Waking Up

I woke up in darkness
surrounded by silence -
oh where, 
where have I gone?

I woke to reality...

And then the song starts repeating:

I woke up in darkness
surrounded by silence -
oh where, 
where have I gone?

I woke to reality...

Finally, it ends, and I really have woken up in darkness and up to reality. My alarm has gone off, and it is time to roll out of bed.

What a great reminder to start the day, eh? I recently created and downloaded that ring/alarm tone using Matt Maher's song "Alive Again" (whose lyrics you (partially) see above - the rest can be found here) as a reminder to me that even from the second I wake up, I need to offer my day to God. I've also tried to remind myself of this by naming my wake-up alarm "Thank God Today" on my phone so that it appears each morning on the screen.

And so, that's how I begin. Thank you God. Please bless my day.

Then, it's up and at 'em. (Coffee in hand, of course.)

Be still and know

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

I forget what type/style of prayer this is, but, regardless, it is meditative and contemplative. And, when I pray it, I am at peace.

Tonight at Mass, Fr. Ken reminded us that we need to pause, be still, and be in communion with God - especially in the midst of the busy-ness of our lives.

As school starts, I definitely need to remember this. Life's going to get busy. Fast.

Gotta keep breathing...working...praying...

Be.
Be still.
Be still and know.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know that I am God.

Seeds, Not Harvest

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” 

- Robert Louis Stevenson

How many times do we as teachers (or, I can only suppose, as parents) beat ourselves up and/or stress ourselves out over a day's outcomes? I know I'm guilty!

This quote (and ones like it - i.e. Oscar Romero) reminds us, however, that our focus need not be on the things we can concretely measure at the end of each day. Instead, it gently reminds us to focus on the bigger picture.

The only (well, maybe it's not the only) problem here is that it's often easy to forget this. 

But, if you think about it, focusing on the bigger picture applies in many situations, not just in the classroom. For example, someone who is trying to lose weight cannot expect to shed pounds daily and immediately reach his/her ideal weight. Or, a person who signs up for a marathon cannot expect to run 26.2 miles without training - and it's unlikely that the person will get up to even 10 miles without repeatedly working to build a solid base distance. Someone who wants to be the CEO of a company will not be able to rise to the top immediately (unless, of course, you're starring in a musical)... 

Bottom line - It takes dedication, and it takes time to reach our goals. But if we're focused on only the immediate results, then it's likely we could be disheartened and lose motivation to maintain pursuit of our goals.

As the school year begins, I am going to challenge myself to remember the quote at the beginning of this post. My students are going to have tough days, and I am going to have challenging ones too. Not everything will be perfect - or even close to it. But one day isn't going to make or break my year. So, instead, I am going to look ahead, keeping in mind the "bigger picture," so that at the end of this school year I can reap the seeds that I've sown.

And I challenge you (in whatever capacity you serve) to do the same.

I miss you...I miss you not...

After only being back to school (and by school, I mean professional development - no students yet), I must say that there is quite a difference between the school year and the lazy days of summer. I know that sounds like I'm stating the obvious, and maybe I am, but there are things about the summer that I already miss while there are other aspects about the summer that I will gladly leave until the next one.

What I do (& will) miss -->
- Jogging in the morning in the sunlight without feeling rushed or exhausted
- Being able to read books for pleasure (I think I got up to 10 great reads!)
- Drinking my coffee at the dining room table rather than from my travel mug
- Sleeping in - even if only till 8 o'clock
- Spending time with my family in Michigan
- Road-tripping across the country

What I won't miss until next year* -->
- Having so much extra time some days that I have to mentally limit myself to time spent on Pinterest, Facebook, and NPR.org
(*Okay, so this one's a short "list" - if you can even call it that.)

What I'm looking forward to in the fall -->
- Watching college football
- Getting to know a brand new group of students
- Taking part in professional development opportunities
- Cooking (& eating) treats with pumpkin flavors (yum!)
- Running in cooler weather
- Celebrating the wedding of two of my former ACE housemates
- Working with my fourth grade teaching team

I could probably extend my list of what I'm looking forward to, but I think you get the idea. Here's looking forward to another school year!

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord...

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Mary, and for this I am very grateful. I absolutely love Marian feasts - after all, she is our mother too. And Mary's response to her cousin, Elizabeth, that is read in today's Gospel just tugs at my heart every time I hear it - such a beautiful prayer:

The Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior 

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. 

From this day all generations will call me blessed: 

the Almighty has done great things for me, 

and holy is his Name. 

He has mercy on those who fear him 

in every generation. 

He has shown the strength of his arm, 

he has scattered the proud in their conceit. 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, 

and has lifted up the lowly. 

He has filled the hungry with good things, 

and the rich he has sent away empty. 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel 

for he remembered his promise of mercy, 

the promise he made to our fathers, 

to Abraham and his children forever. 

(Lk 1:46-55)

This passage also reminds me of a song that I've heard in various Churches around the country. It takes its lyrics from this very Gospel:

1. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 

and my spirit exalts in God my Savior. 

For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness, 

and my name will be forever exalted. 

For the mighty God has done great things for me, 

and his mercy will reach from age to age. 

And holy, holy, 

holy is his name. 

2. He has mercy in ev’ry generation. 

He has revealed his power and his glory. 

He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance, 

and has lifted up the meek and the lowly. 

He has come to help his servant Israel; 

he remembers his promise to our fathers.

And holy, holy,

holy is his name.

What an incredibly beautiful model we have in Mary - so humble, so open, and so faithful. Let us celebrate our mother today and always.

Waiting to Hear...

My thoughts today have found their way back to a reflection from Henri Nouwen that I received in my inbox a couple of months ago. Having been a traveler for more or less the whole summer, I find it very appropriate:

Travelling With the Eyes of God 

Travelling - seeing new sights, hearing new music, and meeting new people - is exciting and exhilarating. But when we have no home to return to where someone will ask us, "How was your trip?" we might be less eager to go. Travelling is joyful when we travel with the eyes and ears of those who love us, who want to see our slides and hear our stories. 

This is what life is about. It is being sent on a trip by a loving God, who is waiting at home for our return and is eager to watch the slides we took and hear about the friends we made. When we travel with the eyes and ears of the God who sent us, we will see wonderful sights, hear wonderful sounds, meet wonderful people ... and be happy to return home.

I am so thankful to have family and friends who have both shared in my travels and/or eagerly anticipated pictures & stories from them. But this reflection stands out to me because it reminds me that, above all else, God is waiting to "hear about" our journeys too.

In truth, I saw many sights, celebrated many happy occasions, spent time with incredible friends and family, enjoyed much leisure/reading time, and took many pictures while traveling this summer. I've also posted about many of these travels on this very blog (links included on the bottom). So, thank you for being some of the "eyes and ears" waiting for me back home.

Previous (summer travel-related) blog links - in case you missed (or want to revisit) them:
ACE Parental Choice Symposium
If I Only Took a Trip Song/Poem
Road Trip Pictures
Weekend Trip to Seattle
Detroit Zoo Fun
Northern Michigan Family Excursion

The Calm Before the Storm

Two more days until the 2012-2013 school year begins. Well, we won't have students yet, but there will be plenty of meetings to attend, rooms to set up, lessons to plan...

It's certainly been nice these past few days to just relax - I've been mostly on my own, which has been a pretty good way for me to deal with stress because, let's face it, I can't handle a lot of people when I'm stressed. And it's not even that I'm stressed - I don't think I am...yet...but it's kind of like the calm before the storm, and for that, I like to be alone.

And that calm is something I want to have for this Monday and Tuesday too. In fact, my only definite plans are to take my car in for an oil change on Monday afternoon, to run with my sister on Tuesday morning, and to go to an ACE Advocates meeting Tuesday evening. Come to think of it, that's kind of nice to think about - it won't be like that once school starts up, and forget about quite a lot of "me" time when we actually get the students. But that has an appeal all its own - once those kids walk in the door, they're mine.

And that's pretty nice to think about too.