Great unexpectations

Sometimes the most unexpected things can greatly impact you.

Every day, I have a journal topic for my students. Some days the prompts pertain to the media or other things we're learning, and other times they are rather random. The main objective is simply to get the kids thinking and to get them writing—both important aspects of communication. The students occasionally complain about having to complete these, but I hostly think most of them like it, and it seems to help them get things off their chests when they need to.

A few days ago, the topic was: "Write an encouraging note to someone who needs it." I went to grade all of their journals yesterday, and there was one note a student had written that I never expected—especially from him.

"Dear Merril,

As a teacher, I respect you as both a teacher and a person, which is something I usually don't have towards other teachers. Although your projects are sometimes a pain, your outgoing, and your humor exceeds other teachers. That is all."

I know his grammar wasn't perfect, and he didn't even spell my name correctly, but I'm ignoring that. I honestly had no idea this particular kid would ever think that of me and then actually admit it.

This past week was pretty challenging with our district meet spanning over three days, which meant some late nights—we didn't get back to the school until after 11 on Thursday night. So, by the time Friday finally made an appearance, I was beat, and I knew things weren't going to slow down any time soon. But reading this note was one more reminder of why I love my job—all of the long hours and extra work are worth it when they positively impact even just one kid.

The night before had also made me forget about my fatigue and lost sleep when I was further reminded of why God has placed me where He has. One of my top runners always comes to me before each race and asks for some "words of wisdom," as she calls them. She was about to run the 1600, and she didn't see me nearby. She got this look of panic on her face and said to her teammate, "Where's Merrill?" in a voice like a little kid who has lost her mom at the mall. I assured her I was there, and she calmed down and then came and asked for her pep talk. It still baffles me how much she trusts me in those moments, but it always affirms even more that I'm right where I need to be.

We are all given certain roles and responsibilities in life, and there are times when we have no clue just how many people we are impacting by our words and actions. Am I the best teacher and coach this world has ever seen? Absolutely not. In fact, I often think I'm horrible. But, for some reason, God has put me where He has for a greater purpose, and He's going to use me however necessary. All that's left to do is trust.

While we are unknowingly impacting others, we are also being impacted by people in our lives who don't necessarily realize the marks they're making—it's a beautifully fabulous thread of blessings.