The End is Near

It’s 7:48 a.m. and I find myself in the principal’s office.  There is nothing unusual about that at this time of my life.  There seems to be a principal on the horizon as the search continues for a permanent principal to sit in this office.  I hope to interview him next week.  At best, he will be here late in the year due to previous commitments.  To the few who read this blog—that is a bit of good news.  To my wife, it warrants a mixed review, since she would want me to be less stretched than she has seen me recently.

I must confess that TAA has consumed the lion’s share of my time recently.  I also confess that I have neglected my responsibilities at the conference office (this will undoubtedly serve as fodder for some).  In spite of my best laid plans—that is, to transfer my business to the conference office after lunch each day, this has not happened once since I began my split schedule.  I find myself arriving at the Superintendent’s Office late in the afternoon and at times not at all.  Don’t get me wrong, I still contact people and attend meetings as a Superintendent, it’s just frustrating not to be able to keep a schedule I created for the purpose of minimizing the impact of my dual role.

On the bright side we may have taken a step to avert a major conflict between a local church and a local elementary church school in Arizona.  We had a potentially caustic meeting which ended up with a commitment to follow up with a joint meeting between the leadership of both entities.  It was tense and at times terse, but in the end there was the promise of the follow up meeting on Monday.

The TAA school doors and frames paint project began in earnest yesterday.  The color is no doubt eye-catching.  People will notice the difference immediately.  There are flowers in large pots lining the center sidewalk of the school.  They can be seen as you enter the main school road.  The main entrance will also be worked on in order to replace some of the tired plants that were placed there a few years ago.  The intense sun can tax the lifespan of most plants, even native ones.

The Penny Days of Summer in Arizona are almost over.  I have enjoyed having her here for the major part of the summer break.  It has been a busy one for both of us and it’s hard to believe it’s almost over.  All that remains is the Superintendent’s Meeting in Central California—which she is attending with me.  Upon the conclusion of that meeting she will stay in California and I will return to Arizona. 

The last few days have been, nonetheless, unforgettable.  I have been in the company of my wife, Penny—that’s true.  Beyond that, however, I have also been gifted by the presence of my mother who is in transition to her new home in Desert Hot Springs, in California.  That’s two women in the house—always a recipe for excitement.  Add to that mixture five visitors brought over by my beautiful wife, Penny.  Just to clarify, these visitors are also female…and in addition, developmentally disadvantaged.  Penny decided they needed a vacation from their residential facility in California.  Scottsdale in the summer was her suggestion to their caretaker.

She packed the ladies up in a mini-van and arrived at the doorstep three days ago—the doorstep to the TAA duplex I presently call home.  In the interest of full disclosure—that’s the duplex has only two rooms and ONE bathroom.  You do the math!  Seven women, two bedrooms, and one bathroom.  What a way to end the summer.  Boy, the stories I could tell…and I may, but not now, since I actually have to get to work.

God is good!