I Just Don't See What's So Bad

Yesterday, I was looking through my notes of events that have happened this year and I came across this one that is so good I must share it. 

It was probably the first month of this new school year-this new job and a first grade teacher sent me a little girl who just couldn't seem to stay in her seat.  It seems this wee one would get up and walk around the room, go get a drink, and had been in and out of the rest room several times.  Well I was sitting and visiting with her, I must have really stressed the getting up and going in the rest room.  "Your teacher says you get up and leave and go to the rest room and come back and get up and leave and come back.  Why is it you can't get  done in the rest room and stay on your seat?  You can't spend all of your day in the rest room. You must listen to your teacher and stay at your seat and get your jobs done."  As I spoke I wrinkled my eyebrows and used the most stern voice I could find hoping I might scare her a little into staying on her seat and doing her work. 

The little girl looks up at me and I could see she was disappointed in herself as well.  With a slight frown, she looks  at me with sad brown eyes, raises her hands up to her shoulders and shrugs, "Mrs. Caston?" she says my name as though she was asking a question. "I just don't see what is so bad about pooping."

You know, I don't really have an answer for that.

Every opportunity has the potential to work for good or work against you. I believe everything happens for a reason. Now do I believe God lets bad things happen to good people... I am not sure about that. I do know that God can take a bad situation and turn it into a good thing-if we have the patience to let him. I am struggling with that. I don't have much patience. "It's my life and I want it the way I want it NOW!" I read once that when God closes a door he opens a window. Not too long ago I saw where someone had added, get your foot out of the door so it can close. It is so hard to do.

An Admirable Man--Jeff Long

In our school cafeteria there is a bulletin board that says "Character Counts."  Sometimes I wonder if I am making any headway talking to kids about their decisions and having good character.

Tonight Jeff Long did more for the youth of Arkansas to say to them that "Character Counts."  He terminated Bobby Petrino.  Before the press conference I read many tweets that were breaking the news of the firing before hand and really -to be honest-I couldn't believe Arkansas was going to let Bobby Petrino go.  He is a very big part of why Arkansas is successful.  But, as I listened to Jeff Long's speech and revelation of the series of events, Jeff Long was left with no choice but to fire Bobby Petrino.  He talked about the many opportunities he had given Coach Petrino to be forth coming with information, and for whatever reason, Coach Petrino choose to be less than honest with A D Long and the Razorback Nation.  In Long's speech he talked about integrity. His commitment to the student athletes echoed  as he choked back tears.    Many lives are affected by the termination.  Lives we can not begin to imagine.  From the team, to the recruits, to the coaches on staff, the administrative staff, the Petrinos, the Razorback fan base and most of all --the youth of Arkansas.  Tonight Jeff Long told the entire state that you can not be deceitful and be trusted with one of the highest paying positions paid for by the taxpayers.  He told the youth that your character does count and what you do daily is important.  Your character matters and the decisions you make daily reflect your character. Integrity is important.  There are many talents in life.  You can be an amazing athelete, an amazing dancer, an amazing singer... these are talents, but one power we all possess is the power to have integrity.   We can all have good character. Coach Petrino choose not to display the character that is worthy of being admired and immitated.  He choose not to have the character that is worthy to be called an Arkansas Razorback. 

  Coach Petrino's actions led to his firing--not Jeff Long.

Deposits

Lately, I have been really down in the dumps.There is one of those little posters that people share on their profile that have really been speaking to me --- and not so much in a good way.  It goes something like this. "When people continue to make withdrawls from their account, maybe it is time to close the account."  Boy, have I got some accounts I would like to close.  Not nice, I know, from someone who is a Christian but dad gum it, it gets kind of hard sometimes.

   But then yesterday, I had a very nice deposit made- one of the moms brought me by some chocolate chip cookies-- piping hot chocolate chip cookies.  Not only were there chocolate chips, there were white chocolate chips and maybe some nuts.  Now I say maybe because I ate them so quickly, I can't quite remember, but they were to say the least, the best cookies in the world! Yesterday morning had the potential to really become a disaster.  Though the sun shone beautifully and the birds tweeted around, it had the potential for disaster.   Then along came this mom with an antedote for disaster.  A simple gesture of kindness.  She had made a deposit. 

Now this has gotten me to thinking.   What deposits am I making?   Every day has its potential.  It has the potential to be a grand glorious day or it has the potential to be a day filled with mess ups and anger.  We can choose by our words and our actions what they day will bring.  No matter what the situation we can make it what we need it to be.  Depositing in other people's lives will help turn your day around.  I once had an administrator tell me "even our worst is the best some of these kids get."  That is really scary!  Sometimes my worst is no where near what someone needs to be their best. 
I think deposits are hard for us to make because 1) we don't have the time. 2) it's not a habit.

Time doesn't have to be a problem because not all deposits have to be piping hot cookies.  Time can be a smile, a kind word, a compliment, or a pat on the back.  Done often enough,this will take of excuse number 2-it will become habit. 

So as the day goes today, think-am I making withdrawls or deposits?  Make deposits.  It makes people feel better.  As for those people making withdrawls, well it's hard but make some deposits in their lives as well.  You can come out with the bigger account.  After all depositing walks away with the bigger heart.