All Change

I was commenting to Steve about how different the end of the school year is here compared to when we taught in England. There it was all excitement when the summer holidays rolled around and a sense of anticipation. Here, there is some excitement - especially as we look forward to our visitors but mostly the end of the school year is marked by some sadness and a lot of goodbyes. I think that is the hardest part of our life here. There are goodbyes every year - and it really doesn't get easier.

Rose has been off school most of the week as she has been so ill and yet it is really important to Steve and I that she attend flag-lowering tomorrow so that she can begin to understand the importance of closure (a word I don't think I ever heard before coming here!).

This week has been a week of "lasts". Last time I go in and help Kindergarten (till Josh starts anyway, but it will be a different group of kids and a different teacher), last time I do my car pool run to pick kids up after school, last Wednesday Rose gets off every week, last preschool at our house. It's been a strange feeling as it feels a bit like my schedule is disappearing!

And then there are the goodbyes. After our staff banquet one of the new teacher's wives asked me if it was typical to see 40 staff members leaving. It is. Some will be back after Home Assignment but most will not.

And yet, the amazing flip side of all this is that our lives, my life, has been so enriched by the people I have met because we came here, and I would never have met them any other way. And it doesn't matter how long they stay here, they bring love and friendship and joy and different perspective and a richness I would not have known without them. But it means I have to be willing to receive all those things God offers me through them by being prepared to embrace change.