Jesusluvsall's Blog

A Morning person I am NOT. I have never liked mornings and living with autoimmune issues makes morning alarm clocks seem like my enemy sometimes. Afternoons and evenings are my favorite times of the day. In fact I am writing this on Tuesday night after getting home from teaching my evening class and will save it in drafts and post it on Wednesday morning.

So why do I get up in the morning and deal with slowly getting ready for my day because of autoimmune problems? My moms make it worthwhile. I should probably explain that when I say my moms, I am talking about the women I teach English Second Language for at an elementary school here in Lincoln.

My morning class is called Family Literacy. It is an early intervention strategy with the thinking help the parent help the child, so we teach parents English at the school where their children go and connect the English they learn with their child’s education.

My class is all moms. They are from four different languages and cultures. Some came as refugees and some as immigrants. With all of the negative stuff that is said about refugees and immigrants, I wish people could see my moms at work. They are invested in their child’s education to the point of trying to learn one of the craziest languages- English. Our classroom is filled with laughter as we make learning fun. There are my repeated dumb jokes that they seem to enjoy such as the teacher is very young.

There is something they don’t see but a big reason my moms make mornings worth it for me. My class doesn’t start until 8:30. I don’t need to be at school until 8:00. But I have to get up at 6:30 to take some medicine an hour before I eat. So during that time 6:30 to 7:30, I go on youtube and listen to worship music as I wake up to coffee only. It is during that time my moms make it worth it without even knowing. What am I talking about?

Each morning I wake up and pray for my moms. I know their struggles and problems. One mom has asthma, so I pray for her asthma to not be a problem for her that day. 2 moms had babies in March, so in the months before I prayed for their babies to be born healthy. One mom’s husband died in February, so I pray for her comfort and for God to help her. Another mom’s husband had a traumatic brain injury and is doing better, but so much is still up to her. One mom just came here in December last year. The list of concerns goes on and on.

When I get to school and wait for class to start, I greet my moms in their language as they come into the classroom. They smile as I greet them. If they were sick and missed a day, it is time for the light-hearted “Dr.Matt” question of how many fingers do you see. It is also a kind of emotional triage time as I check on how they are doing.

There are other wonder women moms in the school, the moms who are the teachers. I enjoy interacting with them in our brief conversations. One of them is truly remarkable. She is a single woman who took in three foster kids and is in the process of adopting them. She is the inspiration behind a Christmas play I wrote and hope to see performed one day.

So, I am grateful for the MOMS in my life.