I was thinking about all of you today.  All of you 4th graders, all the parents, all the brothers and sisters.  I think about you all the time, actually.  I even wake up in the middle of the night thinking about you!  That is not a bad thing, though.  You have made such a big impact on my life, you ARE a part of my life, and now I don't get to see you and be with you.  I don't like that.  I don't get to see my kids and my family.  I don't like that.  Jack is far, far away and doing dangerous things.  I REALLY don't like that!  
    When I start thinking like that - - all Negative Nellyish - - I have to stop myself right away!  In order to change my pattern of thoughts, I start thinking of good things.  I try to think of things I can be grateful for in the midst of this illness that has taken over our world.  I am grateful that I have 3 beautiful and healthy children. I love being a mom!  I am grateful that we laughed a lot a school!  Some of our biggest goofs and mistakes made us laugh the most! I love that. I am grateful that we played Snakes so much.  That little, tiny time-filler game will help you with dividing, with fractions and with decimals. I love that. I am grateful that we worked so hard and were so busy learning all year.  I know that you are well prepared and I love that.  I am grateful for all the Masses we had together.  Spending that time together, worshipping God as our own little family, strengthened us for times like these.  I can still close my eyes and hear your beautiful voices singing together!  I really love that! 
  Remember the story of the Israelites in the desert?  God was leading them through some tough things, because He knew that on the other side of those tough times, was an awesome place and time!  The Israelites had seen God do AMAZING things!  They had already experienced His help in getting through other really tough things. Yet, they seemed to totally forget about those things and they worried that He forgot about them.  They saw His care through huge miracles, yet they doubted that He was good.  They complained.  They didn't like how hard it was.  They whined.  They wanted more, more, more.   I don't want to be like that.  I want to thank God for all He has already done in my life.  I want to think about His goodness every day and honor that by doing my best for Him.  AND, I want to thank God ahead of time for whatever this tough time will lead me into.  Because I know for sure that God will bring good from this bad thing. He always does... When this is all done and I look back on my actions, I want to feel proud of how I handled myself (and these tough times).  Let's do this 4th grade!  Let's handle this in a way that we will be proud of when it is over!  I love you all and I miss you!

      Last Thursday was the first day of Spring. It started out very nice. I went for a run in the afternoon and it was around 60 degrees out.  At the time, I didn't even realize just how great a normal, warm and sunny day was. Shortly after I got home, the temperature dropped.  Then, it started raining buckets!  I  thought to myself, "I'll be glad when this is over and it warms back up!"  But when the rain stopped, it didn't warm back up.  Instead, the wind started.  There were times that night that I thought my house might blow down!  I hate scary weather.  After that, the ice started pelting our windows, followed by snow and cold, blowing wind.  All of this happened in less than a 24 hour day.  Sheesh!  And now today, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and warm temperatures are slowly returning.  
       Our school closure is like the crazy weather on Thursday.  We were moving along at school and doing just fine.  We finished testing and were just starting some fun new lessons.  At the time, we didn't even realize how great a normal school day was!  Then, WHAM!  School closed for awhile. I really thought we'd be back in a couple of weeks. I thought to myself, "I'll be glad when this is over and we can get back to school!"  Instead, DOUBLE WHAM!  School closed indefinitely.  I didn't even get to say goodbye to my sweet little people!   This is hard for me and I know for everyone....(Parents!?)  I want to go to everyone's house and help "my kids".  Right now, it feels like it's raining buckets.  I think that worse "weather" is coming, too.  I hate it. I long for a normal school day. 
      But the sun will come out again.  I know that, because God is good and God is merciful.  The sun will shine again, and someday we will all be together again.   While we wait, let's all live with dignity and honor.  Let's be the very best version of ourselves.  Then, when the sun comes back, we can smile at the spring and be so proud of who we were during the storm.       
The Lord is good in times of trouble, He cares for those who trust in Him.    Nahum 1:7

     What a week. People seem anxious, worried, panicky. I'm not really any of those things and I sometimes wonder if I'm just clueless. The Covid virus is not a good thing. I know that. And it has caused pain and suffering. I know that, too. I know that it's causing panic and fear. I know that it has caused people to behave badly. I know that it could and probably will get worse.
      But I know other stuff, too. I know that we are the luckiest people in the world to be living in the United States. I know that we have brilliant people working on this virus every day. I know that I have seen kindness and generosity everywhere I go. I have seen compassion and consideration and patience.
      I know that I absolutely have the greatest bunch of 4th graders! I wish you could have seen them Friday when we talked about stepping up to a difficult situation. Their willingness to give their best effort was so sweet. Yep, they are definitely pumped about staying home. But, I know that they are both smart and wise and that they are also aware of the unusual circumstances they are living in right now. And I know that they will try to be their best selves. I know that they are worth their weight in gold! And I know that I love them.
      The last thing I know.....(and this I know that I know that I know), is that God is good, God is perfect and He is wise. God is just and He is omnipotent. Therefore, God has allowed this to happen - - NOT caused it - - but allowed it. Everything that has ever happened (and will ever happen), must first pass through the hands of God. Because I know this, I will rest patiently in His perfect, wise, just, omnipotent hands.  Thank you for trusting me with your children.