Lives changed in a day

Eight years...... wow.....I was 30 years old.  That sounds so young now.  As I reflect on that day and the few years that followed I always say the same thing - it was so hard.  So often I have questioned God on the happenings of that day.  Hindsight is always 20/20, but for God the now is 20/20 and even when I can't understand and don't understand he is preparing me for what is to come....

It has always been important for me that my children know the sacrifices of that day.  We have been to the memorial on Watts many times and have prayed over the families represented there.  We have also visited the graveside of both AJ & Ryan.  Their families are not strangers to us and as a result I have learned first hand how important it is to remember.....this in itself has prepared me for a friendship that unknown to me was in the making years ago.

3 years ago, God allowed my path to cross the path of a co-worker.  What began as a working situation that most times was "hard" blossomed into a friendship that was obviously handcrafted by our Maker.  This friend had experienced a heartbreak that I had very vividly watched the Jacksons and Mohlers walk through - the loss of a son.  Oh how God had been preparing me for Valerie.  Now that those pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, I stand in awe of God's perfect weaving of experiences from the last 8 years to where I am now.  What great lessons we learned from March 1, 2007 at such a high price.

As I tie up this post that really is a little all over the place, I come back to Tindol...... obviously she was not even a thought in our minds 8 years ago.  What a sense of humor God has in regards to her, but what a love she has for two very special boys that she has never met.  As a result, I was assured just recently that AJ and Ryan most definitely are watching over her.

So on March 1, 2015, I remember our Enterprise 8 and their chaperone Mrs. Edna and I thank God for how far he has brought us all and for friendships and relationships he was and is preparing us for.....

EJHS - Forever in our Hearts

     So the building has started coming down......this is the 2nd time I have watched a "temporary home" be taken down by big machinery.  The heartache is real.  The heartache is not for the brick and mortar though.  It is for the lives we lived and shared inside those walls.  We - being the teachers, the administrators, the staff and the students.

    EJHS was my 1st teaching job - in a city where I knew NOONE.  I don't think I have ever been as anxious and fearful about anything in my life as I was about starting my teacher career in an unfamiliar city with no one at my side.  In hindsight, I see God's hand so clearly in every aspect of that decision.....from my apartment assignment beneath a young married couple where the husband was super helpful and has continued to be a great friend throughout my time here, to my assignment of "floating" teacher with some of the best floating buddies, to the placement of my desk - within reach of a protective principal, an amazing school counselor and an awesome secretary.  God placed me in the path of the most amazing Christian men and women in those halls - those who stopped what they were doing to pray right there.  He gave me a "momma" and a family where I could be an active part. A family that kept me fed and helped me find a church home even if it was temporary.  I have some of the BEST friends - friends that were totally a result of being in the EJH family.

    As I rode by last week, I saw them cleaning out "stuff" and I couldn't help but think "if those walls could talk"......then it is as though I heard the voices.  Those walls held our secrets.  Those halls heard shrill screeches of engagement news.  They heard loud announcements of babies on the way - babies delivered - baby names!  They saw us having fun - dancing in the library for our fellow retirees, riding the wagon down the slope, & roller blading from room to room.  They heard our laughter after a great field day or pep rally or after an awesome animated story narrated by our best story tellers.  Those halls wrapped their arms around us as we grieved......death of family, news of cancer, breakups of marriage, loss of pregnancies, struggles with our children and the moving on of coworkers.  Those halls are where individuals became family - forever family. 

    As the walls come down, the moments of reflection are more often.  I am a little more sentimental about the brick and the mortar these days, but I also realize that those memories are now only housed in our hearts.  I am the person I am today because of my coworkers & students from EJHS.  I am changed for the better and I am forever grateful God brought me to Enterprise, but even more than that - he brought me to EJHS.

 

2015 - the year of God's Will

As a new year begins, I find myself thinking about what God has done in 2014 and what he has in store for me in 2015. I am amazed daily at the ways that God continues to move in my life.  I stand in awe of how he lines things up to fall just at the right time so that there is no denying his plan for me.  Over the past 3 years, there has been a strong movement of the Holy Spirit in my life.  The desire to do God's will has never been stronger.  In the past, I claimed to recognize God's will over my life, but it was more like God's will on my timing which really means that it wasn't even close to being God's will.  

You know when you have that "feeling" that you know what you are supposed to be doing?  You feel like you were destined to do something.  It is a gift from God and you know just how to use it.  What happens when God begins to lay out a different plan?  Well I resisted and said ok I hear you and as soon as I am done with this I will listen more.....ummm not really what God has planned.  In 2014, God laid many things on my heart - one of them being an earnest desire to listen and obey.  God has spoken to me through many lessons where I listened and kind of obeyed or planned to obey.....later. Overall - I think I failed, but fortunately - I get to try again. I believe I am getting better - I mean at least I recognize what I am supposed to be doing right? 

2014 was also a year where I felt God charging me to take care of others, minister to others, REALLY pray for others - not just once but regularly and let them know I am praying for them.  This meant going back to writing notes (you know on cute little stationary) to others - letting them know they were on my mind.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good encouraging text message too, but there is something about a handwritten note whether you are the writer or the recipient.  This has proven time and time again to be a blessing to me and has strengthened my prayer life more than I thought!  

So here I sit on January 1, 2015 with an open mind and an open heart - just waiting anxiously for God's lessons, God's love and God's will for my life.  How blessed I am already - I only pray I can be a blessing to others.