Just Us

You don't know me, but I am but one in the great army of teachers that wake up each morning ready to take on the challenges that face our public schools today. You don't see me, but I arrive at school early to make sure I have everything in place so that not a minute of precious learning time is wasted with these dear little ones. However, my morning of planning is often interrupted by an ever-swinging door. The door swings open several times every few minutes to former students stopping by to share their latest successes, to show me their new kicks, or to just grab a hug before the day begins. Every once in awhile the door swings opens to a parent wanting to discuss his/her child's progress or a concern that needs my attention. The door also swings open to my colleagues, just checking in to remind me of a deadline or to ask a question about our new curriculum or assessments.  And....then my teaching day officially begins. As I prop open that ever swinging door, the real ...

That which seems evil, is it a cloud to bring rain, to bring a greater good to the whole of the world?   Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort and perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life?  I dare flip the cue card over and I make out the words on the backside, "See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life.  I have wounded and it is I who heal" Deuteronomy 32:39.  I nod.  I know. I know. And these truth words reconfigure the battlefield under my feet . ---From the Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts I love this quote from Ann Voskamp.  She has a way with making sense of difficult circumstances and pointing us back to scripture to ground our thoughts and feelings.  Never in my life have I experienced so many hard goodbyes in just one year.  And never have I heard the words so often, "I'm so sorry for your loss."  Never have I ...

"God said, " It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant….Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer."---Paul Harvey William Dunn.   But better know as “Billy” or “Wild Bill”, husband, dad, or to several of us lucky ones…Grandpa Billy.  Grandparents are a special gift and the memories you make with your grandparents are memories that cannot easily be forgotten.   They are treasures that you hold on to. So….unforgettable memories with Grandpa Billy?  Those we’ve definitely got.   Some appropriate for sharing, some not   so much.   But many of my earliest memories are with Grandpa, sitting in a tractor.   During harvest, I’m pretty sure our mother was TH...

"Yellow!?!?"  One of my favorite greetings to hear at the end of the line coming from a sweet lady aged in her years.  It makes me laugh every time, but so thankful that some things never change.  "Well...Derrica-Do...how are you?"   The next thirty minutes we share recipes, talk about the kids, the weather and things to come.   I pray for the right words to say to bring comfort and encouragement for the storm she is facing...in reality the storms we are all facing.  I come up short, my words feeling inadequate.  And then she reminds me of a story and I am reminded.  "You remember how you told me that story about Reid...riding in the car with you when it was raining really hard?"  Her words bring back a simple, sweet little story I had shared with her awhile back.  I was driving with the twins through one of those fierce, pouring rain kind of storms.  Trying to hide my own fear, I became very quiet, gripped the wh...

Our friendship began sitting across the room from one another in a woman’s Bible study.  There was Danielle with a beaming smile, kind eyes, and a spunky, bubbly personality.  I listened to Danielle talk that first night….sharing stories of Sudan, the story of how God brought her to small town, Glenwood, Iowa, and most importantly her desire and passion to share her Jesus with everyone she met.  How very quickly did I admire the young woman before me. In the following few years, we spent time together going to garage sales and thrift stores, hanging out drinking coffee, planting flowers and just talking.   During this time, Danielle shared many things---her passion for teaching, a love for crafting, and a desire to be a woman of grace.   She truly was a remarkable woman that taught me many things by the way she walked through life.   She taught me to laugh more, love fiercely, and not take for granted all of God’s sweet little blessings each day. ...

Well...it's been about 5 months since my last post.  But I have been meaning to write this one for awhile...just struggling to organize my thoughts.  The past few months have been super busy for the Hutchings' clan.  School...work...potty training....holidays...2 year old attitudes...painting...etc...etc.  In the midst of all this chaos, however, God has actually been teaching me a lot about slowing down to be thankful.  I know....slow down!??! Do I really have time for that?!?! It started shortly after the holidays.   At the time, there just seemed to be so much going on, so much that needed my attention, prayer, and energy.  If you are like me, you sometimes find yourself on this survival treadmill.  Ya know...the kind that never stops and you try to be ready for what's to come...yet what's right next to you always seems to go by in a blur.  Being a mom is like this at times.  We have so many responsibilities and roles to play each a...

Well....I was going to bed early tonight.  However, I received a text from a sister at about 7:50 pm. "Miss America pageant....10 minute warning. "  Now for any of you that have spent much time at the Dunn house growing up....you know that all talking...homework...etc ceases when a pageant is on.  As strange as this may seem, it was actually a Dunn girl/Papa Dirk tradition.  Yea...I said it.  Papa Dirk was a part of this special family time too.  Although he would FAKE that he was only watching to prove us wrong that our "picks" were not really worthy of the crown.  Then, he would end up sitting through the whole competition and celebrate loudly when his "pick" stole the crown. Growing up in a family of girls, there were always lots of dressing up, talent competitions, performances, and pageants in the family living room.  So watching REAL pageants on t.v. became another one of those friendly competitions.  We would all pick our favorites a...