My
View…with Dreams and Wishes
At
first glance, the view from my work window at school is pretty blah…a faded
blacktopped parking lot, complete with potholes and faded lines. But, it serves
an important purpose—to house the vehicles of the people who bring a heartbeat
to my school—teachers, parents, staff. I am always first to work, and each day
as I watch people come and go I wonder and wish for what might lie beyond this
unkempt structure. I imagine green pastures splashed with breeze-kissed grass
and cool, clear water. I see what can be more than what is.
This
morning I was blessed when a local pastor, who is also my neighbor, drove
through the early-morning sunrise and pulled into the lot just as I did. He had
come to take a prayer walk through the school halls. Because I was also there
early, I was fortunate enough to be invited to join him. Together, in the
quiet, we strolled by each classroom, pausing long enough to offer up a
heartfelt prayer. As my neighbor spoke, I couldn’t help but think about how
much I am like the view from my work window—often weary and faded, riddled with
dents and dings. Yet, to my Heavenly Father, I am a beautiful, green
pasture—breeze-kissed by His hand and filled with the cool, clear water of His
word. He sees me for what I can be more than what I am. It’s a lovely blessing,
indeed.
Wisdom Tree
After the death of his parents, Jake Samuels has enough on his plate—including a fledgling church to lead and a mischievous younger brother to raise. The last thing he needs is a rambunctious woman to contend with.
Carin O'Malley is dealing with the death of her brother and a new job as an English teacher at East Ridge Middle School where Corey Samuels reigns as King of Chaos. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with a man...especially a handsome and complicated preacher like Corey’s brother Jake.
But when Corey's antics toss Carin and Jake together, the two must draw from God’s wisdom to find refuge in His perfect plan for them.
During the school year, she teaches middle-schoolers reading and Algebra. In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees. Visit Mary at www.marymannersromance.com
