This week, we celebrated our 1 year anniversary :) Zach COMPLETELY surprised me by bringing me flowers to school!!! I was in the middle of teaching a lesson when the Principal walked in, turned the lights on, and said he had a special delivery if I didn't mind him bringing it in...and in walks Zach with a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers (yes there were some daisies!). It made my week! Not just my day, but my entire week! My kids had been kinda crazy lately, and he wanted to surprise me...he did!
He's the best!I am EXTREMELY sad that I only have 2 weeks left with my 27, 7 and 8 year olds. I almost cried about it yesterday when I left school, actually. They drive me crazy more often than not, but even when I have a rough day with them, I come away having learned something. It may not have been a big, life-changing lesson or anything, but I learn something each and every day. I love it. I do not love getting up super early every morning and going to bed rather early each night, but once I get to school and our day starts, it's all completely worth it. It's great. I have so many funny stories, smiles, tears, and heartache from my 6 weeks with them. I have learned a big lesson from them!
LOVE. Unconditional love.
No, it's not the first time I have realized this, but here's my story...
No matter how much I get onto them each day (and some of them it's quite a lot), no matter how upset I get with them, how much they annoy me, and I'm sure they would all say the same about me...they still love me and show it. I get so many hugs every day when I walk in the door and when they walk into our classroom. Some of the students I worked with last semester will stop whatever they are doing when they see me and give me a hug. One girl in particular. I saw her at the basketball game last night. Zach and I were on our way to the concession stands, and this girl jumped into the aisle and almost knocked me over with a hug. I talked to her briefly, and then went on my way. On the way back to our seats, she stopped me and talked for a few minutes again. I got to thinking, "I didn't work one-on-one with her a lot last semester, I never really talked to her about life like I did with some of them...I didn't really do anything, and she still seems to think I'm awesome..." and it was like God reached down and gave me a "shoulda had a v-8" forehead smack and said, "That's how I love you." We don't have to do anything to earn His love, even when we get frustrated and annoyed and angry with Him and what's going on in our lives, He still loves us and shows us His unconditional love each and every day. It is my goal each day to show my students love like that. Some days, it is REALLY hard. Some days they just flat out get on my last nerve and I can't wait until 2:40 to get here so they will be on their way home. But I miss them when they're gone. We have a 4 day weekend, and while I have really enjoyed my day off (doing a whole lot of nothing so far), I miss them. They have made me realize that life is not to be taken so stone-cold seriously! I never thought that my job would be as hard and tough, emotionally, as it has been. Learning about their home lives breaks my heart and makes me so angry, there are nights when I can't fall asleep for worrying about whether or not some of my students have gotten to eat dinner that night. It makes it that much more worth it to get up each day and spend time loving them however I possibly can.
"Truly I say to you, unless you turn around and become as young children, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens." -Matthew 18:3
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