I have to go...

3rd grade student:  "Miss Foyle, why do you have to leave? I wanted to have you in class because I wanted to learn how to spell those 5 states. "
me:  "50 states. "
3rd grade student: "Oh, that's right. 50. "

I had to chuckle at that lunchroom comment because it was so random. It wasn't about the fact that he wants to go on the field trips or have book clubs or do writers' workshop. No, he wanted to learn how to spell the 5(0) states. And that's why he was bummed I am leaving. Wow.

And there are days when I have to ask myself that same question too: "Miss Foyle, why do you have to leave?"

But the answer isn't about having to leave, at least not in the sense of which one might first think. It's about feeling unsettled and about shaking things up and making things more uncomfortable...at least until getting settled in the next place. It's about finding opportunities to stretch and grow professionally. It's about finding that path God has in store, even when we are uncertain about where it might lead.

So, I have to leave because it is the right time to move on. Yes, I have to go...but only God knows where.