Are We Sure This Is My Life?: Dear Diary, I Have A Message

Sometimes the simple moments make you wake up and realize just how blessed you are.

Nothing particularly special or out of the ordinary happened today; it was just another day…

…but it was another day in North Carolina. Now do not get me wrong, I am proud to be a Houston/H-town/North Side girl, but something was pulling me here with the Holy Spirit OR my discernment OR my gut instinct OR whatever you want to call it, and I followed it. I stepped out of my comfort zone, and every day has been such a blessing since then.

I do love my Houston skyline.

For the first time in my 17-year teaching career I work at a school where I have a wish list as a teacher…on my website…that parents want to buy things for the classroom, for the kids, and me. I have so many school supplies purchased by the parents I am out of space in my room. If you know a teacher, then you know how big of a deal this is to us.

Always in my heart.

Tomorrow I'm starting an anti-bullying team where the first focus is how safe we are and how safe we will remain. We have practice lockdowns at our school. We have a Say Something week in honor of the Sandyhook victims. I get to make an impact on a new generation and group of kids and they want to respectfully learn about other cultures. I may even get to organize a multicultural night, which thrills me to pieces. My friend, Keisha, told me one day before I left Houston, “Go and make a difference and please teach kids that look like you about kids that look like me.” I get to do just that!

For almost 7 weeks now, every other day I have a parent emailing me thanking me for being at their child's school and giving me positive feedback about what their kid goes home and shares with them from my classroom. Even when the parents question me, it is an intelligent conversation and they still thank me for teaching, loving, or accepting their child. I didn't know these conversations could occur.

I still have no idea what the winter season is going to throw at me since I am a girl that's been in snow once in my life while visiting Canada, but I am still willing to look forward to it, and why not?

Oh, boy.

I was brought to tears because, I realized an ordinary day in North Carolina has been better than most of my best days in Texas. It only took me 47 years to figure that out today.

My message is this…sometimes stepping out of our comfort zone, and walking away from the good, the bad and the disappointments of our present situation, is just the medicine we need to be happy, and you know what, if you decide to step out of your comfort zone those who need to be in your life will still be in your life and those that love you will always love you no matter the distance.

It’s really that simple.