Thursdays

Today I decided that my favorite week days were Thursdays.

Why? Because I get to spend the entire day with college students. This used to be a normal occurrence, and now it's a luxury. I spend way more time with 7th and 8th graders than people my own age. (Lauren and I have noticed that we have begun to act more like middle school students than college kids...!)

This afternoon, Ali and I had meetings with our advisers, and then we got lunch at Pita Pit. We didn't eat it there, however. Instead, we walked to Academic Plaza and had a picnic. It was gorgeous today! The weather felt great, although the wind was kinda strong. Wind + no shower = intense frizz for me. Oh well. I am so glad that I will be near Ali next semester! I would probably go crazy if I was alone in Frisco. We are already planning to watch movies as we grade papers. :)

I have been finding myself worrying a lot recently. This is not normal for me. I don't stress out about things and I handle busy schedules fairly well. The other night I didn't sleep well at all because I was worried about teaching the next day. That is so not normal for me! My mind was restless and I continued to think about things I needed to do, instead of resting in the Lord and finding comfort in His will, timing and provision. I prayed and prayed as I fell asleep, but I still had strange dreams about teaching and could not switch my brain off. I think Satan is really attacking me right now. I find myself worrying about scheduling and projects that I have to do. Please pray for me, that I would find peace and hand my worries over to God.

Last week, I gave a questionnaire to my 7th and 8th grade students. The purpose of the survey was to get background information on students so I could evaluate their reading habits etc., but the answers they gave me contained a wealth of information. I learned so much about my students and their lives, personalities, home life, interests etc. Part of the survey asks the students to list the members of their families. At least 40% of my students indicated that their homes were broken. Most of those students did not have a dad. It shocked me to look at those students individually and mentally evaluate them academically, emotionally and behaviorally. These kids suffered in almost all of those areas. It was amazing for me to see the effect that a broken home has on a child. Divorce does so much damage and it saddens me that so many people see it as a "way out" of a relationship they don't want to be in. Now, adultery is one thing, but that is only thing God gives us permission to divorce for. Marriage is supposed to mirror God's relationship with the church. God never gets up and leaves when we fail, refuse to listen to Him, run from Him or are angry at Him. He loves continually. But we don't see this kind of relationship much anymore in terms of marriage. I've just been thinking a lot about these poor children in my classes. They might fall into the same situations their parents did, and history could repeat itself. It makes me so sad.

I hate to end the post on this note... but I really have to go. I'm so excited that I can actually go to Comgroup tonight! Yippee!! :)

Peace out. I love you guys.