Thanksgiving is here upon us. It forces us to stop and reflect. This year it's hitting me a little harder. In a good kind of way. I have found that I am going one step beyond thankfulness - I'm moving on to contentment. It's taken a long time, a lot of miles and heartache. There have been lots of twists and turns, bumps and bruises along the way. Life doesn't look quite like I expected it would. Yet, by the grace of God, I find that as I sit here tonight, I am content.
Let me see if I can explain this briefly. In my junior year of college I decided that my destiny was to become a Social Studies teacher. I didn't pray about this decision. I just loved high school. Numerous teachers had such a significant impact on me, that I knew I wanted to go back to my high school and do the same thing. I eventually did just that - became a teacher and landed back at my alma mater - Brunswick High School (via Bainbridge High School where, even though I was only there a short time, I have very fond memories of my friends and students there).
In 2000-2003 my life took another series of twists and again by the grace of God I landed right smack in the middle of a incredible group of mentors and MotherWise Ministries. I quit teaching for a brief few years and stayed home with my two children, and worked from home for MotherWise. And I LOVED it. I loved being mentored by these godly women, ministering to other women, and doing whatever they asked me to do - editing, writing, speaking, or organizing. I have never felt so purposeful and like what I was doing had so much meaning.
Then came a bump in the road and I had to go back to teaching and MotherWise really didn't need me anymore. That was HARD. Excruciating. Devastating. A real pruning the vine kinda event. It took me years to get over it - like close to a decade. But this time, when life finally settled down and the fog lifted, I realized something. I am EXACTLY where I am supposed to be. I always loved teaching, and people have no idea how much fun teenagers can really be (and yes I even have a teenager of my own.) But this time, it's different. I see my purpose differently. I have become more than just an economics teacher to many kids. I have become mother figure to many - and they have become like children to me.
I can't explain it, and I certainly can't conjure it up. It just is what it is. I love to watch them mature throughout their senior year, and go on to become contributing citizens of society. I love when they show up in my classroom to share their college and military stories. I love to watch the ones who play college sports. My heart swells when I see some of my former students becoming teachers with their own classrooms. I love to see them get married and see pictures of their children. I really love to hear "I miss school, I wish I was still here" because they swore they couldn't wait to graduate! Education is not perfect, and some days it's just down right hard and discouraging. But if it's your calling you stay because it's not about you, it's about the kids.
Some of my colleagues will read this and think I'm nuts, and then many more will get it because they feel the exact same way. A few years ago a senior class nicknamed me "Mama G" and it's stuck and been passed down the line to the current class. I have decided that I'm content with it. I used to be the young, cool, hip teacher, but now with a 16 year old and a 12 year old of my own, not to mention I am now teaching the children of my former students, " school mom" is pretty accurate. From MotherWise to Mama G has been quite the transition back. I have come full circle back where I started at my alma mater not once, but twice, with a very different purpose attempting to influence kids in the most positive ways possible with so much of what I learned during those MotherWise years, and I find myself very content. Happy Thanksgiving, and may you be content where you are.
