The Silver Lining

I had one of the craziest days EVER this past Wednesday! I still have to smile as I think back to the "quirks" that popped up in my day. :) David & I were to attend the Annual Conference of The Missionary Church International in Columbia, SC. This is the organization that covers our ministry -- www.tmciworld.com -- and I was excited about going to the conference for the first time. The conference started Wednesday at 4 pm and lasted until late Friday night. I took Thursday & Friday off from work, and left a little early on Wednesday so I could reach the conference that evening. I'd be a little bit late, I reasoned, but I didnt think I'd miss much other than registration. Dinner was supposed to be served around 5, then the opening session at 7. I organized everything so I could drive straight to Columbia from school. I just completed the paperwork for getting my teachers licensure in SC; the last hurdle for that was for me to be fingerprinted. I decide...

School's back in, full swing. This is our 3rd week; I'll give my first test this Friday. So far -- so good. Today after school we watched the school safety video. This is a required video, since Columbine. It gives a re-enactment of a school shooting situation, with explicit instructions for those of us who work at a school, showing us how to handle such a situation if (Heaven forbid!) one arises. This is probably at least the 6th or 7th time I've watched that video -- and it never fails to leave me covered with goosebumps and a knot in my stomach. And while I know the system, and I know what I'm supposed to do, and I know exactly how to perform when we have a lockdown drill....it still saddens me that schools have come to *this*. This is my 30th year in NC education. I think back to my first few years in the classroom and so much has changed. Did we worry about guns and snipers back then? Not really. Oh, there was usually a fight or two of large proportions i...

Today is September 2. For most folks it's just a regular old day. But for my sweetheart, it's special because it's his BIRTHDAY! (Yep, another Birthday Post from me!) I think he's had an ok day. I gave him some framed photos of special friends that we made in Ghana this summer, and a wood carving of a woman pounding fufu -- he'd pounded fufu while we were in Ghana, and I think it tickled him to get the carving! I also surprised him with a small chocolate birthday cake. I thank God for David. His life has not been easy; on the contrary it's been extraordinarily rough. He's open & honest (which is one of the things that I love about him); and he's quick to tell you that Jesus Christ made all the difference in his life -- which is another thing I love about him! He gives all the credit to any successes he enjoys to Christ. Struggles he's overcome -- Christ did it, not him. And I've been priviledged to actually SEE God make a lot of chan...