To Everything ThereIs A Season…not just a catchyBeatles t...

To Everything ThereIs A Season…not just a catchyBeatles tune

Normally, this time of year is awelcome break from all the craziness that is middle school, a time to evaluateand grow, a time to send off a class of eighth graders into the wonderful (orfrightening for some) world of high school. I cherish summer for the time itgives me with my own kids as well as the time it gives me for exploring some ofmy own pleasures (sleeping in, reading, sleeping in, writing, laying by thepool, napping, sleeping in, etc.)

But this week was different. I’veknown for some time that this season of my life was coming to a close, and thatI would be leaving a family, not just a workplace. I expected to feel a bitsad, but I’ve been excited to begin a new season, a chapter in my story that I’vebeen dreaming of for years. I’m staying at home with my sweet boys, and I’m beginningan exciting adventure in publishing novels on my own terms. It’s exhilarating,and a bit scary. But I’ve been looking forward to it for so long!

So when the time came to saygoodbye, and I hugged each eighth grader as they passed by me on the stage, andI watched them struggle through tears to sing a beautiful song, I wondered if Iwas truly doing the right thing. I’ve been so blessed in this chapter of mystory; maybe it’s not time to start a new one. After all, I had a job I loved,with coworkers who I admired and students I adored. I was content.

But one of the things God hastaught me in the past year, which has been full of amazing lessons, is that I’mnot here to figure out what His plans are for me. I’m not supposed to try toread the last page of my story and then orchestrate everything to make surethat’s how my story goes. Because my story is His story…

What I’m actually supposed to dois love Him with all my heart and love my neighbors more than I love myself. IfI seek to honor Him daily, and live in the peace of knowing His forgiveness andmercy, and I love the people around me more than myself, I’ll write a lifestory that will bring glory to God. And what I’ll find in the end when I readthe last page, is that it’s the story He had written for me all along.

So, what I’m taking from all ofthis, and what I hope you’ll take as well, is that it’s okay to be sad whenclosing a chapter of your own story, and it’s okay to wonder about what thenext chapter will hold. But remember that the point of your story is not tojust make it to the end, but to fill the pages with love, friends, faith, andmemories that glorify your Father and show others His love.

To those of you who have been apart of my time at Midway Covenant Christian School—teachers, parents, friends,and especially students—I hope you know how much I love you, and how blessed Ihave felt to be a small part of your story. God bless!