Journey

If I Were a Twitterer

So I don't have anything against Twittering, but I'm not so sure that anyone would really care what I was doing ALL day long…

Yesterday as I was driving, I thought to myself, "If I were a Twitterer, I would Twitter this…", and I decided to make a list so you can pretend like you were getting updates all throughout the last couple of days.

  • left the Braue house.  it was a tough goodbye. 
  • said goodbye to a good friend for the 3rd time @ target today. 
  • stuck in construction traffic on southfield freeway; trying to get to pittsburgh! 
  • arrived at andrea and jason's house.  can't wait to hang out with them. 
  • got a funky, tart-tasting frozen yogurt with andrea and jason.  unique and tasty. 
  • jason made me a cool coffee drink with coffee and sweetened condensed milk. 
  • enjoyed breakfast with andrea and jason, then said goodbye! 
  • lots of construction on the route to dc. 
  • listening to crazy love-the audiobook…wrecklessly awesome book! 
  • lots of traffic just outside of dc-hope i make my 3:15 appointment! 
  • definitely not going to make my appt…not cool. 
  • just got denied my appt…i was 45 minutes late, after all! rescheduled for tomorrow morning.
  • crap!  just got a $100 parking ticket for parking at a meter on a street where apparently you can't park during rush hour.  awesome.  better yet-the tow truck was pulling up behind my car just as i walked over to it… 
  • met a couple of girls that i might get to live with.  they're really cool. 
  • left to get a philly chicken cheesesteak (yum!); drove all around alexandria to check it out
  • the girls i just met offered me a couch to sleep on tonight so i can go to my rescheduled appt in the morning!  so grateful:) 
  • watching dancing with the stars for the first time ever.  enjoyable! 
  • eating organic ice cream.  very rich taste! 

Two More Wake-Ups

My friend and former coworker, Dana, taught me about "wake-ups".  As teachers, we like to count

Alarm  down to the free days of summer just as much as the kiddos!  So she taught me to count down with "wake-ups".  Starting about 20 school days out, I start posting on the board, "20 more wake-ups!"…then "19 more wake ups!"…and so on.  

This morning I woke up with more intense bittersweet emotions…only "2 more wake-ups here in Michigan".  

For starters, today was my last Sunday at Church of the King.  This made me sad, but I was deeply excited that I was going to be engulfed in a kids' gathering this morning, with worship lead by P 8:2 (Psalms 8.2) an inspiring group of kids that lead with JT.  Then JT was preaching, and I hadn't heard her preach in years…so this was a definitely going to be a highlight of the day! (She did an INCREDIBLE job, by the way…and as a side note, her and her husband, Eddie, are THE BEST kids' pastors a parent could ask for, and I've already decided that when I have kids we will have to be at whatever church the Galindo's are at, because I want my kids to learn from them.:)

And as I've reflected on my last couple of weeks spent here, I am glad to have been able to spend as much time with people as I have.  I got to go across the state to see my favorite Gocke's, Smiths, my very first teaching friend (Dana, from above….we're like Teaching Comrades for Life!), and the Waterman's-where I got to meet their new baby girl!  Then there were so many other fun breakfasts, lunches, dinners, a Cedar Point road trip, coffee dates, get-togethers…I am selfish at any moment to think that for one second I am not valued by people.  

Here I am, going into my last two "wake-ups"…tomorrow I will say "goodbye" to a few more friends, have lunch with a Grandma who inspires me EVERY time…the next morning say a few more "goodbye's", but then a couple more "hello's" to friends in Pittsburgh!  Again, it's the bittersweet of it all.  I am SO EXCITED to see Emily, Jason and Andrea in my travels!  Then, it will be wonderful to meet two girls who are looking for a third roommate in Alexandria, Virginia (really hoping this works out!) on Wednesday, after which I will drive up to Roslyn, Pennsylvania and kiss my parents goodnight!  The next day I will drive to see my sister-in-law, play with my nephew, Ryder, and scratch Ross' back.  

All in all, at the end of this week, my life will have officially changed completely.  My address will no longer end in a "48…" zip code, and there will be no more "mile roads" to help me figure out where I am:)  No one will know how to spell "Hamtramck" where I'm going, nor will they even care to.  I will not readily find a "coney island" on every other block, or "Michigan lefts", or hear about all the construction on I-75-heading towards the tunnel.  There will be no more trips to Meijer, Canada, or "up North", and most will have never even heard of Frankenmuth, Traverse City, or even Mackinac.  No one will even care that the Lions really stink, or that the Red Wings had a great run this year, or how the Tigers are doing, or what the Pistons will look like next season.  (Well….who can REALLY neglect some of the great Detroit sports teams?  Perhaps that's an exaggeration :0P)  I highly doubt many will care about whether you're an MSU fan, vs. a UofM fan in D.C. 🙂

I will miss the familiarity that life has brought to me on a silver platter these past 7 years.  I'm at home right now…in someone else's house, even!  BUT I am on the edge of my seat, anticipating this new chapter in my life.  I almost think it's a whole new book, and not just a new chapter, but at some point I'm sure there will be a great connection.  I'm kind of done crying, and telling everyone about my story…I'm ready to live it.  I'm actually ready to move!  Imagine that.  I'm not saying that I won't shed tears once I'm gone (or even pulling out of the driveway), but I am saying that my time here is done.  And while that is hard to accept in moments of weakness, God makes my heart just a little bit stronger.  

Oh, this adventure is just beginning…in just two more wake-ups! 🙂

The Heart

I HEART blogging, although you'd never know it these days!  I HEART my family, my friends, Michigan, teaching and love.  Our hearts are such strong organs, and they keep us going.  When it stops, we stop.  We do things to protect it from becoming diseased and to keep it from failing us.  There are times that no matter what, it hurts though, both physically and spiritually.  We take risks with it, and at times it becomes wounded…at no one's fault, really, except the enemy of our hearts.  I see it, I experience it…I know it's true. 

Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
   that's where life starts.

Proverbs 4.23

I have to think that if it's where life starts, it's also where life ceases to exist.  Being vigilant about protecting that wonderful part of me that is the reason behind all the relationships and missions in my life.  Ugh…the thought of my heart becoming so spiritually diseased that it becomes virtually useless is a terrible, terrible idea to ponder, but ponder I must. 

What makes a person go on a diet and decide to exercise?  The threat of disease and death.  What makes a person decide to guard over her heart in thought and action.  The threat of ruthless loneliness.

Updates Galore!

  • I said "Goodbye" to living with the friend that I've lived with for over 4 years a few weeks ago.  She now lives in Indiana, and I am currently living with a great family from my church in the area.
  • The Braue's (where I'm staying) have a gigantic dog, named Kaia-she's an Alaskan Malamute.  I'm very bothered by the fact that I probably spelled that incorrectly.
  • Around June 30th, I'll be driving to the Philadelphia area to stay with my parents until I move to Washington D.C., which will hopefully be around August 1st. 
  • Yesterday was my last day at Hanley International Academy.  It was a bittersweet day.  Our colors were blue and silver….and my blood will always bleed blue!  I loved working there.
  • I got to sleep in this morning.  Oh, what a great morning it's been…made breakfast and everything!
  • In August I will begin teaching 4th grade at Randle Highlands Elementary School, in Southeast D.C.  I've only been able to check out the area online, and while that's helpful, I'm not sure where I'm going to live around there.  I have options in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, so I need to check out what would be best for me.
  • Really excited for the next season of my life…a little nervous too.
  • Trying to spend my little bit of time left in Michigan wisely.  
  • Enjoying serving Jesus in this very different stage in life.:)

6 Months

As my kids pile into the classroom, I thought I'd jot down a thought I've had all morning…I have 6 months left.

In 6 months I'll be 30:)

Tending to be a fairly reflective person anyway, you can only imagine how I'll think throughout the final 6 months of my 20's. 

'Twil be an interesting 6 months.  Many things will change…my job, my location, my friendships, me…lots of bittersweet things.  One main thing remains:  God will still be God in my life.  So glad about that.

Have a great day:)

Reminded

I'm reminded of this, which I'm sure I've posted before…and I'm sure most of you have read before…but it never hurts to be gently reminded:)

2 Corinthians 12:9 (The Message)

7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, 

   My grace is enough; it's all you need. 
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

Just a Few Feet Ahead of Me

Well, this has been the longest sabbatical that I've taken from blogging since I started a few years ago.  I miss writing and am hoping that I'll be able to jump back in more frequently these next few months.  We'll see.  I make no promises.  Many people have most likely stopped checking…it's cool.  I would too:)

The other night I got to see my oldest friend (I think we realized we'd known each other something like 22 years…she turns 30 in 22 days:).  Her in-laws live in Kalamazoo, which is only a couple hours from here.  I wanted to go there, spend a few hours and then come home that night.  That was the goal.  So, despite the incoming snow between K-Zoo and D-town I ventured out at about 12.15am from K-Zoo.  No-it wasn't the wisest move.  But in my defense, I was wide awake and there's no way that I could've fallen asleep at their house.  So it made the most sense to me to just drive. 

Have you ever driven a maximum of 50 mph on a major highway where you typically drive 75?  It was driving me nuts.  The roads were slippery and a bit dangerous…I certainly felt adventurous.  I could only see about 2 feet in front of me pretty much the whole time.  It looked something  like this.

Scary-driving-in-the-snow-and-dark
…only, I could actually see a lot less in front of me that night.

At one point I just laughed out loud.  I mean, how much can this little ride, across the perils of Michigan, possibly parallel my life right now?  So much of life feels a little dangerous at this moment-adventurous, if you will.  I can barely see two feet in front of me (aka, past the next few months) and my best bet points directly to keeping focused on any light in front of me…and praying intently for guidance.  Jen had texted me at one point asking me how I was holding up.  I did reply, telling her that the ride was insane.  Then she scolded me for texting in that kind of weather. lol  I quickly replied to tell her that I wanted her to know I was okay.  But that was it.

This journey that I'm on is intense right now.  It's stressful and has had its moments of complete anxiety.  I will continue to draw myself back to focus on what's most important, which is basking in the presence of Jesus.  He is my Prince…my Knight in shining armor…the Light in my blizzard…Author of my story. 

“Live for God”, play-by-play

The Live for God Bible Study started today.  It's actually going on right now, and they're in my classroom.  Their key verse today is Philippians 2.14, with the title-"God wants us to be minty fresh!"  And my boy, Malcolm, is reading Proverbs 4 right now. 

I'm so proud of our girls, Crystal, Danielle and Victoria, who are leading.  They're so stinkin' awesome!  I love this!  And I'm listening to one of them trying to convict the kids of gossiping…"Don't lie, I know you've gossiped!"  Wow, this is great…I mean, they've got a long way to go in leading a Bible study, but this is their first one:)  (It is kind of hard not to step in though.)

Now they're instructing the kids about the 30 Second Kneeldown, where they kneel at their lockers for 30 seconds in the morning to pray.  "If they ask you what you're doing, tell them you're praying for them!  And do it!"

Memory verse time-pick a verse to write on your card and memorize the Scripture this week, but first you have to figure out what it means.

"Who's going to work on this?  Be honest!  Be honest with your parents!  Be honest with us!" 

Oh….I could go on, but I won't.  I'm pumped for this group of kids.  I truly hope that the fire that I see in the leaders catches flame in the rest of the group, and I pray that it grows.  They're so cool.  =)

SYATP

It was a slightly chilly day in September, back in 1993, when I stood at the flag pole of Neshaminy Junior High school with my friend, Andrew, to pray for our school.  It was my first See You at the Pole day, and there were so many emotions flying high in me.  My dad and I picked Andrew up early enough for us to go pray for some time, and still have be able to get to class on time.  I recall a teacher coming out to join us, but I never had her and never really got to know her.  A few people stopped to ask us what we were doing.  "We're praying for you," we responded.  Throughout the day several people questioned us about our stance by the pole that morning…it was a day to stand up for your faith or die of embarrassment.  I remember that year for so many reasons…Biology class when I had to stand up for what I believed, Jason Coleman committing suicide, and Social Studies class-in which we learned about all the major religions, and because I wanted to know more about how to reach other people, I got something like a 115% on the final test because I'd memorized all that info.  It was definitely an interesting year, to say the least.

My next three years at Neshaminy High School held many more moments of sharing my faith with teachers and peers…it always started with See You at the Pole.  See You at the Pole is always on a Wednesday-the third one in September-on which students all over the country (world?) stand around their school flagpoles and pray.  The standard time is about 7am, but if your school starts earlier, you can do it any time.  It's a day when teenagers all over are endeavoring to make a statement and to simply pray together.  At NHS it always started our Wednesday morning prayer group and our Bible study (every Tuesday after school).  We had a prayer group, that was about 30 people when I graduated, that prayed in our cafeteria during breakfast every Wednesday morning.  We would pray for each other, our classmates, our teachers, our administrators, our country.  No one really led it…we just knew we had to do it.  People would randomly join us every now and then, just because we'd become somewhat of a team:) 

Fast forward to today.  It was See You at the Pole day, and I joined one of our 7th graders and my friend, Andrea, on the grass in front of our school to pray for my co-workers, my students, my administration, and my community (of Hamtramck).  At one point, I heard one of my students get out of her car and yell "Ms. Burton!!!!"  I chose not to answer, out of reverence for what was happening in that moment.  I didn't notice that she came over, and that Andrea asked her if she wanted to join us.  I'd started to pray a prayer that was from deep within my heart…and I had no idea that she was standing there.  Huh.  God is so funny…He didn't let on that she was standing there.

I felt a bit different this morning…like I was bolder when I was 14.  How did I become tainted?

This past summer when God clearly showed me a vision of a Bible study happening in my classroom this school year.  Hmmm.  I knew that I couldn't start one.  That would literally be illegal.  I knew who in my class would be interested, but I wasn't really sure how this would happen exactly.  God even gave me a verse!  These past couple of months I've been handing this to the Lord and asking Him to guide this into existence. 

This past week, a couple of girls at our school, that go to Real Church, asked to start a Bible study.  They asked if they could have it in my classroom on Mondays, after school.  Then today they went around to all the classes to tell the school about it.  "Live for God" was the title of the flyer they handed out to our kids.  About 10 kids in my class signed up, saying that they were interested (including 2 Muslim kids that I'm pretty sure didn't know what they were signing up for :).  Most of the other kids I expected to sign up, and 2 of the boys with extreme anger issues also signed up.

Honestly, do you know what happens when you see a vision happening right before your eyes?  Do you have any idea what it was like to hold back tears today? 

If you happen to think of me on a Monday, ask God to speak in our Bible study, please.  There just might be a revival in my school, yet, this year;)