“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy…”
It is impossible to encounter a Tuesday without thinking of the students I’ve taught the past three years. They were the inspiration for Sabbath Tuesdays, and they in turn shaped my own experience and concept of Sabbath.
Today, I re-read the letters and poems that some of my students wrote for me this summer. Yes, that’s right–they sent me off to Texas with a letter for each Tuesday of the summer, Sabbath reflections to remind me to rest in God’s grace each week. I’m still amazed at how Christ’s love shone through my students–they are fragments of His grace, and I was honored to teach them.
This Thanksgiving, I have many things to be grateful for, but I want to thank God today for the students that convinced me to remain in education–i.e. every student I taught in the past four years. I’m humbled to have spent the time I did with them. Yes, even the difficult moments. I didn’t teach a host of angels, and there were days when my patience wore thin. But for all of that, the community that we built together is one to remember.
To all my students: 
“The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you
And give you peace.”
