There's a particular smell to an elementary classroom. This smell transcends time and culture. It's sweet and dirty, conjuring up images of grimy hands and swirly bacteria shapes one can only enjoy with a microscope. If one has never had the pleasure of inhaling this dainty treat, do not fear, there is a first time for everything.
I have the pleasure of partaking of this smell on a daily basis.
I also have the pleasure of other smells, like Manuel's feet.
After church this evening he proceeded to take off his shoes, and the smell was so bad even the other boys were complaining. Wonder what caused it? Socks so brown the UPS would be jealous and a smell so potent Enrique was begging me to dowse Manuel's feet with bleach.
These smells symbolize victory: Children overcoming; overcoming financial barriers to study and learn, and boys trading a past of pain for a future of promise.
Each day is filled with small battles, yet for each battle there is a victory.
The battles are intense. Sometimes I feel like I am a small branch waving madly in a terrific downpour, the wind and rain threatening to wrench me from my safe haven into a swirling world of madness. My patience is stretched like a piece of over-chewed gum, yet losing it completely isn't an option. Kids are talking, yelling, fighting, and I must find ways to resolve the drama.
One of the boys told me the other night that I am the strictest volunteer they've ever had, even more so than the ones who whacked them on the head. . . Somehow I have a hard time believing it. Either way, no matter how bad things are, there are times I smell the victory.
His victory.
1 Cor 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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