These Were the Moments

If you think back to this time last year, I was sharing my theme verse for 2016. Since I was not blogging at the time, I did not get to recap how I felt the year went. You can read the whole blog post here, but I will just remind you what the verse was: Esther 4:14 - "Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created." 
I put the verse everywhere this year. It was on my car dashboard, in my classroom, in my phone, anywhere I could think of that I knew had potential for me to read it on daily basis. While there were many things that led me to think of this verse for myself or for others throughout the year, these were my top moments where I knew... the verse was meant for 2016. 
Becoming an Aunt.  Let me tell you. I have the best aunts and uncles out there. Seriously. And I know they have loved me my whole life. But the moment I became an aunt, I looked at them in a whole new light. I was like ohhhh. You love me thaaat much?? No wonder Aunt Kim cries every time a cousin gets engaged!! Or Aunt Terri just wants to talk about teaching math because we share the same passion!! I totally get it now! Because I feel as if I was created to be Cambrie and Jude's aunt!! I would do anything for those two little nuggets of joy!! So when they were born... that was a moment. 

My students this year.  So far, my students in the STEM program have never had a math teacher that has stayed for a second year. So now, as 8th graders, one of the first questions I was asked was, "Are you gonna be here next year?" My response was, well y'all are going to high school! And they replied with, "Yeah, but we could come back and visit." And that's when I knew. I was supposed to be here, in that moment, for these students. Because lets be honest, those big bad 8th graders are typically the ones who crave the most acceptance. It's one of the reasons why I love them so much. It's a fantastic year to pour into these adolescents who then move on to being the small fish in the high school pond. While there have been a multitude of other examples, this one makes my heart smile. I have a girl who is definitely gifted and talented but totally self-deprecating. She thinks she is only GT in English and is terrible at math. (Sidenote: she's not terrible at all, she just has to work slightly harder in math) One day after I worked with her on a concept that should have been learned in 6th grade she told me, "Ya know, I've never wanted to try in math.... but, I'll try for you." And that was a moment. 
My former student's dad's funeral. This was one rough. For this family I taught and coached both daughters. One daughter is a freshman in college and one is an 8th grader. Their dad was diagnosed with cancer about 3 years ago and the now freshman, then sophomore in high school reached out to me. She knew my dad had had cancer and asked me what to do and how to pray for him. After about a year, he was in remission and all was good. Until this past year when the cancer returned and rapidly took over his body. October 22nd was his celebration of life and all of my old school's coaches were busy with a tournament that day. So, the theater teacher (and my good friend) and I went to the celebration. And y'all. a celebration it was. The first hour was all praise and worship music. So, surrounded by about 20 of my former students.. most who I taught, and all who I coached... I got to praise God. And after two hours when I was leaving, I couldn't help but think.. Man, I never want to have to do that again, but what a privilege that I got to show my students that he is a "good, good father" and worship in front of them. And I got in my car, and I looked at my verse in the dashboard... and I thought, maybe, I was created for this moment.