A LITTLE (SPRING) BREAK FOR MY SOUL.

This past week was Spring Break for my school and even though part of the week was spent working, the week could not have come at a better time. Much of the week was spent sleeping in/napping, but the other half was spent baking cakes (this book has lots of great recipes!), heading to the coast for the day, hiking, and socially distanced (masked) walks with friends as well. It's been months since I've seen some of these friends and having heart-to-heart conversations was just what I needed.

After the current events and seeing continued violence against the AAPI community, my heart has felt overwhelmed with waves of varying emotions. I've felt anger. Grief. Sadness. Disbelief. And exhaustion. Staying on top of all the news was hard, but not nearly as hard as it must be for all of the grieving families. And so I took time away this past week to rest. To openly and candidly talk about it with family and friends. Prayed lots and cried just as much. And started educating myself and reading more about my culture and history in America. I want to do more than sit back and these current events have allowed me to continue to engage in finding my roots and finding my voice as well. 

God knew I needed this week off from work to do the hard work. He knew I needed a week away from the classroom to grieve -- which I find is extremely hard to do in a profession where we give so much of ourselves 24/7 and don't always feel like we can express our true emotions when we're the stable, consistent adult in many of these kids' lives. He knew I needed the time to read and to listen. And He knew I needed the time to verbally process my thoughts and feelings with my friends as well. 

He knew what I needed. A little break for my soul. And a chance to reconnect with myself, too.