Afternoon Thoughts (To Put off Grading)

Lately, I've been in the mood to curl up in a corner and pray pray pray. The lazy girl in me hasn't found that corner, though, which is probably for the best since I don't clean the corners of our house very well. One of the best parts of my job is getting to know so many different types of people. I hear stories all day long that surprise me, make me laugh, make me sad, and make me want to find that corner and get to praying. Perhaps it's the fact that I chose to teach Candide, a book that satirizes optimism, but I have had my fill of brokenness over the past few weeks. The stories I have heard remind me of just how terribly broken we are and how much we hurt. Stories of dying parents, rejected gay siblings, cancer, abuse, depression, racism, poverty, suicide... I need that praying corner just to get me to the next day.

And yet, I feel grateful. I'm grateful that when someone tells me she's lost her faith, I can say then let me pray for you. I'm grateful for the reminder that we are broken. It's no coincidence that I'm reminded of our brokenness as we journey to the cross, to Easter.

The sun is out and our flowers are blooming, and I feel hope. And I know Easter is coming.