"I've Lost Everything!"

The best material for blogging can be found in the midst of my daily, everyday classroom setting if my ears stay opened and my heart remains soft.  Such was my experience this past Monday.

Believe it or not, "my" six and seven year olds authored a "how to make your favorite snack" writing piece.  After many drafts, much shared inspiration to keep them on track, I am able to write the "how to motivate little kids who would rather play than write" playbook.  And along the way, I learned how to make a really mean strawberry soda, and saw how many children find chocolate milk just rockets them to experiencing Candy Land in the flesh.

One little boy can surely talk up a storm, but when it comes to buckling down to work, well, let's just say we can only hope for the best.  I have written a little "motor, motor" and taped it on his desk which is his reminder to keep the work going...  Anyway, his writing piece was nearing completion and now he would be able to enter his work into a word frame on a laptop.  These kids finger pick along and Mr. (not) Motor Motor was very much being left in the dust compared to the pace of the class.  He had, however, successfully gotten at least the title, his name and a sentence on his page.  Suddenly, Mr. Motor Motor comes fast stepping toward me very distressed and said, "Mrs. Diehm, I've lost everything!!"

Quickly putting on my emergency-mode hat, I knelt down, embraced him and assured him I could get everything back for him, that nothing had really been lost.  No tears, he breathed and yes, even managed to smile.

What struck me is that there are times when we think we have lost it all - our joy, our security, our connections.  That is never, ever so.  It is our immature soul at work to make us just quit.  Praise the Lord Almighty, we have Him to run to, and He makes all things new...