My name is Alison, and I want to thank you for sharing my first baby-steps into blogging. “Devoted Imagination” is a theme I’ve discovered God weaving through my life, especially in my years of mothering and teaching. My three uniquely-created and creative daughters are recently fledged, and I’m currently on sabbatical from teaching elementary school while my mother is in hospice. I’m thankful for this time to reflect and to offer encouragement to those still spending their days with children.
I love Jesus, and I’m overwhelmingly grateful that He has sent His Spirit to be with us. The most consistent way I experience the Spirit working in my life is when I ask for inspiration in an aspect of a relationship or a teaching issue and consequently receive an unexpected idea. My own makeup and experience surely influence the ideas, but because I’ve devoted my mind and heart to following Him, I can move forward in confidence. It’s an incredibly dear experience to me, and I believe it’s just as dear to the One who loves to answer my prayers for inspiration….and yours as well!
I’m honestly daunted by the prospect of writing anything worthy of your time. It’s the same feeling I had each time I sat down to write report card comments. The blank page of my mind right now is what convinces me that if this blog does any good at all, it will be God at work behind that good. I’ll cling to 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” just like I did when I started teaching third grade at a classical Christian school eight years ago. He was delightfully faithful to lend His strength then, and I’m counting on Him to do the same now.
One major hope I have is that God will show us, as teachers who love Him and believe in His work, how we can nurture devoted imagination in the most vulnerable children in our communities.
With joy in our explorations,
Alison
