Faith's Findings

An Open Letter:  To the person who has caused my family so much grief the past few months: You have proven yourself to be the most selfish person that I know—and I teach teenagers, that really says something. You have proven yourself to be more manipulative and conniving than anyone ever suspected. You have used your words like swords; your actions like boulders—cutting and crushing everyone and everything in your path. You honestly believe the lies that you have spread. Man, you are a real piece of work.  But, I don’t want to spend this letter hashing out everything that has happened. There’s a 15 page handwritten letter in the notebook on my coffee table that does just that. What I do want to do here is thank you. Thank you for this crazy season. In your craziness, I have been able to learn more about my Lord. Yes, there are days when I would love nothing more than to shake you or throat punch you, but the fact that I haven’t is proof that He is working.  ...

Class of 2016---    I observed you during your freshmen year and as fate would have it, you were my first set of students when it was my name on the door. It seems like yesterday that the bell rang, and my flu-stricken self offered your guarded selves a smile, however, here we are at your send off into the big world.    We are probably closer than we should be because we've spent the last three years together. You've seen me at my worst and I've seen you at your best--this far.     As the school year is winding down, quickly, I think back to our first day together. We stared at each other as if each of us had two or more heads, wondering just how this was going to work...or supposed to work. You wondered if I would really last, for you had been abandoned so much that year. I wondered if I was going to last or if I had chosen the right career. Some days were rough, we all know this. And sometimes the lesson flopped, but then sometimes it soared better t...