A million chances

Yesterday one of my students quietly told me, "My parents got divorced yesterday."

How I am supposed to respond in the face of news that knocks the breath out of me while I'm in the middle of passing out papers to fidgeting 8 and 9 year olds is beyond me.

I asked, "How do you feel about that?"

He looked at me for a few seconds and then shrugged and said, "Well, I'm still me."

That also kind of knocked the breath out of me.  It was so profound and true!  

Can I hold onto the lessons I learn every day and internalize them?  Can I be like this sturdy child and gather resilience about me because I'm still me?

Can I also get better?  I want to still be me, but also a better version of me.

Yesterday I was listening to the Follow Him podcast while I drove home and they mentioned something about giving people "a million chances."

Yes! I thought.  Let that be me!  I want to give people a million chances.

Then I saw a text message from a mother who told me she wouldn't be able to come to Parent Teacher Conferences because she was too busy.

I felt irked.

I really (really!) need to talk to her.  Her son is struggling and pretty much headed for disaster and I want to help and see what we can do.  He is in crisis and she is too busy?!?

Then I remembered my resolve only minutes earlier to give people a million chances.

Ugh.

I dropped that ball.  I don't know her life.  I don't know the pressures she has and I don't know how stretched she is.  She is probably doing the best she can and I need to show her some grace.  I'm almost always nice on the outside and too often judge-y on the inside.

I am grateful I have a million chances to try to improve.  I need every one of them.