Month: May 2016

How long does it take to make a difference in someone’s life? Maybe it’s felt  instantly. Maybe it’s one note at a time.

This afternoon, shortly after school got out, I received a call from JD. This isn’t unusual.  He calls me often on his way home from school…mostly to ask me if we have food at the house.  Side note: We ALWAYS have food at the house. You might have to cook it, but seriously – when have we ever not had food in the house?  Okay, back to it. I expected to once again run through a list of groceries and leftovers, and have him tell me he was going to run through a drive-thru.  Instead he says:

Mama, I have some great news, and some really bad news, too.

Me: Okkkkayy….

JD: Well, all the band students got called to the band room at 2:55 today, and at first…

Me (cutting him off): OH MY GOSH!  He’s leaving, isn’t he?!

He goes on to tell me how his assistant band director has accepted a new position as a head band director, closer to his home.  He says:

It really is a great opportunity for him, so I am happy for him – and have to be happy for him. How could you not be happy for him? But man…..it sucks for us. I mean, he’s too good not to take a band director job, and it’s closer to his family, so yeah – he totally had to do it.

I listened to my kid go on about his reaction to the news – and that of his friends – and as a mom I felt sad for him. However, I started to think about how we impact the lives of those around us.  You see, this assistant band director was only here for one school year.  The truth is, anyone who knew his credentials and saw him with the kids, knew he would get an opportunity of his own one day.  It was a given.  I thought back to last year and about how JD wasn’t sure he’d like him as much as the former one….for the simple fact that the former one played trumpet and this one was a “woodwind.”  For those unfamiliar, a person who plays trumpet will never understand why someone would make the decision to play a woodwind instrument.  ha!  Mostly kidding…or maybe not.

As a parent, I knew we were going to get another young assistant, and while his age doesn’t bother me, I also knew that this person would get to spend a lot of time with our kids. You really hope that even if they have just graduated from college they are able to command a certain respect and put a divider between themselves and the kids.  I don’t care if in 4 years it is quite possible you could sit down and have an adult beverage with these kids because y’all are so close in age, there has to be clear boundaries – and even if some of the parents have older kids your age, it’s important to be able to have a conversation without feeling like you’re talking to one of your own children. It had to be a difficult place to be in for him, too; knowing parents are watching and wanting to present yourself knowledgeable and capable.  He was more than qualified, and never caused me a moment of doubt.

Within a couple of weeks, JD announced that he thought he liked this assistant better than the former – even with that fatal woodwind flaw. He would come home and talk about what he was learning, and some of the things that were passed on. Today, I know that he and all of his fellow band members felt the same sense of excitement for their teacher, but loss for themselves. As a matter of fact, I met a fellow band mom at the gym and the first thing she asked was if I had checked my email.  I told her no, but I knew what she was going to say, as he had called me. Her son had called her, too.  We pretty much had a moment of silence for their loss – standing right there on the ARC trainers….haha!

So, how long does it take to make a difference? Maybe it’s instantly.  Maybe it’s one note at a time – until you look up a year later and it’s hard to imagine what the year would have sounded like without that person.

I have no doubt that when he looks back on this chapter, JD will remember the assistant band director who had questionable choices in what instrument he liked to play (ha!), but taught him not only about music, but life. We wish nothing but success – and the new school is so so fortunate.

Each of us have an opportunity to make an impact. Never underestimate just what you bring to the table – and into the lives of those around you.

This is a beautiful life.

 

 

 

I didn’t get up this morning intending on starting a new blog.  For months, I’ve found it hard to write – hard to find the words that are in my heart, and commit them to paper….or rather, the internet. There has been a struggle within myself, and honestly, it’s not a struggle I’ve very familiar with at all.  You see, I am a content person.  I find happiness in everyday joys, count my blessings, and look for the good in just about all situations.  That is why I think I’ve been at a loss to describe this feeling.  It’s a restlessness.  It’s being honest about wanting something different…something more.  It’s wrestling with the fact that I believe we all have our unique gifts, talents, and abilities and we have a responsibility to use them, but wondering if I am using mine to the fullest of my potential.  I have to venture to say that if I am asking myself that question, the answer is no. If the answer is no, then why not?

It’s a longing unfulfilled.  For what?  Well that is what I have been asking myself. When I look at my life, I see that I am blessed and fortunate.  I am never far from remembering where I came from, and being even more thankful for where I am today.  Sometimes – you get so wrapped up in where you came from, and how where you are is better than you could have imagined, that you feel guilty for wanting something more.  Or, at least, I do.

In one year (one year and 5 days to be exact), my son will graduate high school. He will be off to pursue his dreams, and I have been encouraging him to do just that – pursue them with all he has in him. I encourage him to seek God, trust in Him, and to remember that we all have something unique to contribute – something only we can bring into the lives of others. And somehow in all of that, I started reminding myself of the same.  Suddenly, this life of contentment feels restless.

Can you be content and restless at the same time?  Yes, I think you can.  I think you can be content in where you are today, but restless and excited for the future.  I think you can absolutely be thankful for all you have, but seek more – to be more – to do more with what you were given.

What does this mean for me?  Well, right now it simply means trying to find the words for where I am. It means seeking God first, asking Him to settle my heart with where I am supposed to be, and trusting that He has all the details worked out.  It’s trusting that He will be faithful to complete what He started in my life.  It’s believing that if He called me to it, He has already placed in me what I need to see it accomplished.  It’s relentlessly pursuing Him.  It’s deciding to stop using my blessings as an excuse to not pray big for my life, believe big, and see big things come to fruition. It’s a little scary and even more exciting.

In looking for a picture to put on this blog, I was drawn back to the one of me at the beach last year. If you look over the water, you’ll see the storm clouds. If you look behind me, you can see the light of the sun coming up. It reminds me that even when we walk through uncertain times, or feel unsettled, He is still there guiding us. You can either looks towards the storm, or look towards the Son. I can either look at all the ways I might fail, or look towards Him to guide the way.  I know where my eyes are set.

Philippians 1:6 – being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Restlessly content. Relentlessly pursuing Him.