Abundant Life Schools

Abundant Life Schools

Tammie Griffith

ISBN 979-8-88685-860-0 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88751-995-1 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88685-861-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Tammie Griffith

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

To my husband, Larry, who has always encouraged me throughout the years.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

About the Author

To my husband, Larry, who has always encouraged me throughout the years.

Chapter 1

It started out as a bad day. Lisa Riley woke up late for work; she had to call her boss to tell her she was running late. Delilah, her Doberman, was whining to go outside and eat. Lisa let Delilah out and poured her some food and put it outside for her. She got ready and went outside to start her car. Of course, it would not start. She couldn't believe it. All she could think of doing was to pray to God. Please, help me to start my car. Lisa tried to start her car again, but it would not start.

Now what can I do, she thought. Lisa noticed a moving van pulling into the driveway of the condo next to hers. This must be my new neighbor. She got out of her car and ran next door.

Excuse me, Lisa said as a man got out. You wouldn't happen to have any jumper cables on you?

The man smiled and looked Lisa over; she couldn't believe he's checking her out at a time like this. Lisa said to him, I'm in a hurry, can you please help me?

Sure, he said. Just a minute.

The man backed the moving van out of the driveway and into Lisa's; he hooked up the cables, then he told Lisa to try and start her car. Lisa tried again, and it started her car on the first try. Lisa jumped out to say to him, Thank you so much. I have got to run now, bye.

The man said, Hey, wait a minute I did not get your name.

Lisa yelled out, It is Lisa, as she backed out of her driveway.

Lisa arrived at work two hours late. She went into her boss's office and said, I'm so sorry, Gina, but I overslept and my car wouldn't start.

Gina told her not to worry; it was okay as long as it did not happen again. Lisa told her it won't.

By the way, we are opening a new school in your neighborhood, Gina said to her. I would like you to go down there and talk to the construction foreman, he says we can't put the restrooms along the east wall. I would like you to find out why not. His name is Ryan Jones, he should be there at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. I heard he is moving into his condo today. The site is next to 1550 East Street. Now let's get to work on those resumes. How do your five applicants look? I don't think the first two have enough experience, what about you?

Lisa looked at the first two resumes and agreed. But I do think number three is a possible candidate for the job.

Gina said, Okay, write down her name and the other two names. We will discuss their experience and education. I have two out of my five who look good. Let's go over them one by one.

Lisa looked up at the clock and realized it was almost lunchtime. Lisa said, Let's do this over lunch.

Gina picked up her purse and the files and said, Let's go.

When they got to the restaurant, they got a booth, so they could continue the perusal of the candidate for the job. Lisa said, We need someone who can be flexible to a transfer, if we need her at the new school, when it opens. Linda seems to have the education and experience, but she quit her last director's job. Tina has the education, but only has experience as an assistant director, but she might be easier for us to train the way we want. We can interview the others, but I'd like to try her. We can always call in one of the others if we don't like her during the interview. What do you say?

Gina agreed and said, Let's call her in for an interview on Monday after you speak to Ryan Jones, say about 9:00 a.m. Then we can interview the rest later in the day. How do the teachers' resumes look? Gina asked.

Lisa shook her head and said, Only two are qualified, the others have only a few units. We had better continue to advertise for some more applicants until we find some better ones that are more qualified for the positions that we have openings for, including the new school we are planning on opening.

Gina said, Let's get back to work and start making those calls. I'll get the bill. This was, after all, a business lunch.

Lisa agreed and said, So long as I can get the tip.

When Lisa got back to work, she went to her office, so she could call the applicants to set up their appointments for Monday. By the time Lisa was done, it was 4:00 p.m., so she left her office and said goodbye to Gina; she got in her car and drove home. On the way home, Lisa made sure she stopped by and bought herself a battery for her car. Lisa got home and exchanged her battery in her car for the new one, then put her car in the garage.

As she was going into the house, her Doberman Delilah scratched at the back door. She let her in and fed her. Delilah finished her food and followed Lisa through the house to her bedroom. Lisa changed into shorts and a T-shirt; she went into the gym room to work out. Delilah jumped on her bed. Lisa told her to get down off the bed, then went into the bathroom to get her shower. Delilah was still on her bed when she returned.

Okay, you can stay for a little while, Lisa told her.

Lisa put on her pajamas and went into the kitchen to fix something to eat. Lisa took out a chicken breast and seasoned it with lemon pepper and put it in the broiler; while that was cooking, she made herself a salad to go with it. While the chicken was cooking, she got out her Bible and sat down to do her devotions. She read from Corinthians 4. She did not get done in the morning because she was running late. When Lisa finished, she bowed her head and prayed, Father, thank you for this day, thank you for sending me someone who could get my car started. Please help us to make the right decisions on who to hire. Amen.

Lisa got up and checked on the chicken; by now it should be done. She sat down to give thanks for her meal. Delilah wandered out because she smelled the chicken.

Oh no, you don't, Lisa told her. You have already eaten enough for the day, go lie down.

Lisa finished eating and went into the living room to watch the news. The newscaster said there will be a 50 percent chance of rain tomorrow. Great, Lisa thought, now I have to find my umbrella for tomorrow. Lisa put her feet up on the coffee table and picked up her mail. There was a letter from the church inviting her to counsel at the fourth to sixth grade camp over summer break up in the mountains. Well, that sounds like fun, I think that I will go. Delilah was whining to go outside, so Lisa got up and let her outside. Lisa went outside and sat on her patio to watch the sunset; it was so beautiful. Lisa was in awe of God's creation.

As Lisa watched Delilah ran around the yard, she heard, Wasn't that spectacular?

Lisa jumped and turned toward the condo next door, as the man that helped her this morning stepped outside his sliding door.

Yes, it was, Lisa agreed. By the way, I didn't catch your name this morning?

Ryan said, My name is Ryan.

Well, thank you again, Ryan, for helping me this morning and good night.

Lisa got up and walked inside, with Delilah at her heels. Delilah walked over to her bed and jumped in, Lisa sat back down to watch a movie she had rented the night before called A Walk in the Clouds, a romantic comedy that she might like. As the movie came to an end, Lisa got up and turned the TV and lights off. She went into her bedroom; she knelt down on her knees before her bed to pray. That the Lord watch over her as she sleeps and not to let her oversleep in the morning, as she set the clock for 5:30 a.m.

Lisa woke up fifteen minutes before her alarm went off because Delilah jumped on her bed, whining to be let outside.

Okay, Lisa said to her. I'm awake already now, get down so I can get up.

Lisa got out of bed and let Delilah outside; she walked to the kitchen to put the water on to boil for her tea. When she came back, the water was ready, and Delilah was ready to come back inside out of the rain. Lisa let her inside and said, Okay, you can stay inside the garage today out of the rain.

Delilah barked her acceptance, and Lisa told her, I will take the cover off the doggie door so you can go to the bathroom.

After she finished getting ready, she put on her raincoat and went into the garage to start her car. Now it started on the first try. Lisa praised her car, which she fondly calls Betsy, a 1968 Camaro her father gave her when she graduated from high school and she loved it. Her father fully restored the car when she was a teenager. Lisa opened the garage and remembered to let Delilah into the garage for the day and to open up the garage doggie door. She told Delilah to stay and behave.

Lisa drove to the site; she saw a construction worker driving out and asked him where to find Ryan Jones, and he pointed to the trailer. Lisa drove up to the trailer and got out of her car. She walked up and knocked on the door; she heard a command to enter and walked inside, so she went inside. The man looked up, and Lisa realized it was her new neighbor. Ryan said, Hello, Lisa, can I help you?

Lisa smiles and said, Yes, I'm from Abundant Life Schools. I heard there is a problem with our bathroom placement.

Ryan shook his head and said, The pipes are on the west side of the street, so it would be better to put the bathrooms in line with the pipes from the street.

Lisa said, What about the gym?

Ryan looked up and said, We can switch them around and it should work out.

Lisa agreed with him and asked him, How long will it take to finish the building?

Ryan replied that it depends on how long it was going to rain. Lisa laughed and told him, In the month of March, anything is possible in New Mexico.

Ryan said, Well, thanks for coming by to straighten this out.

Lisa said, You're welcome and goodbye.

Ryan looked at her and said, You're already leaving?

Lisa said, Yes I have to get to work, I can't be late for work again.

Ryan told her to drive safely and goodbye for now. Lisa walked out and climbed in her car. She just sat there for a few minutes, thinking, Wow! Ryan is sure good looking with that tall well-muscled body, those piercing green eyes and brown hair. This was the first time a man had got her pulses leaping. Little did she know Ryan was sitting in his office thinking of how to get to know her better. He really liked what he saw. Lisa with her long brown hair and sea green eyes. She was something else. Ryan guessed his large hands would span her tiny waist.

Lisa composed herself and started her car. She backed out onto the street; she had just enough time to get to work. When Lisa arrived at the office, Gina followed her in and shut the door.

So what do you think of Mr. Jones? she asked Lisa.

Lisa looked up at her and smiles. What a hunk, she replied.

Gina nodded. If I wasn't happily married, I'd go after him!

Lisa laughed, Behave yourself, Gina.

They got to work on the applications and made up a classified advertisement for more applicants. They really had their work cut out for them: they had a director retiring here in Albuquerque, an assistant director going on maternity leave next Friday in Taos, another school opening in Albuquerque. A few teachers are retiring in Santa Fe. They needed to get to work on replacements. Gina and Lisa get to work trying to figure out who to pick for the teachers. Before long, it was time to go home and relax.

As Lisa was driving home, she noticed the rain has stopped and there was a rainbow in the sky. The colors were very vivid in the sky and you can see every color very clearly. Lisa decided to stop at Lori's Restaurant and purchase a chef's salad for dinner. She could eat it outside while Delilah ran around in the fresh air after all the rain kept her cooped up in the garage all day.

When Lisa pulled into the garage, Delilah barked exuberantly to see her home. Lisa got out of her car and let Delilah outside, so she can run around. Delilah took off at a dead run, happy to be outside again after the rain. Lisa remembered to put the panel back on the doggie door to keep it locked. Lisa went inside, so she can put on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. She went into the gym to work out for twenty minutes and then went back into her bathroom to get her shower.

After her shower, she got dressed and went outside to eat her salad. She picked up her salad from the counter and got herself some ice tea. When she went back outside to sit at her little table, on her porch, she said a prayer before eating. As she ate, Delilah ran up and begged for her dinner too! Lisa told her to run inside. It is already put out for you.

Lisa decided to cut a few of her roses to put in a vase and take to work in the morning to sit on her desk. Lisa went into her shed to get her pruning shears; she started cutting her yellow roses, her favorites. She took them into the house and put them into the sink, so she can trim the thorns off them and put them into some hot water to sit for an hour; while she waited for the water to cool, she went into the living room to watch the news.

Delilah followed her in and lay down in her bed. Lisa got comfortable and turned on the news, to see if they have another shooting death in LA, obviously gang related. But they say the victim was an innocent child in his own home asleep in his bed. Why do they always seem to kill innocent children, Lord? Lisa got depressed that this always seems to happen with regularity now. She turned to the channel to listen to the weather; good, she said no weather in sight for tomorrow. Lisa flipped the channel again and saw that an old movie starring Dorothy Lamore was on. Lisa loved these old movies when everything was not so explicit, and when a couple does act inappropriately, there was usually a shotgun wedding in store for them. Lisa decided to go watch it in her gym room so she can exercise. As she was going to her bathroom to put up her hair, her doorbell rings. Lisa yelled just a minute; she walked over to her front door and looked in her peephole and peeked through. She saw her neighbor Ryan, standing at the door. She opened the door and said, Hello again, can I help you?

Ryan said, As a matter of fact, yes, you can. I need to borrow a cup of flour. I forgot to buy some at the store and I am trying to cook some fish for dinner. Do you happen to have any flour handy?

Lisa said yes she does and to come on in. That she will go get it for him. Ryan asked her if she always invites strange men into her home. Lisa laughed as Delilah ran up to see who was here; she stopped in front of Ryan and growls at him. Ryan bended down and put his hands out, palms up, and Delilah sniffs his hands.

What's her name?

Lisa asked him, How do you know if it's a she?

Ryan said, I looked at her underside when I bent down.

Lisa told him that her name was Delilah. Ryan told her, I guess you don't have to worry about strangers with her.

Lisa said Not really, here's your cup of flour.

As Lisa walked him to her door, he asked her if she would like to go out with him sometime? Lisa shook her head no and said, Not while you are building our new building, it is not allowed. Something to do with people working for the same company and dating. It is their policy, I'm sorry.

Ryan looked her up and down and said, Well, I'm sorry too! We can still become friends, can't we?

Lisa said, Okay, we can become friends, after all, we do live next door to each other.

Friends, it is, Ryan said. Well, I better be getting back to my fish, thanks again for the flour, see you later.

Lisa told him good night and closed the door. She leaned against the door and thought, Just friends. I don't know if that is going to be a good idea. Lord, how about you? Little did she know Ryan was on the other side of the door thinking the same thing, about them being friends; it just doesn't seem possible that he could only be her friend. Then he got an idea, it would only take his company three short months to complete the school. Thankfully, the time would go by rather quickly, also that the rain would not come again in that time, or it would not slow down the school's progress. Then they would be free to date, if they were so inclined to do so. That would be a great idea.

Chapter 2

After Lisa did her exercises, she went into the bathroom to run her whirlpool bath; as it filled up, she let Delilah out one more time for the night, so she could lock up for the night. As she slipped into the whirlpool, she thought about Ryan and how she would really like to get to know him. When her body felt good and relaxed, she got out and dried off, she put her robe on to go let Delilah back in. Lisa turned out the lights and went to her bedroom to find Delilah on her bed all curled up as if she were going to go to sleep there.

Get down, Delilah, you know better than that, Lisa said.

Lisa put on her pajamas and got down on her knees, to say her prayers for the night. She prayed for the families that lost someone to a stray bullet. She also prayed to God that he would be generous with the sunshine for a while, so Ryan could finish the school building in a very short amount of time. Lord, I hope the violence stops and they stop killing innocent children in the process, I also pray that you help me not to oversleep tomorrow morning.

Lisa got into her bed and went to sleep almost instantly. She had a very peaceful night and didn't even have any dreams.

She actually woke up before the alarm again because Delilah wanted outside again. Lisa said, Okay, just a minute, let me get up.

Delilah went running outside when Lisa opened the door for her. She started her water for tea and decided to make some oatmeal for breakfast. She started her oatmeal water and opened her Bible for her devotions and looked up James 12. After her devotions, she said her prayers and checked her water for her tea and oatmeal. The water was ready, so she made her tea and put her oatmeal in the pan to boil. She put out Delilah's food and water and let her in to eat too.

After breakfast, she went into her bedroom and opened her closet to pick out a dress to wear. She picked out a nice red dress and put it on. She went into the bathroom and brushed her hair to put it up in a ponytail. She let Delilah out for the day and locked the door. Then she went out to the garage and started her car and opened the garage; she drove out and shut her garage and drove away. When Lisa arrived at work, she got straight to work on looking at the teacher applicants to see if she had overlooked any qualifications. Even after she looked them over again, she could not find any that were qualified preschool teachers. She went in to tell Gina that nobody looked good for the preschool teachers. Gina said, Well I guess we had better keep looking for preschool teachers. I did find an elementary teacher for the one retiring.

Lisa said, We have to find somebody that is qualified for the various teacher positions.

After they looked at all the applicants, they decided they needed to really try again, after their classified advertisement went in the paper today. At lunchtime, Gina said, See you later. I am having lunch with my husband today.

Lisa replied, I guess I will eat my lunch by myself. Hope you enjoy yourself at lunch.

Lisa sat down to her bag lunch and prayed for her food. Lord, I pray you help us to find the right teacher, director, and assistant director for our schools. Bless this food, help it to nourish my body. Amen.

After lunch, Lisa