Remember What is Behind, and Looking Forward to What is Ahead

So 2014 is almost over and this year has really flown by. I am glad to have had the past two weeks off just so that I could take some time to breathe! To tell you all that 2014 has held and taught me would take up far too much room on this blog, but I can summarize it all into one word....WOW. This year has been so so exciting from finishing my degree, to my first year of teaching, to becoming engaged, and planning a wedding. At this time last year, I never could have even imagined all these things that were coming my way, it is absolutely crazy what happens when you just take the steps each day that God is asking you to take, look up! He is leading you to great things! 

2014 has been a year full of healing, full of restoration, full of powerful moments where I could do nothing else but stand in awe of how big my God is. 2014 has taken me to some great peeks and some low valleys, I have celebrated, rejoiced, and experienced challenge. 2014 has been a year to remember, it has held some life changing milestones, it will forever mark my life. But you know, I am really excited to put it behind me. That's crazy right?! Such an amazing year, filled with amazing moments, wouldn't you want to enjoy it? Yes, and I have, but the growth and lessons, and chapters of this year are over and as amazing as they have been, it is time to pick up what I have learned, take what God has shown me, and carry it all with me into the even more glorious adventures that 2015 will hold.

I could really say a lot about the various things I have learned in this year, but I will speak to the biggest lesson I have been experiencing. God's ways are so much different from our ways. His plans are so much better than any we could conjure up for ourselves. I'm a planner, I like to make plans, I like to know that things are going to happen, I like to know when they are going to happen. My life works in a schedule. And I like it that way. But this year, God threw my schedules and plans out the window and said, "trust me, let's walk." And I did. Sometimes not on my own, sometimes He was pushing me through, but we walked. You know what I discovered along the way? God is a very personal God. He doesn't just know things about us..He knows us. All of us. Every part, minute detail, deep concern, hidden secret, most precious longing. He knows. And when we are walking closely with Him, we get to experience how well He knows us, we get to know His great plans for us.

As 2015 comes, I want to continue this walk with my Savior. I want to continue to experience His deeply personal love, and His incredible plans for me. I want to know Him more, I want to learn to love Him better. 2015 is going to hold some more remarkable milestones, I'm getting married, changing my name, beginning a new life with my soon-to-be husband. 2015 will be another year to mark my life, but I don't want to make any plans for it (expect those wedding plans, they are kind of important!). I want to be available to walk with God alongside my husband, I don't want to miss out on the beautiful things He would have in store for us. I am stoked to discover them! Stay tuned to find out what they are.

Happy New Year my friends!
xo,
Kaity

The Lord bless you

    and keep you;

 

the Lord make his face shine on you

    and be gracious to you;

 

the Lord turn his face toward you

    and give you peace. 

-Numbers 6:24-26

Adventures in Room 416

I have been waiting for this morning for weeks now. The morning I could wake up with no alarm, throw a blanket over my shoulders, pour myself some Christmas coffee (it's really just regular coffee using a little bit of eggnog as creamer and sprinkled with nutmeg...mmmm...), and sit down in the quietness of the morning to write. No obligations looming in the back of my mind, no deadlines to worry about, no long list of to-do's to tackle.  Happy first day of Christmas break to me! My heart is happy.
This particular post has been working itself out in my mind for some time and I think it is time to put my fingers to the keys and type it out. In August, I began my first year of teaching. My assignment has been all-day Kindergarten in room 416. My co-teacher and I have a group of 22 precious students and each day they fill our lives with joy, challenge, and laughter.
I have had the time of my life teaching these little ones. Sure, there have been difficult days, even difficult weeks (warning: the first year of teaching your immune system really gets put through the ringer. Stalk up on vitamin C and clorox wipes.) there have been days I have felt maybe I'm just not cut out for this job, days I felt like I had failed each one of my students. But the good days in room 416 far outweigh the difficult ones. I have learned ALOT from my first five months of teaching. Those kids are showing me so much everyday, most recently, a few lessons on grace.

The first lesson: a direct reflection of the grace that God so lovingly and undeservingly pours out on me each day.
            I will admit it. There are days I just don't bring it. There are days I am just not as patient or gentle or kind as I need to be. But, it never fails in these days when I am selfishly feeling like a failure that one of my kids comes up, wraps their little arms around my legs with a tight squeeze and looks up to say, "you are the best teacher in the whole world!" I know. It melts my heart too. Every. Single. Time.
            These special little hugs show me how much grace my students hold out for me. These hugs say, "I know we can be a challenge, I know you are having a tough day, but I also know you are better than this and I want to give you another chance to show me." Over and over again, I am reminded of my gracious Heavenly Father, who shows this same grace to me all day everyday.

The second lesson: A reminder that I am responsible to reflect the grace of God to others. A reminder that God is so good to love us.
             So this is very similar to lesson #1 but I feel the need to give it a separate title. It's sort of the reverse of lesson #1 actually. To teach kindergarten, you really need to set your mind every day to serve. You walk into that classroom of course, to teach, but also to be a helper, to serve those kids so that they can learn how to do things for themselves. They are smarties, but they are also 5 and still need help tying their shoes, putting on their jackets, remembering daily tasks, and making rational decisions. Teaching math, phonics, and reading is the easy part. Helping, can sometimes be a challenge. "Tie my shoe!" "Fix my jacket!" "I'm telling on you for looking at me!"....ah the daily background music to my life! After reminding them to use their manners, and speak respectfully, I tie those shoes, I fix those jackets, I act as referee in the dramatic staring contest. And, after, very rarely receive a thank you, even a smile. They expect the service to be done for them. For a long time, it ate away at me. How do you not even say thank you?! I'm not a personal shoe-tier! But then, God gave me His eyes to see... "Kaitlyn, how many times a day do you say thank you when I tie your shoe, when I fix your  jacket, when I am the mediator of your trials?" (now of course, I'm not crazy, God doesn't really tie my shoes or fix my jackets but you catch the drift of conviction) It stopped me dead in my tracks. These kids need to be shown grace. The same grace they show me when I mess up. The same grace God pours out on each one of us EVERY TIME we spit in his face. These kids need grace!

I love my daily adventures in room 416. The marvelous thing about this job is that everyday is a different day and you never really know what exactly it will hold! I love everything I am learning, I love that I am growing as a teacher, I love that my kids are truly learning and learning a lot! And I love that God has used these kids to draw me closer to him!

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. - John 1:16 

Thank you Jesus.

xo,
Kaity

P.S. here is a look into Christmas time in my classroom, room 416 :)