The Good in People

Its no secret how ready and desperate I am to get this school year behind me! I have been in a perpetual bad mood for weeks. This week I have really tried to get my normally positive outlook back in gear by being proactive. I have been meeting my neighbor J, B's mom to walk at five am in the morning. This has given me energy and forced me to have more time in the morning for a devotional and breakfast. These three things have really changed my outlook. Wednesday I had a great devotional about long suffering and faith. It gave me some perspective on what real long suffering is and its not hating your job. The kids were decent and when a few weren't (it is not decent to applaud the Nazi Death Squads and say you wish you could go on a killing spree) I let it roll off my back. A graduating senior knocked on my during my lecture to give me a Reese cup. She remembered when I taught her three years ago that I liked them and wanted to give me one on her last day. Sweet. I got out of the building quick and decided to rake Noah to TCBY. We enjoyed our vanilla yogurt both as food and as something to color on the table with. Luckily the two teenage girls working there found Noah to be adorable and didn't seem to mind the mess he made. After putting Noah in the seat I turned to see an older man in an SUV trying to get my attention, "Mam, that boy in the red pick up truck just hit you." I was confused for a second, until I saw the huge dent along the passenger side. How kind of the man to stay and make sure justice was served. The teenager had obviously considered making a clean get away, which he could have done. I had not been anywhere near my car when he did it. I had been totally absorbed in cleaning yogurt off the floor of TCBY. He was very apologetic. I felt bad for him. At least all the vehicles I have hit were friends parked in front of my parents house. I was impressed in how he quickly called the police to file a report and relaxed as I entertained Noah by making faces and wearing his baby sunglasses, while he baked in the backseat while the NPD filled out the paperwork. When we were wrapping things up I told the teenager with the giant truck without a scratch, " I know it would have been easy just to drive away. I'm thankful that you chose to do the right thing. Its good to know there are people who still do the right thing." He was shocked. But God had allowed me to see the good in people all through my day so I could be patient and kind to this teenager who is probably grounded for the summer after his parents got the the 3,000 dollar base estimate on the damage to my car(the full and official estimate will come Monday and just might total it!). It was God's way of giving me some perspective and to see the world isn't all bad.