Miscellaneous

Greetings to the 3 of you who still bother to check my blog even though I haven't posted in about a year and a half!

How ya been?

School is now in full swing, and I am beginning to feel like my head is above water now (well, at least my eyebrows, maybe even my nose). Although things still aren't quite as organized as I'd like, my students and I are all settled in and are rolling along. I even have plans done for the entire week already! Whoa, Nelly!

So I thought I'd stop by and leave a few updates and thoughts on the ole' blog.

First, fall baseball practice has begun, with Eric still coaching the team, and the youngest member of our household is quite thrilled. The baseball obsession is alive and well and growing everyday. Eric is enjoying it a little too much, I think. His new favorite thing to do (especially when there are other men around who will be impressed) is to name major league baseball players and have Perry tell him what team they play for. Perry is quite good at it, and it's a little scary. Do you think it's possible that he will fill up all of his brain capacity with baseball facts and have no room for little things like reading and math? Boy, I hope not! And football season is starting... Oh, brother.

As for me, I am really loving the new job. I can look out my window and watch Perry playing on the playground, and I can get hugs in the middle of the day. Love that! I also adore my students. Having the same 15 kids all day everyday, I feel like I have a much better handle on their needs than any other students I've ever taught. Spending so much time together, and the fact that we can talk freely about spiritual things and pray together, is allowing us to really build a bond, and I love them already!

Another thing I love about my school -- chapel. Maybe one day I'll get through a chapel without getting teary. Watching the kids praise God with so much freedom and enthusiasm is just about the coolest thing I've ever seen! It is not some dry, ritualistic chapel service. We sing and dance and then hear some great teaching (with audience participation, too!). I really get a lot out of it myself, and it is incredibly exciting that these kids have the opportunity to hear this teaching and learn the joy of praise at such a young age. I just feel humbled to be a part of it, and most of all so very thankful that my kid is there!

Here's one awesome lesson from chapel that is a profound thought for all of us to live by. The kids learned this last year, and they still love to say it loud and proud! Imagine hearing 145 children yelling this --

"God is HUGE, and I mean HUGE
I am small and I mean small,
but HE chose ME!"

How cool is that?