Lessons on family.

Going into this semester I knew that my head would be filled to the brim with new knowledge. I had no idea that a good chunk of that knowledge would be about lessons on the importance of family. I come from an amazing family that I cherish so much, but this semester I learned about how to draw near to a family that isn't related to you by blood.

The first family that I became a part of was the 'SpEd Head' family. This family was made up of my fellow college students that were all in the same program as me as a Special Education major. We are all from the same college, were all placed in the same area of the state, but all have different stories. I looked forward to getting to know all of these individuals and to see how we would grow as professionals over the course of the semester. They were the ones that texted me back at those late hours in the evening about the silly question I had on a project. They were the ones who made the stress of the semester not seem so bad because I had someone else to share it with.

The second family I became a part of was the school staff and students at my placements. The high school I was placed at quickly became home. My students captured my heart with a strong and firm grip. These students have the BIGGEST hearts of anyone that I have ever met. Just like a family they cared for me on my good days and on my bad days. When they sensed that I was stressed they reached out with kind words to reassure me that everything would indeed be alright. They laughed at my jokes and didn't make fun of me when the grand science experiment I planned didn't go exactly as I had imagined it would. My kids at the grade school I taught at greeted me with hugs and tiny little smiles that seemed to take up their whole face. They were eager to learn and went out of their way to show me how smart they were.

The last family I became a part of was at my church. My mom jokes with me that when I first moved into this new town, finding a church was higher on the priority list than anything else, such as the mall or where the best ice cream shop was. During the middle of the week pretty early on in the semester I said a prayer to God to send me a friend at church. I told Him, "I don't need many friends. Just give me someone to hi to every Sunday. Or at least someone that will smile at me. I just want to feel like I belong." You see the Lord is amazing, and he provided me with not only one friend, but TWO that next Sunday. This family soon became known as my 'Decatur parents'. They took me in (when they didn't have to) and gave me with the comfort that only Christ can provide. While I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked (due to a busy school schedule), I appreciate every hug, prayer and text message checking in to see how I am doing.

Family is a lot about who raised you as a person. It is also about those around you that push you to be successful and encourage you along the way. I could not have made it through this semester with my  family from home (thanks Mom and Dad) and the three families I became a part of during the past six months. As this semester comes to a close and I get ready to move back home to Chicago, I have trouble with ending this chapter of the book of my life. I am not one to become attached easily, but so much good has come out of my last six months living here and in this experience. I know that it will be tough to leave all these memories behind, but I can't wait for what's in store for me in the coming months before I graduate.