Today I stared at a sea of faces, wondering: "Why listen you, to me?" As their wide-eyed gaping blinks descended between sentences I wondered, "Why listen, You? To me?"
When the silent school-bell rang, releasing students into lunch, I slunched against my desk and sighed, "Why hear me, Lord, in Pride?" My fingers flipped through tomorrow's agenda--a debate, a paper, a quiz, a presentation. Somewhere past World War II and through the Battle of Bull Run and in the footsteps of General Grant, of Harry Truman, of Nikita Khrushchev, the papers stop rustling and a head flickers up while the eyes wink--staring--at a point of interest.
It helped that I added exploding sound effects to my Power Point today. When I blew up Fort Sumter, the Mississippi, and killed Stonewall Jackson with his own gun, the drooping heads jerked awake while the familiar grin of engagement re-ignited across the room.
Gloom? No, not today. Not this morning, anyway. Even though I returned to an empty house--to an empty fridge--at one, my smile still ghosted across my face in the wake of: Contentment.
I am Content with my Share. I realize there could be more; I realize there could be less. But today, and for hopeful days to come, I resolve to be Content.
It's worth the glimmer of a grin I see on the chins of the older students. It's worth the chuckle that disperses through the youngers. It's worth, it's worth, it Is. Worth.
What am I doing here? I am learning how to Learn and I am listening that I may be Listened to.
Mmmmm, Lent, you are Good to me.
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