School Spirit!

I think I can be a bit of an enigma at times (is that even a noun?) to many people. Why do I do so many of the things I do? I am going to try to explain a piece of it. The school / PTO part. It is an important part and one I know is a temporary season in my life that eventually I will look back on and be glad I invested in.

I put many hours into volunteering at my kids' school (particularly the elementary since it is so close by). I'm pretty protective of it. I don't like when people bash public school and I feel justified in defending it since I, too, have sent my kids to Christian school, home schooled and cyber schooled (done it all and have the t-shirts and denim jumpers to prove it). As a result, I often wonder if I am the only mom who gets a lump in her throat walking the hallways and admiring the artwork hanging outside the classrooms? Or, if I'm the only one who tears up at the success of exceeding our fundraising goal as I watched our k-5th grade students race around our baseball fields next to their teachers in our first Walk-a-Thon. Public school may have some issues and problems, but I appreciate so many of the good parts of it as well. I had decided before our first day of school that rather than complain and fret about those issues and problems, I was going to get involved.

And, basically almost every time I am at school to help with something, I leave feeling filled. Like I'm supposed to be there doing what I'm doing.

I got to thinking about something today while at school for our Parent/Teacher conferences....sometimes I'm so mission oriented while at school that I don't stop to admire the artwork hanging in the halls. And, when I forget why I'm copying 400 directories, designing a flyer or setting up meetings I can become a little frazzled. Perhaps, there is a life lesson in that revelation as well. When we don't take the time to admire God's artwork in our lives, we become so task oriented we forget the purpose of why we are here. Then, we burn ourselves out. "Purpose" is a good motivator when life is coming at us 100 mph!

So, while I still appear to run through the school some days like a PTO president with my head cut off, you may catch me lingering outside the music room enjoying the sweet, little voices inside for just a moment longer.