I am a reading specialist, a reading facilitator, no one is really sure my title... especially me.
I work with first graders mostly, but I get to go hang out with third graders during the day too. It is, aside from the paperwork and not really knowing how to use my time wisely, a great great job. I love it.
I have a small group of third graders at the moment that I work with every day. Every time I walk into their classrooms, their friends in the class beg and plead to come with me too. As soon as I walk in the rooms, you can see the other kids sit up straighter, look at me with a hopeful smile. "Me! I want to be picked next!!" I never do though, (again, we are talking a lack of time here) but it is always great to know that I am wanted and needed.
The biggest group of third graders I deal with consists of boys. No girls, just boys, so it is a challenge finding books that they can read and will want to read.
I used my handy dandy Bookbuilder CD and made books all about them... with their names in them the other day.
You would have thought I gave them gold! These kids were amazed, as they looked onto other books to check and see if their name was on their friend's book too. They read and read the book at least 5 times and were dissapointed when they had to stop to go back to class. This was THEIR book, no doubt. They had been made special. They had been made something important.
One of the third graders, as he was walking away with his book said, "I am goign to keep this book forever and ever. I am going to show this to my son when I am grown up!"
Wow.
It was that important.
Right now I am missing Cursillo. It is happening without me this time because I am WAY too busy. I didn't realize how much I would truly miss the activities, the friendships, the way God talks to you in the craziest ways. I am thinking alot about God recently. I haven't made enough time for God in my life. I haven't been one of those kids who, when God walks in, sits up straight and tall and says, "please pick me!" I have been the one still sitting at a desk, too involved in the work of the day to even notice that a visitor has entered the room. I have been caught up in me, my work, and my life and haven't let God in.
And I know God wants to talk to me. He calls me... Just like he called Zacheus and Samuel, long ago. He called them BY NAME to work with them, talk with them, and love them. Maybe God has taken the time to write my name in a book. Maybe God has taken the time to make things special for me. Do I cherish that enough? Do I appreciate that enough? Do I read that book over and over soaking up the fact that HE used MY name? Or do I just read through it, not noticing what a special gift it is?
I hope that I can take the time today to get past the reading and the research and the dirty house, and focus on God and His Love and I can notice when he walks in the door. I can hear when he calls MY name. And I can say, "Here I am Lord, Your servant is here."
