Thursday, June 09, 2011

In the Span of a Week...

I have really contemplated how special people can be in our lives. Okay, more specifically, I have been pondering how special each person is in my life. I tend to be a gal who gives 110% in the friendships God puts in my life. While that has sometimes gotten me hurt, as I have given more than I've received, I haven't let that hinder me in giving 110% anyway.

Last Friday I was blessed to be able to see some friends from my former school. It was GREAT to see everyone, and be a part of the end-of-year shindig. While some staff have been added and some have left, it was still GREAT to be there!

I also spent the weekend with a dear friend and her family. It is so neat to know that even though I live 2 hours away, our friendship picks back up right where we left off. I LOVE THAT! Her kids and husband are WONDERFUL too!

I saw an unexpected friend on Sunday afternoon, who saw me driving my car. She pulled into the parking lot I had just pulled into and we talked for half an hour. I haven't really sat down with her and chatted with her since I moved here. I smiled for the rest of the day whenever I thought about her. We were great friends when I lived there, and it was a real highlight to see her on Sunday afternoon.

I've already mentioned Mr. H. and his family in a previous post, but I mean it when I say that they have blessed me continually over the years. Mr. H. will never know what it means to me that I am a part of his little corner of the world. I can honestly say that I'm closer to God because of my friendship with him and his family.

My former students are ALWAYS special to me. Even after they leave my classroom and go on and become adults, they are still special to me. A few have stayed in touch over the years, and I am even walking beside a couple of them through the Joplin Tornado Event that happened in May. I'm blessed to still be invited into their lives. I don't count that as something minor. I hope to see them a few more times throughout the Summer.

Earlier this week I went to Worlds of Fun with some good friends. The day was full of great memories & A LOT of laughter. *grin*

This week I have also been reminded what a great staff I'm a part of here in L.S. I moved here and was nervous about the shift from a staff I had known for ten years to a brand-new staff. We've already been through a lot together, and we've truly become a family. That's not something I take for granted.

I am blessed.

Later this Summer I get to see my Barnabas Family too.

All these people in addition to the GREAT brothers I have and fantastic parental unit that God gave me!

I am blessed.

As I drove through the tornado area in Joplin, I realized how truly fragile life can be. It was something I already knew, but it was something that I had forgotten. I drove around Joplin and thought about how special people are in my life. I thought about how people can be seen as "Yeah, that person was once in my classroom" or "Yeah, I still stay in touch with so-and-so and they are in college now, going for a degree in such-and-such." Life isn't supposed to be a series of interactions, with people here today and gone tomorrow. But rather a series of interactions with continuous sharing of life's events throughout a lifetime. I am honored that my friends that are in the toughest season of their lives are letting me into their lives and letting me help, even if it's something as easy as taking my former students out for glow-golf or Tilt the arcade. I am blessed to be a part of their lives, two years later.

I am blessed. So many people are in my life and have invited me into theirs. Sharing lives with each other, what an amazing thing.

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
GREAT!!!

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