Here we go!

So...today marked the end of a wonderful (not EVEN kidding) week of professional development before the start of yet another school year. Our hallways fairly hummed with the promises of all this upcoming year can be. Morale is high and it's obvious from the tired yet happy smiles that my coworkers are feeling much the same as I am.

We are ready.

On Monday morning, schools all over our region will open their doors and students of all ages, of all walks of life, and of all talents and abilities will come inside the hallowed halls of learning.

Some will come eagerly, and early. Others will barely breeze into a chair before the final tardy bell. Still others will come quietly hopeful. Maybe last year wasn't quite their year, but they are thinking this one just might be. Maybe their situation changed over the summer and they are ready for the routine of school to provide a needed respite. Maybe they just miss their friends, their coaches, or US - their teachers.

No matter how they come to us, we have to be ready. 

Ready for each student and whatever circumstance may accompany them. School should be a place of comfort and of safety and I am so proud to work with those who feel as I do. Despite teen attitudes, eye rolls, and the occasional "blessing out," we find happiness in what we do.

Real happiness.

In the today's culture, where our validity seems to be centered on things we accumulate: money, possessions, relationships - I'm afraid that we're missing out on what the real meaning of happiness is.

"Things" bring temporary elevated levels of adrenalin (not necessarily happiness) that tend to plummet as soon as we adjust to our new acquisitions.

So that new car, new clothing, new house, new relationship, may very well bring pleasure and contentment and certain levels of pleasure...for a time. But when "the new wears off" we need something deeper, more permanently grounded within our souls, if we are to be the joyful creatures that God intends for us to be.

I learned a long time ago, from a close friend, to practice the law of attraction. We can draw people, circumstances, and even certain "things" by daily practicing optimism, outward signs of joy (smile, even when you don't feel it), and - most importantly - exercising that small mustard seed of faith.

Happy people attract happy circumstances. That doesn't mean that illness, hardship, and tragedy never cross their path, but it does mean that they are not shaped by the circumstances of their life. Instead they shape their life and bring meaning to those circumstances.

I'm thinking happy thoughts today. Practicing the law of attraction. Surrounding myself with like-minded people. Cherishing the relationships in my life that mean more than worldly wealth ever will. Clinging to a faith in God that has never failed me.

And looking forward to another nine months of learning and laughter with some of the finest of our next generation.

We are ready.

Here we go!