Do For One What You Wish To Do For All

As a teacher, you have students who come into your life and change you.  This year, I've had a few.  As I look back at the year as whole I can say that it was beyond challenging with the behavior issues.  At times, even the principal didn't know what to do.  My patience was tested every single day.  If there was one thing I learned this year it's that persistent and patient love and care will win out.  For me this was shown true with a little boy named "C".  C was new to the school this year.  We knew nothing about his other than he had a track record and file that had red flags all over it.  Like all students I took the time to get to know him.  The more I got to know him the more I loved the kid.  He was hard...he didn't adjust well to consequences.  In fact, he struggled with most people in the school.  When I was gone once, he couldn't be contained and police were brought into the school and physically had to take him to their cop car to take him home.  It got bad.  But yet, for whatever reason, I still adored C.  And honestly, he respected me.  Why?  I'm not exactly sure, but I know it has something to do with investing my time to know him and love him.  To meet him where he was at.  I sat with him and talked with him.  I brought him to church.  Soon after that he asked for a Bible and everyday that was the book he took out to read in class.  As the year went on I saw God start to mold him.  There are some things that teachers can do, but a lot of things that only God can do.  I'm going to keep investing in C this summer.  He's come so far but needs me to still be his safe place.  For me, I can't wait to see C continue to grow, learn, and hopefully come to find God's love for him in ways he never thought possible or has never experienced.  God's kinda great like that....

Low Fuel...

Sometimes life reminds us of the obvious...today I was driving home from school and these two lights came on.  While I know that these were reminds for my car, I think God was sending me a life reminder.  Not that I actually needed one.   I'm very aware that my life is being held together by band-aids right now....I'm also very aware that I'm low on energy....and I'm also very aware that I need to check my heart condition.  It's just been one of those weeks.  Actually, few weeks.  One of those valleys in life where I feel like a failure at everything.  I feel like a terrible teacher, friend, sister, and daughter.  I've just struggled to believe and see the good in life lately.  Yet, in the mist of it all God still offers me grace in the form of small moments in teaching where I see hearts being changed.  I see students offering forgiveness on their own, students giving kindness to others, and behaviors being slowly changed.  And while life isn't maybe ideal right now, I'm clinging to the one thing I do feel good at....caring for the hearts of others.  The ability to love and care for the spiritual needs of others.

So when I drove home from work today, I prayed this:  "God grant me the ability to exhaust myself in loving and caring for others and trusting that you will renew me and refuel me for what I need to accomplish the next day. Allow me to take care of my heart so that I can be a vessel of hope in other's hearts."  

A minute after I prayed this, my car ran out of gas........JK!  No actually, I heard this song for the first time.  The lyrics of this song were the words I simply didn't seem to have.  My heart's hurting and I need find hope in daily living again.  I need to get back up, let the shadows fall away, and step back into grace.  I need to let my heart beat again.

Tell Your Heart To Beat Again

New Year's Eve 2015

Spent New Years Eve this year with my good friend Marcy.  We had all intentions of spending this holiday in some city, but when it got down to it....that's just not us. Lol.  So she came here to visit me.  We shopped and then decided we were old and staying up late just isn't very fun.  So we ordered pizza and watched the Alabama vs. Michigan State game in our comfy clothes.  Honestly, the best way to celebrate!  Love this girl! Pogo sticks and all (inside joke!) 

 Here's to a great 2016!!

Christmas 2015

 This year for Christmas I went to Chicago to be with my aunt and uncle.  It was a smaller crowd this year as my brother and his family didn't make the trip back to Illinois.  But in size of the crowd didn't stop us from celebrating with all the Swedish food.  One of my favorite parts of Christmas is dressing up and going to church for the Christmas Eve service.  This year of all years, the presence of those missing was really felt.  But through those hard times we can still rejoice that a Savior was born so that one day he could become the Savior of the world.  Merry Christmas to all!

 My 94 year old grandpa...he's incredible.

First Ever family selfie!

A little coffee to keep me up....Lord know's I'm not a night person

 Love spending time with my second mom (aka aunt)

 The family- Christmas 2015

Eastview Christmas Concert

    Tonight, I had to write.  My mind, rather my heart, is about to explode with joy.  I've been waiting for this day all week.  My story leading up to today actually starts awhile back... I'll start at the beginning.  A few weeks ago my students at school had a music concert.  I was talking with one student named Daveon as asking if he was coming.  He said no because mom doesn't have a car or insurance.  He talked about how much he wanted to come.  Now you have to know that Daveon lives with 7 people in a low income housing area.  It's not a good neighborhood, the live off little, they have little. Well at that point it was a burden on my heart and had the concert not been that night I would have thought of a way to get him there....but needless to say it was last minute and I let it go.  Well about 2 weeks later I was talking with another student who goes to Eastivew and is part of the Kidsview program.  Daveon happened to be near us and kinda jumped in on our conversation and said, "I wish I could go there..."  As days went on I thought of this comment and my heart got heavy.  Here is a child wanting to go to church and has never had the opportunity.....so I began to think.  I knew that Eastview was having a Christmas concert and I thought what a perfect opportunity to have him come with  me!  After jumping through some hoops and getting some advice I  was able to get the moms permission to drive Daveon and his brother Marquette to the concert.  At first it was just my intention to bring these two boys.....but when your car has three seat belts in the back seat, why not use all three :)

Sooo...

I had something else come up this week that kinda took me back for a minute.  I have this student in my class that came from another school last year where he was suspended many times.  He had red flags written all over him when he came...but like all things....God's in the business of making all things and people new.  I never for a minute believed that Carmelo wasn't within the grasp of bringing back.  I have made it my mission this year to invest in him and build a relationship. Without a relationship nothing will change.  Well, I'm so thankful that God gives me tangible reminders of His changing power.  I need those tangible reminders.  This week we were on the carpet in the class reading a book and two kids were talking and I told them to move their clips down when we were done reading.  Well when we were done Carmelo came up to me and said something I have never had a student ask...Now Carmelo was at the top of the chart these other boys were about to move down and miss 5 min of recess.  Well, he said, "Miss Boline, can I move my clip down instead of those boys so that they don't have to and I'll take the consequence for them?"  I was thrown back.....the selflessness and Christ like behavior from a 3rd grader.  That's when I knew that this child need to come with me the Christmas concert and fill that third seat belt....and sure enough mom said yes he could come too.

So tonight, I headed to their houses excited to share this time with them.  Actually, way beyond excited!!

I was supposed to bring cookies to the concert and I asked the boys who wanted to bring them in...they all did, so I divided them up so that all boys could bring something in to serve.  Together they took it to the counter.  Watching them give and serve was priceless.

As we were leaving, I looked around and realized I was missing one of the students.  There way, way behind was Carmelo.  I looked back and saw him holding the inside door for a very elderly lady who was still rather far from approaching the door.  My heart sank to see this.  What an act of kindness.  Here was a third grader being observant enough to notice a lady who could use a door being opened for her.  Well Daveon noticed too and he went running to hold the outside door open for her.  As a teacher I talk about kindness all the time, but seeing them act it out in real life settings is the reason I teach.  They are giving back to society.  They are loving people, serving people, and showing kindness...and it makes me cry.  Really it makes me thank God that he has blessed me with the ability to love these boys.

The truth of life is this.....when you invest your time in others, the reward and return will always be greater than what you could ever imagine.

A Little Auntie Time

 Sometimes in life the best things happen in a blink of an eye when you least expect it to.  Like when you truly live in the moment and you realize you are making a life time memory.  I got to spend a few hours with my nephew this weekend.  It's hard being an aunt to only one nephew who lives 12 hours away.  It's really hard.... in my mind I want to be that aunt that's always around, that gets to go to sporting events for Noah as he grows up.  I want to be that aunt that doesn't have to be reintroduced once or twice a year that I see my nephew.  When my brother and sister in law moved it placed a great hurt in my life, because I knew that the greatest gift for me (time) would be taken away.  So when they come back and visit I have learn to adjust and take in the moments knowing that they will be short.  I was so thankful that God gave me some time alone with my nephew this weekend, because though the time was short, I made new memories that I can now cling to until the next time I get to hold and hug my buddy bear again.  

Take time to be silly, cherish the moments, cling to them when life get's hard, and love the joy you are given today....

Radar's Pumpkin Patch

I am so blessed with some of the dearest and most loyal friends ever.  I've never been someone who's had a ton of friends in my social circle.  At times I envy those people who have like a thousand friends it seems and is always invited to like a hundred different activities with different friends.  That's never been me.  But what I can say is that God has always given me since a young age a small group of some of the closest friends ever.  Friends who get me, love me for who I am, and would be at my side within seconds if I needed them.  One of those friends is a friend named Marcy.  I'm honestly not even when we first met, but we started judging trampoline/tumbling competitions together.  She lives in Michigan so I actually didn't judge too many with her, but recently have more.  Through that connection, we became good friends and this weekend she came to visit me.  She's the type of friend I can have fun doing anything with.  I probably took for granted the time she devoted coming down to see me, but honestly loved having her in my neck of the woods.  She helped me plan and prepare for my mom's 60th surprise party too.  I'm blessed to know her and have her as a friend!