Irony of the Snowpocolypse 2011

Well there are so many times in my life that things that happen in my life don't fit the calendar I want for my life ex: cancer. Other things that didn't quite fit but has turned into a huge blessing to me is the Snowpocolypse 2011. I was suppose to see my doctor today and there was talk of me getting my port fixed this week that they just figured out has been severely messed up for a good time now. And if that had happened they would have taken away my weekend in Panama City Beach, Florida for Gulf Coast Getaway with Charles' ministry he is involved with in Birmingham. Gulf Coast is a huge campus ministry retreat at the beach that happens every year in PCB on MLK weekend that I have been looking forward to since last year's trip. I have been really down about the past week once I was told that there was a possibility that I wasn't going to be able to go, but thanks to all of this snow and ice my appointment for today was canceled and I won't be seen until next week and I honestly couldn't be happier about that.

Anyways here is my ramble about why I want to be at Gulf Coast this weekend and why I have been bummed and a story about my student teaching.

Gulf Coast last year truly helped me get through much of my student internship that was at times very trying for me. The combination of exhaustion from teaching everyday starting my second week and steriods going into my body with cancer living in it as well and my heart breaking for many of my students the more I learned about their lives at home it was definitely rough. Gulf Coast definitely gave me the booster shot of Jesus that I really needed to show my students through my actions towards them so they could see Christ living in me. I feel Gulf Coast truly helped me reach the level that I needed to be at for my kids last Spring. Thanks to showing Jesus' love and just a peacefulness about myself in a hectic environment one of my students, K, noticed my aura and helped me realize that how I was doing things was the right way. K was not the top of the class and he had a hard time focusing a lot and never had a pencil but he gave me the greatest complement during my student teaching. From my very beginning of being in class and maybe it was also a slight crush but he would would always turn around and give me a huge grin, it's a memory I will keep for life but I digress. During the last 2 minutes of class the days when finished early he would sometimes call me over and ask me the same question "Miss Little do you have any siblings?" I would always respond "Yes, I have a brother" and his next question was always the same "Is he nice to you?" and sometimes the bell would ring right after that question and other times he'd look up at me with big eyes and say "That's real nice." Talk about heart break I never got to ask him about his siblings to try to figure out the reasons why I would always get the same question. The real heart break came on the Friday before Spring Break. I had just finished my official 10 day unit of teaching WWII and I was exhausted as we were waiting on the buses that Friday K waved me over to talk before leaving for the week long vacation. He in his big smile asked "What are you doing for Spring Break Miss Little?" I told him "I'm going home to Georgia to see my family" he asked his typical question about my brother and then came the kicker question "Miss Little can you take me home with you?" To ever be looked in the eyes by a child and be asked if you could take them home is one of the most gut wrenching moments that any human being with a heart will ever encounter. I'd be lying to say that I don't have tears in my eyes right now.

I know that it was a long story to reiterate the point that I feel Gulf Coast gave me that boost to show a peacefulness inside that I'm not sure he had ever met or would have ever met before and this year I did not want to miss for the world. So thank you Snowpocolypse 2011 for letting me get back to Gulf Coast and not letting the doctors mess up my calendar for once. Now if I can just get out of Atlanta I will be in business.

Rebecca