Fallen Off the Face?

I’ve had moments in the past twenty months where I thought maybe I had fallen off the face of the earth. With my almost non-existent blog posting and my infrequent status updates on Facebook, you may have thought the same thing. Alas, I have not fallen off the face of the earth; I just live in a place very close to it…a place without easy access to tortilla chips, paved roads, or Wifi. (For example, we CAN have tortilla chips; it just involves making our own flour tortillas, cutting them, frying or baking them, and then longingly comparing them to the salty corn goodness of store bought.)
Despite the fact that I do indeed still live on Earth, I’ve been pathetic in the communication department this school year. I have a camera, laptop, and Internet access, but more often than not I don’t email or blog to keep in contact with the other side of the world. I am teaching five different classes at the high school; I jump among biology, geometry, life science, anatomy and physiology, and precalculus during the day. I have other tasks at the school, such as facilitating a curriculum alignment, and responsibilities that come with living in a small community, like teaching Sunday school. Cooking and cleaning are different without conveniences that I am used to. Because of all of these things, I find myself without much mental creativity, verbal power, or physical energy by the end of the day.
I love my role as a teacher and have even been surprised by how much I still enjoy learning, but it requires most of me each and every day. I am sad that communication has been an unfortunate casualty of that. However, when I am on the verge of feeling overwhelmed or especially weary, I am also filled with thankfulness for the grace and compassion God gives me each and every day to play this part in his redemption plan.