Reading, Education and Ice

For about four months, Charlotte has been "reading." She holds the book correctly. She turns the pages in the correct order. She makes noises. It's adorable. Someone (I can't remember who now) said to me a while back, "Well, you can tell that she's read to a lot." I felt kind of bad, because we do read to her, but not nearly as much as it seems that we do. Maybe, since I love to read, her hunger for books is inherent.

Connected and not connected to that, the severity of the situation of education in this country strikes me just about every time I go to work. Teachers are upset, frustrated and hopeless. There's no money for anything. Teachers will be let go and not replaced. Our students have about three electives to choose from next year. Schools may be closed or personnel redistributed at whim. It's overall a pretty miserable situation, and no one sees it changing for the positive any time soon.

Don't get me wrong. I'm having a wonderful year. But being in an environment like that day in and day out makes staying positive difficult. I have to remember every day that God is bigger than all of this. He is bigger than our country, the economy, the government. He is bigger than this moment, this year and this decade. He is above all things and can do all things. The same God that parted the Red Sea for the Isrealites is the same God who triumphed over Satan on the cross, and He is the same God that lives in my life every day. I praise Him for His grace and faithful blessings, even in these times that seem so disappointing and frustrating. We are not defeated people; we are redeemed people.

Lastly, there is ice in the forecast for this evening. What a night to snuggle in at home and spend some time with those you love. Maybe tomorrow will be a snuggle in kind of day.