the world's most heart warming job is mine.

I started this post a few weeks ago and decided it was time to finish it.

5/8/11
When people find out that I teach special ed, I always hear things like "oh you must be so amazing. Your heart is so good. You must be so patient." But I am not those things with everyone. My good heart and patience really just comes out with my students, they magnify what I am capable of. That is a blessing Heavenly Father has given me, one I am so grateful I discovered while picking my future career.

5/30/11
Last night I found out that Nate, a student in the other special education unit at my school passed away. My heart aches. The kids I work with tend to be a little more medically fragile, but this was not at all expected.  I just want to cry but I am so glad that I can take comfort in knowing that he has a working physical and mental body now, that he is happy with our heavenly father. This particular student was always saying, "Time to go home?" As I was talking to Cami, his teacher about him, she told me that she can just hear him saying time to go home and that he really is home now.

I take comfort in reading 3 Nephi 17 :

7. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.
9. And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.
10. And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

As I read this, I can see Christ holding each of my sweet students and giving them their perfect bodies.  I feel His overwhelming love for them.  Then the next verses read...

11. And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.
12. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and themultitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
21.And when he had said these words, he ^awept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and ^bblessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

  My sweet students get Christ's full attention twice. I know that He knows each of us individually and loves us all the same, but here He blesses first those with afflictions (the kids that I teach everyday at school), healing them each, and then He calls all the children and takes them up one at a time and blesses them.  Maybe that's selfish of me or, I don't even know what I would call it, but according to me, they deserve it and I am so glad that I know that Christ is there to take care of each of my sweet students, including little Nate.

He wants us to become like little children and I work with the purest of pure hearts, children who in all actuality, are perfect.

I forget how wonderful my job is, getting caught up in the chaotic jumble of paper work and dates.  I made sure that today I got to see each of my students smile and remember how much they have changed my life. 

Nate is missed.  I could not wait for him to be in my class next year.  He changed lives.  My students remember him as a good friend.  I will always remember how he would try to get me to play tag with him on the playground.  The way he'd run up and poke me, scrunch his face, laugh, and run away.  One of my students told her mom that he [Nate] would push her on the swings in heaven.  I couldn't imagine heaven any better than that.