Another Farewell to my Former Self

Boxes of teaching materials

A bitter-sweet day. With another move on the horizon, it's time to start the purging process. We try to do this each time the Army relocates us. After we moved from Ft. Hood to Ft. Rucker, my 10+ boxes of teaching materials sat in storage, then again once we landed at Ft. Bliss, and once more when we moved back to El Paso after Tim's deployment. 

Since God has called me to stay at home with our children, these boxes would have probably moved across the country ten more times before I got the chance to use the goodies inside. As such, I decided it's finally time to give away my supplies. I couldn't part with everything, of course, so I went through each box and kept my treasured books, notes, and lesson plans. I was able to fit the "keeper pile" into two large storage tubs and the "give away pile" was separated into six boxes.

I posted my materials in the free section on Craig's List. A mother who is home schooling her kids took all the boxes. It was emotionally difficult to part with the books I'd dog-eared, underlined and dissected as well as the lesson plans I created and the novels my students read. Pouring over the materials made me remember how much I loved creating inventive lesson for my students, teaching them to care about the world, and to do something about their passions. Sure, I enjoy teaching English, but what I really loved was teaching life to these impressionable teenagers that I truly believed in with all my heart. 

Despite my love for teaching, God calls us to different places at different times in our lives. For three years He called me to the education field. But, then He asked me to stay at home to be a wife and mother. Following God's plan has been an enormous blessing and I wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe He will lead me back to teaching at some point. If not, I trust the Lord's plan for my life, continuously praying for my radical obedience--no matter where He takes me. 

---