Graduations, end of the school year, and the start of summer has me feeling nostalgic, so I thought it would be a good time to just pause and remember. As a teacher, I am in a unique position to say goodbye to students every year, which is difficult and sad. But most teachers, like me, are also brimming with excitement for the next chapter in the lives of those we teach. My students (they will always be my students no matter how old they get) come back and visit, and that makes me so happy. I love getting to see them after they have moved on.
This year has proven to be the most interesting and difficult I have endured in the profession in my 11 years. We welcomed students at a distance. Everything was so clinical at the start of the school year. For our school, thank goodness we had such measures in place. When managing 1,200 students, there needs to be a plan, and we worked together to execute the plan.
We lost people we loved. I watched students lose family members and did the unthinkable in those moments. I hugged them. I cried with them. And they did for me, too. Human touch is so necessary sometimes, especially in moments of grief, and I would want someone to hug my children if they needed it.
Good things happened too. For our school, we survived the year with students learning in new platforms. We taught in ways that we never dreamed of doing in a public school setting. We rose to the challenge, students and teachers alike.
Personally, our family endured hardship through several losses that we, quite frankly, are still reeling from. Our lives will never be the same. But we had good things, too. Bryson earned his Black Belt. Wess discovered his passion for welding and is now working toward certification. Both boys had successful hunting seasons, stocking our freezer for the next year. And both made it onto the A/B honor roll. Wess got his drivers license. Bryson starred in a musical
Remembrance is important. This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. A time to remember those who loved our country more than life and sacrificed themselves for the freedom that we so often take for granted.
Jesus also told us to remember. We honor this every fifth Sunday when we partake of communion together as a church. Today happened to be a fifth Sunday.
In the Old Testament, God instructed the Israelites to set up memorials. These were usually stones set in place at a location where God had done a great miracle. He told them to remember why these memorials were placed and to pass the stories on from generation to generation.
We will remember this school year. How will you choose to remember it? There were bad times. There were good times. What will your focus be?
A school year, a federal holiday, a sacred moment . It’s all about perspective. And as we reflect back and remember these last few months in the years to come, let us not forget the bad. In fact, we need to sometimes tell the bad stories to remind us of the goodness of God through it all. But I also pray that you rejoice in the good. We made it to the other side. Not only did we survive, but we are flourishing with fresh eyes to see that God holds us in every situation. He always remembers us. Remember that as you celebrate the end of another school year and this special holiday weekend.
© Jill Cook and Unbroken & Undone Ministries. All rights reserved.
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