Marching Through March.
Let me set the scene. After a cloudy, windy day, we were blessed with a beautiful day with full sunshine and temperatures that seemed to be trying to warm every cold thing. My six dear students were playing kickball and I was sitting on the bleachers checking penmanship. A breeze ruffled the evergreen tree row by the diamond. The laughter of the children floated across the way and I was suddenly overwhelmed with an immense feeling of gratitude. I felt the “overwhelming sunshine flowing into this heart of mine”. God has blessed us with more than we even deserve. He has given us life, health, family, friends, a church where we feel safe, and most of all, He has given us prayer, our direct connection to Him through His Son. One of my co-teachers recently said, “I couldn’t teach school if it wasn’t for prayer.” I couldn’t agree more. This job has taught me the power in answered prayers and how interested God is in all the little things. How often I have brought my small problems to Him. Maybe it’s a squabble at recess, a child that’s being a bit stubborn and testing my patience who just needs loving reassurance, or maybe it is a prayer for a co-teacher who has a child that is struggling with anxiety, whatever the case, God is faithful to answer that prayer and He always brings peace. It brings to mind the song that has been looping through my mind. “Down the path that lies before us, mortal eyes may not yet see. Yet your promises restore us. Where you are there we shall be. So wherever You may take us, You our Guide, our Morning Star. We know you will not forsake us. You have led us safe thus far.”
One evening concludes with three girls in the back of a Honda HRV laughing so hard their stomachs hurt. The youth had given their Easter program to the seniors of Galva and after serving supper, they had made quick with their clean up and made off for pickleball. Pickleball had been quite enjoyable. The weather was nearly perfect aside from a slight wind and one particular mixed doubles match had garnered many laughs. Food was the next item on the agenda. The McDonalds line looked like a hour long situation and one member of our party is slightly enamored with the “cheesy Gordita crunch”, so Taco Bell it was. I don’t even remember all the conversations, but the evening was just full of belly laughs. Later that evening, it came to me to include this in my prayer. “Thank you God, for the fun time we had tonight, and thank you for these friends You’ve given me.”
One Saturday, the temperatures rise into the 90’s which means it is time to pull the paddle boards out of storage. State Lake is not far away and soon KJ and I are eating our packed lunch from a cooler while floating aimless. We throw our apple cores in the water and crack open cold sodas. We roast away on our paddle boards, occasionally dipping our toes in the freezing water when we get overheated. We come home with sun on our faces and the feeling of being slightly crispy!
We have started singing a song at school that has some beautiful lyrics. “I stepped again into the night and looked away, up high, and there I saw the Milky Way You’d splashed across the sky. Someday, I’ll climb the sky, and walk that road across the blue; then it will guide me, step by step, through Heaven’s gates to You.” Milky Way by Korey Smith
There has been a mad dash to get dresses sewed for all the occasions. It has become a thing that we as youth match or coordinate on our programs. Christmas for the girls was black satin dresses and for the boys, black sweaters with white collars. For our Easter program, it was decided that the girls would wear pastels, blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, etc. and the boys in shades of white, beige, or tan. So to the machines we went. When there is a spare moment at home, you will hear the hum of the sewing machine or the buzz of the serger. It is also the time of year to sew for field trips and year-end program and play day. When the weather is as beautiful as it has been, the last thing one wants to do is spend time inside with a sewing machine for company.
More Comments Worth Remembering:
A wise comment from my co-teacher: “Sometimes when you get used to something, other things start looking appealing.”
“What are vibes?” “It’s like when you see a full barn. It’s a full vibe!” A cute conversation between my kids during job time.
“These are not the vibes!” A second grader when he got something wrong on his speed drill.
More entertaining conversations in my 2nd and 3rd grade classroom:
“What is that round bread?”
“Sourdough bread?”
“Yes, I hate that bread.”
“Sourdough is the best bread in the whole world!”
“Sourdough is the WORSE bread in the whole world!”
“I am eating this steering wheel for breakfast!” Said by a boy driving a girl’s vehicle whose seat was scooted quite far up.
“We were playing and all the teachers were IT.” “Ooohh, that was spicy!”
“If you don’t remember something then technically you don’t know!” More wisdom from the children.
There is one particular Q7 that is the frequent carrier of the humans. In order to get into the back seats, there is quite the rigamaroll that takes place with the middle seats. KJ confidently said, “You gotta be smarter than the average person!” She then proceeded to need help as the middle seat was being smarter than the smarter than average person.
“… holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” Philippians 2:16