Four years ago

I set my bright, new "professional" bag on my new desk. My stomach was alive with a million butterflies clammoring for my every thought. "Hmmm, should I rethink how I organized the desks in here?" "Is that really where I want those posters?" No time now to change it anyway. There would be students in my room any moment. Would they like me? After all, I was only 4 or 5 years older than some of my students. Would they respect me? Would this be the worst thing I had ever done? I had met a few of them at the open house a few days before. Most seemed less than impressed. Afterall, I was replacing a much beloved woman who had invested a lot of her personal time into helping these kids out. Here I was, still wet behind the ears from my internship...in their eyes, what did I know? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Only ten minutes and that homeroom class would come pouring in. I was not expecting to have a homeroom when I started at school. I just thought I would teach my classes and go home. But, that was not what God had planned. The bell chimed and in walked a pack of freshmen...the class of 2012. These would be the lives I would be expected to get from freshmen to seniors. How was I to do that? Would they seek me out for help? Would they trust me? I took attendence and decided I would have to worry about that later. Four years later I sat in a pew at the graduation of my "babies." How had four years gone by so fast? How had this group of little freshmen suddenly become men and women ready to go out into the world? Together we had conquered so many things. We had fundraised, we had planned events, we had gone on the senior trip. My "babies" had come to me to talk through college application processes, friends moving away, what outfit to wear to homecoming, recommendation letters, and everything in between. With each name called and each diploma passed out, I could recall happy memories and sweet times. What a blessing that God had allowed me...plain old me...to be IN their lives. What an honor...and what a responsibility. As I looked at each face I thought to myself, "I got to have a part in that kids life!" I never expected when I walked into that classroom four years ago that I would be sad to see my kids go. With each speech that night, I laughed and cried. I felt a little silly at first when I packed tissues before I left for graduation...I thought to myself, "I will not need these." I was wrong. I will never forget that class. They blessed me and taught me things that will forget leave a mark on me. I wish them all the best and pray their lives honor God in every way.