the end of the line...

well, tomorrow is the day. the last day, in fact, that our school will ever be open. it's going to be bittersweet tomorrow -- although i am ecstatic that the year has ended and i can enjoy my summer, i'm really going to miss my kids. many have told me that i become way too attached to the kids that i work with -- not only during this job but my last job as a behavioral therapist. but really, how can one not become attached? i talk to these children about God and Jesus and Mary and struggles and relationships and life every single day. i share my life's journey with them in hopes that they will be inspired. i am open with them as they are with me. how can one not become attached? teaching is not just a job...it's a vocation, a calling. and in a world where people have become so utterly detached from each other, not only in the workplace but in all areas of interaction, a little closeness wouldn't hurt.

i read dr. seuss' oh, the places you'll go! to my class last friday and struggled to hold back the tears. i hope they couldn't tell. my favorite line in the book: kid, you'll move mountains.

* * *

i had a bit of a confrontation with my "boss" today. he became upset at me for dedicating a page in the yearbook to our former principal, even after i told him that it came from the kids, themselves. he didn't believe me. he then proceed to blame her for the closing of our school. he also said there were others more "worthy" of the dedication page. i sincerely hope he wasn't talking about himself, because that would be a joke. talk about being a shepherd.

i've never despised anyone as much as i despise him. and that is saying a lot.

so, i pray for him as we all are called to pray for our enemies. i have tried to bite my tongue and hold it in for the past 6 months, but i'm afraid that this last day is tempting me to explode in fury if he comes up to me again. please pray for me. and pray that i don't lose it in front of the kids. be a leader, dee...love your enemies.

God help me.