What a Difference a Year Makes...

Nine and a half months ago the kids stood pacing in their brand new shoes and wondered with a nervous anticipation what their school year would be like.  They hoped their teachers would be nice and wouldn't assign too much homework.  They couldn't wait to see old friends again and worried about whether they would make new friends.   All in all, their big smiles belie their true mood.  They may have been a little worried about the upcoming year, but mostly they were thrilled to be getting back into the swing of things. 

I, on the other hand,  wondered what on earth I was going to do with all my kids in school for the first time.    Sadly, it took approximately 2.3 hours to cross that worry off my list. 


                           First day                                                        Last day



As I've reflected over the unexpected detour our lives took over the last school year, I find myself so grateful for the loving elementary school teachers my kids had.  Their warmth and understanding did so much to ease my worries as to how they would fare with me not being home with them all the time.    Each of their teachers was perfect for them and I truly consider their classroom assignments this year to be one of those "tender mercies" from God. 



Not only did they take care of Ellie, Adam, and Emma at school each day, serving as a listening ear and an open set of arms when they needed a hug, but each one of them also went over and above their duties by taking time out of their precious weekends and visited with Spencer (and brought him generous gifts). 

Thank you Mrs. A, Mrs. B, and Mr. S,  for the gift of peace during our time of turmoil--peace that our kids were spending their days in a place where they were being loved and watched out for.   

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 "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance "                                                    David A. Bednar