How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Pardon me for a moment while I brag about my husband. The last day of fall quarter classes for Scott was on Tuesday, so he's getting a well deserved break. No more staying up until midnight, 1, 2 or sometimes even 3 am getting projects done (he's a night owl, that's for sure, which is hilarious considering that I have a hard time staying awake past 10 pm).

Scott knows that school has me feeling wiped out some days, so this week he did the following:

• raked the entire yard and bagged 15 bags of leaves without any assistance from me. This was probably the biggest blessing to me because his allergies make that a not-fun task, and the high temperature was only about 35 degrees (with a wind) the day he bagged the leaves.
• cleaned the gutters (and got to know the neighbors better as a result)
• washed all the laundry
• washed all the dishes...several times
• cooked dinner several times
• returned his own early Christmas present
• came to bed with me at 9:30 almost every night, resisting the urge to stay up late watching movies (which he loves to do on days off)
• fixed the leaky humidifier
• taped a crack in the furnace duct
• ordered several safety devices for the house

And I'm sure I could add to the list but I've babbled long enough. Just wanted to brag!

Teacher-Eating Students

You've heard of man-eating sharks, right? Well, the human equivolent of them, I think, are several students in one of my classes. Every day I tell myself I'm going to get the courage up to kick them out/send them to the office for a myriad of reasons, yet every day I feel like I've been chewed up and spit out by the end of the class. God-willing, tomorrow will be different.

On a slightly humerous note...last week I had to send an email to two parents (neither of which I heard back from...hmmm....) saying that I had to talk to their student for "excessively loud slurping noises." Really, who else uses that in the course of formal communication throughout their work day? I don't care how juicy that Starburst is, there is a quieter way to go about eating it.

Well said, Saint Theresa.

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
~Saint Theresa's Prayer

I just read this prayer on the Facebook profile of a fellow new teacher that was in the same teacher certification program as I at Creighton. On the eve of my 31st birthday, I found myself encouraged by it. I am exactly where I am suppose to be, even if it isn't quite the place I imagined I'd be at the start of my 31st year...in other words, I wasn't exactly expecting to be barely keeping my head above water at my job, feeling like I'm 22 and starting my first job all over again, wondering what the heck I'm doing.

I do have gifts that are worth passing along, and no matter what happens, I can love those around me. This "gift-passing" must not be limited to my classroom because there is such a big wonderful world outside of MWHS that, recently, I am guilty of forgetting about.

I must find my contentment, and more importantly, my worth, in the the knowledge that I am a daughter of the Most High. Even if I teach a disorganized lesson, even if I can't think of anything to make for dinner, even if my bathroom needs to be cleaned, my lawn needs to be raked, and a basket of dirty clothes taunts me from the laundry room, God still call me His beloved.

I must shut off my mind enough to be able to settle into His presence and really experience these truths. Life is worth singing and dancing over, and I don't want to miss out on even one wonderful moment!

Thank you, Facebook, for this bedtime revelation.

angst

Angst-causing items at the Mac house:

• Chinese beetles. Orange, wanna-be ladybugs. One just flew into my hair as I sat down in front of the computer. Yuk!
• Graphic designers block (similar to writers block). Scott started on a poster for "Jazz on the Green" yesterday afternoon. Whenever I pop into the office, the design has changed. I think he's on layout number 4 right now. Ah, my perfectionist husband...
• Writing tests. A very undesirable requirement of teaching. I know, I know, I need to be able to prove my students have learned something, but I feel like I'm either asking small-detail questions that don't really matter in the grand scheme of life or asking questions that they won't understand and will leave me with a pile of essays to grade. Which is the lesser of two evils?

Not to end on a downer, though, let me share a few joy-inducing moments:

• 79 degrees in November
• Giving a student a compliment on his improved class behavior and having him shyly say, "Thanks" and seeing the gleam in his eye that says he's excited I've noticed.
• Sending that same student's parent an email. Her reply was that I may have brought a tear to her eye.
• Knowing what I'm going to make for dinner.
• Being surrounded by a clean house.

What are your joy-inducing and angst-inducing lists?