I put up my Christmas lights this week. I literally danced around my house yesterday plugging them in right as the sun set, excited to have my living room lit up with joy and wonder- because that’s what Christmas lights hold to me- joy and wonder.

It’s been really busy lately. I feel like I’m on the edge of bursting with the things that have been filling my calendar. All good things! Oh so many good things, but I don’t think it ever ends. Each new day brings another meeting, another activity, another event with students, or, just barely a couple hours so I can catch up on some grading, squeeze in a bath to relax, practice some piano, or put away some dishes.

I’m not really sure how it happens, each responsibility building on the next, and before I know it, the minutes of the day are gone.

Thursday of last week, I woke up for a morning exercise, hoping to be moving some before my day began. Once the bell rang to end the school day, I had my second meeting of the day, the first having taken place during one of my prep periods. Immediately following that, I had another meeting, this one as part of my role as the NHS advisor. I went straight from there to dinner with my friend and her family since I’ve agreed to stay with her kids for a few days coming up. I left her home to go back to my classroom for an evening test-prep session for my AP Chem kids, grabbing the cookies two students and I had made the day before on my way. After our study session, I zipped over to get some pumpkin seeds from a friend for an appetizer I’d be making for students over the weekend. I once had a student describe a day like this as a ‘seven-layer day.’ Like the popular taco dip, each nook and cranny is filled with something else happening.

Saturday, I spent my morning with a brief coffee celebration of my birthday (it was fabulous by the way ;)) followed by watching some of my favorite guys crush it in the football (soccer) semi-final game. I headed home where I began the process of baking 6 loaves of pumpkin bread and toasting pumpkin seeds, whipping up some pumpkin soup, and prepping some pumpkin spice white chocolate hot chocolate. I had about seven students join me for the last couple hours of prep since the food was for them and their classmates as part of a ‘progressive dinner’ for ‘class party.’ My home was one of four stops in the freshman rotation since I’m a freshman sponsor! At my home we had all things pumpkin appetizers/drink. Then they had other fall themed sides, main dish, and dessert at three other stops on the dinner party route. Come 6pm, the flow of students through my home began. Within three hours, I’d successfully fed 62 students split into four 45 minute chunks. WHEW.

Sunday, the day began with a crew of three in my living room who are working to self-study AP Music Theory. They discovered I like talking music with them. They also discovered I have a keyboard, so I plunked out some tunes while they practiced the skill of melodic dictation (writing the notes they hear) in my cozy little living room for an hour before church. After church, my car was loaded up with my AP Chem girls from last year as we headed into Nairobi for a long-awaited trip we’d been talking about since June. Parent permission from each girl having been recorded, we all got cartilage piercings (yep-me too!). Music pumping the whole way there and back, squeals of delight and lots of yummy food later, we made it back at least half an hour before their 7pm curfew- just enough time for me to join my Sunday night tradition of watching Survivor!

Monday brought another full day of teaching, followed by our end of term staff farewell meeting where we honor the families leaving for home assignment, or leaving for good. Pre-scheduled before we realized the overlap, I left straight from that for my ‘birthday club’ dinner, this one for me! Having stuffed myself with incredible curry, salad, and chocolate mousse, I came back home and rested, reading a book for an hour, before my neighbor texted me and asked me to come over. I obliged to find she’d baked me delicious cookies and had a couple of our other friends in her living room to celebrate my birthday again!

Tuesday, I decided to cancel my regular Swahili lesson. I planned to head down to our local coffee shop as soon as the bell rang, grading in tow for a little bit of catch up. At one point in the day, I ran into a sweet friend of mine, as I explained my plans for the afternoon she asked what I was up to for dinner. Since I’d be at the coffee shop, halfway to her house, did I want to join her and her family? I told her I’d text her. While we haven’t caught up in a while, I realized saying yes to her would be totally defeating the purpose of cancelling my lesson. Three and a half hours of grading later, I headed back up to my home ready for some rest. I literally fell into my bed.

Wednesday I had another meeting, hosted my regular Wednesday evening dinner with the other single folks on campus, but finally felt a little like maybe there had been some space to breathe in a couple spare moments throughout the day! I then excitedly welcomed two lovely students who helped me begin the Christmas decorating process.

Thursday I hosted three sweet sisters for dinner who share Southfield as their home base. One of them was finishing up some homework and running a little late, so the other two girls helped me finish hanging some lights on my front porch while we waited. They rushed off for drama practice and I am sure I crashed on the couch. Honestly I don’t even remember and it was only two days ago at this point!

Friday, after a full day including back to back lunch meetings, I enjoyed the boys football (soccer) final game (we won- of course) before heading out to ‘shadow sophomore sales.’ The freshman class will be taking over a regular concession stand of sorts next term, so I showed up at 6:30 to meet some of my freshman class officers to guide them in some intentional observation. After 45 minutes I released them, but stuck around to see if I could learn anything else… It basically turned into chatting with my friend for a couple of hours and made for a lovely evening sipping soda and munching on some overpriced peanut M&M’s.

Saturday began with a ladies breakfast and devotional, followed by more grading at the coffee shop, this time with a friend. After finishing my Christmas lights (I needed a ladder for the last 8 feet on the roof line) I found myself watching an episode of my favorite TV show (Psych) then beginning to write.

I’m pooped and I realized I forgot to touch base with both of my mentees this week, who I usually share a meal or tea with once a week! And yet tonight is the drama, tomorrow I have those same kiddos coming back for more Sunday morning music theory, another birthday celebration (this one for my neighbor), and the season finale for Survivor to watch. Maybe I’ll even finish grading those test corrections…

I find myself looking forward wondering if it will ever end. Two weeks. Two weeks until finals are done. Yet two weeks, and the craziness of term ends, but back-to-back plans of the holidays during the break begin. I’m looking forward to some fun, but I’m also looking forward to some resting. I’m looking forward to some space built into my schedule and for finding some moments to plan my calendar for next term, maybe intentionally blocking off some days where the answer is NO to anything that gets asked of me.

And yet I’ve found in the midst of it all, the Lord providing the strength for each day. I felt his hand upholding me, even as in the last week I keep learning of more and more difficult situations happening in the lives of people close to me. As I sit pondering the implications of illnesses, change, etc. I realize the only thing I can do is to lean in and trust God. That conversation after shadowing the stores with my friend was a reminder of that. The devotional this morning at the ladies breakfast was a reminder of that, the time I got to spend in my students coffee shop doing devos in the early morning hours one day this past week when my morning workout was cancelled was a reminder of that. Even as uncertainty and business rage around me, peace comes from the Lord.

Prayer & Praise Notes

• Would you pray for strength for staff and students alike as we walk into the home stretch of the term? The culmination of a term means music concerts, projects, drama performances and final exams. It’s a lot for students and staff alike to squeeze in!
• Would you pray for peace for me as there are multiple things going on back in Michigan I wish I could be there for to support? Pray for trust in the Lord and his hand of provision there as he provides for me here?
• Would you pray I would be able to rest well over the break? Finding time to also plan ahead, and hopefully practice creating a little more space in my schedule next term?