Who I Am

A few years ago, I had made the decision to run for a seat on my local school board.   I made the decision. I was not asked to do it by anybody looking for their own end result. I was also not asked to run to counter someone else's decision to seek out one of the available seats. When I made the decision that I was going to pursue this, I thought hard and I prayed even harder. I always wanted to be certain that I was doing this for the right reason. The reason always being that I knew that I had a purpose that I was called for, and fully believing in my own children's public education.

Make no mistake, the loss of that election still stings.

I know that I'm called to advocate on behalf of children and public education.  I know this with every fiber of my being.  Certainly, there have been many times when I have closed up my computer and went to bed at night thinking I couldn't possibly read one more article, send one more email, make one more phone call...and yet the next day I wake up and it's still in me.

That urge to make sure that all children have a voice speaking up on their behalf.

I have many friends who are education advocates in their own communities, and they've won their sought after school board seats, or were appointed to their desired committees.  Sometimes the temptation is overwhelming to slump in a corner and have a little pity party for myself for being the resident loser.

But that's NOT who I am called to be.

You had a purpose BEFORE anyone had an opinion. Remember that. What God anoints you with, man CANNOT take away from you.

My purpose that He's called me to is greater than the opinion of a select few.   Every single day as I connect with one more fellow advocate, or speak to one more New York State Legislator, or help to educate one more parent, I will constantly remind myself...

I am who He says that I am and I can do what He says I can do.

So I begin another year deciphering the sometimes chaotic state of public education within our state, and I will continue to put one foot in front of the other, and move forward.  Some days will be harder than others.  Some days may very will be a "close up the computer and just go to bed" kind-of day.  

Then there will also be those days when for a brief moment in time I can sit back and just grin silently to myself knowing that I helped to do what He knew all along that I could do.  

~C.