Back to it?

OK, so since I've added this to my facebook account, I guess that should create some impetus for posting more regularly than I have in a long time. So a little update is in store, I guess.

First of all, I am sitting in a stunning setting, smack dab in the middle of Fort Collins, CO. I remember having visited a friend's house in Rochester years back and being amazed at the beautiful setting that was less than a mile from the mall and other high traffic things in Rochester. I remember telling a friend then that someday I'd love to live in the woods, but still be close to town. Well, now I do. My roommate and I moved into this apartment in the end of November, and it's been beautiful all along. There are evergreens, so in the winter it's not glum, and now that the birds are out, I love having a feeder out and starting a container garden. This is taking off better than my garden from last year as our weather was not conducive to a productive garden with all the hail and cold temps. The corn and beans are taking off!!!

So, the original intent with this blog was to keep you abreast of what God is doing in my life. Well, as of right now I'm learning how to walk beside Him, and seek Him for each provision. My job with the school district got cut, like so many, and that's been a hard spot as I loved what I was blessed to do for three wonderful years. It's also hard because it is a grieving process, and one wherein I need God's grace to be at work in each step to direct me to what's next, and to rejoice in those three beautiful years of my life. Knowing this two months before the end of the school year made those months interesting as I strove to be the best I could be and finish strong for my students.

Now I am wondering what God has in store for me next. I will continue to live today as He gives it today, but there are many obvious pointers God has placed in my life that give a bit of focus. The main thing here is that I am a teacher. I always have been, and this has been brought to the forefront by so many with whom I've worked. Fellow staff have made it clear that I am made for this, and I should hold nothing back in going for further schooling so I can get my certificate. I have come up to many closed doors, and though God has made it clear that this is where I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to do, He's going to have to do it. Here I will list the obstacles I'm trusting God to remove, or to show me how to overcome:

1. No school in the area will accept my previous schooling for either credit transfer, or as a Bachelor's degree to start a Masters program. This would mean I have to start from the beginning all over again,
2. I have received full Pell Grants for my first BA b/c it is accredited through the ABHE, and therefore recognized by the US Dept of Ed. Because of this, I have to fill out the FAFSA with the little box checked saying I already have a degree, and therefore will likely not get as much aid this time around,
3. I am not employed right now save for some odd jobs for which I am grateful. With this in mind, I cannot afford to go back to school without financial aid, and seeing as the above two are in place, it does not look like there's a way to go back to school for me.

With those in mind, I also list why I should be going back to school, and how I know I am a teacher:

1. Fellow staff members have recognized this. I won't go into detail here, but I have been told in no uncertain terms that I can't not do this. This is where I belong!
2. Students with whom I've worked have said I should be a teacher. This has come in many forms, but suffice it to say, they know best. They're the ones learning as I help them.
3. I feel most like me, most like I'm living the dance with God, when I'm teaching and watching students learn what is being taught. I see this all around me, and I love being part of it.
4. I've wanted to teach secondary math since I was in high school myself, but only now have learned how to dream, and to expect that it will come about in some way.
5. God is bigger than all the closed doors, and right now I declare before anyone who chooses to read my posts, He will do this!!!

Well, I think that's enough for now. I need to rest for the evening, and I need to think/pray about what God is teaching me right now, and what to post next. We'll see in the days to come what more He will reveal.

~MJ~