Joy in the Job even in June

In the midst of the last weeks on school when I am prone to stress, burn out, and frustration, I can feel the slow tick of the clock and sluggish turn of the calendar as I look forward to being a stay at home mom all summer. But I need to remind myself of the blessing of this amazing job and what a gift it is.
In Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life, He talks about finding your SHAPE and using it for God. (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences.) I have opportunities to do this daily. Lord, let me end this school year with a bang. As they complain about finals and try to sleep in class, remind me of my passion for these kids.

“Another word for heart is passion . . . When you don’t have a heart for what you’re doing, you are easily discouraged . . . Passion drives perfection.”
Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

“As a face is reflected in water, so a heart reflects the person.” Proverbs 27:19 (NLT)



To My Students

If I could clean your looking glass
To reveal the truth of what I see
A lead-footed figure stands before you
Like a steel cup of cold coffee.
Your dark eyes pound the glass
To record another failure
An endless search for imperfection
Like a ship without a sailor.
A crooked mouth turns with a sigh
To set free any lingering ambition
For dreams only lead to suicide
And hope—your ammunition.
Legs not thin enough to swim at the pool
Not strong or fast enough to win the next race
A mind filled with only choices
Between not trying and last place.
Ears made deaf to the words of truth
A nose too pudgy, arms that sag,
A fistful of borrowed anger
But it’s only your cleaning rag.
I know because I saw what you see
When I was just your age
Filled with thoughts of jealousy, failure,
Loneliness and rage.
If I knew the truth and had cleaned my glass
Oh, the things I could have done
The places I could have gone
And great battles I could have won.
If I could clean your looking glass
To reveal the lie of what you see
A majestic winged figure stands
Like regal royalty.
Your bright eyes look away
To the opportunities in the distance
Though your blindness hides them
I know you can reach them with persistence.
Your mouth holds the words prisoner
That I know could change the world
If I could only make you clean your glass
Your inhibitions would be unfurled
Legs that could take you anywhere
To glorious lands and adventures rare
A mind painted with dreams
And inventions no one would dare.
Ears that could open finally
To feed that ravenous mind
And that tightened fist full of cloth
With the power to seek and find.
Yet you stand by your glass
Haunted by those lead feet
When your wings are eager to soar
As they stretch and yearn to beat.
Oh, please lift your hand.
Oh, please see the truth.
For life is fleeting
And so is your youth.
I cannot clean your looking glass.
Though how I wish I could.
For only you can wipe away
The bad and see the good.
So fold your rag. Wipe the glass.
See your wings today.
So I can watch you find your dreams
And finally fly away.


"The journey in between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." ~Barabra DeAngelis