On Purpose...

Today was also a great day... I know what you're thinking... "Yeah, it must have been for you to blog 2 days in a row!" Last day of kids... stress case about cleaning... completed grades... several initials on my checkoff list... got some sweet notes... and ended the school day by coming home to work on some stuff for Africa and church this weekend. However, one of my sweet moments today came when I met a parent of a student I have had for part of the semester this year. I have talked to his mom on the phone but not his dad. So he's a talkative kid, overall good at conversation and knows how to treat people... and overall, excellent for me in the class. He had a few things happen and needless to say, he had to take a step back for a while... which is totally okay. After meeting his mom, I met his dad, very upright, extremely polite and very respectable. He reached his hand out to shake mine and as I introduced myself, he looked at me with a smile, and said, "My son speaks very highly of you." ::chills:: How incredible, to be respected and spoken of highly... now that reminds me to live on purpose. I MUST live on purpose. I must remember that I have the chance to influence and change people and he didn't just happen to be one of them, he was one of them that I was meant to influence. May he, as you, walk in potential to see who you really are and then be excited about living in passion and on purpose...
-Melis

Amazing...!

My 4th Period has been absolutely amazing this year and for more than a couple of reasons. I have had a lot of incredible kids, but as a class, they were Wow... They are/were motivated, challenging, caring, selfless, loving and considerate of others. If we had a Give Back Saturday, the majority of the students I had come were from that class. If I was ever in a bad mood or upset or didn't feel good, they were my most encouraging and caring. They really considered all others before themselves, and again, it wasn't just one or two students, it was the entire group! So about today... of course, we had an emotional last day because that is required in middle school. I was so afraid that I was going to cry because I have gotten close to so many of kids in general, but especially in that class. So they are making fun of me about how I'm going to cry and I kinda thought that if they started crying, I wouldn't... and I got lucky. So I give the "You can make a difference speech" as I do on a weekly basis in most of my classes... I don't know why they let me teach Geography and not character education but whatever, I do both. In the midst of me giving my final speech to this class, some of the girls start crying and I'm thinking "Oh no." I gave them each 3 purple ribbons and told them that they needed to wear one to be reminded that they are to make a difference in the world. I told them they needed to give the other 2 to someone that made a difference in their life or someone that they had the chance to impact over the next couple of weeks. I finished my speech and read them something I had written to them as a class and then each of them had something personal that I wrote. I read them all out loud and that is when a lot of them really lost it. Kids I would never think would even consider crying, all of a sudden are teary eyed and just looking at me like, "Would you stop?" I make it through that part and then we're just talking afterwards right before the bell rings... still some wet eyes, but some sweet, sweet moments. I was so excited to be able to pour so much Truth into these precious kids in just a few minutes today, of course after spending a year with them... it was amazing to love and breathe life and be real with them. I got to say to them what I had wanted to say after all that. However, the best part of it all was the end... After the tears and the bell, a lot of them left and then some of the most amazing, grateful, sweet faces walked up to me and began to hand me their purple ribbons and told me that I had been a person who had made a huge difference in their lives. Love my kids... absolutely love them... to make a difference... to watch them make a difference... may they pour that into the next generation and I will continue to pour it into those I see because now I have at least 7 purple ribbons to hand out to people who have made a difference in my life and people who I want to impact and make an impact... sweet relief... God, you have been so good to me and a fabulous way to start June! Love those around you and truly "Be the change you wish to see in the world!"
-Melis