And so another summer ends

Today the end of summer begins in the Thomas house. Rob goes back to school today (volunteering 1/2 days this week for Freshmen Camp). He will "officially" start on Monday. I don't officially start until next Wednesday, but between an all day meeting and helping other teachers, I will be there at work every day from here on out. So ends the summer vacation of 2008. And before you say it, yeah, I know, we teachers are so lucky, we get all that time off. I know. I am blessed to have extended time off with my family that most working moms & dads don't get. I know that. I know that most people don't get the longer break at the holidays and all those days off in the year, and a long summer vacation. I should write a blog about that, but I won't. Just know that I am not ungrateful and that I do recognize that blessing, and I am not complaining.

As always I am a bit sad as I will miss my family greatly!!!! I didn't get as much time home with them as I would have liked with working summer school, and I'm just getting to relax now that it is over and it's time to go back. I always miss my family intensely for the first week or two, then it becomes the "norm" again and I deal with it better (though I still miss them a lot).

I'm not quite as excited (YET) as I normally am or quite as ready to go back, but that's just because I worked summer school. I am trying to get my brain into school mode and to start planning/thinking about all that. It's so funny because in June when school lets out, it takes sometimes a whole month to quit thinking of school- not that it ever really does, and just when my brain is ready to relax and read and think on things besides kindergarten, and rest, then it's time to start back up, especially when I work summer school. Now it is sluggishly trying to remember all those great ideas I had back in June & July.... :)

So, shortly I'm going to ask my teen aged children to wake up and see if any of them are willing to go help me at work for a little while. Poor kids, they get drug along for the ride. :) Hi, ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go... :)

And for my family, who will be wondering:

• Robert starts college classes next Monday night 8/18
• Matthew starts his sophomore year Monday 8/25
• Barbara starts her senior year Tuesday 8/26

But you can be sure they'll be "drug" to school before then helping me & my new grade level pals mostly, but maybe Rob too.

So for all the "rest" of the world out there who works hard all year long, have a happy work week.

Signing off and saying goodbye to Summer 2008,
One of those teachers,
Rebekah :)

Sunday Praise

Psalm 92 says: "It is good to give thanks to the Lord to sing praises to Your name O Most High, to declare Your steadfast love in the morning and Your faithfulness by night..."

So with that in my mind tonight, I want to think of my praises and thanks to God. I could stay up and write all night, but these are the "big" ones on my list for today:

• God's salvation and mercy shown to me over and over and over- even though I truly don't deserve it (I know Momma, no one does. I'm just thankful for the mercy He has shown me.) :)
• God's plan for mankind- How awesome it is that He knew from the beginning of time how "it would all go down" and yet He had a plan from the beginning for us all and how to redeem us and bring us to be with Him
• God showing me His love when I was just a child
• Keeping me in Him through some hard times and trying situations
• His healing hand in my life and the lives of people I know & love and the lives of people I don't know but have read about and prayed for
• Showing me/my family His will for our lives and giving us the strength to follow His plan even when it has sometimes been hard or we didn't understand
• His help in time of need
• His word that is a source of instruction, inspiration, and peace
• His love, never ending