Yesterday hubby and I celebrated our anniversary. We travelled to the southern part of the state to spend the day at a Renaissance Faire and had a wonderful time. Friday evening as we were on the road to the hotel where we were to spend the night, we began searching our minds for good memories. BK (before kids) we took several nice vacations and these times were some of the first things we came up with. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Atlantic Ocean! While there are many good memories over the years we’ve spent together, there are many more that are bittersweet at best. I find that I don’t really enjoy looking at the old photos because for every good memory that is stirred, there seems to be something lurking closely about that I’d rather forget. All this remembering has made me aware, once again, that I need to make peace with some things, but that’s another discussion.
It turned out that the weekend theme at the Renaissance Faire was “romance.” Perfect! The set of the little town includes a church, where a mass renewal of vows was held. So we “got married again” by a priest who was probably just an actor in a little church that reminded me of a fancy picnic shelter with a nice altar at the front, and we have a certificate to prove it. It was a serious affair though, unlike anything else we witnessed that day. The brief service was adapted from an Anglican prayer book from the early 1800’s, and the whole thing was, I thought, quite meaningful. So now, I mentioned to hubby, we have started over and we can do things right this time around! With 28 years of previous experience, and the grace of God, we ought to be able to enjoy a wonderful marriage!
Kids say the most interesting things.
Today I heard one little boy say to a friend, “My brain just had a burn-out.” I’m not quite sure what he meant by that, but I think I might know the feeling!
The first full week of school is over and I have two days of , well probably not rest exactly, but at least a change of pace and a little extra sleep. Another two weeks and things will be easier. I will be used to the routine. The kids will have grown up a bit and learned more about how to act in class. We’ll all be used to each other. School won’t be new anymore, just normal.
I learn as much as the kids; I believe every good teacher does. In an effort to bring some peace into my classroom I played Mozart on the CD player most of the morning. The kids liked it and and we were all more peaceful. I think I need to stock up on classical CD’s and keep the music playing. I also realized that my own state of mind has at least as much, if not more, influence on how things go as what the kids do or don’t do. I need to find my place of peace and stay there. The kids want to be where I am, and will join me there if I am patient. Lord, help me.
Change is in the air. Summer is passing and the wind blows in fall even as I write this. Hubby and I sat by the campfire on the back deck this evening and roasted hot dogs and made s’mores. I love the smell of woodsmoke. Whenever the seasons change, I become hopeful for a change in my spirit as well. I need change. I dislike winter, but I remind myself that those daffodil bulbs hiding in the ground will never bloom again unless it gets cold for a while.
Peace to me. Peace to you. Peace to us all. In the name of the Great Peacemaker. Amen.
I need to write. Not just because if I don’t pretty soon all 5 1/2 people who read this blog may just give up and never come back. While that’s a good reason to get going, the real reason is that I need to write for me. Jumping in now…..
Last week I started a new school year. Same school, same room, different kids. This is my 10th year teaching, and it was the most difficult first three days of school that I have ever experienced. By Friday afternoon I was frustrated, tired, and angry with myself for raising my voice too often. I rearranged the seats, trying to seperate the “problem” kids, but there weren’t enough “good” kids to accomplish that goal. I then spent a couple of hours planning for next week. Little wonder I chose to drink something stronger than iced tea by the time I got home.
Monday morning will be here all too soon and I have to go back to my classroom and face the challenges I’ve been presented with. I also have to somehow not let it all get to me. I am all too aware that ineffectively dealing with stress over a number of years was a precursor to my becoming so ill last fall. I don’t know how to do all this. I do know however, that God can bring peace, to my students and to me, in the midst of it all. I think I need to pray now.
