Sometimes I wish I could fall asleep as easily as my pup. Seriously! As I tossed and turned last night, unable to sleep, each time I would glance over at little Dusty Shamrock peacefully content in a tiny curled up ball, I marveled at how easily sleep comes for him. As the hours from 2am to 5:30am ticked on by, I debated getting up and going into the office to grade the 25 exams that are waiting to be corrected. Or I could prepare for next Monday night's evening class by working on study guides and powerpoints. There are always Science articles to read as well. And I have a huge stack of emails I need to get through in various accounts. Instead, I lay in my bed wishing for sleep to come so I could get some rest. A rosary later, vain attempts at counting sheep, and more tossing and turning, led to the thoughts that are forming this blog post instead of slumber.
I even thought about food as my stomach rumbled. It is interesting how some folks prefer their meat to be heavily seasoned with garlic, herbs, and other spices while others prefer their meat to be more natural and less flavorful. Some might want their meat prepared to a tough finish or more crispy (burnt like my Dad) and others may prefer rare or pink meat (as Adam does). Yet, regardless of prep style spice can season the meat and change the flavor. Then because I was thinking of Adam's less than stellar choice in meat prep (ha!), I began to indulge in a pity party in not wanting to wait for 27 more days to be with him again. Yes, we've talked for 540 hours as of last night on Skype, seeing each other every day except for four days since 11/07/13. Yes, he'll be here in Ohio with me in a little over 8 months and in the grand scheme of things that is but a drop of water in the bucket of life. However, I miss him and crave being around him in person. Then, I start feeling sad thinking of how he will be leaving his family on the West Coast to live on the East Coast and how much they and he will miss one another. It's a slippery slope I try to stay off of and would instead rather focus on the joy in it all. Again, if God takes care of the sparrows, who am I to worry over such things for He is in control.
In an effort to distract myself from such musings in the darkness last night, I also thought about several student encounters I've had this week...and the uniqueness of each situation. One student missed a class because she is a young mother putting herself through school. She stood in line for five hours the other morning to obtain clothing assistance for her children from the local welfare office. Another student missed some classes because her family was unexpectedly evicted. She could barely hold herself together as she explained her absence. Yet another student is grieving the loss of her mother and carrying on her legacy after a brave battle against cancer. Yet all three of these women are striving to be the best versions of themselves and make better futures for not only themselves individually but also their future students through preparing to be teachers. My students, some who are facing much bigger and complex issues than I, are teaching me so much already and we're only four weeks into the semester. Yes, this adversity could be likened to the seasoning of the meat. Sometimes life is tough; at other times life is tender but through it all we can rest assured in knowing that all things work for the good of the Lord and He knows our plan even when we don't. So go on and embrace the spicy and seasoned times of your life for they are helping to cultivate you into the people you are destined to be.
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