The SuperMom Chronicles have been quiet for several months...but for good reason! Over the summer I started a new project with my sister, Renae. While visiting in VA, we decided to write a blog together. Between us we have six (count them) SIX kids! Most of them are hers...but still...it makes for interesting stuff, this parenting business. And with more kids come more kid adventures to write about. It's just plain funny. So head on over to Training Up Hearts and see what you think. Then subscribe!
http://traininguphearts.blogspot.com/
Monday, September 2, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
THERE ARE NO GERMS IN HEAVEN
In the car on the way home from church today....
LAUREN: Mom, where do we go after we go to heaven?
ME: We stay in heaven forever and ever.
LAUREN: But if you go to heaven to die, then where do you go next?
ME: No, we actually die here on earth. Then we go to heaven.
LAUREN: I want to take my skin with me to heaven.
ME: (We've had this part of the conversation several times now.) I know it sounds weird, but we leave these bodies here and then God gives us a new body in heaven.
LAUREN: Why does he give us a new one when we already have one?
ME: Because the new bodies are better than these. The new body can't get sick. And the new body can't get hurt.
LAUREN: Oh, and the new body can't get killed?
ME: That's right...the new body can't get killed either.
LAUREN: So...there are no germs in heaven?
ME: Nope!
EVAN: There are no germs in heaven? I WANT TO GO THERE RIGHT NOW!! I'm ready to die. I want to die and go to heaven where there are no germs!
LAUREN: Me too!
ME: Well...I'm ready too...BUT...God has more jobs for us to do on the earth before he takes us to heaven.
EVAN: Until we're older.
ME: Yes, we stay on earth until we finish all of the jobs God has for us to do.
EVAN: I Probably need to clean my room then.
LAUREN: Mom, where do we go after we go to heaven?
ME: We stay in heaven forever and ever.
LAUREN: But if you go to heaven to die, then where do you go next?
ME: No, we actually die here on earth. Then we go to heaven.
LAUREN: I want to take my skin with me to heaven.
ME: (We've had this part of the conversation several times now.) I know it sounds weird, but we leave these bodies here and then God gives us a new body in heaven.
LAUREN: Why does he give us a new one when we already have one?
ME: Because the new bodies are better than these. The new body can't get sick. And the new body can't get hurt.
LAUREN: Oh, and the new body can't get killed?
ME: That's right...the new body can't get killed either.
LAUREN: So...there are no germs in heaven?
ME: Nope!
EVAN: There are no germs in heaven? I WANT TO GO THERE RIGHT NOW!! I'm ready to die. I want to die and go to heaven where there are no germs!
LAUREN: Me too!
ME: Well...I'm ready too...BUT...God has more jobs for us to do on the earth before he takes us to heaven.
EVAN: Until we're older.
ME: Yes, we stay on earth until we finish all of the jobs God has for us to do.
EVAN: I Probably need to clean my room then.
Monday, February 11, 2013
TWO YEARS OUT
Today was not my best birthday. It wasn’t my worst, either.
Funny how your perspective on everything in life changes
when you come so close to death. Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of the
day I almost died. Two years was really not that long ago. I still experience
some physical side effects from that medical ordeal, but the memory is finally becoming
a little more distant. Any hint of nausea does still put me on guard, though. You
can read more about my medical emergency here:
http://momchronicles.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html
and here: http://momchronicles.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html.
Last year I posted "ONE YEAR OUT" which mainly dealt with what I had learned from this experience. You can read that post here: http://momchronicles.blogspot.com/p/health-chronicles.html (scroll down a bit). I was still really wrapping my head around the fact that I actually almost died. Kaput. Finished. Almost kicked the bucket. It really and truly almost happened. I did take some time to examine what I had learned. The year that followed was such a whirlwind as far as getting a new job and jumping into a new leadership opportunity, and just plain trusting God with His plan for me.This year I think that my focus lies more in what He has next for me. I have been faithful and I have worked hard. The whirlwind has not died down in the least, but I know the path. It's not straight or narrow or clear of debris, but it is more familiar this time. I feel like I am home. I'm just so dagblamed thankful right now. Even on the stinky days.
It’s so ironic that this day falls around my birthday. Not
everyone has the privilege of having so many re-birthdays. I actually have a slew
of them now! At the top of the list is my re-birth in accepting Jesus Christ as
my Lord and Savior. That one cannot be outdone, of course, but the others are still
so much a part of who I am. This literal second chance at life itself is a close
second, with the third being weight loss surgery and losing 145 pounds in 2003,
which led to a fourth re-birth in leaving an abusive relationship the following
year.
Read that paragraph again. Wow! It may sound awful at first but truly...it just screams out so loudly...I HAVE LIVED! And I have. But there is so much more ahead. And here I am, Lord. Lead on!
O Lord, lead me in Thy righteousness, because of those observing me, make straight before me Thy way.
PSALM 5:8
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
DOC ON THE SHELF
By popular demand...here is the complete collection of Doc's 2012 adventures. Enjoy!
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Grandma gets full credit for this one! The kids and Doc spent the night at her house on December 23rd!
Doc's farewell...we will miss this guy! <3
Friday, December 14, 2012
NULLIFYING TRAGEDY
Today was a terrible day in Connecticut. An unconfirmed
number of children have been lost along with teachers and administrators. An
unconfirmed number of people will never get their child off the bus or pick
them up in carpool today. An unconfirmed number of people have been touched by
those who died or those who were traumatized firsthand by this event.
Imagine walking into your child’s school on Monday morning
and a whole classroom is missing.
Devastating.
Please understand the following: This was the result of evil
in the world. Satan rears his filthy head in many ways. He loves to make us
cry. He loves to tear our hearts apart. He knows what will get our attention.
Please understand this as well: No gun control law, no metal
detector, no fence, no visitation policy or school sign in sheet will keep a
tragedy such as this from happening again. These are mere bandaids.
There is one and only one thing that will keep evil out of
this world:
We must BE THE CHURCH.
What does this mean? It’s so simple. We must be
outward focused. We must take care of one another. We must do as much good as
possible. We must go the extra mile to help another human. We must take care of
ourselves and our families but we must put others first. Love them. Love the unlovable.
We can only match evil if we work at it relentlessly and chip at it
little by little, piece by piece each and every day. Some days I totally suck
at this…because I am human. But on the days that I am not my best, I am confident
that there are an army of believers out in the world making up for my
shortcomings.
But this army of goodness must increase in order to make a
difference in the world. Even if you don’t believe that Jesus Christ died for
your sins and that you will spend eternity in heaven with him (although I pray
that you do!), I know that it is fully possible for you to BE THE CHURCH and
follow His teachings. Think about it. YOU can make a difference in the next
near tragedy. YOU could be the person who showed a kindness to someone and
changed the trajectory of a life. Or lives. Think about that.
GO. DO SOMETHING. BE THE CHURCH.
Acts 20:28
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Romans 12:3-5
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Mound of Earth
There is a fresh mound of earth in the woods behind my house. Beneath it lies my friend of eleven years. I've dug plenty of holes in my lifetime, but never a grave. It was difficult to do. There were many rocks and roots in the way. There were tears in the way as well.
As I worked I thought about why the tears were coming so easily now. My Lilly has been missing for nearly two weeks. Each night I checked the shelter websites and Craig's List for an ad that was never going to be placed. Kind friends helped me look. Friends tried to will her home. I had hope.
As I stood over the open earth and placed her in, I told her how sorry I was that we didn't know she got out. Sorry that we didn't even realize for a whole day. And sorry for all those times that I ignored her to do "work."
The quentessential Siamese, she was by my side always. She was so beautiful. And sweet. I know that she knew that I loved her.
But as much as I loved her for her, I really think my tears today were for eleven years of life that have passed in the blink of an eye. Lilly was with me through a divorce, a 145 pound weight loss, a move to a different state, a new marriage, two babies, job loss, new jobs, major illness, and much inbetween.
For two weeks I've prayed for my sweet cat to come home. I'm not sure why my prayer wasn't answered. I might not ever know. I just know I miss my friend who slept curled up beside my pillow each night.
There is some relief in knowing.
The hardest part has been watching a man who claims not to like cats walk outside each evening and stare into the woods...call her name, take off his hat, and shake his head. He loved her too.
Ahead of us lies a conversation with two little ones that will be much harder than dealing with my own feelings about this. If they ask me why Lilly had to go to heaven right now, I won't have an answer.
As I worked I thought about why the tears were coming so easily now. My Lilly has been missing for nearly two weeks. Each night I checked the shelter websites and Craig's List for an ad that was never going to be placed. Kind friends helped me look. Friends tried to will her home. I had hope.
As I stood over the open earth and placed her in, I told her how sorry I was that we didn't know she got out. Sorry that we didn't even realize for a whole day. And sorry for all those times that I ignored her to do "work."
The quentessential Siamese, she was by my side always. She was so beautiful. And sweet. I know that she knew that I loved her.
But as much as I loved her for her, I really think my tears today were for eleven years of life that have passed in the blink of an eye. Lilly was with me through a divorce, a 145 pound weight loss, a move to a different state, a new marriage, two babies, job loss, new jobs, major illness, and much inbetween.
For two weeks I've prayed for my sweet cat to come home. I'm not sure why my prayer wasn't answered. I might not ever know. I just know I miss my friend who slept curled up beside my pillow each night.
There is some relief in knowing.
The hardest part has been watching a man who claims not to like cats walk outside each evening and stare into the woods...call her name, take off his hat, and shake his head. He loved her too.
Ahead of us lies a conversation with two little ones that will be much harder than dealing with my own feelings about this. If they ask me why Lilly had to go to heaven right now, I won't have an answer.
For every animal of
the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in
the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
~Psalm 50:11-12
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Even The Good Weeds
If you've read my blog before, you know that the title is in jest. I am not, nor will I ever be, Super Mom. I do try, however, to be a mom first and foremost. So that is why I have not blogged in THREE WHOLE MONTHS. *gasp* I've been a little busy. (That, of course, is an understatement.) So I've taken some time off. But beware, I am working toward a different season in which I may have a tad more time to myself. You know I'll spend some of my 'me' time with my kids and my husband but I bet that you'll also catch me blogging more. Fair warning.
And now...on to my actual reason for writing today...
Blogging is not the only thing I haven't done for three months. This morning I spent a couple of hours cleaning out a smelly garage and a very weedy flower bed. I'm not finished, but it was time well spent and it looks far better than it did. I don't remember there being this many weeds in my front flower bed in the four year history of living in our home. My husband had even tried to spray weed killer on the weeds and it had merely yellowed them a bit. They continued to grow.
Weeding is a love/hate relationship for me for a couple of reasons. I hate it because it's time consuming and it makes my hands hurt. I love it because I'm one of those people who loves immediate gratification. Within an hour I can turn an ugly patch of mess into a pretty mulch bed. The results are easily seen in a relatively short amount of time. Weeding also allows me time to think. Nobody really wants to help with the weeds so I tend to chop and pull all by my lonesome. Once in awhile, lonesome is a good thing. Especially lately.
So God and I had a bit of a chat, which we haven't done quite so much lately. Not the good kind of chat at least. I've prayed and prayed like I always do but I haven't really been listening. Or, maybe I've been listening but I haven't really heard. You know what I mean.
So as we were talking, I noticed that the weeds were much easier to pull than usual because of the rain that we'd had last night. That certainly made things go faster. In addition to the aforementioned variety of hearty, yellowing, poison-treated weeds, there were many others. There was one that looked like a little sycamore tree, one with tiny dandilion looking tufts on it, and one with thorns that I am still suffering a bit from. They were all easy enough to pull, place in my lawn bag, and get rid of.
But then....there were the morning glories...
I love morning glories. They're like a gorgeous little surprise gift each morning from August through the beginning of October or so. They come in such happy vivid hues, different sizes, and they are generally quite hearty. I certainly consider them a beautiful flower. But some gardeners and farmers consider them a weed because truly, they are so invasive. If they are not tended they will simply take over. And sometimes even if they are tended, they take over anyway.
Morning glories are tenacious as well. They come back year after year after year. There is a petite little variety of tiny, white, wild morning glory that comes back in one of my backyard flowerbeds each year. It somehow survived the year that we had the whole backyard(which was nothing but clay anyway) pulverized and covered in sod. It simply won't give up. I love the morning glories dearly, and I don't want to pull them.
So this morning glory is much like my life right now. There are SO many morning glories, or beautiful things, in my life that are just growing and thriving. I'm so pleased! So thankful! It's a wonderful time to watch God's work and I have been so blessed to be a part of such extraordinary grace. But, as you might guess, sometimes even the morning glories have to be tamed, to be 'weeded' if you will. Because otherwise, the healthy plants and earth below will only be healthy for so long.
Today I met many little earthworms as I dug out weeds and fluffed the mulch. They were not there four years ago. After careful ammending to the soil, it is now a good place for both plants and worms to live happily. Simply put, it's like ME. I've been tending myself carefully. I'm healthy, I'm richly blessed, and I continue to receive God's amazing love. But I have to take care. Sometimes even the good weeds have to be pulled in order to keep your heart healthy.
So I will. I promise.
And now...on to my actual reason for writing today...
Blogging is not the only thing I haven't done for three months. This morning I spent a couple of hours cleaning out a smelly garage and a very weedy flower bed. I'm not finished, but it was time well spent and it looks far better than it did. I don't remember there being this many weeds in my front flower bed in the four year history of living in our home. My husband had even tried to spray weed killer on the weeds and it had merely yellowed them a bit. They continued to grow.
Weeding is a love/hate relationship for me for a couple of reasons. I hate it because it's time consuming and it makes my hands hurt. I love it because I'm one of those people who loves immediate gratification. Within an hour I can turn an ugly patch of mess into a pretty mulch bed. The results are easily seen in a relatively short amount of time. Weeding also allows me time to think. Nobody really wants to help with the weeds so I tend to chop and pull all by my lonesome. Once in awhile, lonesome is a good thing. Especially lately.
So God and I had a bit of a chat, which we haven't done quite so much lately. Not the good kind of chat at least. I've prayed and prayed like I always do but I haven't really been listening. Or, maybe I've been listening but I haven't really heard. You know what I mean.
So as we were talking, I noticed that the weeds were much easier to pull than usual because of the rain that we'd had last night. That certainly made things go faster. In addition to the aforementioned variety of hearty, yellowing, poison-treated weeds, there were many others. There was one that looked like a little sycamore tree, one with tiny dandilion looking tufts on it, and one with thorns that I am still suffering a bit from. They were all easy enough to pull, place in my lawn bag, and get rid of.
But then....there were the morning glories...
I love morning glories. They're like a gorgeous little surprise gift each morning from August through the beginning of October or so. They come in such happy vivid hues, different sizes, and they are generally quite hearty. I certainly consider them a beautiful flower. But some gardeners and farmers consider them a weed because truly, they are so invasive. If they are not tended they will simply take over. And sometimes even if they are tended, they take over anyway.
Morning glories are tenacious as well. They come back year after year after year. There is a petite little variety of tiny, white, wild morning glory that comes back in one of my backyard flowerbeds each year. It somehow survived the year that we had the whole backyard(which was nothing but clay anyway) pulverized and covered in sod. It simply won't give up. I love the morning glories dearly, and I don't want to pull them.
So this morning glory is much like my life right now. There are SO many morning glories, or beautiful things, in my life that are just growing and thriving. I'm so pleased! So thankful! It's a wonderful time to watch God's work and I have been so blessed to be a part of such extraordinary grace. But, as you might guess, sometimes even the morning glories have to be tamed, to be 'weeded' if you will. Because otherwise, the healthy plants and earth below will only be healthy for so long.
Today I met many little earthworms as I dug out weeds and fluffed the mulch. They were not there four years ago. After careful ammending to the soil, it is now a good place for both plants and worms to live happily. Simply put, it's like ME. I've been tending myself carefully. I'm healthy, I'm richly blessed, and I continue to receive God's amazing love. But I have to take care. Sometimes even the good weeds have to be pulled in order to keep your heart healthy.
So I will. I promise.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Unfriended
Recently I was unfriended on facebook by someone I considered to be a good friend. There was no confrontation, no explanation, and as far as I know, no real reason to do so. "Big deal!" you say. Big deal, my foot! Regardless of the fact that I am a full fledged grown-up, it still hurt my feelings! I know it's just facebook, and I realize that this person may even think that I would never notice. Well, I noticed. "Maybe it was on accident!" you say. No, only if this person accidentally unfriended my husband as well. Not likely.
Even if it was not a direct attack, it was an insult in my general direction. So to make myself feel better, here are a few reasons I have come up with to rationalize why this person may have decided to unfriend me:
1. I chew a lot of ice. Loudly.
2. Sometimes I still watch reruns of Dog the Bounty Hunter.
3. I secretly have mad krumping skillz.
4. My mom car is just too sexy.
5. I'm uncannily good at 80's trivia.
6. Nearly every room in my house somehow incorporates an element from Star Wars.
7. I find that most meats are really just a vehicle for Frank's hot sauce.
8. Any four pair of shoes in my closet, added together, are valued at less than $100.
9. My passion for saving orb spiders may be just a bit too weird.
10. I just look too darned much like Monica Lewinsky.
So, I guess I understand. Some of these offenses are pretty rough. But I hope one day this person sees through the outer me and forgives whatever I may have done - or appeared to have done. And I really hope this person knows that I still love them.
On a side note, I am exceptionally grateful that facebook did not exist when I was a teenager. Because if so, I would still be paying for the therapy bills.
Even if it was not a direct attack, it was an insult in my general direction. So to make myself feel better, here are a few reasons I have come up with to rationalize why this person may have decided to unfriend me:
1. I chew a lot of ice. Loudly.
2. Sometimes I still watch reruns of Dog the Bounty Hunter.
3. I secretly have mad krumping skillz.
4. My mom car is just too sexy.
5. I'm uncannily good at 80's trivia.
6. Nearly every room in my house somehow incorporates an element from Star Wars.
7. I find that most meats are really just a vehicle for Frank's hot sauce.
8. Any four pair of shoes in my closet, added together, are valued at less than $100.
9. My passion for saving orb spiders may be just a bit too weird.
10. I just look too darned much like Monica Lewinsky.
So, I guess I understand. Some of these offenses are pretty rough. But I hope one day this person sees through the outer me and forgives whatever I may have done - or appeared to have done. And I really hope this person knows that I still love them.
On a side note, I am exceptionally grateful that facebook did not exist when I was a teenager. Because if so, I would still be paying for the therapy bills.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Pink Blankets
Naptime is typically drama-free with my daughter. She has always been the type of child to crawl in her bed, give you a hug and a kiss on each cheek and be out as soon as the lights are off. Yesterday, though, I spent the first hour of naptime consoling, resisting negotiations, and keeping my patience in check.
At the beginning of nap, she laid down just fine, but within fifteen minutes I could hear her over the monitor and she was full on bawling. Of course, I headed upstairs to see what was going on. Inbetween sobs, she explained that she wanted her pink blanket. And not just any pink blanket, either. The very same pink blanket that she had just negotiated to trade with her brother so that she could have his blue polka dotted blanket. It wasn't an easy sell. How many five year old big brothers would be willing to trade their awesome blue blanket for a pink blanket? It took some doing, but he (as usual) was willing to make her happy and made the trade.
However...the pink blanket was, at that moment, wrapped up with big brother and he was in his bed asleep. Which I told her. And you can guess what happened next. We tried to talk it out, we tried to hug it out, I tried laying down with her for a minute but to no avail. It was as if she had just received the news of the demise of her best friend. Or that Chick-fil-a had closed or something. To put it simply, there was a whole lot of really loud crying going on. And she was even starting to get angry that she couldn't get what she wanted!
This story ends pretty well...sort of. Her crying woke her brother up, who understood the situation (and his sister) enough to bring her the blanket. While I was glad to see her settled down, I really was concerned by the message that was sent: If you cry loud enough and long enough, you'll eventually get what you want.
Is that really what I want to teach her? Absolutely not. And it made me think...this is exactly how God teaches us. Sometimes we cry long and loud for what we want, only to be left with an unanswered prayer. But these are the times that God teaches us the most. It's hard and it hurts, but it's for a good reason.
So I'm just reflecting back today...what have been the pink blankets in my life? Which ones were never made available to me? What did I learn from that? Which ones did I cry out for and eventually receive? What was the lesson in waiting? And who did God use to give them to me?
Only God can put together puzzle pieces like mine and make them fit perfectly.
Check out this great sermon clip from Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC:
What To Do When God Doesn't Come Through
At the beginning of nap, she laid down just fine, but within fifteen minutes I could hear her over the monitor and she was full on bawling. Of course, I headed upstairs to see what was going on. Inbetween sobs, she explained that she wanted her pink blanket. And not just any pink blanket, either. The very same pink blanket that she had just negotiated to trade with her brother so that she could have his blue polka dotted blanket. It wasn't an easy sell. How many five year old big brothers would be willing to trade their awesome blue blanket for a pink blanket? It took some doing, but he (as usual) was willing to make her happy and made the trade.
However...the pink blanket was, at that moment, wrapped up with big brother and he was in his bed asleep. Which I told her. And you can guess what happened next. We tried to talk it out, we tried to hug it out, I tried laying down with her for a minute but to no avail. It was as if she had just received the news of the demise of her best friend. Or that Chick-fil-a had closed or something. To put it simply, there was a whole lot of really loud crying going on. And she was even starting to get angry that she couldn't get what she wanted!
This story ends pretty well...sort of. Her crying woke her brother up, who understood the situation (and his sister) enough to bring her the blanket. While I was glad to see her settled down, I really was concerned by the message that was sent: If you cry loud enough and long enough, you'll eventually get what you want.
Is that really what I want to teach her? Absolutely not. And it made me think...this is exactly how God teaches us. Sometimes we cry long and loud for what we want, only to be left with an unanswered prayer. But these are the times that God teaches us the most. It's hard and it hurts, but it's for a good reason.
So I'm just reflecting back today...what have been the pink blankets in my life? Which ones were never made available to me? What did I learn from that? Which ones did I cry out for and eventually receive? What was the lesson in waiting? And who did God use to give them to me?
Only God can put together puzzle pieces like mine and make them fit perfectly.
Check out this great sermon clip from Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC:
What To Do When God Doesn't Come Through
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Second Chances
I'm sitting here printing out little Star Wars name tags and activities for my son's birthday party on Saturday. I've had a great but busy week and I still have lots to do before the big day. We have out of town company coming as well as tons of friends. You know, the usual. It's nothing you wouldn't do. I don't really feel stressed about it, mainly because of my new "I don't care" cleaning policy. If I can live with it on a daily basis, guests can live with it for a day. I will, however, wash the guest sheets and clean the toilets before guests arrive. There's about a 50% chance of vacuuming.
So this is all good and I'm happy but very tired. A little late on preparing my flower beds this year, I've spent the last two nights spreading 28 bags of mulch. Yes, that's 56 cubic feet. And yes, I just double checked my math on the calculator because I'm so tired. But this is still all good.
But as the printer chugs along, I print something that isn't quite right, tear it in half, fix the document, and print another one. Then, here is where my mind goes...
I can start over whenever I want.
I can, no matter what, stop anything and try again. The Bible says that in the beginning, God created everything by speaking (Genesis 1), and Jesus was the Word who caused everything to come to pass. (John 1:1–2, 14) So if you put your faith in Him, all you have to do is stop what you're doing, ask for forgiveness, and start again. And you can do this as many times as you need to. Why? Because we're human. And God knows this. Anything that is broken can be fixed. Anything that is wrong can be made right. Any person, place, object, situation, or idea can hold purpose through Christ. It's just that simple.
Through Jesus, ALL things can be made new.
John 1: 3 (NIV)
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
So this is all good and I'm happy but very tired. A little late on preparing my flower beds this year, I've spent the last two nights spreading 28 bags of mulch. Yes, that's 56 cubic feet. And yes, I just double checked my math on the calculator because I'm so tired. But this is still all good.
But as the printer chugs along, I print something that isn't quite right, tear it in half, fix the document, and print another one. Then, here is where my mind goes...
I can start over whenever I want.
I can, no matter what, stop anything and try again. The Bible says that in the beginning, God created everything by speaking (Genesis 1), and Jesus was the Word who caused everything to come to pass. (John 1:1–2, 14) So if you put your faith in Him, all you have to do is stop what you're doing, ask for forgiveness, and start again. And you can do this as many times as you need to. Why? Because we're human. And God knows this. Anything that is broken can be fixed. Anything that is wrong can be made right. Any person, place, object, situation, or idea can hold purpose through Christ. It's just that simple.
Through Jesus, ALL things can be made new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
John 1: 3 (NIV)
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!
This blog is under construction! I am reorganizing to make things a little easier to read and enjoy. In the meantime, check out my latest blog post here: http://momchronicles.blogspot.com/p/god-chronicles.html?spref=fb
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Our Little Ray of Sunshine
This afternoon a mom and a dad came in to pick up their child at preschool. As I always do, I asked how they were and the mom replied through teary eyes, "We had to put our eighteen-year-old cat to sleep this morning." If you know me you might think that's going to be the pivotal connection in this story as I can closely relate. I lost my sweet Mattie to cancer three years ago and my lovable, fifteen-year-old, diabetic Isaac surely will not be with us forever. My eyes quickly teared up, too.
It's what they said next, though, that made the impression. "We're ready to pick up our little ray of sunshine." The power of a sweet little face was going to change the way they faced the rest of a very tough day.
It was such a simple exchange, but it was such a great reminder that as a teacher, it's so crucial to live out the belief that every single child is a ray of sunshine to someone and should be treated as such. Even when they refuse to sit down and listen. Or throw their shoes in the trash can. Or tip over a cup of paint on purpose. Or somehow forget to clean up even though you just told them to five seconds ago. Or tell you, "NO!" so many times in one day that it makes your skin prickle.
Because moreover, that child is not just a ray of sunshine to a pair of human parents, but to the God who created them. He's entrusted these children to us for such a short amount of time. Every encounter is so fleeting, yet so important, and so precious.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:14)
Children are a gift from the LORD, they are a reward from Him. (Psalm 127:3)
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)
It's what they said next, though, that made the impression. "We're ready to pick up our little ray of sunshine." The power of a sweet little face was going to change the way they faced the rest of a very tough day.
It was such a simple exchange, but it was such a great reminder that as a teacher, it's so crucial to live out the belief that every single child is a ray of sunshine to someone and should be treated as such. Even when they refuse to sit down and listen. Or throw their shoes in the trash can. Or tip over a cup of paint on purpose. Or somehow forget to clean up even though you just told them to five seconds ago. Or tell you, "NO!" so many times in one day that it makes your skin prickle.
Because moreover, that child is not just a ray of sunshine to a pair of human parents, but to the God who created them. He's entrusted these children to us for such a short amount of time. Every encounter is so fleeting, yet so important, and so precious.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:14)
Children are a gift from the LORD, they are a reward from Him. (Psalm 127:3)
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Irish Twin Phenomenon
Technically, Irish Twins are two children born to the same mother from two separate pregnancies within 365 days of each other. The term is intended to be derogatory, which is a total bummer, me being quite Irish and all. Interestingly, it's pretty much become American vernacular to use the term to define any two siblings who were born less than two years apart or so. You know, the ones that are so close in age that they really look like they could be fraternal twins but you're just not quite sure.
My "Irish Twins" are exactly 14 1/2 months apart. Over the last three years I've discovered just how common this really is. Just about everyone I meet for the first time either knows someone who had little ones close together or perhaps has a sibling so close in age. I even worked with someone who was born on her sister's first birthday.
But the best of all is the chance to meet a mom with her own Irish twins, especially a pair that's still little. The conversation almost always goes like this:
Her: How old are your kids?
Me: 3 and 4 (or insert whatever age they were at the time)
Her: And how far apart are they?
Me: Fourteen months (I leave off the 1/2 so I don't sound like a nut to someone I've just met.)
Her: Oh, mine are 15 months apart!
Me; Oh, so you KNOW!
Always, it always goes down that way! There's rarely ever even a deviation from the script. We instantly bond because we both KNOW. We know about the two years straight of lost sleep. We know about the assault on your body from back to back pregnancies and nursing. We know about the infinite, infinite diaper changes. We know about the ease with which contagious illnesses spread and continue to circulate. We miss our bodies, our husbands, our short term memory and our sanity.
But...we also know so much more about how to do it all better the second time because we just did the very same thing a few months ago. We know what to buy and what not to buy. We know how to get two babies and ourselves ready and out of the house in the time it takes one husband to shower and shave. We know how to maximize the space underneath a double stroller and can pack in everything you or I would need on any given Target run. And we know that hand-me-downs are a precious thing, regardless of gender.
The best part, though, is that we also know how two siblings can truly love one another. We know that they can and will develop their own version of twinspeak (and can probably translate). We know how much one child can miss the other simply from being apart while sleeping at night or naptime. We know that empathy develops far earlier than textbooks claim. We know that these two little souls will be eternally tied to one another in a way that only they will fully understand.
Some days I look at my children and wonder what they will be like when they're older. Will they stay this close? (I know they will.) I wonder if there are more babies in our future. (My kids would make a great big brother and big sister.) But I just can't imagine tipping the balance of this perfectly unplanned little family.
God.is.good.
My "Irish Twins" are exactly 14 1/2 months apart. Over the last three years I've discovered just how common this really is. Just about everyone I meet for the first time either knows someone who had little ones close together or perhaps has a sibling so close in age. I even worked with someone who was born on her sister's first birthday.
But the best of all is the chance to meet a mom with her own Irish twins, especially a pair that's still little. The conversation almost always goes like this:
Her: How old are your kids?
Me: 3 and 4 (or insert whatever age they were at the time)
Her: And how far apart are they?
Me: Fourteen months (I leave off the 1/2 so I don't sound like a nut to someone I've just met.)
Her: Oh, mine are 15 months apart!
Me; Oh, so you KNOW!
Always, it always goes down that way! There's rarely ever even a deviation from the script. We instantly bond because we both KNOW. We know about the two years straight of lost sleep. We know about the assault on your body from back to back pregnancies and nursing. We know about the infinite, infinite diaper changes. We know about the ease with which contagious illnesses spread and continue to circulate. We miss our bodies, our husbands, our short term memory and our sanity.
But...we also know so much more about how to do it all better the second time because we just did the very same thing a few months ago. We know what to buy and what not to buy. We know how to get two babies and ourselves ready and out of the house in the time it takes one husband to shower and shave. We know how to maximize the space underneath a double stroller and can pack in everything you or I would need on any given Target run. And we know that hand-me-downs are a precious thing, regardless of gender.
The best part, though, is that we also know how two siblings can truly love one another. We know that they can and will develop their own version of twinspeak (and can probably translate). We know how much one child can miss the other simply from being apart while sleeping at night or naptime. We know that empathy develops far earlier than textbooks claim. We know that these two little souls will be eternally tied to one another in a way that only they will fully understand.
Some days I look at my children and wonder what they will be like when they're older. Will they stay this close? (I know they will.) I wonder if there are more babies in our future. (My kids would make a great big brother and big sister.) But I just can't imagine tipping the balance of this perfectly unplanned little family.
God.is.good.
Monday, September 5, 2011
a preschool prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your guidance, wisdom, and perfect timing. Thank you for the teachers, parents, and children who will walk through our doors tomorrow and throughout the week. Thank you for the gift of community and the opportunity to serve. Thank you for the leaders who have prepared me to do this job - and I mean every single one of them over the past 37 years - because there have been many!
Please bless the teachers. Give them a beautiful voice so that the children will want to listen. Grant them empathy so that they may feel each and every moment of hurt and moment of joy so that they may make each child feel special. Grant them wisdom and creativity and enthusiasm so that the children will love to learn! Grant them patience, because, well, you know why...
Please bless the parents, Lord. Let them feel comfort in leaving their most precious gifts from You in our care. Grant them rest so that they may be refreshed during their time away from their children. Grant them relationships, Lord, as children's friends so often turn families into friends.
Most of all, please bless the children. Give them a sense of self so that they may develop their own amazing, unique personalities! Grant them the development of language so that they may understand and communicate with their new friends. Grant them healthy, strong bodies so they may grow and play and learn! Grant them self control so that they may learn and not keep others from learning. Grant them peace so that they may not be afraid, Lord. That's a tough one, but You did not design our hearts or minds to be fearful. Above all else, Lord, let them feel LOVE. Let them feel Your arms wrapped around them through hugs and kind words and fun! Let them feel LOVE everywhere and in everything we do!
Thank you for this privilege, Lord. I have answered Your call and know that these are high stakes, but I am up to the challenge. We have spent a lot of time together this summer, Lord - probably more than we ever have - and You have prepared me well. Thank you for trusting me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Thank you for your guidance, wisdom, and perfect timing. Thank you for the teachers, parents, and children who will walk through our doors tomorrow and throughout the week. Thank you for the gift of community and the opportunity to serve. Thank you for the leaders who have prepared me to do this job - and I mean every single one of them over the past 37 years - because there have been many!
Please bless the teachers. Give them a beautiful voice so that the children will want to listen. Grant them empathy so that they may feel each and every moment of hurt and moment of joy so that they may make each child feel special. Grant them wisdom and creativity and enthusiasm so that the children will love to learn! Grant them patience, because, well, you know why...
Please bless the parents, Lord. Let them feel comfort in leaving their most precious gifts from You in our care. Grant them rest so that they may be refreshed during their time away from their children. Grant them relationships, Lord, as children's friends so often turn families into friends.
Most of all, please bless the children. Give them a sense of self so that they may develop their own amazing, unique personalities! Grant them the development of language so that they may understand and communicate with their new friends. Grant them healthy, strong bodies so they may grow and play and learn! Grant them self control so that they may learn and not keep others from learning. Grant them peace so that they may not be afraid, Lord. That's a tough one, but You did not design our hearts or minds to be fearful. Above all else, Lord, let them feel LOVE. Let them feel Your arms wrapped around them through hugs and kind words and fun! Let them feel LOVE everywhere and in everything we do!
Thank you for this privilege, Lord. I have answered Your call and know that these are high stakes, but I am up to the challenge. We have spent a lot of time together this summer, Lord - probably more than we ever have - and You have prepared me well. Thank you for trusting me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Very Fair Trade
It occurred to me on Wednesday night that I am the mother of two preschoolers. Cliche warning: How did this happen? They were babies just yesterday. Like, I'm literally still catching up from the back to back years of sleep deprivation.
The reason I came to this realization is because Wednesday was parent orientation for my children's preschool. As it turns out, not only do I serve as mommy in this case, but also as the director of their preschool. The beauty of this is that I had the honor of being a big part in the planning of this preschool as it's brand new. Planning for any educational setting is a privilege, but I can tell you there's a whole 'nother element of special involved when you're planning such an important thing for your own children.
However, I screwed up. In talking with my husband, we decided that he would watch the kids while I attended (read: gave a presentation to 30 families) at the orientation. Surely I knew everything there is to know about the preschool policies and procedures and could relay any necessary information to him on any given occasion. Good enough.
All was well until the end of the night came and both of the kids' teachers handed me the welcome letters and "getting to know you" papers for me to fill out on my kids. Technically, I missed their open house! After my presentation, the parents went to visit the classrooms to get the details and paperwork from the teachers. I was peeping into each room to make sure everything was ok and covering the t-shirt table.
A few tears later, I gathered myself, prayed, and here's what came to me: I may have missed this milestone, but I get to be there for every single day of preschool ahead! I've missed so much in the first three and four years of my children's lives because of working full time, but I'm about to receive a greater blessing than I could have ever even thought to plan for our family! Good thing not ALL the planning is left up to me!
Pics to follow! :)
The reason I came to this realization is because Wednesday was parent orientation for my children's preschool. As it turns out, not only do I serve as mommy in this case, but also as the director of their preschool. The beauty of this is that I had the honor of being a big part in the planning of this preschool as it's brand new. Planning for any educational setting is a privilege, but I can tell you there's a whole 'nother element of special involved when you're planning such an important thing for your own children.
However, I screwed up. In talking with my husband, we decided that he would watch the kids while I attended (read: gave a presentation to 30 families) at the orientation. Surely I knew everything there is to know about the preschool policies and procedures and could relay any necessary information to him on any given occasion. Good enough.
All was well until the end of the night came and both of the kids' teachers handed me the welcome letters and "getting to know you" papers for me to fill out on my kids. Technically, I missed their open house! After my presentation, the parents went to visit the classrooms to get the details and paperwork from the teachers. I was peeping into each room to make sure everything was ok and covering the t-shirt table.
A few tears later, I gathered myself, prayed, and here's what came to me: I may have missed this milestone, but I get to be there for every single day of preschool ahead! I've missed so much in the first three and four years of my children's lives because of working full time, but I'm about to receive a greater blessing than I could have ever even thought to plan for our family! Good thing not ALL the planning is left up to me!
Jeremiah 29:11
New International Version (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Pics to follow! :)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Today at lunch...
Today at lunch a waiter accidentally spilled a diet coke all over me. And I mean ALL over me. I was soaked. Actually, I think the whole thing happened in slow motion, which probably allowed more time for more diet coke to reach me and soak me even more.
Fortunately, I kept it together and dried off a bit. The poor waiter was mortified and struggled through waiting on us for the rest of our meal. Like any decent person would, I told him that accidents happen and not to worry about it.
The manager of the restaurant came over several times to make sure that I was not too disgruntled. I left with no bill and a $15 gift card. He also offered to reimburse me for dry cleaning. I told him that my shirt was from Target and I thought it would do just fine in my washer, but thanked him just the same.
First of all, that was excellent customer service. If you ever eat at PF Chang's at Southpoint in Durham, NC, you should ask for Jason and tell him the girl who had diet coke spilled all over her on August 18, 2011 sent you. Tell him you read about him in my blog. I think that would be a really nice touch.
Secondly, I learned something today. If you love your job, you will go to a staff meeting directly after lunch covered in diet coke and totally be ok with it. I, as it seems, love my job.
Fortunately, I kept it together and dried off a bit. The poor waiter was mortified and struggled through waiting on us for the rest of our meal. Like any decent person would, I told him that accidents happen and not to worry about it.
The manager of the restaurant came over several times to make sure that I was not too disgruntled. I left with no bill and a $15 gift card. He also offered to reimburse me for dry cleaning. I told him that my shirt was from Target and I thought it would do just fine in my washer, but thanked him just the same.
First of all, that was excellent customer service. If you ever eat at PF Chang's at Southpoint in Durham, NC, you should ask for Jason and tell him the girl who had diet coke spilled all over her on August 18, 2011 sent you. Tell him you read about him in my blog. I think that would be a really nice touch.
Secondly, I learned something today. If you love your job, you will go to a staff meeting directly after lunch covered in diet coke and totally be ok with it. I, as it seems, love my job.
Monday, August 15, 2011
So, Who ARE You People?
Today I discovered the "stats" page here on blogger.com. Holy tomatoes! It seems that on the day that I post a blog, I receive an average of about 85 page views. Better still...over the life of my blog I have had well over 1500 visits! What in the WORLD?? I had no idea! And speaking of world...while the vast majority of my page views originate from the United States, I actually have had hits from far and wide...Japan, Great Britain, even Australia, mates!
So, who ARE you people?
Seriously, I want to know! Who is reading my blog? What do you like about it? What do you hate? What would you like to see me write about? Because, as you might imagine, even if I don't have much insight on a topic, I guarantee you that I at least have an opinion about it!
To all of my regulars...you guys are fantastic and I have really appreciated your love and support of this strange little project via your feedback on facebook. But as for the rest of you...HEY! Thanks for reading this! (I have readers!) I'd love to hear what you're thinking. You can also click "join this site" up in the top righthand corner of the page to start "following" my blog. That way you'll be notified via email whenever I post something new.
Oh, my goodness...this just may get even more interesting! Seth Godin says, "If you want to be a writer, write!" So...ok, I think I will!
So, who ARE you people?
Seriously, I want to know! Who is reading my blog? What do you like about it? What do you hate? What would you like to see me write about? Because, as you might imagine, even if I don't have much insight on a topic, I guarantee you that I at least have an opinion about it!
To all of my regulars...you guys are fantastic and I have really appreciated your love and support of this strange little project via your feedback on facebook. But as for the rest of you...HEY! Thanks for reading this! (I have readers!) I'd love to hear what you're thinking. You can also click "join this site" up in the top righthand corner of the page to start "following" my blog. That way you'll be notified via email whenever I post something new.
Oh, my goodness...this just may get even more interesting! Seth Godin says, "If you want to be a writer, write!" So...ok, I think I will!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Dolce far Niente
Over the last several months I've been mentally planning for a blog entitled something like: Why I Left Public Education. I had intended it to be a very credible and well-stated SLAM of the public education system. I would systematically expose how education has evolved for the worse over the last fifteen years - how much is expected of teachers and how the amount of documentation required leaves teachers no time to teach. I would wow you with my sugestions on how we might begin to improve "the system" so that it no longer sucked the soul out of teachers.
Until I realized last week that I was wrong. WRONG.
I know in my heart that of all the initiatives that filter down to the classroom are intended to be good for children. Really, even though teachers are being worked to death to support the diverse needs of an increasingly diverse population of children, working hard is necessary and the right thing to do. BUT! There is still ONE THING that the public school system is doing wrong consistently. The majority of public school leaders are not honoring nor are they supporting a DAY OF REST.
So many teachers find themselves working all weekend to complete what's been asked of them. Many, many teachers work for hours upon hours over the weekend. I found myself at a point last year that I would work for about eight hours on Saturday or Sunday. (This was in addition to the two or three hours I worked each weeknight after coming home and spending time with my family.) My anxiety on Sunday was so severe! What if I didn't get it all done? Sometimes I didn't. I would be such a wreck on Monday mornings!
Awhile back I started to notice a pattern on my facebook news feed. Sunday is the facebook day for "I don't want to go back to work" posts. What career has the most of those posts in general? You guessed it...teaching! Who wants to go back to work on Monday when you've been working all weekend? How can you be refreshed and inspired when you've been using up all of your creative energy with eight hours of planning on your time off? The human soul was never intended to work nonstop. We need time for our souls to catch up to our bodies! (Pastor Benji Kelley 2011)
One of my teacher friends stated it best a few years ago when she said, "Yes, I do understand all of my teaching responsibilities clearly. However, I also understand that completing everything that I have been asked to do in a timely fashion is impossible." She was so right! What I'm realizing is that I personally did not say no often enough. I was asked to lead this committee and mentor this younger teacher and spend time with this family who needs someone to model how to work with their children at home. It's all for the greater good!
But what about my greater good? What about my family? I matter! We matter!
You should be able to go to your supervisor and say, "I have taken on too much. I am concerned that if I do not take at least one day (maybe even two!) per week to rest, that I will not be able to do this job effectively anymore." That supervisor should listen. If you're not getting this type of support from your current employer, find another one who will. They are out there. I promise. I know because I found one.
Most of us are familiar with the concept that Europeans are far more laid back than we Americans are in this aspect. In fact, the Italians have a phrase "dolce far niente" which translates to "the sweetness of doing nothing." They believe that running yourself ragged as many of us tend to do is just plain ridiculous. And they are just plain right. While doing nothing is perhaps not always literal, it may mean lounging at the pool or playing checkers with your kids, it does mean taking a break from the working world. Folks, it's crucial. It's vital. It will save your life. I know because it's saving mine.
This week Seth Godin published a blog on wasting time. You should totally check it out because he is awesome: Wasting Time is Not a Waste. You may even want to subscribe to his blog or like him on facebook.
And if you wanna hang with God while you're wasting time, I highly recommend that you check out this sermon by my seriously awesome pastor, Dr. Benji Kelley. It will show you step by step how to actually accomplish this: Soul Sabbath.
Although I can tell you, if you choose to hang with God during your free time, it will be anything but a waste!
My love and prayers go out to all of my public school teacher friends reading this blog as you go back to school this week. You are making a difference! Just please, please, be sure to take care of your soul! YOU MATTER!
Until I realized last week that I was wrong. WRONG.
I know in my heart that of all the initiatives that filter down to the classroom are intended to be good for children. Really, even though teachers are being worked to death to support the diverse needs of an increasingly diverse population of children, working hard is necessary and the right thing to do. BUT! There is still ONE THING that the public school system is doing wrong consistently. The majority of public school leaders are not honoring nor are they supporting a DAY OF REST.
So many teachers find themselves working all weekend to complete what's been asked of them. Many, many teachers work for hours upon hours over the weekend. I found myself at a point last year that I would work for about eight hours on Saturday or Sunday. (This was in addition to the two or three hours I worked each weeknight after coming home and spending time with my family.) My anxiety on Sunday was so severe! What if I didn't get it all done? Sometimes I didn't. I would be such a wreck on Monday mornings!
Awhile back I started to notice a pattern on my facebook news feed. Sunday is the facebook day for "I don't want to go back to work" posts. What career has the most of those posts in general? You guessed it...teaching! Who wants to go back to work on Monday when you've been working all weekend? How can you be refreshed and inspired when you've been using up all of your creative energy with eight hours of planning on your time off? The human soul was never intended to work nonstop. We need time for our souls to catch up to our bodies! (Pastor Benji Kelley 2011)
One of my teacher friends stated it best a few years ago when she said, "Yes, I do understand all of my teaching responsibilities clearly. However, I also understand that completing everything that I have been asked to do in a timely fashion is impossible." She was so right! What I'm realizing is that I personally did not say no often enough. I was asked to lead this committee and mentor this younger teacher and spend time with this family who needs someone to model how to work with their children at home. It's all for the greater good!
But what about my greater good? What about my family? I matter! We matter!
You should be able to go to your supervisor and say, "I have taken on too much. I am concerned that if I do not take at least one day (maybe even two!) per week to rest, that I will not be able to do this job effectively anymore." That supervisor should listen. If you're not getting this type of support from your current employer, find another one who will. They are out there. I promise. I know because I found one.
Most of us are familiar with the concept that Europeans are far more laid back than we Americans are in this aspect. In fact, the Italians have a phrase "dolce far niente" which translates to "the sweetness of doing nothing." They believe that running yourself ragged as many of us tend to do is just plain ridiculous. And they are just plain right. While doing nothing is perhaps not always literal, it may mean lounging at the pool or playing checkers with your kids, it does mean taking a break from the working world. Folks, it's crucial. It's vital. It will save your life. I know because it's saving mine.
This week Seth Godin published a blog on wasting time. You should totally check it out because he is awesome: Wasting Time is Not a Waste. You may even want to subscribe to his blog or like him on facebook.
And if you wanna hang with God while you're wasting time, I highly recommend that you check out this sermon by my seriously awesome pastor, Dr. Benji Kelley. It will show you step by step how to actually accomplish this: Soul Sabbath.
Although I can tell you, if you choose to hang with God during your free time, it will be anything but a waste!
My love and prayers go out to all of my public school teacher friends reading this blog as you go back to school this week. You are making a difference! Just please, please, be sure to take care of your soul! YOU MATTER!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Denyse's Wager
In January of 2001 I took a break from teaching to work in furniture sales. Acutally, I should say that I took a break from teaching and ended up in furniture sales. I had become a bit disenchanted with public education, which is more than ironic that I'm thinking about this right now after finally escaping the strangling grasp of the state of North Carolina. Ok, that's a bit dramatic. But, as usual, I digress.
I left teaching because I was not happy. It was more than just being unhappy with my job - it really all stemmed from me not being happy with ME. My mom called it a "quarter life crisis" since a book with the same name came out that same year. I'm pretty sure she saw it on Oprah or something. I think she was just happy to put a label on what was wrong with her oldest child! You can read more about a quarter life crisis here: http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com/. I never read the book so I can't recommend it, but the concept makes sense. A twenty-something person gets out into the real world for a few years and then questions his/her career decision, relationships, lack of purpose, etc. I was definitely doing all of the above.
My biggest issue, though, was that I was questioning the existence of God. I had become a Christian at the age of nine. "How could a child so young truly make that sort of decision," I wondered. "How do I believe in something I can't see?" Even though I used to think I at least felt something, some sort of Godly presence, I wasn't feeling it anymore.
Until...
While working in the furniture store, I met a sixty-something African-American gentleman who basically served as a custodian. He cleaned and moved large furniture items and repaired things. I'm sure he did other things as well but I was far too invloved in myself and my own problems to learn more about him.
Whenever we ended up in the break room together it made me uncomfortable yet at the same time I wanted to hear what he had to say. He talked to me more than to the other sales people, or at least it seemed that he did. I think he said he had been a professor. Or was it a minister? I'm not even sure anymore, but he always called me "Teacher."
"Ok, Teacher, today is the 14th and it's falling on a Tuesday. Mathematically, can that happen again in the same year?" Well, I had no idea, of course. Math is not my thing (understatement). But I would listen politely while he explained why it was or was not possible.
"Teacher, what do you do if a child in your class steals something?" I would give some sort of developmentally-appropriate-approved-by-the-state-of-Virginia type answer and then wait for his reply. "But is that really getting to the root of the problem, Teacher? Isn't that just a bandaid?"
He kind of blew my mind.
Then, one day we started to talk about God. This kindly former professor or minister or something introduced me to a theory called Pascal's Wager. (Yes, this was the same Pascal you learned about in math class in high school.) The theory deals with your choice in whether or not to believe in God, specifically the God of Christian faith. Pascal said that if you choose to believe and you are right, you will be rewarded with heaven, and thus have gained. If you choose to believe and it turns out there is no God and no heaven, you have still lived your life so the loss is infinitisimal. Or, in other words:
You can read more in depth about Pascal's Wager as well as more about his many contributions to religious theology, literature, math, and several other areas here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager. Pascal was a pretty versitile dude.
So for awhile I kind of clung to this. It was better to believe that there was some bigger, better being looking out for me on a daily basis. And if I thought hard about bible teachings, I sometimes remembered this bigger, better, omnipotent and omnipresent being knew the number of hairs on my head. This was exactly what I needed - some sort of rational thinking to satisfy my analytical mind. (I said analytical - not mathematical.) It was better to believe and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong. So I'd choose to continue to believe...just in case.
Ten years later, my feelings about God and how I know He is real couldn't be any more different. But that's another blog. I'm just so thankful for that man who cleaned that furniture store. I wish I could remember his name. I wish I could thank him. I wonder if he has any idea that he helped me through such a dark period of my life? Or, maybe he does. An unlikely friendship between a chubby, 20-something, teacher-on-a-break and a retired African-American man whose former career is now fuzzy to me. Maybe he was not a man at all...maybe...could he have been an angel?
I left teaching because I was not happy. It was more than just being unhappy with my job - it really all stemmed from me not being happy with ME. My mom called it a "quarter life crisis" since a book with the same name came out that same year. I'm pretty sure she saw it on Oprah or something. I think she was just happy to put a label on what was wrong with her oldest child! You can read more about a quarter life crisis here: http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com/. I never read the book so I can't recommend it, but the concept makes sense. A twenty-something person gets out into the real world for a few years and then questions his/her career decision, relationships, lack of purpose, etc. I was definitely doing all of the above.
My biggest issue, though, was that I was questioning the existence of God. I had become a Christian at the age of nine. "How could a child so young truly make that sort of decision," I wondered. "How do I believe in something I can't see?" Even though I used to think I at least felt something, some sort of Godly presence, I wasn't feeling it anymore.
Until...
While working in the furniture store, I met a sixty-something African-American gentleman who basically served as a custodian. He cleaned and moved large furniture items and repaired things. I'm sure he did other things as well but I was far too invloved in myself and my own problems to learn more about him.
Whenever we ended up in the break room together it made me uncomfortable yet at the same time I wanted to hear what he had to say. He talked to me more than to the other sales people, or at least it seemed that he did. I think he said he had been a professor. Or was it a minister? I'm not even sure anymore, but he always called me "Teacher."
"Ok, Teacher, today is the 14th and it's falling on a Tuesday. Mathematically, can that happen again in the same year?" Well, I had no idea, of course. Math is not my thing (understatement). But I would listen politely while he explained why it was or was not possible.
"Teacher, what do you do if a child in your class steals something?" I would give some sort of developmentally-appropriate-approved-by-the-state-of-Virginia type answer and then wait for his reply. "But is that really getting to the root of the problem, Teacher? Isn't that just a bandaid?"
He kind of blew my mind.
Then, one day we started to talk about God. This kindly former professor or minister or something introduced me to a theory called Pascal's Wager. (Yes, this was the same Pascal you learned about in math class in high school.) The theory deals with your choice in whether or not to believe in God, specifically the God of Christian faith. Pascal said that if you choose to believe and you are right, you will be rewarded with heaven, and thus have gained. If you choose to believe and it turns out there is no God and no heaven, you have still lived your life so the loss is infinitisimal. Or, in other words:
| God exists | God does not exist | |
|---|---|---|
| Believe in God | Infinite gain in heaven | Insignificant loss |
| Disbelieve in God | Infinite loss in hell | Insignificant gain |
You can read more in depth about Pascal's Wager as well as more about his many contributions to religious theology, literature, math, and several other areas here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager. Pascal was a pretty versitile dude.
So for awhile I kind of clung to this. It was better to believe that there was some bigger, better being looking out for me on a daily basis. And if I thought hard about bible teachings, I sometimes remembered this bigger, better, omnipotent and omnipresent being knew the number of hairs on my head. This was exactly what I needed - some sort of rational thinking to satisfy my analytical mind. (I said analytical - not mathematical.) It was better to believe and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong. So I'd choose to continue to believe...just in case.
Ten years later, my feelings about God and how I know He is real couldn't be any more different. But that's another blog. I'm just so thankful for that man who cleaned that furniture store. I wish I could remember his name. I wish I could thank him. I wonder if he has any idea that he helped me through such a dark period of my life? Or, maybe he does. An unlikely friendship between a chubby, 20-something, teacher-on-a-break and a retired African-American man whose former career is now fuzzy to me. Maybe he was not a man at all...maybe...could he have been an angel?
Monday, June 27, 2011
I Love You In God's Way
Well, I love him in God's way.
Remember saying that as a child? It was always my way of disowning my crummy kid brother yet remaining loyal to my family at the same time. Sometimes it was the way to distinguish the way in which I loved a boy outside of my family. "No, I don't LOVE him! Eww! I just love him in God's way!"
Even as a child I understood that God commanded us to love one another. I think I even understood that we should love everyone unconditionally. I wonder, though, how many people actually knew that I loved them? My mom and dad? My crummy kid brother and annoying little sister? My best friends? Who knows that I love them right now? My husband and my kids? My friends and neighbors? The people I work with?
This morning I spent a lot of time thinking about how I show people that I love them. My mind traveled back to the book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I read the book as a newlywed and it really opened my eyes about how to show someone that you love them. If you aren't sure what the love languages are, you can read a summary here: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/learn-the-languages/the-five-love-languages/ . There's lots of cool stuff on the website and you can even take a test to find out what your primary love language is.
While I'm sure I can always do more to show my family that I love them, there is a special group of people that will become a big part of my life over the summer. I have the honor and the pleasure of leading a group of teachers who will be the very first staff of a brand new preschool. This is HUGE! God's letting me do this? I already have such a deep and precious love for these ladies - some of whom I have not even met yet! I know from past leadership positions that the relationship you have with your team is vital to the quality of work that you do. Happy, supported, validated people are productive, passionate, and loyal!
So how...how do I do this? How do I show people that I barely know how much I love them? I'm going to have to listen and pay very close attention. Or maybe in some cases I'll have to just come right out and ask. What will these ladies appreciate most? Having a mess cleaned up for them? Kind words of encouragement? A hug? I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out...and in doing so I think I just may find out a lot more about what loving people "in God's way" actually means. And that, my friends, sounds like the beginning of something BIG!
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Remember saying that as a child? It was always my way of disowning my crummy kid brother yet remaining loyal to my family at the same time. Sometimes it was the way to distinguish the way in which I loved a boy outside of my family. "No, I don't LOVE him! Eww! I just love him in God's way!"
Even as a child I understood that God commanded us to love one another. I think I even understood that we should love everyone unconditionally. I wonder, though, how many people actually knew that I loved them? My mom and dad? My crummy kid brother and annoying little sister? My best friends? Who knows that I love them right now? My husband and my kids? My friends and neighbors? The people I work with?
This morning I spent a lot of time thinking about how I show people that I love them. My mind traveled back to the book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I read the book as a newlywed and it really opened my eyes about how to show someone that you love them. If you aren't sure what the love languages are, you can read a summary here: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/learn-the-languages/the-five-love-languages/ . There's lots of cool stuff on the website and you can even take a test to find out what your primary love language is.
While I'm sure I can always do more to show my family that I love them, there is a special group of people that will become a big part of my life over the summer. I have the honor and the pleasure of leading a group of teachers who will be the very first staff of a brand new preschool. This is HUGE! God's letting me do this? I already have such a deep and precious love for these ladies - some of whom I have not even met yet! I know from past leadership positions that the relationship you have with your team is vital to the quality of work that you do. Happy, supported, validated people are productive, passionate, and loyal!
So how...how do I do this? How do I show people that I barely know how much I love them? I'm going to have to listen and pay very close attention. Or maybe in some cases I'll have to just come right out and ask. What will these ladies appreciate most? Having a mess cleaned up for them? Kind words of encouragement? A hug? I don't know yet, but I'm going to find out...and in doing so I think I just may find out a lot more about what loving people "in God's way" actually means. And that, my friends, sounds like the beginning of something BIG!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
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