Homecoming Week

I get so excited when we can dress up at school, especially this year. It’s been hard for me to be home when I’d rather be out and about, to wear a mask, and to be unable to hug my friends! I am a unabashed hugger. But I get to return to the 80s tomorrow, and be part of the Wizard of Oz on Wednesday, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m sad the weather is getting cooler (80 degrees is perfect for me), and I could take or leave pumpkin spice anything. But that means Thanksgiving is coming, and then Christmas! It is time to celebrate, and even with our challenges, we have so much to be thankful for. I teach history, and every semester I look at cases in which American women were less free than I am. I see other countries where women can’t read or write, much less teach. I scribble my stories and realize that all those terrible things I’m doing to my main character are going to turn out all right in the end. One of my favorite verses is Romans 8:28. We know that ALL THINGS work together for those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose. I’m not minimizing the sadness, but I’ve lived long enough to know that God is faithful. He will turn even these tumultuous times into something good for us.

I’m so ready for the sadness to be behind us. I don’t deserve to live in this rich, free, beautiful place, but I’m so glad I do. My biggest problem today is whether I walk down to the beach and check on the hermit crabs (several of them had broken shells after the last hurricane) or if I go shopping for a “big hair” wig for tomorrow. I paid big money for those curls in the 80s, and I laugh when my students have perfect, gorgeous spiral curls and they straighten their hair each morning. Teens always want what somebody else has. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I hope you have a wonderful week. If you have some free time to read, check out one of my books (frandriscoll.com). They’ll be 99 cents on Kindle from October 3-10th. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you, be gracious to you, and give you peace.