Light in the Learning

Hello friends. Tori here, one of the girls from my previous blog, Four Girls and a Matthew.

When I created that blog, I was new to motherhood, deep in the trenches with three young girls, and of course doing life with my Matthew. My calling during that time focused primarily on being a mom to my three little beauties.

Fast forward, roughly 10 years later and here I am, still a mom, still a wife, but living in a new phase. No longer do I have a baby and preschoolers, but a teen, a tween and a growing elementary kid.

I have tried on many occsaions to begin writing again but everytime I opened up a post and tried to start, I would just sit, stare, and then eventually close the app, telling myself I would try again another day.

One day in the past few weeks, God made it clear to me why I just couldn’t write anymore. One Sunday morning, listening to the message at church, I heard this thought in my head, “Tori the reason you can’t write anymore isn’t because you don’t have anything to talk about or relate to others, its because you’ve grown; as a woman, as a wife, as a mother and as a Christian. He said, “Now you just have new things to say.”

If anyone knows me close enough, you know that I currently teach in the Exceptional Children’s department at the school I am employed with, sometime referred to as Special Education. This is now a huge part of my life and honestly something I finally feel is “right where I’m supposed to be.”

When others who might not know me as well find out what I do, the response is often, “Man I don’t know how you do it.” Previously I would shrug my shoulders and smile and sometimes think to myself, “Me either.” But more recently it’s so much clearer on what my response should be. It’s because I have Jesus.

My students are some of the greatest people you will ever meet. However, often they don’t always get the chance to show their greatness because of a label, a rumor, or a judgment thats passed much too quickly. That’s okay though, because I know who they are and what they can become.

In my eyes, my classroom is the place where Jesus is displayed in the everyday. Through my students, through my coworkers, and myself. Its where grace is given and love is displayed. We love hard through discipline, expectations and building lasting relationships.

Are there hard days? Are there days where we get it wrong? Are there days where I’m questioning everything? Yes to all.

But there are also days were we laugh so hard we cry. Where we celebrate a huge milestone met by one of our kids. Where hugs are spontaneously given because they just love you.

Jesus walks with us everyday.

My purpose is still the same. Glorify Jesus. The location of my calling has just changed. Although parts of me are still discipling at my home, the other part in now in Room 140.

Stay tuned; more encouraging thoughts to come.

With love,

Tori