One of the things I like is a good ‘Dad-joke’. This picture came up on one of my social media feeds the other day. The caption read; “It looks like someone drove over the speed limit”. Besides getting a groan out of me, it also struck me and caused me to do some reflecting on speed and the pace of life right now. People are busy, the school year is in full swing, and many are involved in extra-curricular activities. It is indeed a busy time. At times it may feel like we are speeding through life, and that we do not have time for everything. While most of the time the things we are busy with are good. One thing I have been reminded of over the past number of weeks is the importance of slowing down. In fact, I feel like God has caused me to slow down. Just over a month ago, I injured my calf playing baseball and was instructed by doctors to wear a walking boot/air cast. Many of you may have seen me hobbling around at school. Well, this injury has forced me to slow down in a number of respects. For example, just the other day, our family went shopping and while they walked at their ‘normal’ pace, I was slowly walking behind them and before I knew it they were in the store, and I was still in the parking lot. Life has had to slow down for me because of my calf injury. In some respects, this has been good, but at other times it has also been frustrating. I have been reminded again of our need to rely on God in all things. Our school theme this year is ‘Praise the Lord’, and I have been working on that. A song that keeps coming to mind for me is ‘Lord I Need You’ by Matt Maher. Take a listen here: Lord I Need You - Matt Maher. It is my prayer for our students and the rest of us as well…that we can find time to slow down and ‘Praise the Lord’ amidst the busyness of life. 

                                               Tony Schaafsma, Grade 5 Teacher