When God Asks for Your Help.

Ever since I've told people/they've found out that I'm starting a teaching job this year, one thing I've heard a few times is something along the lines of wow you've worked a lot of places, you've had a lot of different jobs, etc. I'm sure people are just trying to make conversation, but what it sounds like in my head is CAN'T YOU KEEP A JOB YOU LOSER?

Here's the thing -- I have had a lot of jobs. Since graduating college, I've worked as an English as a second language teacher overseas, at a start-up website, at a think-tank, at Macy's, at a Museum, at a magazine and now at a school. That's not even counting my years of babysitting and teaching dance. Maybe some people would say that that's jumping around too much. But, for me, it's really been about one thing -- finding where God wants me to be. I've said over and over that I never want to be someone who makes a decision -- or doesn't make one -- because of fear or complacency. I know there are no "perfect" jobs out there, but I believe that God asks us to be the absolute best person we can possibly be, using our careers -- whatever they are -- to glorify Him.

That's how I feel about teaching school. I sincerely feel that I am responding to God's call to do this. I have been increasingly nervous about the fact that I don't yet have a teaching degree. But I was blessed to speak to someone after mass this morning, someone whose child I will be teaching and whose opinion really means a LOT, who said "You have to not get hung up on the degree." (Thank you Mrs. Piaskowski for your ongoing prayers and encouragement!) We had a substitute priest at mass this morning, and I believe God put him here today because I absolutely needed to hear his homily. The gist of it was that God will use whatever meager gifts we have to glorify Him and work through us if we will just listen to Him. And I thought, the students I will be teaching are God's students. These are His kids, not mine. It's God who will be teaching them, and I just have to be the vessel through which He can do that. God has asked me to help Him teach His children, and although my gifts are small and humble, I have to believe that He will equip me with everything I need to do what He is asking.

Is this easy? No it is not. Frankly it is EXHAUSTING. So many times, this past week especially, I have said to God, "I don't think I can do this" or "I really don't know why You would ask this of me." Okay, okay. No, I am not being asked to birth the Savior of the world, but I still kept telling God that I really have no idea why He'd ask me to teach Language Arts to 6th, 7th and 8th graders with Him.

God's reply? This morning He also asked me to teach Religion to the 7th grade. I told Him I don't think I can do any of this, and He told me that not only can I, but I can do even more.

In my weakness and humanness I don't really have any reply other than tears because I'm still scared. But I remembered that I don't have to know what to say, because someone else already found the words:

Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word. 
(Luke 1:38)

She looks a little scared, doesn't she? 

In Defense of "Smelly" Rabbits That "Poop a Lot."

Some of the most frequent things I hear people say about rabbits now that I have one is how much they smell and how much they poop.

Well, I'm here to tell you something: nope.

Snicks doesn't smell. At all. In fact, he is a scent absorber. Once when I took him to the vet, this older lady wearing a lot of perfume petted him, and he smelled like perfume the rest of the day. Another time, my brother Alex came over and was petting him, and then I picked Snicks up and got a whiff and was like "Why does Snicks smell like chicken wings?" Alex had just eaten some BBQ wings at BW3, and Snicks carried the aroma for the next couple of hours.

Saying rabbits smell is a falsehood. If you think they smell, what you are smelling is their litterbox and/or cage. What I suspect happens is that people have only ever encountered rabbits in inappropriate locations like classrooms where the poor thing never gets out of his or her cage and no one regularly cleans the cage or litterbox. Try going to the bathroom in your house and never, ever flushing. "You'd" probably smell too.

Snicks does poop a lot, but guess what -- he poos in a litterbox. Also, his poo looks like Cocoa Puffs and doesn't smell. It's like little rocks that you can easily pick up off the floor when he inevitably kicks some out of his litterbox while trying to jump out. I would put my rabbit's poo up against dog or cat poo any day of the week.

I am house-sitting for a really nice family that has a cat. I'm not really a cat gal, but I'm okay with looking after one so it doesn't starve. Let me tell you what ... cleaning out her litterbox has not been the least-smelly experience of my life. Additionally, I was about to leave yesterday when I noticed something on the floor. The likes of which I had never seen. I got close, and I was like ... is that a ... hairball? It looked like wet poop. Seriously. I wadded up about 6 paper towels in order to pick it up and throw it away. Let me tell you who would never cough up a hairball. Baby Snickers.

People act like rabbits are so uncivilized. To that I say

Seriously?

A Favorite Dish From a Non-Cook.

As I've said a million times, I'm no cook. But I have been trying to make more meals at home for a while. And there is one meal that I make at least once a week that maybe you'll like too!

This is actually a dish I "made up," and by that I mean that I didn't look up or follow any sort of recipe. Although I am aware that I am not the first person in the history of the world who thought to add veggies to pasta. :)

This dish primarily revolves around yellow squash. So if you like yellow squash, read on! And if you don't, you should!

Step one is to boil a pot of water for pasta. I prefer wheat farfalle (bowties), but lately the cheaper option at the store has been wheat rotini. When the water boils, add the appropriate amount of pasta to the pot.

While your pasta is cooking, cut up an appropriate amount of yellow squash. By appropriate amount, I mean whatever it takes to feed you and your family. I only make this for myself, but I also like to have leftovers for lunch and a second dinner, so I cut up two smaller yellow squashes. I prefer to cut it up into chunks. Put your squash in a saute pan with coconut or olive oil and a little salt and let it saute. When the squash is getting close to being done, add some balsamic vinegar to the pan. I like balsamic vinegar a lot, so I add a lot, but add what you like!

At this point, your pasta should be done, so go ahead and drain it. After you drain it, put it back in the pot. Then add your sauteed squash to your pasta in the same pot. Go ahead and douse the whole pot with more balsamic vinegar. Then add some more salt.

Grab yourself a bowl, and put some mozzarella cheese or even an Italian cheese blend in the bottom of the bowl. Dish yourself out a serving of the pasta and squash, then add a little more cheese and salt to taste.

Voila! You have a super easy, super delish and pretty healthy dinner!

This week I was lucky because I am house sitting for a family that gardens, so I had some locally grown yellow squash to enjoy! I also had some cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) so I went ahead and sauteed them with the squash and added them to the dish too.

I know, not a gourmet dish by any means, but it is SO good. Let me know if you try it and if you like it!

White wine optional, but recommended!

A Great Reason to Skip Tomorrow's Latte

This morning our town saw a fire downtown that destroyed people's homes as well as two local restaurants much-loved in this community. Those restaurants -- Backyard Pizza and the very newly opened The Peddler -- are both owned by a young couple, and also staffed by young adults and other hard-working people. Backyard is home to my favorite pizza ever -- the Warren Pear, which is too delish to describe in words. More importantly, the service and atmosphere are just friendly and outstanding.

The fire was a total freak accident, and I know the entire city of Huntington is distraught. My friend Sarah, her boyfriend Kevin and I JUST had dinner at Backyard Pizza last night ... so heartbreaking to know that was our last meal there -- our last meal only for a while, I'm sure.

I am confident and hopeful that both restaurants can come back better than ever, and I'm also confident that our city will come out in full force to help Drew and Megan rebuild, as well as to help those who are, for now, unemployed.

If you want to donate, another awesome local person set up a GoFundMe page, which you can access here. $4,245 has already been raised, which is AWESOME. Maybe take the $5 you'd spend at Starbucks on the way to work tomorrow and donate it instead? This is one of the reasons it's awesome to live in a smaller town. People just come together in a big way.

I know everyone will join me in keeping the first responders, the restaurant owners and employees and all those who lost their homes today in our prayers.

My Friend Atticus Finch.

I am more excited to start teaching than I have been about anything in a while. I got to spend several hours this afternoon learning from the teacher I am replacing, and those hours were absolutely worth their weight in gold. (THANK YOU TRACY!)

That's not to say I'm not nervous, but Tracy said today, "If you weren't nervous, I would think there was something wrong with you." I think anytime you begin something new, especially something where you really want to do a good job and you care what your colleagues think of you, you'll be nervous.

I'm officially teaching Language Arts, but those are two little words that encompass so many things -- grammar, parts of speech, short stories, novels, poems, essays, narratives, book projects, spelling, vocabulary. Wow. So much!

I think the most fun thing is all the stories. All the many many stories featuring the characters we remember from our childhood. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Fall of the House of Usher, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rip Van Winkle, Flowers for Algernon, Casey at the Bat. These are all middle school curriculum. Isn't that wonderful?

I have just a few more days left to organize my classroom and get the things I need -- a lesson plan book and a pocket folder and other things to start my year. I also have a few short days left to plan my first lessons for the year and be ready to teach.

I'm trying to remind myself of one thing, and that is love the kids. It was the driving concept of my time at the dance studio, and it will be the driving concept of my teaching at Our Lady of Fatima.

Reading. I love reading. And reading aloud. And listening to others read. And talking about reading. How exciting!

It Began One Day In Summer, About Thirty Years Ago.

As I said in this post, Half Magic was one of my favorite books as a kid. And as I also added in my edit to that post, the book begins by saying:

It began one day in summer, about thirty years ago ... 

And, today, that absolutely describes me. Because today is my 30th birthday.

I was born at 11:22 p.m. on July 19, 1984 at Monongalia
General Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va. This photo
of my mom and me was taken July 20.

Thirty. That is the age that, when you are young, sounds so old. You can't imagine being thirty. I mean ... thirty, right? Isn't that the age when your skin begins to wrinkle up and you automatically start wearing mom jeans? Or is thirty when you start getting the senior discount and your life is pretty much just over?

Even though we all seem to think those things when we're in our teens, the truth is thirty really doesn't seem that old. And also, I don't feel thirty. Not that I don't have a couple of wrinkles, but in my heart, I just really don't feel that old. I guess I feel like I'm 17, maybe, or 22. I don't really know, but I know I don't feel 30. I feel like people who are thirty have things like homes and mortgages and investment portfolios. I have exactly zero of those things.

I can honestly say that if you would have asked me at 18 what I'd be doing at 30, the answer would have been -- not this. Part of me thinks 18-year-old Anna is giving 30-year-old Anna the eyes wide, blank stare while trying to decide if she should just end it now. Haha. Good thing 18-year-old Anna is no longer in charge.

My mom and me this year. Looking about the same. :)

One of the biggest things I've struggled with about this whole going back to school to be a teacher thing is am I too old? At an age when most people have established careers and families and have things like, well, homes, mortgages and investment portfolios, I am beginning again. Not only am I starting school to "officially" learn to be a teacher, but in just a couple of weeks I will actually be a teacher. In essence, my life is starting over at 30, and I wondered for a while if I should be disappointed in myself. And for a time, as excited as I was, I was also really worried and scared.

But then I realized something -- I remembered someone else I knew who had begun his teaching career at age 30. Before that time, not much had been written or said about his accomplishments, but it was only when he turned 30 that he began to teach and carry out God's mission for his life.

I am, of course, referring to Jesus. Now, please do not think I am COMPARING myself to Jesus because, seriously? But since He is the person after whom we should model our lives, it comforted my heart to remember when he truly started His life's work -- 30.

And if it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. :)

And, as the last chapter of Half Magic is entitled, how it began again ...

The Magic of Beginnings.

Well friends, I have some BIG news!

I am a teacher!!!

No, I don't mean I am in school to be a teacher (although I am) or that I have a teacher heart (I do), but I am a real and actual employed teacher.

I think the next verse says, "Not even you." Haha.

Let me back up. For those of you who read this blog, you might remember that earlier in the summer I published a post on how I felt (feel) God is calling me to be a teacher, and I decided to answer that call. I had my perfect plan in place: for two years I'd attend school at Marshall full-time, while working as a graduate assistant in the MU Rec Center (thank you Michele!) and also at my current part-time job with the Center for Christian Business Ethics Today (thank you Cindy!). Then, in two years, I'd be looking for a job teaching middle or high school social studies or civics.

Perfect, right?

I thought so too. Until God told me that that actually wasn't His timeline, it was Anna's.

Early last week, the interim principal and the new principal at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, which is the parish school where I go to church, mentioned to my mom that they were in need of a middle school language arts teacher, and they wanted to know if she thought I'd be interested. My mom was like, "Uhhh, you do know she wants to be a teacher, she's not a teacher, right?" They knew. It's important to know that, in this diocese, teachers at a Catholic school can teach, as long as they are actively enrolled in a certificate or degree-seeking teaching program, which I am.

Apparently word had gotten around that I was in school, having felt called by God to teach. My 5th grade teacher, who still teaches 5th grade at Fatima, and whom I LOVED, mentioned to the principals that they might want to ask me if I'd be interested. COMPLIMENT OF A LIFETIME, right?!

So mom called me and related the news. To which my reply was something like, "This is not how I saw my day going!" Haha. So I sat down with the principals and talked with them about what I've been doing the past few years and about my calling to be a teacher. Their energy and excitement made me even more energetic and excited. They gave me a few days to think about it, and think I did.

As I mentioned before, I had my tidy little two-year plan in place. My plan was to look for a teaching job in two years, when I was done with school. My plan was to work as a GA at the Rec Center. But, as I said in this post, I realized that's an awful lot of my, my, my. And things usually work out better in my life when I follow God's will and not Anna's.

Mostly I was worried that I couldn't do it, that I wouldn't know enough or that I would fail. But I realized that those worries (as most are) were all based in one thing -- fear. And fear is NEVER a reason to do -- or not do -- something.

The thing I kept coming back to is that God is calling me to be a teacher, so I need to be a teacher. Even if I thought it was two years from now, and God is saying, "No, now." God is calling me to get into His school and teach His children to love reading, writing and Him. And how do you say no to that? 

For so many things in my life, I feel as though God has always asked me to wait, wait, wait. Wait and pray. And this may really be the first time that He has asked me to hurry up. :) And it's really a wonderful lesson in faith. I am finally understanding that faith is not believing that God could do something, it is wholeheartedly believing that He WOULD. Following God's will can be scary. It's giving up on your own life plan, on what you thought would be best for you. But if I feel God is calling me to do this, and I say yes to him, then he won't leave me to do this alone. And, as Amy once insightfully said on her blog, God doesn't look at your ability as much as your availability. And I'm available. :)

My parents were (are) very supportive, and on Friday I officially accepted the job. :) I sign my contract tomorrow (eep!) and go back to school for meetings and training August 4. School starts August 7! Yikes, so soon! I am so fortunate to begin my teaching career at such a loving school. The principal is awesome, and so are the other teachers. I have had so many teachers offer to help me in any way I need, and man do I plan to take them up on those offers!

Please pray for me. Pray that God turns me into what the kids need. That I find the words and actions to show them God loves them, that they are each so special and loved, and also that they grow to love books and writing and all the wonderful things we'll learn this year. Pray for the kids too. Haha. :)

A teacher. Thy will be done.