Happy School Year!

The pencils are still sharp and the glue sticks still have their caps.  The crayons are whole, the tape around the desks' name tags isn't curling and the backpacks contain no overdue permission slips.

Welcome to the first day of school.

Students from kindergarten through 12th grade returned to class today in my little corner of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.  I'm a substitute teacher at the elementary level (My motto:  "Sometimes a freelancer, sometimes a mercenary") so "back to school" makes me think of washable markers and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
" lunch boxes, not lockers and student parking.  But whatever their grade, each student today opened up the gift of a bright and shiny new year...and tonight some are thinking of returning it.

But they'll be back tomorrow (we hope) and so will their teachers, whether today was marked by exhilaration or exhaustion.  I'm blessed to count a number of teachers, assistants, administrators and support staff among my friends---they're clever, resourceful, funny and dedicated.  They give their best to their students day in, day out.  Here's to you, my friends:  May your year be marked by serendipity and grace.

I'm also pleased to know quite a few students, from a brand-new kindergartener to a college junior.  My words to the young ones:  Don't worry about who is first in line; everybody gets to the cafeteria about the same time anyway.  Close the bathroom door all the way.  And never, ever say "I can't," before you've even tried something.

To the older ones:  Do your homework.  Keep showing up.  And remember that most bad stuff is temporary, like thunder---it rolls through and fades away.

Here's to a great 2014-15!

Traveling Mercies

Thirty-six years ago today Mr. Pettit and I got married. Thirty-six years---I remember when I considered that an age, not a duration. But I'm not here to moan about getting older or lament the erosive power of time. Instead I'd like to celebrate the fact that God doles out our moments one-by-one, fully aware that we can't juggle past, present and future all at once as He does. (Although that doesn't stop us from trying...)   My time as a military wife taught me to savor the journey, since that's all we have. Destinations aren't guaranteed; we can plan for them and hope for them and dream of them, but they may turn out to be as elusive as rain in West Texas.

So, happy anniversary, Mr. Pettit. We've been blessed to have 36 years of moments, one stacked on top of another, building the life we share today. I'm thankful to be taking this journey with you.


I didn't get to fly this T-38; instructors and their spouses were
allowed to taxi only.  But that was mighty fun!

On July 4, 1776, 56 men representing thirteen colonies adopted a document declaring independence from Great Britain.  But declaring a thing does not make it so, and for the next seven years farmers and shopkeepers and tradesmen and teachers fought to give substance to their representatives' vision.

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."  The Declaration's closing paragraph has been signed in the blood, sweat and tears of countless Americans in the 238 years since it was written.  For liberty is like a rose; you can't just plant it and walk away.  It must be tended, lest disease and pests destroy it.

Each time I walk through our dining room I'm reminded of two men who heard their country's call and answered as best they could.  William Stanley Finch (U.S. Navy) and Albert Ray Pettit (U.S. Army) served in World War II.  They did not seek recognition in their lifetimes; the only public display of their service were the flags draped over their caskets.

So, on this Independence Day I'd like to make a declaration of appreciation to my father and father-in-law and to all who have stood quietly but firmly for freedom.  I am in your debt. 


 

Thanks to Gore's Meats of Stephens City, Virginia, for bringing barbecue and Sir Mix-a-Lot together.  A match made in heaven...