Ahh, going back to school. Tomorrow will be our first day back, God willing. We are thinking about goals for the school year and words of wisdom to live by.

Sasha says her resolution for this semester is to make a good newspaper. Her words of wisdom are “Shine bright, but let other people shine, too.”

Andy says, “Sharing is caring.” He was working on a puzzle with Sasha.

Era says, “Teamwork makes the dream work, and we are all one big team.”

Mitya says “I love my happy birthday!” He is four today. We went to church, got holy water, had a celebratory lunch, and played outside. We’ve been hanging out and relaxing these last few hours before I take Era to the airport.

(Era flies out)

The break went by so fast. I feel rested, but I am also not ready for school to start tomorrow 😂 I am looking forward to seeing my students and coworkers. There is a lot to do this semester, and I have to pull back from all my extra-curricular activities because we have the huge nationwide test for all ESL students this February. It’s a beast, let me tell you. January is going to be a review of procedures and then practice for said test.

Thinking back on 2018, everything that was good in my life was because of teamwork—-great people who made an impact together. Coming together for International Day or dance club or community service club. Or reading a book together. Coming together for a purpose. I feel so lucky to have had such great teammates in my family, my friends, and my coworkers.

Now, the game plan for me is to take small, systematic steps forward. Small steps forward, so no excuses (takeaway from a podcast a friend sent me). Anybody can take small steps. The reason I am thinking of small steps is because I feel overwhelmed sometimes. Focusing on asking myself, “What tiny step forward can I take?” takes the pressure off. Last semester, I got a lot done, but I pushed myself too hard. This year, I want to spend time listening to my own kids. Like right now, I just heard Sasha in her room, and I thought she was already dreaming about the first day back. As I go to check on her right now (taking tiny steps, just kidding), I want to take the time to listen, because sometimes taking a step forward means being still and quiet and listening to someone else, holding someone else. I don’t want to be too busy to listen.

Hope you have a good week! May you enjoy it!