“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
So much is different, every part of my career has changed for me over the past few weeks. The days have been long, and it’s not been an easy journey for many educators. Every aspect of my job has had to be amended. It’s been especially difficult to see so many of my friends and family members who are also educators, burdened with the weight of this school year.
Teaching has never been for the faint of heart; this year has proved to be a true test of perseverance and personal grit – and it is only September! After a really long day, tonight, as I was holding Molly Anne’s hands in mine, I kept feeling bumps on her palms. I could not figure out what they were, so finally I asked her why her hands had ridges across the middle. She said, “Oh Mama, those are just blisters from the monkey bars.” It’s seems funny to say that these blisters brought back some normal for me. Memories came flooding back of days, not too long ago, when my two older daughters sat in my lap and showed me their blistered hands from the same set of monkey bars. It’s a rite of passage, I suppose.
Even though everything in the world seems like it is changing on a moment-by-moment basis, these precious, little blistered hands provided me with a glimpse of routine and normalcy. The blisters are a sweet reminder that my girls love to play, and they love a challenge. Oh, to have the heart of a second grader! Such bravery to reach for the next bar, again and again! I have to be honest, many of the challenges we are facing daily in our classrooms, make me cringe in fear. The struggles we are facing at times seem not fair, and my heart is deeply burdened.
Life right now is sort of like learning how to cross the monkey bars; one has to work on reaching the next bar, rather than focusing on the whole set. Each day, reaching for the new bar is a step of faith and endurance. I am praying for the day we make it across, until then we must focus, one bar at a time.
May God’s peace wash over you my friends, we may have blisters on our hands, but we are making it one bar at a time, little by little.
– Aimee King, St. Luke’s Member
