27

Jan

2024

I am happy you were here.

I am happy you were here.

“I’m not very happy that you’re leaving.”

My 4 year old nephew said that to me as we walked to my car after a weekend together.

“I”m not very happy about it either,” I told him.

How I love the way children say the things we’re all feeling.

The things that maybe should be said a little more often.

As I drove back home, I smiled at all the fun we’d had together.

Playing toys.

Reading stories.

Giggling.

Holding hands.

Being together.

Even thought I had to leave, my heart left fuller than when it came.

Isn’t that something?

Whoever you’re missing today (I think we are all missing someone),

maybe take a minute to appreciate having had something that is now worth missing.

Smile at the memories.

Love the time you had together, even if it was too short.

Acknowledge the ways you changed for the better just for knowing them.

Because even though you had to part ways, maybe you can look back and say, “I am sad you left…

but I am happy you were here.”

02

Nov

2023

A Teacher without Children

A Teacher without Children

I don’t have children of my own,

but I know what it’s like to accidentally be called “mom.”

I don’t have children of my own,

but I have zipped coats, tied shoes, and held small hands.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I’ve wiped tears and put on band-aids.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I’ve heard tiny “I love you’s” as we have parted ways.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I have defended ones as if they were mine.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I have cheered for achievements

and encouraged through struggles.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I have shed tears over the unfair situations

some have had to bare.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I have watched the children of others grow

and develop before my eyes each day.

I don’t have children of my own,

but I care so much for each one that

passes through my classroom.

I don’t have children of my own.

But if the day comes that I do,

they will share my heart with every child who has already found a space within it.

19

Oct

2023

You are too loved for that.

You are too loved for that.

Dear friend,

You are too loved for that.

I hear you wondering why you weren’t good enough.

I hear you saying you deserve the wrong things that happened to you.

I hear you defending the people who used you.

I hear you questioning your abilities after they have been questioned by others.

I hear you pleading for the attention of someone who doesn’t value you.

I hear you.

And I understand you because I have been there, too.

But take a glimpse of yourself through my eyes.

Can you see it now? Can you see the strong, capable, beautiful, worthwhile person I see?

A person who deserves all the good that the world has to offer.

A person who I admire.

And if you’re not able to see yourself through my eyes, maybe instead remind yourself of how God sees you.

Made in His image.

Genesis 1:27

Fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalms 139:14

A chosen people, God’s special possession.

1 Peter 2:9

Child of God.

John 1:12

You are valued.

You have worth.

Don’t let the people around you tell you any different.

Don’t let yourself tell you any different.

You are too loved for that.

09

Oct

2023

Oh well. Maybe next time.

Oh well. Maybe next time.

Oh well. Maybe next time.

As a kindergarten teacher, I disappoint 5 and 6 year olds on a daily basis.

Listen, I don’t mean to. It just happens.

If you are a teacher or a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

This student wanted the red marker instead of green.

That student wanted 5 more minutes of recess.

Another wanted to sit by Suzie instead of Tommy.

One wanted more goldfish.

On and on, it goes.

Some handle their disappointments gracefully.

Others not so much.

Cue the complaining, the waterworks, the meltdown.

In the midst of a child’s big reactions, you might think,

“All this because of (insert tiny problem).”

But in their world of toys, naps, and snacks…

marker colors and who they get to sit by maybe are their big things.

Those should be their big things.

But of course, we still teach them ways to better handle their disappointments.

“Oh well. Maybe next time” and “We don’t always get what we want,

we get what we need” are two of our classroom mantras this year.

But how good am I at applying these to my own life?

Do I handle my disappointments with grace?

Sometimes.

But other times… just cue the complaining, tears, and meltdown.

Honestly, what a perspective shift it would be to apply versions

of those kindergarten phrases to my own life.

I didn’t get the job I worked hard for and wanted so badly?

“Oh well. Maybe God knew I wasn’t ready yet.”

Sickness ruined my long awaited plans?

“Oh well. Maybe I’m being protected from something I don’t know about.”

Someone walked away from a friendship or relationship?

“God doesn’t always give me what I want,

but He provides for my needs in ways greater than I can imagine.”

A door closed I desperately want to reopen?

“That door will reopen, but only if what’s behind it is meant for me.”

So. Much. Easier. Said. Than. Done.

We can say the phrases all we want,

but to accept them in our hearts is a different story.

I know.

But maybe it gives us a starting place.

Maybe it lessens the complaining. Maybe it slows down the tears.

Maybe it shortens the meltdown.

And if not today…

Oh well. Maybe next time.

24

Sep

2023

And the tree was happy.

And the tree was happy.

“And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house.

And the tree was happy.”

I recently read Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree” to my students.

If you haven’t read it, it’s a wonderfully sad story about a little boy and a tree.

This tree loves the boy,

and the boy loves the tree.

He swings from her branches, eats her apples, and sleeps in her shade.

It’s a beautiful friendship.

But as the boy grows older, he goes off to live his life,

leaving the tree sad and alone.

The boy comes back every now and again and tells the tree his worries and desires.

With each visit, the tree offers some of herself to the boy.

Her apples, so he can sell them and make money.

Her branches, to build a house.

Her trunk, to build a boat and sail away.

And finally, her stump for him to sit on and rest.

The tree gives everything she has to the boy.

Because she loves him.

And the tree was happy.

What a sad, yet beautiful story.

And what contrast it is to the mindset of today’s culture.

“Don’t cross oceans for people who wouldn’t step over a puddle for you.”

“Choose your happiness over everything.”

“That’s the problem with putting other people first. You’ve taught them you come second.”

With the “put yourself first” mentality being poured into us,

how do we know the right way to love others?

Does love mean sacrificing ourselves for others like the giving tree?

Or do we only love those who will give something back like culture preaches?

I don’t know.

All I know is what God’s word tells us about love.

It is powerful.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

-John 3:16

“But love your enemies, do good to them,

and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.”

-Luke 6:35

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

-John 15:13

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

-Romans 12:10

This kind of love that the Bible talks about isn’t dependent on anything.

It is given without condition, expecting nothing in return.

Maybe it means sitting with someone as they fall apart.

Maybe it means forgiveness.

Maybe it means letting someone go.

Maybe it means giving everything.

However it looks, it all comes from Him.

God created love, and He is love.

And it is beautiful.

16

Sep

2023

That day we laughed instead.

That day we laughed instead.

That day we laughed instead.

You know those moments when your kids or maybe your students do something they’re not supposed to…

but it’s really funny?

And keeping a straight face takes every ounce of self control you have?

Well as a teacher, I’ve gotten better at keeping that straight face when necessary.

But that day I failed.

Listen, it was just too good.

It involved rocks and pants,

and I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

But a questionable choice by one student put another student in a predicament

that required my help to get out of and, let’s just say,

it wasn’t going well.

In the midst of the struggle, one student let out a giggle.

And then I was done for.

I started laughing before I could stop myself.

And when I started laughing, the whole class joined in.

We just laughed.

Was it something I should’ve been laughing about? Maybe not.

But it was good for my heart.

And maybe it was good for their hearts, too.

Of course, we want to teach our kids right from wrong.

We want them to learn how to make good choices.

But don’t we also want them to learn how to find joy in life?

To smile?

To release the pressures of life?

To know what it is to be happy?

I don’t want to forget that.

So maybe, even if just for a moment, it’s ok that we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

Maybe it’s ok that we laugh instead.

05

Sep

2023

I think I know why it rained.

I think I know why it rained.

I think I know why it rained on our last day of kindergarten. I think it was because God was crying.

That is what a former student of mine said as she sat with me at a game.

“I don’t know why I just thought of that,” she said casually as she shrugged her shoulders,

and then went back to chatting about her day.

Like she hadn’t just said the most profound statement.

Such a short thought somehow brought up so many emotions in me.

The ending of that particular school year was sad in multiple ways.

And looking back, the weather through those days did match the emotions.

Stormy, rainy, dreary.

With the rain, came all the goodbyes.

All the “I’ll miss you’s.”

From my students, yes, and also from other constants in my life.

Have you gone through a “goodbye” season of life?

Maybe you are going through it right now.

Where everything good and right and comfortable in your life seems to be leaving.

All at the same time.

Whether it’s a loved one gone,

a friend moving,

leaving a home full of memories,

watching a season of life come to an end…

it’s all hard. It’s all painful.

It’s all too much sometimes.

It’s too much for you, and too much for me.

But… it’s not too much for God.

While this season may feel like the tears of God himself falling on you, don’t be mistaken.

He is compassionate, yes.

But He is also unshakeable.

He is bigger than the goodbye.

He is stronger than the pain.

He is more powerful than the sorrow.

When it all feels like too much, trust it with Him.

It might not undo the losses.

It won’t keep the storms of life from creating chaos where there was once peace.

But it can be that steady hand when all else seems shaky and uncertain.

Hold onto it.

And don’t let go.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” -Psalm 46:1

25

Aug

2023

Time has not been wasted.

Time has not been wasted.

Time has not been wasted.

Maybe you are like me,

and have found yourself in your upper 20’s or beyond and not married.

And you know what? It’s ok to be ok with it.

Do you hope to be married and have a family at some point?

I’m sure you do.

But that doesn’t mean your life up until now

hasn’t been purposeful and meaningful.

Because it has.

Your time has still been well spent.

In fact, some of your most favorite things in life may have happened, in part,

as a result of not being committed to someone in your 20’s.

Because you were not married,

maybe you had all the time to make lifelong friends in college.

Because you were not married,

maybe you entered a new community as an individual,

rather than someone’s wife.

Maybe you learned how to live on your own

and be independent in every way.

Maybe you have had the freedom to meet up with friends at any time

without having to check with someone first.

You’ve likely dated and had important relationships,

finding out what you’re really looking for in a husband

and a marriage.

Maybe you’ve experienced heartbreak and come out stronger

and with more depth.

Maybe you’ve gone on last minute summer trips and weekend road trips.

I know you’ve followed passions,

served people around you,

and made an impact.

You’ve spent extra time with family and friends.

But maybe most important of all,

you have had time to grow and develop as a person.

As an individual.

Of course, some people have been able to fulfill those things

while being married.

And absolutely getting married young comes with its own set of blessings,

I am sure.

But I think God knew some of us needed the freedom and the lessons first.

And the person you are now at 27, 28, 29, 30… knows in your heart that younger you

needed more time.

And for that, I am thankful for the way God provides and prevents

according to His timeline.

Not ours.

It’s not always in the way we want,

but in the way we need.

And anytime spent learning,

growing,

serving,

experiencing,

and preparing…

is not time wasted.

18

Aug

2023

Overwhelmed in the best way

Overwhelmed in the best way

Do you ever have days where you feel overwhelmed?

But like in a good way?

Unexpected blessings just keep coming to the point where you feel overwhelmed by them.

Maybe even to the point of becoming emotional.

I had one of those days recently.

It wasn’t anything major.

Nothing life-changing or earth-shattering.

But it was so many “little” things.

Little things that somehow filled up so much room in my heart.

The local grocery store setting aside something for me to use in my classroom.

A handmade card from a student,

complete with purple dinosaurs.

Coworkers checking in to see if I needed anything,

asking how the day went.

Messages that encouraged me in unexpected ways.

Running into a first grader on my walk

and getting to hear about her first day of school while we walked together.

The list goes on.

Maybe your day wasn’t perfect.

Maybe it was average or even less than.

But I encourage you today to look back on those little moments that made you smile.

The moments where you felt unexpected joy.

Collect them in your heart,

and keep them there awhile.

Let them overwhelm you in the best way possible.

11

Aug

2023

To the friend who is doing great things.

To the friend who is doing great things.

To the friend who is doing great things.

I. Am. So. Proud. Of. You.

I have watched you blossom into this incredible person.

Don’t get me wrong, you have always been incredible.

But look at all of the obstacles you have overcome.

Look at all of the hardships you have gone through.

Look at all of the hurt, struggles, and disappointments.

You made it through all of it.

And, wow. Look at you now.

I can see so clearly how much stronger you are,

how much you’ve grown as a person.

You are out there making a difference.

I know your struggles aren’t over.

I know pain will find its way to you again,

the way that it does.

But I also know you can handle anything.

You have proven it.

And yet, if there comes a time that something feels too heavy,

Or if anything dares to take away your light,

know that I am here.

Rooting for you.

Caring for you.

Praying for you.

Lifting you up.

In the meantime, keep being the wonderful person that you are.

You have blown me away,

and I can’t wait to see what you do next.

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