Discipline
I’ve been stuck in a rut for a while. I have goals, dreams, things I want to do! But I don’t make the progress I would like on them. Pregnancy and early childhood were valid excuses for me. With my health issues (and with my adorable-yet-very-cranky babies), just surviving was a valid and all-consuming agenda for about six years of my life.
But things have been stirring for the last couple of years. My health has gotten much better (I’ll write another post on that later!), and my babies have been growing up. I spent a lot of time two years ago praying about what I wanted to do, and what God wanted me to do with this next chapter in my life. I did a lot of the typical soul-searching, continued with my very important therapy, prayed a lot, and talked to friends. I finally felt strongly that God was calling me back to teaching. I wasn’t sure what that would look like, exactly, but knew I was supposed to renew my certificate. So, I spent 2007-8 earning 15 credits in Chinese and graphic design. I loved the challenge. I loved using my mind again. I discovered that I really, really missed the classroom.
One of my favorite quotes kept coming to mind:
Your vocation is where your greatest bliss encounters the world’s deepest need. – Frederick Buechner
So last September, after my mom’s heart issues were stabilizing and we found out that she for-sure did NOT have ovarian cancer (thank God), I decided to apply to the sub pool and went ahead and checked “permanent position