What it means to be weak

Crutches are often seen as a tool that causes others to recognize the weakness of a person who has experienced an ailment. But when a tree leans on it's supports, it's actually seen as a growth tool. Well crutches are to a ligament what supports are to a tree trunk. The crutch isn't a weakness so much as it is a tool to support a feeble muscle or tree trunk during it's growing process. On it's way towards being strong, it needs support. God wants to be your strength, but you must first allow His Word and your faith to be the crutch that causes you to be "weak" (lean on Him rather than on your own understanding and ways).

I've learned, as a Believer challenged to walk out my faith, that weakness is welcomed in the eyes of our Savior. As He desires to be so much more (our Lord), He exemplifies such weakness in His own 33 years of life.

• When He often stole away to pray or spend some time alone. Luke 5:16

• When He was tempted by satan in the wilderness, yet leaned on the Word from His Father for strength to resist. Matthew 4:1-11

• When He faced death in the garden and pleaded to His Father to "let this cup pass" yet was equally able to surrender to the point of admitting His willingness to allow His Father's will be done over His own. Matthew 26:39-40

These examples have become evident in my own life as I've figured out that faith is more than a belief (for even the demons believe and tremble). Perhaps my faith was only tremble-worthy for so long, because I'm encouraged when I think about the weakness I experience when given a chance to take a step in faith. It's no coincidence that Paul says that he can boast in his weakness, because it's in that time that he finds immense strength 

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

How does one find strength in weakness though? How does one turn away from the pride of wanting to be self-sufficient and instead embrace the weaknesses hidden within the faith walk? Much less, how does one submit themselves to face weakness long enough to experience the strength Paul speaks of?

Well having lost a majority of my possessions in the recent Hurricane Harvey floods that occurred in Houston; things like ottoman, armoire that held clothes, clothes that hung low in my closet, shoes, containers that held jewelry, bed frames, box springs, mattresses, couch sets and coffee tables, towels, washer, dryer, refrigerators, etc.  It's been an humbling situation. I feel like my helpless nephew. I know how to go out and purchase those things again, but the frustration of where to begin sets in; knowing that this was years of possessions accumulated, all lost in a few hours of torrential rain.

This helplessness has caused me to cry out to the Lord in faith. Not knowing how to restore 2 lost cars, a lost home, and possessions needed to fill a home. Where do I begin? So many people asking to help, but not knowing how to solicit their support. The overwhelmed pressure to move out of our displaced house (where we've imposed on family for weeks) and into our own space. The constant pull of various claim adjusters and insurance companies calling your phone or loan officers asking to support you. You fluctuate between whether to ignore calls or answer and when you answer, who do you trust? This is the nature of being weak. Knowing you must make informed and confident decisions, but unsure whether you are doing it correctly.

Then as you call out to the One you know as Savior- who has promised that when you call on Him to forgive sins that He will remember them no more and see you as forgiven. But you experience that He doubles as Lord because He has been working behind the scenes of your life- ironing out the details while you sleep at night. He has actually taken the driver seat and taken you for a ride that you had no idea would encompass such breathtaking scenery. I prayed for certain things before I even knew of an approaching storm. Secretly lifted up desires and needs to Him and yet had in mind how He might bring those things about. But never would I have imagined that He planned to answer those very requests, yet without my input on how He'd bring those answers about.

Yes, I desired to buy a house some years down the road, and take care of my mom by moving her in with me. Yes, I wanted a deeper level of faith in what I know He says to be true. Yes, I want people to see Christ in me daily as I serve them in love. But He would see fit to use a devastating storm to level everything I owned and make me trust His way completely with my hands behind my back, unable to participate in His plan.

Now, finding a home to purchase has nothing to do with me, except to look (knock, ask, seek...Matthew 7:7) and my mother's home is gone so she has to stay with me. His way.

Now, I'm in a position to trust He will provide for me everywhere I look. No trust in my finances or income. The deeper level of faith is staring me in the face. His way.

Now, people look at me week to week and see the sincere smile on my face and hear the joy in my voice and wonder how I can feel at peace when I've lost everything. I get to tell them that My God has me taken care of and that I didn't loose my life so I'm grateful. His way.

This is the strength that is found in being weak. I can stand with Paul, today and say...with the outpouring of support that has surrounded me and my family...the tons of gift cards, donations of new beds, refrigerators, washer/dryers, dressers, full living room sets...all given graciously by people who barely know my mother and I- that I am strongest, when I'm weak! For the Lord has encouraged me that He WILL provide for my family. That I don't have to worry about finding a home within my budget that suits our desires and needs, because He's working that out in the same way He had dozens of people think about my family without my knowledge. He placed us on their hearts and prompted them to give. If He does that, how much more will He provide all things we need? Matthew 7:11

The Wake of Harvey

Typically, I cringe when I think of visiting the wake of a loved one. Seeing their body, possibly, one last time before their casket is closed and their remains are tucked 6 ft under isn't the easiest thing to view.

A week ago today, Harvey took the life, as it were, of my mother's home. It's day-to-day items, furniture, memorabilia, cars and even hoarded belongings, all lying in a casket of bags waiting to be wheeled away and never seen again.

I remember it like the week was only a day ago.

We returned from the safe keeping of my brother's home in Cypress, thinking the storm hadn't proved to be as monstrous as promised. We figured we would wait it out at the house and if (unlikely) any water seeped in, we could be there to whisk it out. So we placed our heads on our pillows around 8:30 Saturday night and listened to the rain as the sound rocked us to sleep. However, that same sound that was just a soothing sound, now startled us and woke us at 1am to find it's constant downpour had covered the surface of our street. It wasn't anything we hadn't seen before yet we lay away listening for hours as the intensity of the downpour was relentless.

 Only two hours later, the water had risen to the edge of our yard which sat up on an incline. Again, not too concerned as we had seen this before and could only hope that soon it would die down and the water would recede. But that was not the case. For 3 more hours it pounded down and the levels rose to our front door, which was remarkable seeing that our house sat on an incredible incline. Now, at 6am, we were faced with whether or not we should do as the News Anchors suggested (stay settled, b/c a little water in the house isn't a big deal) or retreat to a 2nd floor/higher ground which would have to be a neighbors house because we reside in a 1 story home.

We put up, high, the last bit of furniture and belongings and unplugged items before quickly packing essentials and watching water slowly seep in. At this point, we tried calling the posted emergency numbers:
211
311
911
Coast Guard
All of which didn't respond. So we tried our neighbor who happens to be a church member only 6 houses down because she owns a 2 story house. Unable to even contact her, we had to think quick, the water in the house was rising. Undecisive, we stood watching in amazement as the rain thundered down even harder and we knew our window for escape was closing. Our neighbor called back and told us we were welcome if we could make it.

So we took to the window in the front room of the house, opened it, kicked out the screen and the water was there to greet us as we stepped out into knee high rain water. Onto the porch, we shuffled out into the pouring rain and high water strategizing on how to cross the driveway which held a swift current. Creeping along, we held on to branches as the water grew towards our waist and we worried whether we would make it past 6 houses and driveways. We looked up, one house away, and saw some neighbors standing on their 2nd story porch watching us traverse the waters. We begged to join them up high and they welcomed us.

We climbed into a window that sat about 3 feet off the ground by climbing onto a chair they passed to us to place in the 2 feet of water. Climbing into their window we stepped down onto another chair and into the 2 feet of water that had filled their bottom floor. We settled in a bedroom upstairs as they gave us towels to dry off. For the next 8 hours we watched rain fizzle down and heap with intensity, praying the waters would recede, but losing hope as there seemed to be no way out. During those hours, I watched from the balcony of their 2nd floor, neighbor after neighbor leave their home and wade into the waist high water, Westward with their most valued belongings on rafts and inflatable air mattresses. My curiosity was piqued. Where were they going? To a neighbors house with 2 stories or to a safer place? As I glanced down the street in the direction of their travels, I spotted green patches of grass and vehicles not bothered by the rain levels. Could this be a beacon of light and hope?

I devised a plan. We could climb back out the window and wade down the street to this mirage of safety and possibly get a friend to pick us up and whisk up to dry ground. But could someone even find their way to our neighborhood or was the entire subdivision and surrounding areas as flooded as our street? Unsure, I called a friend who lived nearby what she thought and she jumped onboard my plan by saying her neighborhood was untouched and they could possibly make their way to us, if we could wade to the end of the neighborhood.


Eager to not be trapped, we climbed out the neighbors window, waded to our house to try and gather some food that was higher up before retreating from the neighborhood but were met with dangerous feats. First, we opened the door to our flooded house to find smoke filling the living room. Realizing the water had covered the still-live outlets, we felt it too dangerous to proceed and quickly closed/locked the door. We continued our trek in the pouring rain to the end of the street where the water had gotten considerably lower and eventually was walking on unflooded concrete. But my friend was no where to be found and we worried who would rescue us now. Desperately, I flagged down a truck as we stood in the blinding rain outside the neighborhood and it pulled a Uturn to come see about us.

Not knowing we were looking for relief, for they were only searching for food, I asked if they would be able to transport us a block away. In all kindness and sincerity they allowed us to hop aboard the back bed of their truck and whisked us away to my friends dry home. There we were fed and in the meantime, my brother was able to use his phone app to search for dry streets to make his way to us. Now 5pm, and soaking wet, we were finally on the way to my brothers side of town where it was not raining nor flooded. Finally able to take showers and find comfort in clean dry couches, we laid down our weary bodies and rest our worried minds.

From this adventure, though the sound of rain still brings somewhat unsettled hearts, we are left visiting the wake of those things lost. With the sun providing some sort of consolation for the next few days, we were still starring our things in the face as they lay out on the front lawn of our once peaceful dwelling place. We still wept as we traced our steps and glanced over the memories of once laying our head on that bed or sitting on that soft couch being swept away by the the show that once shown on that TV. We reminisced as we tossed out pots and Tupperware that once served to hold hot the food that fed and comforted us. The nostalgia in our minds and hearts lingered as we stuffed large garbage bags with the things we once held dear.

The most popular used scripture at funerals for Believers in Jesus Christ is 1 Thessalonians 4:
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[a] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

The verse is meant to comfort us when we lose loved ones. We don't have to mourn as if we will never see them again, because if in fact they are children of God and we too have given our lives to the Savior, we will be reunited in Heaven some day. I experienced this type of comforting feeling when my father passed away. Yes, it was a difficult time to lose someone close, but I didn't have to be overcome by grief because I knew he was in a safe place, able to be delivered from his health issues. And one day, when I too pass away, will be in the same place as he is.

This helps when thinking about lost belongings as well. The things purchased are temporary. They aren't meant to get attached to. They're lost but can be re-purchased and life anew can begin.

Friends...how many of us (are) them?

So this past Sunday my Pastor spoke on the subject, "Friends, how many of us have them?" He came out of the popular passage(s) that highlight Jonathan and David's friendship. Not surprising. What was surprising, however was the spin he put on the text.

Rather than talking about how to spot true friendships, or how to analyze your current circle for true & false friendships...he talked about what BEING a friend looks like. I must say I wasn't ready to look inside myself and my circle and reflect on my ability to friend people.

What's worse is he started off by having us think through the people we've unfriended on social media and why. Right off the bat, I was defensive in thought, mentally telling him to back off because I have my reasons! But it wasn't long before the Holy Spirit, true to its gentle nature, stroked my heart and the reflection began.

Transparent moment:
So I've been struggling, as a single who has lots of married friends, with an issue that I recently took to God for wisdom. Now, I have single friends who I talk to and can confide in for certain things. But for the most part, friends my age are married & with kids (no less). So insert issue here.

Often times when in conversation, I tend to take the quiet role (my nature) and my friends are generally talkative. Opposites attract. No problem there. But I've noticed that during their portion of the conversation everything tends to be smooth. It isn't until I begin to talk & unfold my soul that the interruptions occur.

At first, it wasn't a big deal but then I started to notice how frequently it occurred. Not just within one conversation, but in multiple conversations and with multiple friends. Interruptions involving family members, children, home obligations, etc. Many times leaving them to say, "I'm sorry...hold on..." or "Let me call you back..."
Again, at first it wasn't a big deal. But then when I started to divulge things I deemed important I began to realize just how irritated I had secretly become. I worshipped my irritation, letting it brew and fester; telling myself things like, "just don't even talk anymore, as a matter of fact, don't answer the phone- stay to yourself. Cut people off!" Yes, it got that extreme in my mind. I hadn't explored how to address the issue for the same of being truthful in my friendship, I was ready to socially "unfriend" people.

When Pastor shed light on how friendships (and even married relationships) are not about us getting our needs met, but about putting the needs of others ahead of ourselves; I must say I was convicted. I know I must honor the irritation that naturally rises (bc of pride) in my heart, but I cannot crown it king over my emotions. I certainly cannot worship my hurt feelings by expressing it  in my actions. Instead, I can respectfully share my thoughts and in the meantime continue to put my friends' needs above my own. It's this sacrifice that keeps friendships nourished.

The Love-Respect cycle is what research titles it in relation to marriage. When he loves her, she will respect him. When she respects him, he will love her. It's never about trying to get love or respect, it's about giving it (whether or not the other partner reciprocates or holds up to their duty). When God is glorified, He causes the heart of the other person to change! I love this! But I need Gods strength through His indwelling Spirit to work it out in me. Bottom line isn't my friendships, it's Gods glory!

This is just how being a friend applied for me, what reflections for your friendships might you extract from Philippians 2:3-4? Not for your friends, but for you?

Summer Fling...Part 3

By 4 pm that day, I had hit submit and it was done. I had applied for a job on mere faith. I immediately prayed my fears would subside and I would be content with the idea that I might not be chosen.

Months passed by and I did not receive a phone call nor email. I made plans to continue to focus on my goals for the upcoming school year. I worked as if I was returning to my current assignment. My summer began, and I was swept away physically and mentally by the vacations and events I had planned months in advance.

Midway through the summer, while out of town, I received a voice message that said:

"Hi Kim! This is [so and so] and I'm calling because I'm looking at the resumes on my desk and yours stood out to me. I want to call you in for an interview, if you're still interested in the position!"

My mouth ajar, I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it with awe. My resume stood out? Could this be a joke? Did a lot of other people apply? I was certain mine would get lost in the shuffle of more qualified applicants. Later that night, I heard a guy speaking to a group of high school kids and his words of affirmation to them were "Whatever the world uses to disqualify you is the very thing God uses to qualify you!" His words might have never reached any of the 70 kids in that room, those words were just for me. I reflected on them and used my meditation on those words to calm my fears.

A week later, while trying to prepare for the interview, I heard a calm in my Spirit say to "Just trust me"...don't practice. So on the way to the interview, I prayed "Lord, help me to understand that if I am not chosen, it is because of your purpose IN me, not because i'm being rejected personally. Give me the authentic words to say when responding to each question. Amen." Feeling as if I probably needed to pray more, I knew that was all I could pray and I  just silently rode to the interview.

Round 1: 
Three people sat in front of me with page of questions. One of the three knew me personally because I had done some presentations in front of them in the previous 16 months. But as the questions came, I paused and tried to reflect on my experiences as a Program Coordinator for math at my former district and my last 2 years serving the campuses I had been assigned to. 45 minutes later, I was done and relieved. It was over!!
A call came the following day (less than 24 hrs later) and the words came thorough the phone:
"Kim, we absolutely loved you in your interview. You seem to embody all that we are looking for and you had us all in your corner when you said ...." I thanked her and she went on to say, "A candidate came in after you and we decided to go with her because she already had prior Coordinator experience and had been through a curriculum audit. But we thank you for your time...blah blah blah."
It WAS over. I didn't feel an ounce of remorse or regret. I had stepped out on faith and it was proven that it wasn't my season. I let my loved ones know and was content to finish my summer without any pressure.

Round 2:
The following morning, I got a call from the same number that had called me only 17 hours earlier.
"Kim, we could not stop talking about and thinking about you and your interview. We are not content to choose this other candidate without getting more objective vantage points. We want to reinstate you into the interview process and move you to round 2."
Wait, what!!!??? What had just happened? Had God put my name in their minds and changed their hearts? Was he prolonging this faith test? Was it in His purpose after all? There was no time for doubting, I had come this far.
Sunday night, I received a call from my Associate Superintendent, who coincidentally knew me from my previous campus assignment interactions. An hour later, we were done with questions that were more probing and yet again I felt I hadn't given any conventional/traditional answers...only authentic responses based on real experiences.

Round 3:
A call came the following day telling me that I was being moved to round 3 and would be interviewed by a panel of district elementary teachers. At this point, I was exhausted mentally. Over a week had gone by and I just wanted the process to end. I had never been through such a rigorous process of hiring. Up until this point, every hire has been because I've been asked to take a position so interviewing wasn't involved in the process.
Now I sat in front of a Kinder, 3rd and 5th grade teacher,. Two other district personnel sat on the panel taking notes and I sat down at one end of the table what seemed like miles from everyone else. One of the three teachers, again was from a campus I had been assigned to previously and although the face was a comfortable place to rest my attention, the questions from their mouths were the most intense I had ever encountered.

I literally had sweat running down my back for the next 90 minutes as they went around the table 5 times each of them rattling off situation and question after question/scenario. I must have prayed each one of them read their question, because I knew that I had to be authentic and reflect on my previous experiences if I wanted to leave there feeling any type of success. I could not be fake. When it was all over, I got a call the next day and the job was extended to me!

The journey that began with faith, traversed through doubt and fear, yet had ended with purpose! God revealed to me that His favor and faithfulness was the only factors in this process. All of this conspired to show me that He would be the only factor that would carry me through this new season. That leaning and trusting Him would be essential if I were to desire any success. And that's the fling that has taken my love affair with my Savior into a deeper Lordship with Him. I can openly speak of His pursuing love and kindness towards me and it cements my faith that He will do the same in any other areas of my life that He has purposed for me!

Summer Fling... Part 2

With every head that peeked in my door, the question that followed my response was,

"Have you thought about applying? You would make an awesome Math Coordinator!"

As if the news wasn't shock enough, I was taken aback to know so many people thought I was worthy of such a position. What had they seen in me? Why was everyone seeing the same thing? Who put them up to this task?

Earlier in the same school year, I was approached by two principals in separate districts, pleading for me to come and serve their campuses as Math Specialist. Their desire was that I would bring stability and pedagogy to their programs. The temptation to say "yes" was equally there for both of them were excellent leaders with great deal of integrity and I had personally experienced the benefits from being under their leadership. Deep within my heart, something was telling me that I needed to chose only one of those schools to leave and go serve. But even deeper than that, there was a hunch that I needed to complete what I had begun at my own campus.

With much regret and (on one phone call) through tears, I turned both positions down. I continued to calculate a plan to do the work needed for my campus. In the meantime, the District Math Coordinator position closed and I thought about whether my decision was right, but I was content that I had done what I felt the Lord was telling me was appropriate.

A month later, the position opened up again (unbeknownst to me) and this time the volume of people who contacted me tripled. I could name 15 people who reached out to me and told me that I would be 'amazing at the position' and the district, "dumb not to hire me". Little did they know that I still felt inadequate for the task. There were insecurities and gaps that I wanted to be a master at before even seeking that type of position. I relented and went on with my life. At a training held towards the end of the year, an Executive Director made a statement that somehow calmed my initial fear of applying and I pulled up the position on my computer then hovered over the button to submit an application.

Instead of applying , I closed my computer and went on about my day. A friend, later told me, "Kim, I saw you hovering over that button...and I know you. You are a very calculated person. Faith doesn't happen when you are too calculated. Trust God and apply." With tears welling up in my eyes, I let her words sink in, but I decided against it anyways. Before my lunch break, a lady who was once assigned to weekly track my work and support me by any means necessary, pulled me aside and with a serious look on her face, said she needed to talk to me.

Once alone, she said "Kim, I noticed that position opened up again. I've watched you for over a year and I know what your experiences and abilities are. I'm telling you...you are fit for this job. Apply."
For the third time in one day, alone...I was pressed to apply for this position that I didn't completely feel ready for. Could this be the foundation upon which faith is catapulted? Is this the alley-oup that sets one up for a faith dunk? I had felt this feeling before, right before I decided to proceed with writing/publishing a book. Here it was again, starring me in the face- the fear of failing or being rejected...of not being 'good enough'. This time I updated my resume, filled out the application and for hours, kept my screen minimized before hitting the "SUBMIT" button.

Want to keep reading? Click here for part 3

Under Construction- Summer Fling Edition

I came back from my summer vacation and pull up to my house only to notice that huge Tonka trucks had barricaded my driveway. Immediately, disgust filled my thoughts and rage- my emotions! The nerve of these men to inconvenience me with no warning! No letter sent to my house earlier in the summer, no alarm that my water pressure might be affected by the pipes running through the ground in the front yard. NOTHING!

Not only that, but they had dug a huge hole in my front yard and muddied up my driveway. What a mess! For the next few days, from 8am to 8pm the loudly labored - beeping sounds, banging noises and loud talking. All very annoying. I had no clue what they were doing, but I didn't even care to ask because my vision was clouded by the fog of annoyed feelings.

Later that night, my mom casually mentioned that our comfy, cozy, quiet, quaint neighborhood had gone years without any fire hydrants in it. She went on to say that it was a miracle no houses had caught fire during that time. Obviously trying to put out a fire without hydrants can be problematic for the residents in that rural area. Now there is a nearby creek that i'm sure the FD somehow would rely on, but the idea was that the city had finally decided to rectify this issue by planting multiple fire hydrants on our street. THAT was the reason for all of the construction, the inconvenience, the neighborhood entry blocking and lane barricading that occurred that week.

Immediately my rage had subsided, my annoyed feelings dwindled and I felt a little bad for being so enraged by their labor. Not knowing why they were disrupting my patterns, causing me to find alternative routes out of my neighborhood made me feel as if they were evil laborers rather than men being told what to do. But once I was privy to the benefit their labor would bring to my, no longer was my uncomfort coupled with anger, but now I could understand that it was necessary even to be inconvenienced.

Listen, God may be doing a work in your life right now. And that work might not look like blessings and overflow. It might interrupt the patterns you're accustomed to. It might inconvenience you and cause feelings of anger and annoyance. But listen, friend...behind that work...even IN that work- God is AT work for your good. It's His grace this far that has kept fires from consuming you, but now He is bringing rivers of life to that area you've been praying for. Endure the construction, envision what might come as a result of it and be thankful that He sees even what you can't and desires to fix it.

Here's a story of how this practically unfolded in my personal life over the past 3 years up until the present. It's a story of my 2017 Summer Fling <---- ----="" begin="" click="" here="" p="" reading="" so="" to="">

Summer Fling... Part 1

Three years ago, I re-entered the district I once taught in. I skipped through the acceptance process, eager to grow as a Specialist (my current position) and knew that this semi-promotion was going to be an adventure. Unable to find the ability to save enough money to finish my graduate courses, I was hopeful that this new position would not only increase my knowledge base but also my experiences needed to progress in my profession.

Almost three months into my new job, I was serving teachers and students at my assigned campus and loving the chance to weave in and out of classes working with hungry students, meeting with equally hungry teachers for hours after kids had gone home. I was all smiles day in and day out. Until I got a call one night, telling me that my assignment had been changed and that change was to take effect immediately the next morning. With mixed feelings of the abrupt move and the chance to return to my former colleagues/campus, I reluctantly moved my things and reported to my new assignment.

For the next 5 months, I drove to work with a different disposition. I was concerned as to why I had been moved? Was it that I was not being effective? Was it that I was totally effective, and my expertise was needed at my new campus? More than that, I was hurt that I had been forced out of relationships that I had established and made to build new ones mid-year. All my hard work seemed to have just drifted down the drain. Teachers were left in the dark as to why I had left like a thief in the night and I wasn't at liberty to say why.

My new assignment brought new challenges. Daily, I was living off of my sweat for thirst and energized by my grit. Putting in long hours after clock-out time and unable to sleep often for thoughts of plans taunting my mind even when I wanted to disengage. Weekly, it seemed, I would be in meetings presenting my vision and plans for execution to stabilize and bring success to the programs under my leadership. The only bright light in my path was the teachers and students I had built new relationships with. Each teacher was a complete joy to work with and the days spent planning together after school was some sort of reprieve for the torturous burden lying on my shoulders to prove that learning was in fact occurring in this campus.

A year and a half went by and the burden never seemed to lighten. With one feat down there were only more to plan for and strategically implement courses of action to defeat it. Some summers there was no rest and many nights there were tears and sleepless hours. Second winds came with those I presented in front of would praise my efforts and applaud what they thought were amazing action plans and thoughtful approaches to the feats on the table. As great as it seemed to hear such accolades, there still seemed to be a dark cloud heavy over me with the thought that my job would NEVER truly be done.

Another year lay ahead of me as our scores came in and my mind already began to lay out a plan for what goals needed to be attacked, what needs assessed and what action plans put forth? Then an email shot across my screen. My Math Coordinator was informing each of us that she has quickly retiring and entering a different career path. Awe-struck I stared at the screen. I was not ready for her to leave. She didn't know it, but I was studying her behaviors and actions so that one day in the future I could take on a job similar to hers hopefully in another district. It was my 3-5 year goal/aspiration.

Just as quickly as her news scrolled across my screen, a handful of people stopped by my office to peek their head in and see if I was made aware of the news. I assured them I knew and lamented of my shock. What came out of their mouths next, set the course for the test of a life time that would consume my summer...

click here for Summer Fling Part 2