The Last Time I Was Here...

Anyone who works in Education can attest to the fact that our lives often follow the academic calendar.  We see a new batch of faces each year, and yet we often run through the exact same calendar of events.  We make small adjustments and improvements each time, but for the most part, things will look relatively identical to our calendar for the year before.

So goes my weekend.  I clearly remember hosting the retreat for first-year student leaders on Saturday, and then hosting try-outs for another group that I advise on Sunday.  I even think that my husband was at drill that weekend as well.  But I can't help but think "the last time I was here...I was pregnant".  I remember it distinctly.  The spotting when I wiped had just started the week before, so I remember guzzling gallons of water, hoping on each trek to the bathroom that this time would show that the previous trips were just flukes.  I remember packing fruits and veggies to nibble on during the try-outs since I was "eating for two".  I remember going home and waiting for my husband to return from drill, worrying the whole time about how to tell him that the spotting was intensifying. 

Even though everything else around me is exactly the same, I know that I'm different.  I'd like to think that I'm a better person than who I was at this time last year.  I feel like I've grown--at least I know that my faith has grown. 

I'm blessed that the retreat went so smoothly yesterday.  We had a few no-shows, and I had to ask one of the mentors to run and get a vegetarian sandwich that apparently hadn't been ordered, but it went really well overall.  We even had overcast skies for the morning activities, which is a huge relief when you live in the desert.  No one was injured, and it seems like everyone had a lot of fun.  Seeing the joy and excitement in these students reminds me that this is what God called me to do.