This past week has been sooooooooo long and soooooo crazy.  I have seen some amazing faith in other individuals and I have seen weakness and failure in faith in others.  It makes you wonder, how do we know if we ourselves will make it through trying days that lay ahead.  When faced with circumstances beyond our understanding and means of survival weather emotionally or physically, will we go on?  Will we have faith enough to get back up and keep going?

Halloween week is usually a teacher's nightmare because the kids always know what's coming later in the week.  You do your best to survive.  Well, this week, on top of all the normal chaos expected for a week such as this, we were hit in our school community with some devastating news.  A precious little girl who loved life, loved others, and despite her lifelong struggle to survive never once complained was ushered home to a life of no pain, no fear, and no tears.  Her name is Kyla Parker.  She was a 3rd grader who had lived her life with CF.  She had been waiting on a liver transplant and the one possible donor from her family found out last week that the liver transplant would not be successful.  She had been in the hospital for about five weeks and was on a ventilator to aid her in breathing and keep her alive.  Her sister Haley is in my class.  Throughout the whole ordeal she has been so strong.  She had left school to see her sister in Pennsylvania last week and returned on Tuesday of this week.  At around 11:00 Tuesday, Kyla passed away and Haley's aunt came to pick her up at school.  The family has had more faith than what I even imagined was humanly possible.  They have been stronger than I could even hope to one day be and they have encouraged others with their faith.  In spending time with the family since Kyla's passing, they have been able to share encouraging stories, laugh and share happy moments, and express their loss in the normal ways yet all without shutting others out or shutting down.  Haley even came back to school Friday just so she could be a part of the activity's.  I am amazed at the amount of grace God has extended and I have obtained hope that when I endure hardships, His grace will be all sufficient and His grace will be all encompassing and His grace will be enough. The funeral is today at 3:00pm please keep this family in your prayers as they yet have hard times ahead of them adjusting to the newly reduced size of their family. 

 Sooooooo, I got to see the awesome Buble in concert Saturday night!!! It was really out of this world!  I am just amazed at the tones that come from this man... It's crazy!!! There was also a cool a capella group from NYC that opened up for him called Naturally Seven.  Very cooooooool!!!  I was astounded at the noises that they could make with their vocal chords and mouths.  Not your typical a capella group!  Very Cool!  Here are some pics and videos for your enjoyment and jealousy.  Videos are added in the video section if you dare to watch them...