hello hello

The girls have been listening to their Jump 5 cd lately in the morning while getting ready for school. They do a cover of the beatles song "Hello". It's a very cute cover "You say goodbye, I say hello . . . . hello, hello. . . . I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello."
This morning, it occurs to me how meaningful that is. As our family transitions into a new future, we say goodbye to some familiar things, and hello to some new things.
I'm sitting here with my journal this morning. By the way, this is the journal that my awesome friends from MORC gave me when I quit working 4 years ago. On the cover it says "Our life is a gift from God. What we do with that life is our gift to God." And each page has a bible verse or a neat quote. Today it says "Live for today but hold your hands open for tomorrow. Anticipate the future and its changes with joy. There is a seed of God's love in every event, every circumstance. . .in which you may find yourself.
Well, I feel like some things have come full circle. When I took the step in faith to quit my job at MORC, God showed up in amazing ways. I was pretty unsure about what I was going to do once I left that position. But, I really felt like God was clearly telling me it was the right time. And, He provided new opportunities for me immediately. Things I could not have anticipated or planned on my own.
The first thing that fell into my lap was the awesome opportunity to teach health and fitness classes at Theresa's homeschool coop, excel. I have been doing that for 4 years now, and have really found it to be a meaningful part of my life. God definataly revealed to me a passion for this. About a year ago, I started to feel a nudging during these classes. As I looked around at all of these incredible kids, I was overwhelmed with how blessed each child was. Each one of them comes from a family who loves them SO MUCH that they are willing to sacrifice in order to provide them with an education rooted in God's word. I really felt like God was saying to me. . . "What about the kids who do NOT have a good home? Could you find some time and energy for those kids? Could you find an encouraging word for a child who doesn't hear any encouragement?" OH boy. I should have known that was the beginning of God calling me for a change.
So, that brings me to the full circle. Here I am, following God's lead and stepping out in faith. Yesterday was my last day of teaching at excel. My "plan" is to move to NYC and see what doors God opens for me there. I know He has something planned. I'm learning to wait on his lead. I have no idea what it is going to be. Several people have asked me "What if you are still here in the Fall? Will you come back and teach then?" I have to answer "No." The truth is, I would love to do that. It's familiar and fun and I love that community of people. But, I KNOW God is leading me somewhere else. So, I will wait on Him.