Though recently I have been in distress, I have surprised myself with feelings of gratitude. I wake up happy (even if I’m tired and have a long day ahead of me), smile at myself in the mirror as I get ready, and thank God throughout the day for every little thing. How wonderful it is to have electricity, how blessed I am to have my own apartment with so many things I’ve always wanted (a huge walk-in closet, a garbage disposal, quiet neighbors, great big windows that look out on trees and let the sun in...), and what wonderful people I have in my life. I thank Him for thankfulness, because the ability to feel gratitude makes life so much sweeter.
I’ve been averaging 10-13 hours per day at school because that’s just how busy I am. I am still feeling very stressed, but I’m happy. And things are starting to come together. Little by little, I am putting my apartment, classroom, and curriculum together. My 5th graders and I are feeling more like a family. Behavior issues have been a huge struggle, but Thursday was their best day yet, and it gave me hope that we can do this. I recently met with the 4th-grade bilingual teacher, who was new to the school last year and had my students, so she could relate to me in so many ways and give me advice and encouragement. She too used to stay at school until 8:00 pm. She too was overwhelmed by the open-ended position of a bilingual teacher. She too had to go through a learning process to figure out how to manage the students.
I had a suspicion that I hadn’t gotten rid of all the bed bug eggs, because I found some new bites. So I went through the cleaning process again and bought two expensive bed-bug proof mattress covers for my mattress and box spring. No more signs of them in over a week – I think they’re gone. I brought my car in to the mechanic, and we think I am good to go after spending only a couple of hours and a couple hundred dollars, rather than a few thousand on replacing the transmission. The car drives more smoothly now. In the process of working on it, the mechanic found a serious safety issue – a loose wheel. If I hadn’t brought the car in for transmission problems, I may not have found this other problem until it caused me to get into a serious car accident. Thank You, God, for Your protection.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." ~1 Thessalonians 5:18
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart...'Because she loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue her; I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name. She will call on me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her. With long life I will satisfy her and show her my salvation.” ~Psalm 91:4,14-16
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