I cried. I hung up the phone and cried. I had applied for a Kinder position at our neighborhood school and got the call that I was not chosen for the job. I have been subbing at the school a lot over the past few years since Zachary has been going to school full-time. I love the school and really enjoy being there, knowing my kids are there too. I have gotten to know most of the staff and a ton of the kids too.

I felt good at the interview, felt like I answered the questions well and I knew most of the people in the room doing the interview. If ever I was going to get a job at the school, this felt like the right time. My kids were happily in school full-time. I had been away from teaching for SO many years being home with the boys and I was missing teaching my “own” group of students. I was used to getting up early and getting everyone out the door. I have taught Kinder before so had some experience. It just felt like the right time and the right job.

The call came in and I went to my room and shut the door. In my house it’s hard to find a quiet spot away from the rowdy wonderfulness of boys! I remember it so clearly. I was so nervous to answer….this would be the call that changed my entire next year! She told me I was not selected but that she was offering me another position. This one was a long term sub for a maternity leave. It was full time but only for a few months…AND…the big kicker? It was a Life Skills class for grades 6-8. BIG kids! My wheelhouse is little ones who want to sing with me and hold my hand. Sweet peanuts who come in with eager excitement, ready to use play dough and crayons. Aside from my own boys, I have virtually no experience with these grades. I wasn’t sure what to do. It was a huge mind set change from thinking about setting up a Kinder room of my own to filling in to work with the big kids. I knew I had to think it over, pray about it and talk to Dan.

I wrestled with the decision for a few days and finally after much talking and working out pros and cons, I decided to do it. I wanted so badly to be at the school with the boys and this seemed like a foot in the door and would give me current experience for any futures interviews that may come up. Little did I know how much taking that job would change me and set the tone for our future.

Those few months were some of my favorites in my teaching career. I got to work with some of the most amazing women who really helped me learn and grow as a teacher and as a person. They supported me when the days were hard and encouraged me when I struggled. They gave me ideas and made me feel like a part of the team from day one. There were difficult situations that came up that I felt very ill-equipped to handle but with the support of the team, we all made it through.

I got to work with some amazing kids too. Even though they were BIG kids, I loved each of them. They pushed me to be a better teacher, to see things from a slightly different perspective and to enjoy the small moments of joy in each day. While we didn’t play with play dough or sing songs, we did cook together, we laughed together and we learned together.

When my time was done and the teacher was back from her leave, I felt a huge mix of emotions. I was relieved to have made it through, keeping all of us alive. I was sad to say goodbye to the students and teachers and sad to say goodbye to the school I had become a part of. I was happy to have chosen to take the job. A few months later, I saw the rest of the story unfold.

If you know our family well, you know that our oldest was born 3 months early. He has had his fair share of trials in the last 13 years, that’s for sure. He has been on an IEP since about the age of 1 and has had a one-on-one aide since Kinder. At our latest IEP meeting, we were told that the current plan wasn’t working and the best recommendation for him was to go into the Life Skills Program. This was not the news we expected to hear nor the direction we had anticipated for Nathan’s future but again after some prayer and processing, we knew it was the right path.

There is only one school in the district that houses the Life Skills program. Guess which neighborhood school that is? The very same one my kids go to. He was going to be in the VERY SAME class I had subbed in a few months before. I couldn’t have predicted this happening months before when I took the job. It was such a God thing!

If I had not taken the job I would have been clueless to what type of room he was going to be in. It would have made for an incredibly difficult transition. Since I just spent a few months of my life in the room, I knew well the amazing people he was going to get to work with. I knew how the program ran and what types of activities he would be doing. I had seen firsthand how the teachers in the room had high expectations and expected the best from their kids. I felt 100% certain that Nathan would not only do well in the room, but also thrive.

It struck me just this morning that the closed door I had cried over, opened up another opportunity even more incredible than I could have imagined. Be encouraged this morning! If God has closed a door in your life, trust that He is behind the scenes creating something amazing.