Perspective

This week I had two students with two different perspectives on a situation.  I've been marveling at how easy it is to have miscommunication and how thankful God gave me this opportunity to see this first hand.  One little girl came to school and was asking everyone if they liked her new coat.  She was struggling a little with her zipper and wondered out loud if it was broken.  The second little girl asked her if she'd gotten her coat at Goodwill. The first girl took great offense at the comment and didn't answer her as she was mad.  A couple of days later these two girls were talking and the conversation was light and joking from the perspective of the second girl but the first girl was taking offense at everything she was saying.  Finally she couldn't take it anymore and told her parents about this whole event.  I was then made aware of the situation and sat the girls down.  I knew the second little girl came from a house with limited funds so I opened the conversation about shopping at Goodwill, how I like to go there and find treasures others have given away.  The first little girl told us how she felt when the comment was made and I asked the second little girl why she had asked the question about where  was the jacket purchased.  She promptly answered that the last "new" jacket she had gotten was from goodwill and it had a broken zipper, so she was wondering if that had happened to her.  Immediately the first little girl realized that she shouldn't have taken offense and I could tell she then heard everything through a filter of hurt.  How many times have I done this? By not asking for clarification, assuming things, burying past hurts and not letting that person know I've been hurt, then my ears,eyes are hearing,seeing everything through that lens.  How much have I missed out on? 

Thank you, Lord, for this lesson.  Sometimes the teacher learns more than the students! 

Getting Ready

School starts next week...when kids actually come to my room eagerly anticipating a new teacher, classmates, and adventures to begin. I'm teaching fourth grade this year and I've begun the process of getting my room ready. Every year I have to move something so this year I moved my cubbies, file cabinets, and am getting rid of my desk.  It has opened the room up and I'm excited to see how this floor plan works.  I'm also thrilled to only be doing one grade level this year and my mind is racing with all the cool games, projects I have seen on Pinterest and the blogs I follow.  Someone asked me yesterday how was my summer and I replied that it was a summer of repair and restoration.  Body, mind, soul, and spirit all needed the restoration and repair this summer!  Now I'm ready for the new school year with hope and excitement.


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Today

In my readings this morning I read this "Bring those to The Lord today, and envision yourself as exactly what you are: the magnificent object of His great and enduring love."  Those can be defined as the doubts, fears that trip me up constantly.  Today I choose to focus on this, He who has made me has made me for a purpose of glorifying His name in all that I say and all that I do. So let's go clean! 

pre July 4th

It's the day before America's birthday, the day before my husband and I go off for a little R & R, and I am thinking about all the things I have yet to do this summer.  Organizing seems to be a central theme on my list of 42 things to do this summer.  I can almost organize myself too much and that's what I wanted to write about today.  Organization is so good but when I fail to start or finish anything because I am not organized enough then it's a problem.  It's also a problem when I have to be so organized I can't experience the spontaneity of life.  Like many areas of life there is a balance that moves and I am learning to shift with each day so that I stay balanced.  I want to hear the Holy Spirit, feel the nudge, but I also need to have some sort of order to my days when I am not working hence the balance dance is born!  I am finding out so much about myself in these quiet days and doing the balance dance is my new move.

New day, new start

I've been on summer break for 2+ weeks and I'm feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.  My blog is something I think about often.  I made a list of 42 things to do this summer and #24 is...write on my blog.  I want to know how to add buttons, links, make my blog cute so it starts today with a new post.  Practice doesn't make perfection, it only deepens a habit whether good or bad.  Being perfect is something I'm letting go of, it paralyzes me with fear. So here goes my new day of learning!