First Day Like No Other

Beautiful Life

With each passing summer season comes a new school year- my babies getting older and moving to the next grade, excitement for what the school year will hold in its new beginning, a new crop of third graders who teach me just as many lessons as I teach them.

Perhaps the first lesson I needed to learn this year was to not be all consumed. As this is my eleventh year, I have struggled with this year after year. I do believe the stereotype of an old maid teacher is accurate. Teachers who put their hearts and souls into their students can lose themselves in the endless tasks of each day. There is always more you want to do and more that needs to be done. My personal children have helped me to distinguish between tasks that are necessary and those that I can put on the shelf for another time.

This year amidst the busyness of the beginning, my life outside of teaching took the first place seat. I had to say goodbye to my Grandmama. And although I had the whole summer to prepare for the moment, I found myself unprepared- like someone who left the house without an umbrella on the rainiest of days. Sorrows like sea billows rolled up inside of me whenever anyone spoke to me about losing her.

On the very first day of the new school year, I was only there for the first half of the day. Something, before now, that was unthinkable. The first day of school is just as much a milestone for the teacher as it is for the students. You have to welcome them in, remember how to operate the machine known as the classroom again, and get them all home safely. Not typically a daunting task, but on the first day, it is all about the basics. Instead of fretting over these small but huge details, I had to totally change gears. The rest of the day was spent honoring my Granny and the love she instilled in us by her daily devotion to her family -perhaps the Godliest person I will ever know. What a legacy she leaves behind- one that will continue to reveal itself to me as I am reminded of the lessons I learned from her and as I aspire to be the same kind of woman she was.

Cam - First Day of 1st Grade

I told many people who came to pay their respects: If I could hear her now, she would be saying, "I am sorry for doing this on your first week of school, Sugar. You don't have to leave those children to come to my funeral." She always put others' needs above her own. And as inconvenient as it was in the life of a teacher, all of my students made it home safely on the first day, and all those extra little things I would have been working on so diligently really weren't necessary after all.

Maeve- First Day of Preschool 3Day3s

Granny, please continue to help me remember the only thing that should ever be all-consuming is my relationship with my Savior. Thank you for putting my priorities in line for this school year and for making it a first day like no other.

Oh My Soul

Songs have a way of touching my heart just when I need them.  I think the song "Springsteen" gets it just right when it says, "a melody sounds like a memory."  And it is through music that I have felt a stronger worship than any other time.  I love being able to sing a song and recall the worship I experienced through it.  All summer we have heard this song on the radio every time we get in the car:

"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)"

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

I'll worship Your holy name

Of course I belt it out, and now my kiddos do too.  I usually end up singing the chorus for the rest of the day.  Each verse has spoken to me.  The first one that really grabbed me this summer was the last verse. When it says, "my strength is failing and the end draws near,"  I see my sweet Granny.  This summer has been tough on her and tough to watch.  A kidney stone has put a huge damper on her frail body.   She's been in the hospital, in the nursing home, back in the hospital, and now at a personal care home.  This summer she has lost all of the the little bit of independence she held on to since losing Granddaddy.  It has been like watching her fade away just a little bit at a time.  She sleeps so much and the little bit that she talks is spoken faintly.  But, in true Granny fashion, she is holding fast to Him.  I crawled up beside her in her hospital bed, and as we lay there together, she sang "Jesus Loves Me" louder than I have ever heard her sing it. Worshipping and clinging to His promises all the way to Heaven.  Although it is so hard to let go of the Granny I have known all of my life - her home where we could always find a welcome greeting and humble feast, the little spot on the church pew she filled up every Sunday, the talks on the telephone when you could reach her without getting a busy signal -  I find great peace in knowing that she set an example for me in so many ways.  I know I want to be like her and sing His praise unending.  She will have a seamless worship as she leaves this life and enters into her eternal life with Him and all the loved ones there who are anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Now as the summer draws to an end, I relate to the first and second verses.  Although work is work, I am so fortunate to know that my work is also my mission.  I don't just punch a clock and complete a task.  And sometimes, I admit, I would like the simplicity of a job like that.  Each and every day, I have a huge task that awaits me.  I have 40+ children waiting on me to lead and guide them.  Yes, I do teach them, but a huge part of my work with them is leading and guiding them in life - in all of its choices and in all of its consequences.  It is my prayer this year that I start my day singing praises to Him and end it in the same way:  "Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me. Let me be singing when the evening comes."   I hope I reflect His qualities of being "slow to anger" and having a "heart that's kind" to all my students and to my family as we settle into our new daily routines.   


My soul is so thankful for this life-changing track.

Beach Bums

The McCullers - aka 2012 Beach Bums

We always visit a couple of beaches each summer,  but this year, we got to be official beach bums.  We started with our annual Amelia Island trip. We were greeted upon our arrival by Tropical Storm Debby.  She was such a downer for the first few days!  We made it to the beach each day even with the rain.  I am sure other vacationers thought we had lost it as we used our sun umbrella for the rain and held on to it for dear life so that the strong winds wouldn't blow it away.  It wasn't exactly a picturesque time.  As soon as Debby left us, the weather was blue skies and perfect temps.  So, we got to enjoy "our" beach like normal.  Love our AI traditions.

 From there we headed across Florida and barely into Alabama's Orange Beach.  We spent a week with friends.  We had a party of 13 when we went out, which included 6 adults and 7 kids!  It was very laid back and filled with memories that will last a lifetime!  The kids occupied each other, so we could really relax.  They woke up and played and played from sun up to sun down.  The beach was beautiful.  I forget how nice the gulf waters are.

Last we kept it close and got to visit one of Georgia's beaches when we went to Tybee Island.  This was an extended weekend to celebrate CG's birthday.  She had all of her boys there (and girls).  We stayed in the cutest little beach cottage.  While there we got to take in Savannah too.  Cam and Maeve loved all the new sights. We enjoyed our time together there.

My AI Shrimps

This is going to be a yearly picture as long as we have stairstep cousins

My two love being with their cousins, Clayton and Carson

Moo and Doo and their brood

Cam and Maeve are perfect beach goers now since they both enjoy the sand, water, and sight seeing.  I guess that's a good thing since we spent half a month there. Cam preferred to be in the water, tackling the waves.  His favorite attack method was diving through them.  Maeve's entertainment was the sand.  She doesn't mind being sandy and will sit, lay, or bury herself in the sand.  We nicknamed her our MerMaeve! We even covered her legs and sculpted her a tail out of sand.  Tony and I find a nice shady spot under the umbrella and enjoy the breezes.  We tag teamed watching the water boy and the sandy girl.

Maeve declared Orange Beach Anna Belle's Beach!

Our two even played together a little bit

Chloe - 8
Cam - 6

View of beach fireworks from our balcony

American Honeys - Anna Belle, Chloe, Shelby, Maeve

Water Babies

Waterlogged family picture

We are so grateful for the time and the abilities to truly getaway.  Our bum status was definitely secured as we figured up that we had a total of 15 days spent with our toes in the sand! Rotten. I know.  Throughout the year, we don't have many days just to relax, so we try to bank them during the summer.  If you ever see me with a nostalgic kind of look on my face, you can be rest assured I am thinking about my beach bum days, with a hint of salt on my skin, a thick breeze rustling my hair, the smell of my 50 spf, sand between my toes, and not much on my mind!    

Tybee Island

Our MerMaeve

Cam and Tony throwing the frisbee

Cam on Riverstreet in front of a riverboat

Our last day on the beach

Put Your Hands Up!

Six Flags was hit by the McCullers this week. The Tuesday before the first day of summer is the perfect time to go- the lines were short and the sun wasn't brutal. Iappears that we have one child who is like me and one just like her father! Cam, who read this school year to earn his ticket, was Mr. Anxiety when it came to any ride. He asked every question possible before agreeing to try it out- Have you ever ridden this? How fast does it go? Does it go upside down? Do you get wet? How long does it last? Does it jerk? Please remind us to give him some kind of medicine before we take him back. Despite all of the nervousness and questions, he did enjoy himself. I think he will definitely be fired up about reading for another ticket next year.

Maeve, our Miss Adventure, would ride any ride that she was tall enough for without hesitation! She rode a pretty fast roller coaster, Coyote Rocket, with her hands raised the whole time! She loved every one. When it was finally time to call it a day, she sobbed saying, "I want to ride more!"

Looks like we may be taking a yearly trip for many summers to come.

LL

Our beloved Lake Lanier is, by far, our favorite camping destination. It is mostly because of the familiarity of it since we've been going there forever. When Laura and I were girls, it felt like our camping vacations lasted forever. We never left the campsite as that luxury was reserved for our daddy. He made a daily venture to retrieve the basic necessities....for me that was a container of boiled peanuts or maybe some candy!

Now camping isn't quite so primitive and we leave quite a bit. There are stores and shops much closer to the camper than they are to our house!so we take advantage of the convenience while we are there.

One of the greatest privileges of being a parent is being able to pass on family traditions. And camping is one if ours that we are handing to the next generation. Moo and Doo love to take their grands to Lake Lanier, even though with them in tow, it is definitely not relaxing. They are on-the-go as long as the boys and the princess are around.

Suggie Island is the prime location for entertainment. It is just a little way from the campground by lake but it offers solitude and sandy lake beaches for enjoyable entry into the green waters. It was christened Suggie by Cam who caught on to Moo's nickname for Doo, which is Sug (as in Sugar)!

Priceless time in a not-so pricey place!

Gymnastics Girl

Maeve is doing a mommy and me class once a week this summer. These are pictures from her first class. She loved it! And surprisingly wasn't shy it clingy in a new place among new people.

She learned how to put her hands up and say, "Tada!" when she lands. She came home bragging that she can do a flip (forward roll) like Cam!

She wore a leotard and looked very muscular compared to many of her little classmates. Not sure that she will be an Olympic star, but at least she will have fun trying!

Sweet Summertime

The time of year we long for. The time that we get to be off of a schedule. The time to do things we've left undone. The time to just be.