Lazy Days of Summer Winding Down

“Teachers are given one of the most life changing jobs in the world; that of shaping, molding, and imparting knowlege to lives. It is a great and wonderful opportunity! I do hope as teachers we have been able to make great and lasting impacts in our students’ lives. Each day I ask God to help me to make a positive difference in the lives of those He has entrusted in my care.” - Unknown

I can hardly believe that September is a week away. For me, September signals that Fall is around the corner, and kids are back to school. Take yourself back to your childhood for a bit - Remember going shopping for new school clothes? The best thing was getting new school shoes, I wanted to sleep in mine! Going school supply shopping was equally exciting, we never needed much. Remember buying a new box of crayons, Big Chief Tablets or Pee-Chee’s? Nothing fancy. As a mom, I always enjoyed taking my kids school supply shopping too, I loved sharing in their excitement of a new school year.

This is the first time in many years that I will not be going back to school to teach. It is an adjustment, although teaching on the fourth floor in an un-airconditioned building was killer last year. I am missing all of the excitment, and chaos of starting a new school year. It is a lot like what a student experiences. These last several years I was blessed to be able to have those same feelings that I did when I was a student. I think those experiences and working with high school students always made me feel such joy and made me feel young at heart.

I am going to miss the students and staff so much this year, they have a special place in my heart. I am also going to miss Homecoming and building the float with my Senior Class Student Council students and of course, being the wife of a former football coach, I will miss the Football games and surrounding excitement! I will also miss all of the actvities my students will be doing this year! I hope that everyone at JFK High School has a blessed and wonderful year! You will all be in my prayers.

Update: My hair is growing - my hubby likes to rub it, he says it is like a baby’s newborn head of hair! My baldness is hardly there anymore. My eyelashes are also on the way back, luckily I never completely lost all my eyebrows. My energy level continues to improve, along with my muscle strength - I even find the energy and strength to workout on my new Total Gym - Chuck Norris and Christy Brinkley would be proud! Like I posted last week, my counts (hematocrit) made a jump and my platelet count as well - Thanks to our good Lord, and all of your prayers and Masses you have had said for me!

Love and God Bless, gg

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Love of Family & Update on gg

“You must remember, family is often of blood, but it doesn’t depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you can be your family.” - Trenton Lee Stewart

Sometimes in life those who become family do not begin that way, in the beginning they may be strangers. But just like St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians; “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). We are called with great measure to bring those strangers in and love them as if they were blood, and they become our own. Let us respond to this call to do as the Lord wills us to; to build these relationships with others just as Ruth did with the strangers surrounding her, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

I continue to be so amazed at the love my family has for me. They are a true reflection of Our Lord. They continue to do His works. They gathered together last weekend to throw me a surprise birthday party, and surprise me they did! I am usually don’t like to bring attention to myself for my birthdays, so they really put me on the spot. It was a great time and I can’t tell you how much fun I had. My beautiful little sister Gina was the instigator, and she pulled it off without me having a clue. My thanks to the rest of my dear family and friends for all pitching in to bring things together. They are all so wonderful and I couldn’t love them more!

The love of family is something that is often overlooked or unappreciated. I would just like to remind you to love your family like there’s no tomorrow. Even when some seem unloveable, love them anyway - that’s what we do when we are family, the Lord always blesses us when we do. Let us remember as St. Paul reminds us we are members of God’s family. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Update: There was a mixup with my appointment last week and so I don’t go to the clinic until Tuesday. It’s been three weeks since my last appointment and at that time I had a lower hematocrit count. That resulted in reduced oxygen and more difficulty exercising. This past week I have felt a definite improvement. If my counts are not up I will be very surprised. I am back to walking longer distances much more comfortably. I have an appointment on Tuesday and will find out what my counts are looking like. I will keep you posted!

I would like to ask you to please pray for Tyler Parkins; a 21 year old bone marrow transplant patient
that was in the room next to me at PSL. He has been in the hospital for about eight months. He has actually had two transplants because his first one was not successful. He has had many set backs and is currently in critical condition. Please hold up our brother Tyler and his loved ones in prayer.

Yours in Christ, gg