SCHOOL'S STARTING

School seems to start earlier and earlier each year. Back when I was young, the summer break was started at Memorial Day and ended right after Labor Day. Back in those days schools weren't air conditioned, so right around the middle of April the teachers dusted off the old box fans and taught over the sound of those wind machines. The teachers used them the first couple of weeks after school started in September, too.

Oh yeah, I'm that ancient.

In Tennessee, school has to last 180 days. There's a Fall Break, a Christmas Break, and a Spring Break. A few other holidays are scheduled throughout the year. Those weren't available when I was a child.  We got 2 days off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks for Christmas, and Good Friday off.  I always thought that children should get the whole day off for Halloween.  So did the teachers.  My mother always disagreed.

Right now I am working as a substitute teacher.  There are a lot of teacher cutbacks in my community.  Still, like being a substitute teacher.  It gives me time to work on my writing.  It keeps my mind actively engaged in my community and that will give me more creative ideas.

Those kids can really make me laugh sometimes, too.

LIVING ON FAITH

I have been at my new job for 4 full weeks now and I like it, very much. I am a substitute teacher, now. That means that each day I am at a new location with a new group of children. I never know what I am going to teach, either.

I find that this job is really going to stretch my faith. You see, there is no guarantee that I will have a job on any given day. With so many teacher layoffs, there is a lot of competition for sub work. I get up every morning and check my computer for a job for the day--almost like an act of faith. The job may be there or it may not. I keep checking. It was pretty hard to find the jobs at first, but am getting better.

As I said, this is really stretching my faith. I have to believe that there is a reason I do or do not get the work. Maybe there is something else I need to be doing on my "off" days. I find myself really focusing on how I spend my time, lately. I hope the focus pays off.

Anyway, I find I am grateful for the work that comes my way. I am happy to go to my job and maybe that will eventually pay off with increased work. I hope so.

Learning to live by faith sometimes takes a lifetime to learn.

Manna

Manna. Most of us know the story from the book of Exodus, about the little flakes of bread from Heaven. God used the manna to care for the Hebrew people as they traveled through the wilderness. It was also a way to teach His people how to trust Him. Even though God made provisions, the people still complained. They had a lot to learn.

I have been going through a wilderness in my life, too. I lost a job I enjoyed and existed on unemployment for 6 months. Potential employers yanked me about. Several of them lied to me without even blinking. Then, I finally found a job. It was not quite what I expected, barely enough money to cover the mortgage, but this may be the manna that sustains me until the economy recovers. That’s why I’ve decided to focus on the positives that this job offers.

Here’s positive #1. Picking up and caring for children at the daycare is much more physical than I thought. My arms, neck, legs, thighs, and rump are sore from bending, lifting, and rocking toddlers.

As a teacher, I used to stand and walk about the classroom so I was tired by the end of the day. Daycare work is much more physical. I am now more active than I used to be. That is very positive.

Positive #2. I am working through meal times and take my breaks much later. That doesn’t sound so good, but I have managed to lose the 8 pounds that I put on while I was unemployed.

Maybe working at this job will make me a healthier person. Perhaps I needed some time away from my former job so I could become a little more fit.

I can hear people groaning and saying that I am grasping at straws. I am trying to apply purpose to a random situation. Well, that’s the science teacher in me. I know there are no random acts.