The In Betweener

Around this time at night, my wife and I are able to unwind. Our son, Linus, is asleep, and we are able to focus our energies on relaxing. Sometimes we watch a movie. Usually, however, I 'have' to read for class before I can treat myself to some fun reading. Sometimes a little Cormac McCarthy helps me unwind from those hectic scholarly journals and abstracts. At other times my mind is soothed by the easy prose and English humour of the famous P.D. Wodehouse duo, Bertie Wooster and his gentleman's gentleman, Jeeves. Ever wonder where 'Ask Jeeves' comes from? Now you know. My wife uses this time to paint with a talent that I simultaneously envy and appreciate.
"What a nice, little domestic life you have, Mr. Howell," some might say. It is true, God has blessed me with a wonderfully supportive and loving wife, a beautiful and healthy young son, and a penchant for collecting good books from generous and well read friends. However, this time has to be orchaestrated for relaxation and is never guarenteed.
"You mean you have to work on finding down time? Isn't that what weekends are for?" Well, those aren't a given either. An eight month old provides lots of excitement: full diapers, teething, crying, full diapers, crawling, growth spurts, falling, more full diapers. A happy household provides lots of excitement as well: dishes, bills, laundry, bills,... you get the point. These are distractions and complications, right? Nope. Just excuses for being lazy? Well... maybe.
These are all parts of the blessing. Just because God has given me the ability to marry, to procreate, to reap and sow does not mean that they are without tribulations. Just because God has given me a wife does not mean that our marriage is without trials. Just because God has given me a son does not mean that my manhood is achieved. God has given me a brain to explore this world full of his blessings and faith to accept Chirst's truth and grace over my sinful arrogance and sloth.
I do not claim access to your unique background, exciting and/or troubling faith issues, or even the experiences of being a freshman again, but I can sympathize where you are at as students. My calling to teach is blessed with all sorts of first experiences; juggling time between McCarthy and Wodehouse, eating, my wife's painting, my son's teething, sleeping, blogging, and 'having' to read all those texts for classes have caused me to appreciate their importance in my life as opposed to running through the motions. Learning to be a teacher is more than just forced fulfillment of structured academics. Rather, I am encouraged and challenged to be proactive about exploring my own educational path.