There Are 115 People Praying For Shanna

And I have the BEST friends in the world!

On more than one occasion

when I have been faced with a difficult situation

I have turned to my friends and have called in my prayer warriors.

They were all so amazing when I was in Memphis *helping* Indra.

I say that tongue in cheek because many of them

prayed my sorry butt off the floor when I fainted

TWICE! the first night down there.

When Indra and I couldn't figure out how to navigate,

or even find for that matter,

support resources for women undergoing breast cancer treatment,

I put out a call and got great ideas as well as much needed prayer

(for Indra and me).

Every time I post the infamous "socks" picture on Facebook

my friends can be sure I will be making a new prayer request

for my dear, dear friend. The responses are prayers for

Indra but I am so blessed by them also.

Well, now Shanna is having a very difficult time

getting this new school year underway.

She is in a school that she served in through Americorps last year.

It is a charter school and it serves a population of our kids that

could very easily be cast aside and left to find their place in the world through

gang involvement or any number of illegal or dangerous means

if not for some amazingly dedicated educators.

Shanna has a group of 20 freshmen who she will stay with

their entire four years of high school. She may very well prove

to be the only constant adult in their lives at this critical time.

I am truly humbled by the level of commitment every one

of the teachers in this school have given.

But understand,

She has only taught juniors and seniors.

She is an english teacher teaching all subjects.

She is passionate about what she does.

She is a first born overachieving female.

She has a classroom full of kids who;

Are physically the size of adults,

have the maturity level of adolescents,

living in conditions that demand

survival skills most of us will never need to call upon.

Shanna knew before the school year started that there would be some

VERY difficult times ahead for her.

She warned me that there would most likely be times when she

would call me, "sucking her thumb in a corner."

I got that call and I will be on my way to Indianapolis Thursday

to hug my baby girl and pry that thumb outta her mouth.

Val asked about how Shanna was doing and I gave her the cliff notes.

At the end I wrote (we were e-mailing)

that Shanna said she had 114 people praying for her.

Val's reply:

#115

I am again humbled.