My Kids On This Mother's Day

After a quick yoga session this morning, I got ready and headed to church. I was feeling pretty excited to hear a message that would motivate me as we head into our last couple of weeks of school. To my dismay, the sermon was based solely on parenting. I realize that it is Mother's Day, and in no way do I want to take away from all of the love that they deserve. But I couldn't help but feel hurt by the words of the minister. Maybe I was reading into it, and I do realize that I am sensitive to the issue, but it doesn't make the pain any less real to me. I wasn't concentrating like I should as I counted down the minutes until we were dismissed. As I sat there, I couldn't help but think about all the mothers that have lost children, parents longing to have children but are unable, and other single people praying daily for families. This couldn't have been an easy hour for them either. Before I knew it, there were tears in my eyes. These feelings surface frequently, but I let them rest inside. I don't know how healthy that is, but I don't want to make my problems someone else's because I realize that everyone has their "thing." People are hurting for various reasons. It's our job to recognize that and be kind.

As I sit at Starbucks, I'm wondering what I can learn from this; how can I move forward from today's sermon? My mind is spinning as I realize that I just need to let it be. It's over, and it hurt, but the fact that I'm not a parent doesn't take away from all of the great aspects of my life. God is good, all the time. I will trust in that. 

On Friday, one of my students came into my room offering me a cupcake. She said it was for Mother's Day in which we both laughed knowing that I'm not a mother. No, I may not have my own children, but I always refer to my students as my kids because that's just what they are. They mean the world to me, and I am thankful to serve as a "mother" to them both in and out of the classroom. 

Time to move forward and have a happy Sunday. 

Soak It In

Currently, I have my "prep" at the beginning of the day. Seeing as I am a morning person, this has been working out quite well. In fact, I feel like I've been really productive already today!

Fridays have such a different feel. It's a little more relaxed and people tend to be in a better mood (obviously). This morning, a senior came in and asked me to look over his speech that he's preparing for the graduation ceremony. After finishing up some work, I read through it. He referenced a song by John Michael Montgomery called "Life's a Dance." I played it as I read though his thoughts. I had one of those moments where I thought, "How did I get so lucky to have this job?" I stopped, looked around because remembering to soak it all in is really important in teaching. The slower pace of most Fridays allow for this. This time of year can be kind of hectic, but for seniors, it can also be nostalgic. While most of them want to be done, I try to remind them to soak it in because these days won't happen again.