Lessons learned: The favorites

Well, friends, it has been exactly one whole year since I first started this blog. It has been such a blessing in my life and I am grateful I started it when I did. If there was ever a year when I needed to do something like this, it was this past year. My blog has helped me to see the good in others, look for the positive, see the hand of the Lord in my life, and find the wisdom that can be gained through everyday experiences.

Some blog posts were popular and got lots of views... like that one time I told everyone about how I really want to get married. (Vulnerability at its best.) Other posts weren't quite as popular but that was okay because they were more for me anyways. Some took me weeks to get just right. Others took only thirty minutes. Some posts were written to be funny. Some were written to make a point. Some were written to help me tell about my struggles without really telling about my struggles. (Sometimes being vulnerable is hard.) And others were written because I really just wanted to reach out to those who are struggling and need to read something encouraging.

So thank you for reading. Thanks for the kind comments. Thanks for passing my posts along to others. I hope it has been a good thing.

Here are some of the good ones. Be sure to take a look if there were some that you missed.

Your favorites:

1. Lesson learned: Silence doesn't mean absence

"The fact that God is at times quiet does not mean that He is gone or has stopped caring. Just as a teacher occasionally withholds answers to see what her students know, Heavenly Father may stay silent to test our faith and spiritual knowledge. I am coming to find that there is great wisdom in this..." 

2. Lesson learned: Trust His timing

"Just as the teacher knows exactly what time lunch will be, God knows when we will receive our most desired blessings. And just as first graders have no sense of time and would eat lunch at 9:00 if possible, we may have a difficult time understanding God's timing and wish we could have what we want, when we want it."

3. Lesson learned: People come and go for a reason

"People are placed in our lives for a reason. We may not see it at first and we may even want to ask the Teacher to "switch our desks," but if we pay attention, we may be fortunate enough to see how that person is blessing our lives."

My favorites: 

1. Lesson learned: Sometimes we just get to be brave

"Today took courage. I knew it would be that way. I knew that it would be not so hard for some and really hard for others. I saw the butterflies in their stomachs. But we just had to do it. We had to get through the first day. My first graders just got to be brave today."

2. Lesson learned: Hard isn't bad

"After working with him one-on-one for a little bit, it finally clicked and he was able to finish the worksheet. But he learned more that day than just how to add. He also learned how to persevere through hard things. He learned that if he asks for help, his teacher will be there to clarify and reteach. He learned patience. He learned humility. And he learned what his fellow classmates often feel like on a daily basis."

3. Lesson learned: Some days are just practice days

"It's okay if our worksheet isn't completely done or if we got a few of the answers wrong or if we didn't quite reach perfection today. We just need to do the best that we can right now, in the time we are allotted, with the resources we are given, and the knowledge we have. Did you do your best? Did you try your hardest? Okay then. Draw a smiley face on the top and put it in your cubby."