Lesson #1131

     The first half of the school year - in the books.  For me, the year meant change, and it has certainly lived up to everything people associate with this term.  For starters, the year would mark my entry into eleven years of public school administration.  Eight of the previous ten had been served as an elementary school principal, and the two before those as a middle school dean/assistant principal.  I made a switch this year, and am back at the secondary level, serving as principal for 1,000 middle schoolers.
     I wake up every morning, loving what I do with utter devotion and passion.  I knew the change would be difficult, and I would miss my little ones dearly; it is always hard when you face the reality of not being there every day, week after week, year after year, and I am pretty sure that leaving was harder for me than it was for them... However, just being around kids every day, no matter what the age, no matter how big they are or how much they try and push you away, is a blessing for me.  I am thankful that I get to work at a place I love, to be with people I look forward to seeing, to think thoughts that never end, to labor so intensely it leaves you emotionally and spiritually drained at the end of every day.
   
   I don't know if I would ever change that.

     To all of those who work in public education, whose first waking thoughts every day are on the children, who go to bed every night thinking about the kids you will encounter, and have an impact upon, the next day - Create memories for your students, be the difference makers, fathers, mothers, counselors, coaches, teachers, and friends.  Do good things for others.  Have a blessed 2013.

Thinking

We wrap up the year by meeting with friends and family.

We gather at long tables, around drinks and food, congregate in people's homes.

Too often these are places we don't normally frequent throughout the year.

Too often we don't keep up with these people.  

Too often these are our very own family members, friends we used to know, yet we now find ourselves grasping for words, questions to ask, topics that will hopefully spark some conversation.
We get wrapped up in jobs, our careers...
We try and better ourselves,
find Success,
yearn for Glory,
desire more Money,
come up with Reasons...
We think, at the end of the day, that we should be doing more, that
We could have done this differently,
We could have worded that a different way,
We should have worn the red tie today instead of the blue one,
We shouldn't have said that... what were we thinking?

What are we thinking?