My calm, peaceful life
was suddenly thrown
into a rush of deadlines
and long nights
just a week ago.

Lesson plans to review.
Lessons to rewrite.
New worksheets to produce.

I had agreed to take on the project months ago.
But the other side stalled
until only a few days ago.

The deadline?
End of the month.
Yikes.

To preserve my sanity,
to protect my waking and resting hours,
I could have simply said,
“No, thank you.”

But the difficult part is this —
it’s personal.

These are friends
who need help.
Friends who did not cause the delay.

For a social enterprise,
no one is making much anyway.
The beneficiaries
are B20 students.

I did not promise the moon.
But I promised my best effort.

My daily rhythm has been disrupted —
the slow, quiet mornings
set aside for coffee,
workouts, cooking,
early nights…

All on hold.

This long month of almsgiving —
this tedious curriculum work.

My only consolation
is that the children
who receive these worksheets later in the year
may appreciate the thought behind them,
the values and stories
curated painstakingly each night.

I thought I would be complaining
and grumpy.

But I am surprised.

I am actually enjoying the work.

Maybe this is grace —
Your grace
helping me.