Tag: blessing

Happy Sunday

julieannetaylor

The house is quiet – except for my parents stirring in the basement as they get ready for church. The sunlight is streaming through the front window almost hiding the chill in the morning air. My coffee sits close by in my favorite mug, and Malone is curled up near me on the rug.

I am making a list for my day while a Hallmark Christmas movie plays in the background. I don’t plan on leaving the house for anything today. It will just be Malone and me home together all day…and I’m planning on getting a lot of things crossed off my list. The first thing on the list is to carry up all the Christmas boxes and begin to transform the house for the most wonderful time of the year. I normally hold out until after Thanksgiving, but the season is shorter this year, and we have lots of gatherings on the calendar, so today is the day! I am excited about having the whole house to myself to take my time and decorate while a marathon of cheesy Christmas movies play (with a brief intermission to watch the Bengals game – unless it becomes too painful to watch – and then it’s back to Hallmark).

The other big item on my list is a labor of love! Caroline and I will be prepping a whole bunch of freezer meals for Zach and Katie! We want to make life easier for them as they adjust from being a family of three to a family of four! We should have a new baby in the family this week and we want Campbell’s parents to be able to rest and focus all of their attention on her and big brother. So we will be trying to make their lives a little easier by stocking their freezer full of meals! The bonus is that I get to spend the afternoon with my mini-me best friend!

As I type, I realize there is nothing really earth shattering about this post, or even my day…but maybe there is a little more than just a to do list. I don’t feel like my day is filled with tasks that I have to do, but rather things that I get to do- and that is a blessing to be sure. I am blessed to have a home to decorate for my family to enjoy. I am blessed that my home is the place where my entire family will gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas (and all the other gatherings throughout the year). I am excited to add my thrifting treasures to my Christmas collection this year, as each one conjures memories of the fun days spent with Katie and Carty searching for well loved treasures. I am beyond blessed to be able to prepare meals for my son and daughter in law as they bring my first granddaughter into the world! I am so excited for Parker to be a big brother and for Zach and Katie to complete their perfect little family! The mess and the meal making will be well worth the knowledge that we are taking one small thing off of their plates while they adjust to having a newborn along side a very active three year old.

So I guess that this post is about more than an update on my Sunday to do list. It’s more about perspective. I could look at my list and feel dread about the seventy eleven trips I will make up and down the stairs lugging boxes. Or be overwhelmed at the thought of hours of cooking and loads of dishes. But that’s not how I’m feeling this morning. I am filled with joy and gratitude that I get to spend the entire day at home, in my slippers doing things that will be a blessing to others…and to me. I am thankful for all of the items on my list and will find joy in each minute of the day!

These Small Hours

julieannetaylor

Our family has experienced so many milestones in the past 6 months! From graduations to new homes to new jobs and marriages. There have been so many blessings! One big blessing that I have been praying for over the last several years is Zach, Katie and Parker moving closer to home! This past May they bought their first house and moved their little family from Columbus to Hamilton. Now, instead of being two hours away, they are less than 15 minutes. This has meant lots of pool time with Parker and his parents, and it also brought about Family Dinners! It has always been my dream to have family dinners with all ten of us every Sunday! I love planning and preparing the meal and having everyone come together before we all start the busy week ahead.

Tonight we all gathered at our house for a Mississippi pot roast, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, a fresh baguette, and warm apple crisp with ice cream! As we sat out on the patio enjoying this perfect evening, my heart was so full. I surprised everyone at the table with some question cards that everyone had to answer. Just to spur conversation. To put the phones down and talk. The question was “Which characteristic from someone in your family would you like to have?” Initially, no one jumped in to answer…and I thought my idea might be a flop. But, eventually each person went around the table and named a characteristic from someone else around the table that they wished they had in themselves. There was such beauty in everyone’s responses. Things that we shared – by being “forced” – were things that we most likely never would have taken the time to say to one another in a normal interaction. But hearing the kind words from each other was so touching. Watching my family’s faces light up when someone else pointed out one of their amazing qualities made me realize how important this silly little card was. And how important these weekly family dinners are to me. And to my family.

Last night Chris and I saw Rob Thomas in concert and he sang “Little Wonders,” which of course made me cry. And sitting here tonight after such a beautiful evening with my whole crew I hear the line from that song:

Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twist and turns of fate. Time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain.”

These small hours tonight meant the absolute world to me. These people who sat around my table are my little wonders.

See ya, love ya, Bye

julieannetaylor

At the end of the day today I sat in my quiet classroom, thinking about my ever-growing list of things to do. The list was so overwhelming that rather than trying to accomplish at least one or two things before I went home, I just sat there. Exhausted from the day’s events. But today’s tired was a good tired. And today, rather than letting the stress and anxiety of this job get to me, I focused on how grateful I am for the way I get to spend my days. I absolutely love making connections with my students. Every year I tell people that I get to make 50 new best friends. They make me smile with their stories. They slay me with their silliness. At times they make me want to pull my hair from its roots – but even in those moments, I love them.

As I looked at the large calendar next to my desk and added that task to my “Wednesday – am to do list” I felt sadness creeping in. It’s already March. I only have three more months with these kids, and I am not ready to let them go. We have built such a great community this year in room 214. This group of kids is just a “nice” group. They help each other out. They are constantly asking me for jobs around the room to help me out. I’m not ready for this year to be over with these amazing kids.

Each day at dismissal as my students leave the room I tell them “See ya, love ya, bye!” Every day. Every student. I started that on the very first day of school. It didn’t take long for them to pick up on it and now they say it right back to me. It just makes my heart so happy! And the further we get into the school year, they truly understand that those aren’t just words from Mrs. Taylor. They know that when I say “love ya” that I mean it! I am honored and blessed that I get to spend my days pouring into the lives of these ten year olds. I want them to know that no matter what kind of day we had, no matter what mistakes they made, no matter how frustrated I may have gotten with them during the school day that I love them. It’s the last thing they hear from me before they head home.

I didn’t end up crossing anything off of my lengthy to-do list today. When I walked turned off the lights and shut the door of my classroom today, my list was still full – but so was my heart.

“I love learning with you”

julieannetaylor

I am a teacher. It is not what I do…it is who I am. I love the energy that the kids bring to the classroom everyday. I love reading stories with them and listening to their reactions to historical events and reading their creative writing.

But I am tired. I know that people are probably sick of hearing teachers complain about how hard the last few years have been. But y’all, it’s like nothing I have ever experienced. And I cannot not even begin to explain how or why. Unless you have personally walked through it, no amount of words could even begin to try and paint a picture of the enormous weight that teachers are carrying.

Today was a really rough day. There are kids who desperately need help that I alone can’t give. There are parents who have seemingly checked out and are not attentive to their child’s needs. Today I ran smack into so many walls while trying to do all that I can for my students. I am feeling defeated. I am frustrated and standing on the edge of hopelessness. I have cried nearly every day this year. Many nights I have tossed and turned worrying about other people’s children – my students. I am burned out and exhausted.

As I sat in my dark room today scarfing down my cold lunch, saying a prayer that I could be what my students needed for the rest of our day, I was completely overwhelmed with feelings of failure. And then I saw tiny note peeking out from some papers on the corner of my desk. The small piece of notebook paper had been cut into the shape of a heart and crisply folded in half. Inside it read:

Dear Mrs. Taylor,

I might not have any sweet treats, but I have something I want you to read. In the start, school was a big fart, until I switched for the first time. It’s like I just ate a lime. My eyes gazed around your room. It was beautiful, through and through. What I mean is from my heart…I love learning with you!

In that moment, sitting in my dark, quiet classroom, tears streamed down my cheeks. Somehow, this sweet quiet student knew exactly what I needed today. And all of the mess and chaos of the day was gone. With this thoughtful poem, a little 10 year old girl brought me back to center. She reminded me why I show up every day. She filled my heart with so much joy that I couldn’t remain in my overwhelmed state even if I had tried.

I am so blessed to get to do what I do every day. And it took the secretly left musings of a ten year old to remind me of all of those blessings.