Photo Challenge - Day 9

Today's gratitude photo challenge's theme is 'an inspiring person'.  I had a hard time with this one as it made me even more homesick than I already was!  I initially thought of my parents and then realized that I am not in Colorado and cannot take their picture.  Then I wanted to play the Jesus card but, well you cannot take a picture of Jesus!  So, I thought long and hard and realized that there are MANY people here I admire which made this task even harder.  Then three specific people stood out.  Here they are...

These three cuties are students at ICSV.  I had two of them last year and really, truly miss having them in my class.  These three inspire me because they struggle with school.  They struggle in reading just like I did as a child.  Regardless of how much they struggle or how hard life here in Vienna is for them one thing about these cuties is that they NEVER lose their joy, their tenderheartedness, or their love for God.  I always stand back and watch these cuties and realize that I aspire to have their joy on a daily basis.  Not that fake kind of joy that some adults have mastered but that child-like joy that comes from deep within a person.  That joy that knows that the Lord is ever-present and always guiding our steps.  That joy that allows a person to look past their current struggle or worry to see the need in others and remember that they might be encouraged by my friendship or joy today!  These three inspire me to be a better teacher and person on a daily basis.