Contentment by Spencer

Contentment by Spencer - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

As I sit on my porch in my old rocking chair overlooking the endless field of sunflowers, I feel a sense of contentment for the life I have made for my family over the last five years. My favorite chair that my mother used to rock me in has a few more creaks to match the sound of my knees when I rise to feed my cattle and horses. I now use that same chair to rock my precious Sally before placing her in her crib each night. My arthritis that took up residency in my bones as a young child is getting progressively worse. This does not bother me because God still allows me to rise from the floor each morning once I've said my daily prayers. The bags and faint wrinkles around my brown eyes are a testimony of the full life that I am leading.
My farmhouse, that I dreamed of owning with my high school sweetheart, has been filled with our beautiful daughter Sally, our basset hound Max, and our furry cat Marcie. Dillon and I spent numerous hours on yard sale and thrift store scavenger hunts finding the perfect accessories to fill our fifty year old home. The nicks and dents on the furniture from previous ownership match the imperfections on the staircase and moldings of our home. The scars add to the character and uniqueness of the place that holds my families first memories.
I knew in high school that I would not be rich with monetary funds. Lucky for me that was never my goal. I only wished to live a life that brought me joy and happiness all the years that God would bless me with. He allowed me to meet my soulmate young in life. Dillon supported me during my college years and we married during my student teaching assignment. After five years of marriage we still feel like newlyweds when we hold hands during our nightly walks with a stumbling toddler. When I look into Dillon's eyes I know that he will be there with me if I should breath my last breath first.
Dillon and I knew that our transition into adulthood would not be easy for us. He chose to go straight into a full time job after high school. We vowed to make our relationship work, but we knew that my commitment of going to college for 6 years to receive my master's degree in special education would be difficult. Dillon saved money during my college years and by the time I graduated he had saved enough money to buy us the old farmhouse near my parents.
I was given a job at the high school we both attended as a special education teacher. I continue to travel the five miles to work each day and still cannot contemplate ever leaving my hometown. It is rewarding to help the children within my community that have last names of people I grew up knowing. I do not have a list of awards or accomplishments to be commended for. What I have created is a simple and fulfilling life blessed with love and good health that only God could be given credit for.
I have been given a life that I am so richly blessed and content with. I married the man that I love. Our union provided us with a beautiful daughter, and I am able to see my ailing parents each day. I am still a member of the church that I grew up in, and I pray that I will someday have grandchildren to take with me. I feel blessed that my job has allowed me to help and minister to countless children. I like to think that I am making a difference in my community and impacting my little part of the world. When I look at the gallery of pictures that hang on my walls I see testimony of a life that is giving me love and happiness. My only prayer is that God will allow me to have many years left to this life.