blessed be the name...

St. Alban’s has been my place of employment the last three years, but it’s also been my ministry. It’s the place where I attended school from pre-k through sixth grade. It holds a lot of memories for me, and it’s always been a place I’ve been proud to be a part of.
Yesterday, it closed. Just like that. No warning. I was hired in a rush and I now leave in a rush. We have to be out by Sunday. My heart is breaking for my friends, my family. St. Alban’s has always been a big family and we are experiencing a divorce that no-one wants. These teachers, my friends, my mamas and daddies and brothers and sisters, are precious to me. The older ones have watched me grow up and have been my teachers and mentors. (Among them being my mother and my godmother.) I’ve helped raise the children of a few others. And, the last group, my peers, I’ve been the big sister to- guiding them through the confusion of a new school and helping them to discover “The STA way”. They all are my confidants, my sounding board, my friends. I can’t imagine working with anyone else.
The parents and students are hurting, too. Some of them have never known another school. Some of them came here when nobody else will take them. One student, Matt, gave us many gray hairs. He was always a good boy at heart, but he certainly gave us a run for our money for a couple of years. He was brought into administration multiple times for skipping school and mouthing off to teachers. He came up to the school today in tears. He now has to find a new school for his senior year. When my mom left the office, she looked over and saw Matt sitting by himself with his head bent over a Bible. “Good choice Matt”, my mom said. He smiled back. He’s one more success story. We made a difference in his life. I have to remember that.
For some reason, God has chosen to close the door on our school. I may never know why, but I have to believe that God has a plan for me and the rest of the STA family.
Here’s my battle cry for the next few weeks:
You give and take awayYou give and take awayMy heart will choose to say Lord, Blessed be your nameEvery blessing you pour out,I turn back to praiseWhen the darkness closes in, LordStill I will say...Blessed be the name of the Lord