Friday, October 12, 2007

Fabulous Friday and a Winner

Even though I've just completed two in-service days at my school site, today has been a great day! I was able to complete the work assigned to us much more quickly than I thought possible. We are revising and updating our course of study curriculum guides for each class, and of course, English covers a lot of territory in different areas: literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary development. After finishing my course of study guides, I realized again just how much we cover in one year. Sometimes I feel as if we're not making much progress, but over time, we continue to add to our base of knowledge in many areas. I am continually praying that the Lord will miraculously fill in all the gaps, as it is impossible to accommodate all the various learning levels when there are 32 students in a class.

This morning, I spoke with a colleague as we poured ourselves a cup of coffee (always a necessity on in-service days!). This humble young woman oozes the love and spirit of Jesus, and I find myself wanting to be more like Him when I am around her. It was just the two of us in the teacher's room, and as we were finishing up, she suggested we pray for one another. We shared such a sweet time of connecting with God and one another, and I was blessed. It can sometimes seem as if we are all working independently with no real support, but this morning we were supporting one another in prayer, and it made a difference in the rest of my work day. Thank you, dear one, for being a blessing in my life.

Well, my post about leaving a comment so I would know who is reading didn't go so well. There are those of you who have told me you are out there, but you don't want to leave a comment. That's fine, but you weren't entered in the drawing, thus making the odds better for those who did leave a comment. :-) (You know that's a joke, right?!) I wrote down everyone's name who emailed, left a comment, or sent a snail-mail card, and I had my daughter, Hannah, draw one for me. I know there are many fancy bloggers who use a random number generator for their drawings, but I'm not that technically savvy, so I used the old fashioned method of drawing out of a hat (well, make that a bowl).

And the winner is....................Cindi!!! :-)

Yes, she will be receiving a Starbucks gift card, and I think I'll surprise her by dropping it by her classroom today when I pick my youngest daughter up from school! That will be a delightful end to a Friday, don't you think?

Anyway, thanks for reading and responding. I still wonder why I feel the Lord is wanting me to do this. I've stayed away all week because I simply haven't had the time, and I realize I run the risk of losing those of you who get tired of there not being something new posted. But really, I'm doing this blog in response to the leading of the Lord, not because I need a huge readership kind of thing. If this blog helps me to connect with the few of you the Lord desires me to connect with, then that's enough for me. I don't have any desires for being well known in blogland or anywhere else for that matter. I read a few blogs regularly, and I click around to other blogs that I see listed on those sites, and really......I think some women (people) must have nothing other to do than sit around writing posts. Even if I wasn't working, I probably wouldn't post more often because I have a husband and four children who are higher on my priority list than blogging.

Well, I'm off to pick up Cindi's gift card! My blessings to each and every one of us on this beautiful fall day!

3 comments:

Kim said...

Yeah for Cindi! Gena I am so blessed by your blogs. I understand not blogging everyday. You are such a great person and you have a great heart. I love how you are so real. I miss you!
Keep blogging as often as you feel lead and I will continue to check your blog. I really do enjoy it. It helps me feel connected to my New Life family that is far away. Love,
Kim

Charlene said...

It's hard to know what God has for us, and why He leads us in certain directions even when we can actually see where we are or who we are interacting with.

Blogging is so invisible in a very visible kind of way. Yet there must be someone God is wanting you to reach and you are probably never going to know it. So many people from all over the world are just popping into blogs, reading and never responding and God knows that.
Follow Him, don't doubt, and like you said - don't be worried about readership! Christ shines through us best when we aren't trying. When we are just living our life the best we can, walking as close to Him as we can, which is most definately not perfectly.

I've enjoyed your blog in fact I was wondering how the Women of Faith retreat went?

Anonymous said...

Yeah!!! It was such a wonderful surprise to see you, Gena, at my classroom door on Friday afternoon. What a day full of blessings! Thank you!

:-) Cindi