As this school year begins, there are great changes on the horizon.  Normally during this season, I am preparing a classroom, printing off materials, writing lesson plans, and praying over each and every chair in my classroom, and not necessarily in that order.

I have purposefully prayed for every desk and chair in my classroom ever since my first day entering into education.  My prayer has always been that each student that sits at a desk or in a chair feels the love and support that can only come from an example set by Jesus Christ.  I know that too many students have struggles and situations at home that are out of their control.  Some come from homes that have physical needs, some emotional, and some spiritual.  What I really know is that they need to know that their teacher loves them, supports them, and will be their biggest fan each and every day of the school year and beyond.  They also need to know that I want to be part of the support team alongside their parents.  Not someone who will replace their parent, but someone who will partner with their parent to help them be successful and the best student they can possibly become.

This year is different!  This year I am living life from a lesson I learned many times over throughout the years.  LIFE MOVES TOO FAST!

I am taking an unpaid leave of absence for a couple of reasons.  First, my wife had a strong desire to reenter the work force after being a stay-at-home mother and secondly, my youngest of the older children graduated this year and that reminded me that time never slows down but seems to speed up as we get older.  This time off will give me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home dad and continue to be very intentional with my younger three children.

I am hoping that I will be able to bond even more with my youngest children and enjoy the day-to-day activities as they are entering their school age years.  This time will also allow me to focus on my writing and hopefully complete some projects that I have previously started.  Becoming a published author a couple of years ago fulfilled one of my greatest dreams, but I desire to write in the fiction genre and hope to hone my skills along the way with the observations of my children as they navigate through their day to day lives.

I appreciate all that have followed my blog and writings along the way and hope to be more dedicated to the process as we progress through this next year.  I have learned that dreams only come true if you pursue them.  Being the main influencer in my children’s lives will be my primary intention and priority because I have truly learned lessons that have given me a new beginning!  God is always intentional about giving second chances!