Chin Up.

Keep breathin'. Keep moving forward. Everything is ok: overwhelming, but ok.
Chin up. You've got this. & you have him. & you are so blessed, Alison Renae. You are. You're more blessed than you imagined you could be, a year and a half ago. You're whole.

Honestly, the last month will be hard. So many people have told me that. But I didn't really understand "hard" until lately. I'm exhausted; we're exhausted. Between school and work and planning a wedding and being in love, we're freaking tired.
Being in love is a lot of work. Isn't that weird?! I have never had someone fight so hard to take care of me and my feelings and to keep our relationship so positive and wonderful. It takes constant effort to be in tune with each other and know what the other needs/wants. & I'm so grateful that we both put forth that effort.
Teaching has been frustrating, lately.
I volunteer at an after school math club. I work with the so-called 'struggling' students. & I have honestly never seen children who have so little self-confidence. It breaks my heart, that no one has helped them learn to believe that they are unique and wonderful and perfectly themselves. It makes me feel terribly that they don't know how smart they are, or how great their successes are.
It's just hard to see children who don't know how loved and unique and wonderful they are.
& it's harder that I only get an hour a week to convince them of this.
I'm just so ready to have my own classroom, where we celebrate our successes and everyone is wonderful and smart and perfect. I can't wait to encourage them, and to teach them that making mistakes is ok, because that's how we learn.
I know this is a completely separate tangent, but that's where I am mentally right now. I'm thinking of them, and how amazing they are, yet how little faith they have in that fact.
I'm blessed, and I'm trying so hard to stay positive and not let myself be too overwhelmed. Life is good, and it will all work out. <3