I could never be a teacher

These past two weeks have been a bit hectic. I’ve been writing papers, studying for finals, trying to find a place to live, and training my replacement at work. I turned in the paper last week, and I’ll take my last final tonight (hooray!). I also found a fantastic place to live and got it for a fraction of the price most of the tenants are paying. Life is good. The only thing I haven’t quite enjoyed is training this new person. She’s a sweetheart, but…well…let’s just say it’s been a patience-building exercise for me. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to not reach over and yank the keyboard from her hands and do it myself. I’m sick of repeating the same thing over and over again, only to be asked about it five minutes later. I just can’t comprehend why it’s so difficult to grasp; my job is really not that complicated, especially for someone that supposedly has the required experience. I guess one month of training really wasn’t that far-fetched after all. I’m now beginning to think it won’t be enough time. She keeps saying “I should get your cell number in case I need help.” In my head I’m thinking, “Honey, if a month of training doesn’t cut it, there’s really no hope for you.” And “H no, I’m not giving you my number!” She started last Monday, so I still have another 3-1/2 weeks of this. My only consolation is that two of the weeks are broken up by holidays; I’ve never been happier for Christmas! Oh, and to make matters worse, she’s been sick this whole time and has been coughing all over the place. Yuck! Right now she’s only working afternoons, so every morning when I come into work, I take out my handy dandy Lysol sanitizing wipes and give my desk a complete scrub down. I just now used my last one to wipe down all my pens and pencils. Guess I better run to Wal-Mart before I come in tomorrow. The countdown is on!

I saw God today

I love music. It clears my mind of clutter and provides an escape whenever I need it. I rarely pay attention to song lyrics; the music is simply there to overpower my racing thoughts. However, I recently discovered two songs that I absolutely LOVE: (1) You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins and (2) I Saw God Today by George Strait. If you haven’t heard these yet, take a minute to go listen.

These songs remind me to take a step back and recognize the blessings I’ve been given in life. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine and forget to give thanks for everything around us. How often do you hear people say things like, “I’ll be so much happier once I…” or “I can’t wait until…” The chorus to Trace Adkins’ song responds to this mentality:

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

It’s so true! I’m often guilty of thinking, “tomorrow will be so much better,” and I forget to just pause and enjoy today. Do we ever really appreciate life while we live it? Or are we constantly wishing for more, ignoring the small miracles that occur every day? In George Strait’s song, he talks about how God’s fingerprints are everywhere; we just need to slow down and look for them. He sings about seeing a flower growing in the middle of the sidewalk, seemingly planted there just for him to see. The noises of the world around him are suddenly silenced by this small miracle, and he realizes he has seen the hand of God. I love the simplicity of this song and the writer’s recognition of God’s hand in all things. Those four words are so profound to me: I saw God today.

We have so many reasons to rejoice each day. I hope we’ll all learn to slow down and appreciate life in the moment. Look for “God’s fingerprints” in your daily life; I know you will find them.

In what ways did you see God today?