Well, I said it would be Friday night, but here I am.....

Writing a post on Thursday night.

I had a few moments of quiet and was thinking of all of you and thought "I'm going to look through my recent pictures and see if my spirit stirs."

And it did.

I came across the photo from my overgrown garden, and I remembered the day I took this picture.  Mom was here visiting, and I had gotten a new lens for my birthday.  We were trying some different kinds of shots and mom noticed the beach ball hiding in the weeds.  I took several pictures of the ball, but this one seemed to really pop out as I was looking through them.

I focused the lens on the stake in front of the beach ball instead of directly on the ball, because I wanted to capture summer slipping away.

But tonight as I was looking at this picture and how the focus changed the message of the photograph, I remembered one of my students last week recalling what it had felt like to score his first touchdown.

He came into the gym on Friday morning and was reliving the memory of the night before.  These were his words,

"It was like I had tunnel vision.  All I could think about was crossing that end zone.  I knew people were all around me cheering, but I couldn't hear anything.  I just kept running.  I had goose bumps when I crossed the line."

As I listened to him share this great moment in his life when he scored not just his first touchdown but an amazing 90-yard touchdown, I couldn't help but think about how it must feel to finish this race of life.  You hear of people seeing a tunnel of light who have near - death experiences.  You read in the Bible of how we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. 

It just made me think.

Will we have goose bumps when we reach the pearly gates?

I hope so!

I just can't get my mind around how wonderful that day is going to be!

In the midst of trying to understand several new software programs at school, trying to become more proficient at using technology in my lesson plans, handling discipline issues with kids who need so much attention and yet need so badly to learn, continuing to give all I have left at the end of the day to my family, and longing for quiet moments just like this where I can think out my thoughts onto a screen in front of me, I have got to remember that I am in a race..........

I have GOT to stay focused and remember that with tunnel vision I can blur out  the things around me that are distractions........

Distractions from Him..........

My prayer tonight is that tomorrow as I head out very early for "early duty" I can somehow stay.......

FOCUSED, FOCUSED, FOCUSED.

Yes, summer is slipping away much like the beach ball in my picture above......but for tonight that picture was asking me a question.

"Tammy, what are you focusing on?"

I remember a song that my dad had us sing at Adrienne's funeral,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus-

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

in the light of His glory and grace."

Praying you can live today and every day with tunnel vision,