God is Good. Teaching is Tough. With God, Teaching Can be a Treasure.

This weekend was a rough one physically and emotionally. Let's just say that Saturday was not my favorite day of the year. ;) Sunday was a little draining getting over some haywire health issues from Saturday and working for several hours to prepare for this week. Last night (Sunday), I had insomnia and Restless Leg Syndrome, so I got about 3.5 hours of sleep. With that said...

GOD IS SO GOOD! He is my strength, energy, and joy! I had a wonderful day, was not overwhelmingly tired, and was thankful to be at school! I felt a lot more patient toward my students than I've been feeling these past couple of crazy weeks, too!

I went down to get my kids from the gym this morning. As I walked in, several of them raced toward me with flowers---roses, lillies, and carnations. Some of them had notes of thanks and appreciation on them. I was like, "Aww. Are these Mother's Day gifts from my sweet babies?" They all rolled their eyes, laughed, and responded, "No. We're glad you're our teacher. It's Teacher Day." I responded, "Teacher Day isn't until Friday." They said, "We know, but it's the beginning of Teacher Week." Apparently, the room moms sent home special reminder notes for little surprises this week. I wanted to hug and kiss each one of them but held myself back! My little boys were the cutest---all serious and mature acting as they presented them to me. It's amazing how holding a flower changed them! I think they must've contained magical powers.

Anyway, today ended up being a blessing and would have been even without the flowers. However, the flowers did make me feel special, which is weird for me. Over the years, I've been so terrible about flowers. I think they're a sweet gesture, but I've always had the practical attitude---"That's a lot of money to dish out for something that's going to die the next day or so." So, flowers in my book are now great little happies! Any sort of thanks or expression of appreciation from students or parents is a huge encouragement and does a lot for a teacher. Teaching seems to be a 24-7 job and overwhelming at times, but it's funny how one little gesture can make it all seem worth while.

I'll write more later to update the rest of Teacher Appreciation Week!

"Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God,"

Psalm 146:5