Back to School.

I woke up Tuesday morning to my phone vibrating under my pillow. This is the day that school begins. I climbed out of bed and began to get ready for my day. Nothing felt so very different, it was a warm morning, just like most of this summer. I could have simply been getting ready for work. Kicking past things on the floor I made my bed. I was excited. Excited about getting back into the regular schedule, excited about being up and home in the mornings, excited about the chance of Fall coming soon-ish, excited about what God was gonna do this year. The possibilities were limitless.

I'd spent quite some time thinking about how I was going to approach this school year. With teaching, finishing high school, and working it had become pretty hectic last year. But I was determined not to get stressed. Sitting down at the school table, the morning chores done, breakfast eaten and washed up, I bowed my head and gave the next few hours, the day, and the coming year to God. If anyone could make this go smoothly, it was Him.

So far we've been starting just about every morning outside at the picnic table. The air is still a little cooler and it's so beautiful out. Our day begins with prayer and a chapter of Proverbs. I think it's my favorite part of the morning. It gives us a fresh reminder of Who we belong to and Who we're living for. But not only is it a reminder, it's an inspiration to shine while doing it. After reading Proverbs we go inside to the school table. Every day focuses on a different subject and generally includes a cool field trip afterward. Maybe a trip to the library, an afternoon at the beach, or going to Disneyland. Does that count? =D  Everywhere we go, we're either learning, or putting something new into practice. Life is a school, one of the best kind.

Sometimes I'm tempted to wonder, couldn't I be doing something big somewhere? Wouldn't I rather travel the world? Aren't their lives I could be impacting right now? And then I'm ashamed to realize that I am where God has placed me. Having the opportunity to impact the lives of my siblings is amazingly huge! And California...well, it's the place to be. Maybe one day I'll travel. But I don't intend to set foot outside this place until God clearly directs me in that direction.

We're doing things a little different this year, but so far I like it. So we don't fill out our books so much, and we don't work over time. But we're learning new things, important things, and we're having fun. Each day I can't help but smile when I realize that God is totally blessing every moment. Things may go wrong but there's a reason, I know. And behind that reason, there's a blessing. Each day I wonder if this is the limit. Can it really get any better? And each day I am humbled by the increase of His love. It never stops.