they got that. It is a big job, a big responsibility, to be the teacher and the emotional caregiver as well. I hope that I have helped them in some way or another. I'm beginning to think caring is my calling.


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