New Things, Old Friends: Friday's Fave Five

Friday August 12, 2011 Can you name five blessings from your week? Susanne from Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday’s Fave Five each week. Click on over and see her if you’d like to join in!

Here are my favorites from this week:

1. A job. It’s no small thing these days to have a job and be thankful for it. And I am. I do love teaching, I love teenagers, and I love my colleagues. It’s been hard to leave lazy mornings and my writing and reading time, but I’m thankful I have a job that I love to return to. My classroom is almost ready and kids come on Monday!

2. Time with my husband. Actually, this week it was time without him that made me realize I was missing one of my favorites! He worked 3 evenings in a row and I was at school during the day. It was so great having him at the dinner table and on the couch with me on Thursday.

3. New stuff / changes. I’ll be teaching a new curriculum in one of my classes this year, and that means gearing up for a couple of new works—reading, studying, and planning. New stuff to discover!

4. First weeks / last weeks. My teacher son has enjoyed his first days in his own classroom this week, and hearing reports from him has been so much fun. And last weeks? Well, my youngest will be returning to college soon, so we’re enjoying his last weeks with us.

5. This quote on friendship:

“The most beautiful discovery that true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” (Elizabeth Foley)

Do you have one of those friends that you rarely see…but when you do, it’s like you’ve been together forever? I’ve renewed one of those friendships this week as a friend has returned to teaching after several years off. And I heard from my college roommate who I see once a year if I’m lucky, and it’s the same. Just like we spent all day yesterday together. We pick up right where we left off. What a blessing!

Hope your week ahead is filled with newness and friends!

Blessings of the Week: Friday's Fave Five

Friday February 12, 2010

Time for a rundown of my favorite things from this week. Once again, a great time to look back and count your blessings! Thanks for Susanna from Living to Tell the Story for hosting for us.

Here are five of my week’s blessings:

1. Friends – I teach at a wonderful school, and I love my fellow teachers. I’m really blessed to teach with people who love the Lord, love kids, and love each other the way these people do. They’re like my family away from home.

2. Good chocolates – There was a nice surprise in my mailbox at school this morning. A little box of Ferraro Rocher chocolates was peeking out at me with a nice Valentine’s Day note. Mmmm…I had forgotten how good these are!

3. Sweet words of love from Scripture – “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1,2)

We are to be as dearly loved children! Isn’t that precious? And the imagery of Christ being given up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice plus the idea of us following in those footsteps gives me pause. Most importantly this week, we are to live a life of love.

4. A store of family memories – We have some great memories of times together, silly moments, poignant times. I’m so thankful for memory! To hear my boys play “Remember when we…” thrills my heart.

5. A good gift – I love giving my mom a gift. After all, she poured herself out for us every day for years, and still spends plenty of time on her knees for her kids and grandkids. She lives in snow country right now, so I sent her a spring bulb basket for Valentine’s Day. She has enjoyed them before, right there in her living room, when there was snow on the ground. Every morning she gets up to see what has sprouted and what has bloomed. They last so long. She called tonight, tickled to get it. Made me happy to make her happy.

All in all, a great week!
Hope yours was, too. Leave me a comment and share your blessings with me.

Happy weekend.