Patience grasshoppa'

I guess it ought to be no surprise that patience is a difficult concept in today's world. If you are hungry, you can get food in three minutes or less by driving down a mini-driveway where your food is served through tiny windows. Or if there's no time for that, you can zap your food with radioactive waves for 30-40 seconds. Who needs good old home cooking anyway? Want something to watch on t.v without sitting through commercials? why not just record everything so you can fast forward through the "wait time". Or how about getting that perfect car without having to pay... Our world is constantly filled with the "get it now" mentality. Even if we don't realize that we are being constantly assaulted with the idea that we should get everything we want right away, it's everywhere.
So it's no wonder that a Christian girl such as I am struggles with patience. We get into the mentality that we deserve instant gratification because we are American, or good people, or worth it, or.... fill in the blank. We get so caught up in what the world is selling that we forget what the Lord has already given us.
Sure, the cliche answer is "All in God's timing". It's easy to say but not easy to do. So often I find myself thinking if I only had this I'd be content. If this only happened THEN I'd finally be ok with where I am in life. Sure life will be good once I get a job... I'll be happy once I find that "Someone special".... Everything will be perfect once I am married.... Life will be great once I have kids.
But this thinking is dangerous. What it is really saying is "God doesn't know what is best for me and until I get __________ I won't be happy with where He has put me in life". That, my friend, is not trusting the Lord. It's not an easy thing, but it's an essential thing. It takes constant work to refocus and realize that God really does know best. His plan for us is better than we could even imagine. And yes it is difficult to wait. But as they say "Have patience, grasshoppa'"

Graduation

I have successfully graduated from first grade. I can't believe that the month has gone by so quickly. What started out as nothing less than terrifying turned into a somewhat pleasurable experience. I was able to get to know the kids in my class and could even tell the identical twins apart. The last week was nothing short of stressful. Not only did I have to finish giving and grading the district assessments, I have to complete grades and pack up the entire class into three seperate rooms. I spent WAY too many hours in that room but thankfully not as many as I would have if not for my good friend and a couple of very helpful room moms. Before I knew it, it was the last day. I only had the kids for half a day whihc was good but I must say I will miss them. Even the one that gave me the most difficulty (for there is always at least one...) will be missed. I learned that there was a reason he acted the way he did. On the surface I thought he was just a bratty kid that wanted attention whether good or bad. However, every kid has a story. He too will be missed. Saying goodbye is always hard. I have learned a lot from being in first grade and although I have moved on, I will never forget the 1st grade class of Benjamin Franklin Elementary School room 12.