You see the seeds...

My life is made up of two main parts...being a mother and being a teacher. To each of these I bring a different set of skills, but the one thing that I do have is the ability to see. I teach in an area that is predominantly low income...students whose families struggle to make ends meet. Most of them don't come from backgrounds that expect a college education, many come from a place where completing high school is considered a victory. These students, and families, only see the seeds...I want to teach them to see the trees.

As a mother, I have raised three children, all in their own struggles, before being given the cutest boy with all of his. Each child had to be mothered differently, each helped to find their own path, using their strengths which are so different from the others. The cutest boy brought so many new experiences, both positive and negative, struggles where we weren't sure he would survive. Doctors that only saw the seeds, and me, who always saw the trees.

I'm not one with great vision, not one who can say that I have never struggled to see past the seeds, but I was given a gift once, a gift that allowed me to see the trees and once I saw them, I never looked away. I have times where I get caught up in the seeds, in the minutia of life that could keep me occupied and then I work to refocus back on the trees.

Some may see me as scattered, having my fingers in many pots, not finishing what I start. These things would be true in many ways, but the biggest strength I bring is that I see the trees and want to help others see them too. Life is about seeing the trees...seeing the bigger plan, the wider path, the future that holds hope.

Tonight, as I think of the families who are fighting the good fight, the warriors that are bearing their weapons, the angels we have already lost. The students who want more, the students who don't know it's even possible, the families that have altered their lives for the greater...I want them all to see the trees. They are out there, they are reachable, they are beautiful. The seeds are important too, but look up and you'll see them...the trees.