I truly believe we have been commissioned to shine the light of Jesus by loving our neighbors. I’m not just talking about the guy that lives next door but anyone and everyone that we interact with every day.

Throughout the bible there is one common theme, which is to love others just like he loved us. It’s not always easy; people are human, imperfect and often at different places in this journey of life. (Mark 12:31)

People will disappoint you, they will hurt you and they will most certainly let you down. Finding a way to love them in spite of all that is exactly what Jesus wants you to do. After all, he did the same for you.

So, how do we do that? Start small. You can’t fake genuine love, compassion and acceptance; it truly starts with caring for the person right in front of you. (Romans 12:9)

Kind words: If you’re anything like me you might find that you’re mouth has a tendency to get you in trouble. Even though I usually mean well sometimes I say things, that I learn later on, didn’t sit well with someone else. You can’t please everyone but you can be aware of the words you’re using and be a voice of kindness and encouragement to others. I’d shy away from using humor at the expense of someone else and make a conscious effort to lift others up. People who don’t know you will size you up based on the things you say. (Proverbs 15:1)

Leave judgment at the door: Who are you to judge another? Seriously! I’d bet if someone looked hard enough they could find a thing or two to condemn you for. People have different backgrounds, life experiences and are walking their own path with Christ and you have no right to lay judgment on another. Correction can only come from a solid relationship built on love, trust and respect. Next time you’re tempted to judge someone for their choices, I encourage you to try showing them love instead. (Matthew 7:1-2)

Meet someone’s needs at every opportunity: Life is tough and families can easily find themselves in need through circumstance, poor choices or simply God’s will. Take action when an opportunity presents itself to meet someone’s immediate need. Whether it’s lending a cup of sugar, offering to drive to an appointment or providing groceries you can rest assured that your efforts probably mean more to them than you could ever imagine. If you’ve ever been in need, think to yourself what a difference it would have been to have a helping hand. Make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons and using it as an opportunity to build someone up; don’t ever make someone feel inferior or less because of it. And if you’re expecting something in return, don’t bother. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

Build a relationship: I’m always surprised that many people would rather donate money or material things rather than their precious time. If you truly want to love your neighbor I encourage you to open up your home and heart to others. So many in this world suffer from loneliness and friendship can be life altering for so many. You might even find that it changes you for the better. Reach out for the purpose of connection and rid yourself of any agenda. All it takes is a simple Hello to get the ball rolling. (Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10)

Pray: Pray every single day. The more time you spend with God the more you’ll find yourself able to exemplify God-like behavior. Prayer offers preparedness and can give you the knowledge you need to be able to serve others while energizing your spirit. Pray for your thoughts and actions, pray for your neighbors and then pray some more. (Ephesians 6:18)

Every day we are given the opportunity to love others. As parents, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbors..we can make a difference just by showing we care. It’s easy to turn and walk away but if everyone did that, what kind of legacy would we leave for our children?

The post 5 Godly Ways to Love Your Neighbor appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

I saw a sign the other day that said, “Man. Kind. Be both.” YES.  I teared up after reading it and then came back to the realization that we are living in a broken world.  It’s almost impossible to turn on the news or open up Facebook and not see yet another tragic incident that instills fear in us. Where has the love for humanity gone? When did people quit loving people? There’s a simple answer here. They didn’t.

Our judgement gets clouded and consumed with perceptions and politics but at the end of the day, I do believe that the heart of most of mankind wants to just love people.  There is no such thing as a perfect world or even a perfect person but when it comes down to it, human decency is not dead. This has been so evident during this past week.

I live in Texas, about 2.5 hours from Houston.  Watching the news has been tearing my heart to pieces.  I was in Houston two weeks ago where I worked with 350 Headstart teachers. I was in Louisiana the week before that working with even more teachers.  For those two weeks, I provided professional development for so many teachers, encouraging them for the school year they were about to begin, oblivious to what was to come.  Today I just sit and pray that these teachers are all safe and still have homes to go to.  It’s kind of surreal to think that the place I was last week is now under water. I have friends in the area that left because they have a baby and were worried that they would lose power. Now their community is being evacuated. All of this sadness is overwhelming.

I personally live my life with the motto, “Love God and Love People.” Everything within me wants to save everyone. How can I help? I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Grief is consuming.  All I know how to do is pray. I’ve been cleaning my house just in case we need to take in evacuees. Really, I need to feel useful. My husband tried to go to Houston yesterday but so many of the communities surrounding it are flooded that you cannot get in. He went as far as he could and just brought food and water to those working the rescues. We have a group of friends that went down last night with boats. They evacuated a nursing home. Can you imagine?

My faith in mankind has never dwindled to nothing but honestly, it was suffering.  My television grabbed me and shook me. Watching the rescue efforts shows the true heart of people.  PEOPLE LOVE PEOPLE.  There will always be jerks in the world but most people really do care about the welfare of others. We know how to be man and kind.

Tragedy has this way of shaking us.  Just like when a loved one dies, we appreciate people in our lives more. We love harder and make less excuses. Our time is more valuable.  Tragedy like what we are experiencing right now is awful to its core but I hope that people watching see that it doesn’t matter what color or what gender a person is, we are all capable of loving and taking care of one another.  It should not be tit for tat or an eye for an eye. It should be love and be loved. Yes, it can be that simple.  Turn on your television and watch the people being rescued. They are not there for reward, recognition or to settle a score. They simply there to be man and kind.

If you are like me, I am sure you are wondering what can you do to help. I think at first, we naturally want to buy everything and give everything.  This is not an opportunity for you to clean out your storage (said with love).  People don’t need ten year old teddy bears and jeans with holes in them (though I do think that may be cool now and people buy them like that, ha). Yes, people are in need but we need to remember that we want to be a blessing in a tragedy and not a burden. Often, relief efforts cannot use many things donated to them.

I would encourage you to do your research.  When dropping off bags of clothes, pre-sort them and label them. Many volunteer hours are spent sorting through stuff so help them out.  We also don’t know how long it will take people to get back into their homes or if that is even possible.  Gift cards are a great idea because people can get what they need. Keep an eye out for future posts on where to send those.  The Red Cross needs people to donate blood too.

If you are a teacher, consider going to the store and buying extra crayons, paper, etc now while they are still on sale. We can help you find a teacher to send them to.  Think about what you would want someone to send you if you lost your classroom.  There are also organizations like Donor’s Choose that are already working on projects for Texas teachers. We are working on organizing some sort of classroom drive once we are past the worst of this. Making cards with your class is a sweet gesture but remember that there may not be a place to send them to.  Be patient and let the land dry out a little. Right now things like that are super sweet but not a priority. Getting people out safely and then assessing the damage is most important.

Also know that Houston is a huge hub for Texas and beyond. Yesterday, most of Waco and our surrounding areas were out of gas. We get a lot of our gas and other delivery based items from Houston.  This also means with limited supplies that prices will go up. Things will get worse for everyone in Texas before it gets better because Houston is a hub for so many things.  There is no easy fix here.

Natural disasters leave their mark in history. You will read about statistics. The number of inches of rain, the total cost of damages, the amount of people displaced, all are relevant things.  What we will remember though, in ten years from now, is how people reacted.  The fact that people choose to be man and kind, restoring our faith in mankind.  Those first responders and the average Joe with a fishing boat, the teacher that is buying school supplies for the teacher that lost everything and the mom that is sending diapers because she couldn’t imagine going through this, those are the things we need to hold on to. Everyone can do something.  Everyone can choose to be man and kind.

Stay safe,

Crystal

Here are a few articles with advice on how you can help. Stay tuned for details to help teachers in need.

Red Cross

CNN: How can you help?

Forbes: Helping Out After Harvey

Texas Monthly Helping Guide

The post Harvey & Humanity appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

There are so many things I pray about every day, some for years.  This particular prayer, 15 years. But, what do you do when the answer is no?

Today’s Story

Two months ago a friend reached out to me. She new a high school aged girl who had gotten pregnant and was considering putting the baby up for adoption because she wasn’t ready to be a mom. Her mom was a young mother and didn’t want that for her too. I’ve joked that I wish someone would just message me on Facebook that they had a baby for me so I was shocked to get this message.

My friend wanted to know if we would consider adopting an African American baby. I told her we would pray about it but I already knew the answer. YES. Send us any of God’s children and the answer is YES. If our life’s testimony is to love God’s people, that means ALL of God’s people. Our love knows no colors.

She told the girl about us and we were given her name and little updates over the last two months. We’ve prayed and prayed for her by name. I offered to help get in touch w services when she was ready and of course we said we would help however we could if we were to adopt. And then we waited. Ultimately, this would be a dream scenario as we cannot afford private adoption.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve done some dreaming of this possible new addition to our family. This weekend we learned that over the holiday the girl decided to have an abortion. I know this is not the ending you were hoping to read. It’s not the ending we were praying for either.

I believe that as ministers we must be transparent and not just share when God says yes. Sometimes when God says no, it means not yet. Sometimes it means he has another plan. And sometimes the answer is in the hands of another person and is out of his hands. I don’t agree with the girl’s decision but I can’t judge her. We are all born sinners and her sin, albeit different, is the same as mine.

This morning at worship practice I choked up as I was worshiping and mourning the loss of a baby I never knew. Oh, if she only knew how much we would have loved that baby. Then, I praised God for his perfect plan because we trust him. Then I prayed for her. Maybe Nick and I were brought into this situation just to do that because God knew we would commit to pray. He knew we would trust him. So, this was not our answer but I still believe it’s coming in some shape or form.

For now, I pray (and I hope you will too) that this situation will change this girl’s life and put her on the right path. One day she will mature and come to terms with her decision. Hopefully, there will be remorse and with that she will be forgiven. She is bright and has potential. I pray she figures that out and fulfills the plans God has for her.

We have to live in a manner of forgiveness and love or we live a life in bondage, anger and resentment and that, my friends, is not a life worth living. Just because the answer is no, that doesn’t mean the story has come to an end.

The post When The Answer Is NO. appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

Dear Teachers,

We need you! We see you! I remember before becoming a teacher and always dreaming of nights off with my kids and summers and all of those “extras” I thought would be glamorous.  Fast forward through years of a reality check.  There are days when people say those same statements to me and I think in my head, “You are lucky I know Jesus because I want to punch you in the face!”  Ha. Y’all that is real talk.  There are no days that ended at 3:00 p.m. or even 4:00 p.m. and really it’s a celebration to walk out of school before dark! And you can forget being about to see your children more.  I just didn’t know what I had to give up but also what I would gain.

My daughter graduated from high school last year and it was a major eye opening experience.  After the first month of school, the staff had been given a warning about absences for the school year and basically “encouraged” not to miss any days.  This always floored me because they give us ten days a year (five sick, five personal) but then don’t want us to take them and if we do there is guilt attached.  I remember walking into my principal’s office and telling her that my daughter was graduating this year and I wasn’t going to miss a thing. Not. One. Thing.  I would use my ten days and I honestly didn’t care what the consequence were.  Since I became a teacher I had missed every first day of school.  Almost all field trips and definitely every holiday party.  If I were to go to my child’s holiday party then who would be there for my student’s celebration? So these moments in time that educators give up are a sacrifice that so many overlook. But, I know. I see you.

I wasn’t there for so many experiences for my own children but I was there for my students and I realize now that this was also a gift.  So many children do not have parents that can or want to attend things and I was that person for them.  I showed up for them and loved them as my own. I not only taught them but I was the person they could depend on.  I was there to celebrate their life everyday, and for some children, I may have been the only one.

The tides of education are changing because children are changing.  A friend of mine said it best when discussing the hardships teachers are facing today. Parents are not parenting because they do not know how or unfortunately some just do not care.  There are also parents stretched way too thin just trying to survive.  It’s not because they don’t love their children, they are just doing the best they can.  More families are faced with poverty.  Children are being neglected and the lack of stability has turned many of them into something we don’t recognize as small children anymore. They are in survival mode . . . fight or flight. Unfortunately, they have no idea how to handle the stress and routine of school when they have become accustomed to chaos, disorganization and unpredictable situations in their lives.

And then there is YOU, the faithful educator who is not equipped to deal with these major life altering events changing the child emotionally and physically.  You went to school to learn how to teach these children academics but you never, in your wildest dreams, knew you would be responsible for so much more.  You, my friend, are not just a teacher! You are a living example of good in the world.  You model courtesy and manners.  You show children how to have an actual conversation…the kind with spoken words! You teach character and integrity.  You hold children accountable and teach them that the world will not treat them like a victim no matter their circumstance.  They must be survivors.  You love them and sometimes you are the only one to do so.  You show up. Tired. Weary. Your love knows no conditions.

People do not choose to be in education for the money.  They do not choose this life for free time. YOU choose this life because it’s a calling like no other.  God has placed you exactly where you need to be…not because it is easy but because YOU can survive the journey.  You are not a quitter.  You have more love in your heart than you can possibly imagine.  Just when you think you are ready to throw in the towel, a student says something to you that reminds you why you are here.  You are planting seeds that God will later grow.  YOU. ARE. HOPE.

Statistically, 50% of new teachers leave the profession in the first three years.  Isn’t that insane?  I believe this is because they are not preparing you for real life in the classroom.  We have to change that.  Educators are more than just teachers.  You are changing our future one student at a time.  Without educators we have no hope.  Our future literally depends on the students growing up in your classroom right now. It’s easy to throw in the towel and walk away but you were called for such a time as this.

Dear Teachers, We need YOU! If no one else has told you today, I appreciate you.  I love your heart.  I understand your sacrifice.  I know you are tired and weary.  I see you and I want to support you.  You can’t pour from an empty well…so we need to find a way fill it up!

We know God has called you to the ministry of education.  He has called you, equipped you and he will sustain you.  God wants you to know that YOU are ENOUGH.

We know your job is hard.  Seek God’s hand in your life and the extraordinary opportunity you have to make a difference.  Be the light in your school and community.  Spark change in the ministry of education.  Change the world.

Your life has so much purpose and you are so necessary in the ministry of education.  It is not easy but it is worth it.  The children are worth it.  Our future is worth it.  Fill your cup so you can overflow into the lives you touch everyday.  We are in this together.  Hold on, sweet educator, because we need you! You are the HOPE our world is needing.

The post Dear Teachers, We need YOU! appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

I love Easter.  I sing in the worship band and Easter is like the Super Bowl event of the year.  I love to worship with so many people.  There is just something special about being in a room that is busting at the seams with worshipers.  Oh, be still my heart.

My favorite thing about listening to the word (on any given day) is that, to me, its interpretation is different each time I hear it based upon the season in my life.  Last Easter, I wrote a strongly convicted post about feeling empathy for God when losing a child.  It was a new, appreciated prospective.  You can read more about it here.

This Easter, God spoke to me about the significance of the tomb.  This morning in the sermon, my pastor referenced the significance of Jesus being in the tomb for three days.  If Jesus was in the tomb for just one day, maybe some would call his resurrection a coincidence and that Jesus hadn’t really died.  Three days.  Long enough to dispel any doubt.  It was planned and purposeful.

The tomb.  The place where Jesus’ body lay for three days.  He was brutally crucified but willingly died. Knowing he would rise again. Three days.

What does this mean to me?

Before salvation, I was sitting in a tomb. I wish it had only been for three days.  The guard would often change based upon the sin of my choosing but no one moved the rock, keeping me bound within.  I sat among the sins of myself and the world.  Without the removal of that rock, I was trapped.  A slave longing to be free.

Lucky for me, and you, Jesus freely moved my rock and set me free. My salvation comes with a new guard, one bringing good news.  So, here is my question for you.  If we have been set free, why do we still stay in our tomb?

Maybe your tomb is shame. Infidelity.  Past discretions.  Current immoral thoughts. For me, I think my tomb is self-control, or the lack of when it comes to making better choices for a healthier life.  You see, we all have a tomb but as a believer, there is no rock keeping us inside of it.  Jesus’s resurrection set us free.  Free from yesterday, free from today and free from tomorrow.

Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you.”

Sin does not define you. It’s something we do, not who we are. Granted, the goal should be to not sin, but we are not perfect people.  As a believer though, we are set free.  Hopefully through that freedom you find wisdom and direction by listening to God’s voice and letting him lead your path.  Whatever path he has planned for you, I promise…it’s not sitting in a tomb.

Jesus’s life had more purpose than to lie in a tomb. So does yours.

Happy Easter friends. He is R I S E N.

The post Are you still in the tomb? appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

Welcome to Kreative in Life! No, you are not in the wrong place.  I am excited to share some changes with you. Big changes. Huge.  My heart is racing just typing this.

Last night I shed a tear when my web designer deleted Kreative in Kinder.  I actually cried. Nick looked at me like I was a nut job.  I just said, leave me alone…I’m hormonal.  Ha! Sometimes that’s all I need to say (true or not) for the members of my family to back off. Ha! Kreative in Kinder. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I have spent the last FIVE years and what feels like a gazillion hours pouring my heart, craziness, and love for education and life on that little piece of virtual space. It really is special to connect with people all over the world.  It’s simply extraordinary when you know they are praying for you. Luckily, my amazing website creator migrated all of the old posts to my new site but the name is gone. It’s a door closed but not without a great door opening.

Sometimes in life you come to a crossroads. You can either stay the course or JUMP.  Today I jumped. It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made. Today I turned in my resignation for my teaching position next year.

Reading my blog, you know my heart. My husband and I want so badly to have a baby.  For the last two years, we have tried (minor) fertility treatments locally but we are at a point where I need to see a specialist out of town.  That really was my goal during this school year but it just didn’t happen. I just didn’t have time. I find myself saying; well…I will do it later.  I am so consumed with my three children and my 22 students that at the end of the day, I have nothing left. That is not a bad thing but as I near 36, I feel my window closing. Something’s got to give.

Nick and I have prayed for months as to which way to go in our journey. We both are in agreement that God has another season planned for us. That may or may not end with a bundle of joy, but we have decided to trust God and take a HUGE leap of faith.

Once school is out, I plan to spend more time consulting and presenting at conferences and in school districts. I hope to create new, meaningful resources that will hopefully alleviate some stress for teachers and increase classroom engagement through exciting lessons. I also plan to WRITE and write freely.  There is so much on my heart. I want to share more about our adoption journey, marriage, parenting, and uncensored opinions on education.

Most importantly, I plan to have flexibility to talk to doctors, visit them as often as necessary or meet with expectant mothers who may chose us to adopt their sweet baby.

I LOVE my school, my team, my friends but I know God has BIG things planned for my family and as scared as I am, God doesn’t have to ask twice. I will jump!

Moving forward, I hope you will stick with me.  I hope that the resources I share with you will inspire you. I hope my faith will encourage you and I hope my story will help you feel like you are not alone. We are all in this life together. Each our own hot mess. Ha!

I can’t wait to volunteer at schools. Maybe I will come to yours! I’m excited to work with hundreds of teachers this year.  I hope to be a breath of fresh air or at least someone you can laugh with. I. Get. Your. Life.

I’m not sure how long this season will last, but don’t worry; you have a front row seat to the Hot Mess Express. Ha!

It’s going down, for real. I hope you have picked out a front seat! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get Kreative in LIFE!

The post Leap of Faith…Just JUMP! appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

If ever I’ve earned a Spring Break, it’s this one. My kids had SB last week because we are in different districts. They took turns coming to school with me. I think they understand my need for more naps this year. Ha! 

I’m currently in a car headed to Houston where the hubs and I will board a cruise ship for seven (hopefully) glorious days. We are cruising to Cozumel, Belize and Honduras. I’m hoping to get a good tan to help camouflage the inevitable weight gain. Though, Nick does this we will go to the gym everyday. Yeah, okay (wink, wink). 

If you read my blog often, you know how much I love my husband. He is my favorite person in the history of ever. Even if his common sense goes out the window when I’m around and I have to answer stupid questions (ha), I still puffy heart love him BIG. 

Nick and I will be married fifteen years this year. When we got married, we made a promise that we would take a vacation alone together every year. Most of them have been to nearby cities in Texas for three days or so but its always been a priority. So is a weekly date night. We go to dinner alone once a week. Sometimes dinner isn’t possible and it’s just running errands but it’s just us. Marriage is so important to us and it doesn’t work if we aren’t both invested and make time together a priority. 

I think people think I’m nuts when I say outside of God, I put my husband first. He is my first priority. You may think that’s crazy since I’m a mom of three but I believe that our marriage is the foundation of our family. It’s the glue that holds our family together. We we are great, everything wlse just falls into place. 

We also want our kids to see that marriage is beautiful.  We want them to look at us and think “that is what I want one day.” Of course we gross them out by  kissing in front of them on purpose because we think it’s funny. Then I tell them when their parents stop kissing, they should be worried.

This is the longest we’ve ever been away from our kids at the same time. This is definitely the most expensive vacation we’ve ever taken together too. Those things could be obstacles but this trip is necessary. Adulting is hard. Marriage is hard. I think going somewhere where there is no cell service, no social media and most importantly no distractions makes all the difference. We could spend a ridiculous amount of money for wifi on the ship but really, I want to be completely and totally present this week.

Infertility is another marriage speed bump that I’m happy to escape from for a hot minute. It takes a toll. Medications, waiting, disappointment. Month. After. Month. I think we have both handled it well because our faith is our foundation but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. I’ve seen many women who get so consumed that they quit living. All they  post on FB is stories of grief. I don’t want us to ever be that way. We have hope in God’s plan for us and whatever that may be, it has to be okay.

God is our foundation. We are our family’s foundation. All of that must be nurtured. So vacation here we come. I’m hoping for tons of laughter, naps, eating, pina coladas, sun soaking and sweet moments. 

You really can’t put a price tag on that. 

Happy Spring Break. Love and virtual hugs. 

The post Marriage: The Gift of TIME appeared first on Kreative in Kinder.

Goals. I kinda hate the word resolution. To me that always equals failure but I’m totally cool with GOALS.

So real talk. I am now the blasted age of 35. Ugh. I know that’s not old but I’m getting near that age of really needing to be out of the baby zone. I know people have babies when they are 40 but I just can’t. I just can’t. So my main goal this year and putting operation baby in the number one priority slot. I really struggle with this because I am always in mom/teacher mode, trying to care for those 25 always on my mind and heart. So, I put operation baby on the back burner. I’m always saying, well, I’ll make those calls or appointments on the next break but it never happens because I get busy. And each break passes and I am running out of time. I’m not sure what this means for me but I do feel like I’m entering a new season in my life and ready to make big changes.

First thing is getting me back in a healthy routine of exercise. I really need some endorphins people. I can’t keep showing up at that semi sketchy massage place in the mall for a thirty minute beat down by someone with a heavy accent and expect my tension to disappear. Ha! This has been a hard semester for me. I’ve dealt with a ton of anxiety which leads to emotional eating for me.

Don’t you just love how I vomit my drama here? Well, I just want you to not feel bad about you being a hot mess because I am one too. Ha! Honestly, who is perfect? Not me! People have no idea how stressful our job is and how much hurt we carry in our hearts for the babies in our care. It takes a toll. But let’s real talk; I’m trying to reteach myself that I’m no good to anyone if I am not healthy and happy. I pray every day for God to fill me to the point I’m overflowing. I’ve learned that this is not a selfish prayer but instead a prayer for God to make me whole so I can give more of myself without losing myself. Does that make sense?

So 2016 my one little word would be WHOLE.

God make me whole. Fill me to overflowing. Teach me to care for myself so my well doesn’t run dry. Teach me to know who I need to pour into and how much so I don’t dwindle down to my last drop. Help me to be disciplined and faithful to overflow into the right things.

I’m hoping through this next season that I will finally find a baby. I keep reading Facebook, hoping someone will post that they have a newborn they would like to gift me. Ha! If only. I’m not sure if this treasure will be found through a fertility specialist or through adoption but either way, we will follow the path God lays out for us. It makes me sad that it cost so much to adopt or have a surrogate (though I do understand the sacrifice of both). I do plan to be completely transparent during this new season so stay tuned for more details than you care to know.

Whatever 2016 holds for you, set a goal. Be realistic. Remember no one is perfect and failure is only for a moment. Every day is a new day and you can start fresh tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be on a Monday. God is merciful and gives us so much grace. That renews daily so make sure you grab your fill. Make your life meaningful outside of your classroom. Yes, teaching is such an important calling. I’ve always felt that it’s not just what I do but so much of who I am. I also have to remind myself that I cannot define my entire life by my classroom. There is more. Oh, so much more. Though it’s a worthy cause, it shouldn’t get ALL of me. You shouldn’t feel guilty for filling your store house to overflow into other things too. Stop living from break to break. Stop putting off your dreams. You have the choice to wait or ask God to help you move mountains. (This is me preaching to myself.)

I’ll leave you with this image. I’m going to print it and put it on my bathroom mirror. This year be PRESENT. Be WHOLE. Be the LIGHT!

Happy 2016 friends. May your year be filled with overflowing blessings and life lessons that will enrich your life in only the way God can. Love and virtual hugs.

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