Parents

Parenting is a hard job and it doesn't come with instructions! It does come with sleepless nights, worry, tears, fears, and joys galore! I know this. I am a parent! My three children are all adults with homes and lives and families all their own. I hope that some of the parenting decisions their dad and I made haven't left them scarred for life!! If they were, we are sorry. We loved (and still love) our children, we did the best we could, prayed a lot, and hoped for the best. We are proud of the people our children have grown to be.

I am thankful for BOTH sets of my parents. I'm thankful that my birth parents chose to give me life. The 'alternative' wasn't legal back in 'the day' but it was available. I'm truly, truly thankful for Mom and Dad who took me as an infant and loved and nurtured me through childhood and the teen years and into adulthood. My dad was in an horrific car crash just before I turned 3 years old. He was riding in a car pool to work with four other men and they crashed head on into another vehicle early one foggy morning. He was lucky. He lived--one of just three people that did. But he was left a paraplegic. His legs were paralyzed. However, his mind and his spirit were anything but paralyzed. I'm not sure my daddy ever heard the phrase 'if life gives you lemons, make lemonade' but that is exactly what he did. He got on with his life. He did many things the experts said he would never do! He was a good husband and a great dad. My dad has been gone for just over a year now. I miss him. My mom, at 80 years old (or young!), still lives independently in the house where I grew up. She is a wise woman whose counsel I regularly seek. Now, I'll be honest and tell you that it took a few years (maybe a decade or two!) for me to truly appreciate her wisdom but I do. I'm so glad I can speak to her each and every day.

I'm thankful for the parents of my students. You have chosen to have your child educated in a Christian school. You are sacrificing to make that a reality. It's important to you.  I thank you for the hours you spend with your child preparing for school the next day. I thank you for involving yourself in your child's extra curriculur activities. You are investing in your child. You are investing in OUR future.