Group endings

Not goodbye….until we meet again
By far the hardest group I had to leave was from the previous preschool where I taught.  It was a part-day preschool run by my church.  It was the best of my greatest passions in life.  My passion for children and giving the best start on their education was accomplished by following NAEYC standards and using best practices.  My passion for Jesus Christ and continuing His kingdom was met by all of the teachers sharing common faith.  I did not choose to leave.  I left out of the necessity of a divorce and needing a full-time position with benefits.  Fortunately I did not know I was leaving until the middle of the summer so I did not have to face the children and parents.  My co-teachers gave me a goodbye luncheon and a clock with my favorite Bible verse on it.  I took time off from my new job for two years so I could continue to attend the lunchtime teacher's Bible study every month. I still arrange to attend continuing education classes and teacher conferences with this group of teachers as often as possible. 
I believe it was hardest to leave this group because we shared more than one clear vision.  We worked well together and overcame many difficulties with money constraints, difficult parents and challenging children.  We also supported each other personally as friends through illnesses, deaths in the family, weddings and other celebrations.  We definitely had cohesiveness because we bonded, liked each other and considered ourselves to be one big happy family.
I will be happy to complete my Master's degree next April, but sad to leave my Walden family.  As each course has continued and I have had the opportunity to know a lot about my classmates I feel we have developed a cohesive group.  We've grown fond of each other and feel united in our shared vision for the future of Early childhood education. I hope to see many of you at graduation in July.  I hope to keep in contact with each other through social media and perhaps schedule some regional reunions in the future.  Maybe there will be a Walden reunion at conferences.

 Proverbs 27:17New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them, and a friend will not say never, for the welcome will not end.  Though it's hard to let you go, in the Father's hands we know, that a lifetime's not too long, to live as friends. 

                                                                   Michael W. Smith