Last week in the midst of my grandfather's last days on this earth, someone tried to tell me that life sucks. Half-smiling because I didn't know what else to do, I turned, looked at my grandfather and believed with everything in me that life most certainly does not suck. I could so fervently proclaim that very truth, if only to myself, because in that moment, although my grandfather was dying (which, yes really sucked) he also served as an undeniable reminder that life as a whole most certainly does not suck at all. Why? Well, if you knew my grandfather you knew that his whole life was marked by indescribable joy and love. It radiated through everything that he did, each word that he said, and every story that he told to anyone who would listen. He told stories of his life as a businessman that were marked with integrity and respect for every person he worked alongside. His stories of his work with x-ray tubing in the hospital were tainted with tender care and affection for the patients that his work served. His child-like wonder for learning and discovering emanated from the meticulously drawn and labeled cell diagrams and x-ray art he would display for those willing to learn with him. He shared stories about so many things. Stories from a life lived remarkably well. Yet, the heart of his stories were not about the war, or work travels, or the hospital or x-ray machines. At the heart of his stories, were people.
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This Mother's Day I'm realizing that there a few wise lessons my mother's has instilled in me that I've not only actually fully embraced and lived by, but have begun to pass along to others as well. I think I've almost always lived by them to some degree but as I teacher I find myself instilling this same wisdom into my students and I am more and more realizing the undeniable truth behind them. So, here we go. I will be forever thankful that my mother taught me to: 1. Always have gratitude. She taught this by reminding me to always write thank you notes no matter how big or small the gift. At first it was annoying and tedious. I'd be bored as I wrote but I always realized that by the end, I actually enjoyed writing thank you's. I can't explain it other than to say that it just made me smile. Right now one of my students is writing about how "being kind makes you feel better and also makes others feel better." Well, I've realized that gratitude works the same way. Expressing your gratitude makes you a more truly grateful and, in turn, a more joyful person. How is it May already?! Seriously, where does the time go? In April, I... 1. actually started to seriously train for my half in the fall. I've had some really good running days lately and am genuinely enjoying training. 2. really did look to God more than my circumstances. I feel as soon as I set that goal, God put people in my life who helped me to take a step back from my day-to-day circumstances and look at the bigger picture. Picking my head up out of the mess of my daily problems and looking toward the vastness of God's grace, faithfulness, and love has changed everything once again. 3. wrote one sentence of the book I want to write and bought a book about writing. That's a win on this project as far as I'm concerned. 4. applied to jobs and had two interviews! I'm confident that I will have a job in the fall; I'd just really like the security of knowing where I'll be. In May, I will... 1. leave my teaching position. Back in February I would have been excited about this but I have really grown to love my students; even though they are still obnoxious and drive me completely insane. 2. run a 5K! This Sunday is the Madison Education Foundation 5K. I wasn't planning on running but one of my students needed an adult to run with and I had a moment of weakness and told her I'd be her running buddy. 3. complete a Spartan race. 4. celebrate with Allie at her bachelorette in Niagara Falls! Looking forward to this weekend so much! And after I finish planning and crafting I'll be looking forward to it even more. |
Author4th grade teacher. Writer. Justice-seeker. Encourager. CrossFitter. John 11:40. Archives
July 2017
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