A TRUE Lesson in Kindness

If you've read this blog for any time at all, then you know that our church does many many outreach types of projects in our community. It's our goal to conduct "random acts of kindness" in a variety of ways on a regular basis for people of all socio-economic backgrounds.

Back in December, we conducted our first "Mall Blitz" where we literally went into the mall and gave 450 employees a gift bag of snacks and goodies to say "thank you" for all the work they do..especially during the busy shopping season.

Today was to be our second Mall Blitz. We called all the store managers for permission just like we did back in December. These made for some fabulous conversations as many were the same employees that received our gift at Christmas. Some said, "Wow, we really appreciate this! No one EVER does anything nice for us!" Others said, "We are so glad you're coming back...we really want to thank you for showing such a special kindness to our employees. It meant a lot to all of us."

Today, as part of our service, we made 486 bags and sent five teams of five down to the mall for distribution.

It wasn't long after we got there, that a parking lot security guard stopped and asked us what we were doing. We told him. He said, "You cannot bring those bags in here. You have to have permission of the mall manager." We explained that we have the permission of the store managers and that we were simply repeating the SAME THING we did at Christmas. He basically didn't care.

We asked if a store manager wanted to bring in treat bags for their own employees, would it be OK. He wasn't happy, but didn't say no. SO, we sat almost 200 bags just outside the door of the mall and began going in and explaining to the store managers. They were very surprised. They thought it was quite silly. Many followed us to the bags and took them into the mall for their own employees.

Suddenly, Mr. Security guard showed up with "back up" (3 more security guards) and told us we could not distribute one more bag at the mall. He told a store manager that she could not take these bags in for her OWN employees. And he let us know that if we did not take the bags away that he would have to call the police.

Of course, we complied and took the mall manager's name and phone number as well as his so that we can, in fact, follow the protocol in the future. We visited every single store that didn't receive their gift to explain that we were not allowed to deliver them or to have the store managers get them.

I now have 151 bags at my house. This means that we were able to distribute the majority of the bags before our "kindness operation" was shut down---or, hopefully, put on hold, pending the mall manager's approval.

Our team stayed to have lunch together in the food court. It was an enjoyable time of fellowship together. We talked about future projects. We laughed and had a great time.


If I'm being honest, though, I really was quite miffed at the whole thing. I mean, picture it--bags filled with snack items for employees---really within their grasp, but we can't give them what we promised. Then, I had another thought...it's EASY to be, do, and give kindness to those who welcome your actions. It's a whole other story to be kind to someone who is standing in your way, being difficult, or doesn't see a situation the same way that you do.

I whispered a prayer for the security guards and the mall employees. I thanked God for our fabulous team that remained positive and steady through the whole ordeal. And I prayed that tomorrow things will work out with the mall manager.

And I prayed that when the opportunity to practice kindness when someone isn't being so kind, that we will all be able to do so. Cause THAT'S what "Jesus would do."

Tea Cup Pinkie Up!

Did you have tea parties when you were younger? I did. We would sit and hold our tea cups and pretend to be so refined and knowledgable about the finer things in life. And for some reason, we'd always hold our pinkie up. What's with that?

I've decided there are some moments that are "pinkie up" moments. You know the ones when you want to sound "SO intelligent" but you don't know what the heck you are talking about? I had a "pinkie up" moment this morning.

I am reviewing a manuscript for an educational publisher who is creating a book series for 1st grade students. The books each focus on a different aspect of art. They are being developed as leveled readers for teachers to use in their daily small group reading instruction. My job is to give feedback on the writing, make sure it's not too complicated for young readers, and help with the book leveling.

I know what you're thinking: "You had a 'pinkie up' moment over something that is designed for six and seven-year-olds?" Here's the editor's note to me regarding one of the books:

We don’t show any very famous great works by any masters of the Renaissance, the impressionists, etc. I don’t really think that’s a problem at this level. Do you
agree? (Also, please keep in mind that it is prohibitively expensive to get permission to reproduce anything from Picasso’s cubist period, geometric as they may be.)

Uh, yes? No? I don't know, but I don't want to tell you that I don't know. The truth is, I DROPPED out of "Great Works of Art"--a 1 credit course at my liberal arts college---not once, but TWICE! I know I live in a town with a very famous school of art. Heck, I even TEACH in a school that was designated as a "National School of Distinction in Arts Education"!

When I really put my pinkie down and admit the cold hard truth, you'll know that I don't know the "masters of the Renaissance" from an impressionist. I could GUESS at a Picasso, but honestly (and with apologies to any of you who are art aficionados), I think some of his work looks a little like the K/1 students at my school!

Honestly I HAVE grown a bit in the last 20+ years since I attempted those college courses. Still, art appreciation, is not my forte'.

So, I said and did the only thing a good book consultant WOULD say to the primary editor:

I put my pinkie UP and said, "Of course, I agree!"


Hello, My name is Susan, and I have a pinkie problem!

The Mark of a Good Friend

I am home sick today. As a result, I didn't get out of my PJ's right away. DH had a few meetings. DS 3 is off at school. DS 4 is also here with me hacking and coughing away. DS 2 headed out to school about 8:30.

Around 9:15am I was making some toast and I heard someone knock on the door. My first thought was, "WHO could that be? I look horrible and I don't have proper clothes on!" It turned out to be a friend of my older boys who lives down the road. Actually, he is more like an extra brother to my boys. They are very close.

Anyway, I said "Hi, M! Did you need something?" M said, "Yeah, your [DS2] asked me to drop by." I let him in thinking my son probably forgot a book or an assignment for a class today. And right after I thought how nice it is that my boys have such good friends, M said, "Yeah, he wants me to get his deoderant. Do you know where it might be?"

Uh, did he say "deoderant"??? Yep, he did! I helped him find it and sent him on his way I'm sure much to the approval of everyone who crosses my DS 2's path today! Now, THAT'S a good friend!!

What's a Little Wind?

We reached the festival grounds early Saturday morning. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, but we knew it wouldn’t be long before it popped through and stayed for all to enjoy. The wind blew as if to cry out to all who were outside, “I AM March!” Still, the vendors set up their wares and their information tables ready to serve the community and enjoy a beautiful spring day together with outside.

We were armed with seed packets, seed pots, and the beads and stickers to decorate them. We set up our information booth, with three display boards, just in case adults had questions about our church. This was just one of many of our church’s spring outreach events here in the community.

The wind doesn’t really gust here much in March. Really, it rarely gusts on a day when it’s pretty and sunny outside. We do live in hurricane alley! We get our all day wind gusts from June 1st through November. Not March. This day, though, was different. It didn’t just blow a little every now and then. It BLEW steady all day long with several bursts of air that were like those we get when a hurricane looms. (We later learned there were bursts of up to 42 mph. at times.)

It wasn’t long before one of our display boards blew over. Good grief it almost flattened a silver-haired festival attendee! All I could think was “Thank GOD it missed her! We’d have had to pay more than our entrance fee to this festival for THAT fiasco!” We shuffled things around, rescued some of the cool things that we have to share, and reorganized again trying to beat the wind at her game.

It wasn’t long until we removed the “event-required” plastic table covers from our tables. They were annoying anyone who stood near as they flapped around their legs. Then we made a run to a near-by church member’s house to get heavy glass bowls to replace our plastic craft containers that kept blowing off the tables. Each adjustment made the presentation look a bit more sparse when compared with the initial look, while also making everything less palatable for workers and visitors.

Our seed pots, which were made of pressed cardboard, blew easily out of kids’ hands as they tried to decorate. I can’t tell you how many flower shaped sticker backs have now blown into the cow pasture despite our best efforts to peel and throw away immediately! One little girl saw a bead fly and said, “Oh no! What if an animal eats it?”

Another little boy, whose Mother told me was Jewish, sat on the ground and picked up hundreds of tiny little beads after they flew with a huge gust of wind. She told me this was his mitzvah or “good deed” for the day. Maybe, but honestly, I sensed that he may also fall somewhere on the Autism spectrum. Still, he painstakingly picked up every. Single. Bead. I was thankful.

Many vendors experienced broken and/or bent tents/coverings and badly damaged displays. Some lost fliers in the wind gusts. Others were simply frustrated. By 3:00pm it seemed that many of them had had enough and they packed up to head home. We followed as soon as we saw that there really weren’t more than five vendors left at the event.

You might read this and think, “Wow, why DID you stay out there?” or “Why are you telling me this?” Here’s why:

Despite the wind changing our display and the procedure for completing the craft we had planned, and running into a few other little hurdles that had to be overcome, we still were able to talk to more than 200 people that day! We handed out bags of scrapbooking stickers to adults and made the craft with the kids.

When we asked the children passing by, “Do you want to make a flower pot craft?” or “Would you like some bubbles and a Frisbee?” Several people wanted to know “How much does it cost?” We said, “Nothing. It’s free!” They wondered “why?” We were able to say, “Because we want to show kindness to people in the community. It’s our way of saying, ‘God loves you’.” And they would reply, “WOW! Thank you! It’s so neat that you are staying despite all this wind.”

When I was home later that afternoon, wind burned and tired, I thought about these words from Matthew 7:23-25

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is
like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not
fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

And to that, I say: “What’s a little wind?”

I'm going to church today but...

I already had a "sermon moment" on Friday afternoon at shool. I was out on my regular afternoon duty--directing cars in the parking lot. Here's what that looks like:

Kids line up in clusters of letters that are color coded. For example, A/B is yellow, CDE is red, and FGH is orange. Cars wait until there is a hole at their child's color and then we pull them in there. My job is to keep them in line and direct them when the openings occur. Even though it may seem to be a pain for parents, we move about 400 children and their cars out in about 10 - 15 minutes. I don't think that's too bad.

As you might expect, there are ALWAYS those who don't WANT to wait in line and try to scoot around other cars. I usually stand in the middle of the passing lane to prevent this from happening. I've sent them back around to put themselves in line properly if they try and cut in line.

Honestly, this whole thing has taught me that apples don't often fall far from trees. The parents who think the rules and procedures don't apply to them are the same ones who wonder why their child can't behave in school.

OK, back to Friday. One tattooed, ear-pierced, rough-looking father pulled in driving his battered van. He immediately pulled around the first ten cars in line to a spot that was "open" near the front. It was a space, but it was there for cars that may have needed to exit from another direction. He was heading to orange. There were three other cars in front of him waiting for the same spot.

The minute the car at orange started to pull out, he started to ease out of his spot ready to make a bee-line for it. I stood in front of his car and motioned for him to roll down the window. I smiled and said, "You have three cars waiting for orange in front of you. And, by the way, you may have also passed some other cars waiting for orange when you cut in front of all those cars behind you."

His reply was priceless: "I'm only doing unto others what they do unto me!"

I said, "You still have to follow the rules and it's "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In other words, treat others the way you WANT to be treated! Thank you for waiting."

He smirked and although I knew he wasn't happy, he waited.

I am fairly certain he didn't know that he was was trying to quote scripture to me. And I'm certain he didn't know that just a few weeks ago the entire school read the book pictured above called The Golden Rule.

For me, I wondered just how many times I twist my own faith lessons to meet my own desires. The second thing I thought was: "In my opinion, this story will preach!"

When "Normal"...isn't!

The teacher called me yesterday and told me that she received an email from the school registrar. She’d been concerned about a student who has not missed a day this year and suddenly has been out for three days. The boy’s Dad is a bit different and makes them toe the line, and then some. In fact, it’s caused concern in the past. The boy, his brother and their Dad are considered “homeless”—although they do have a roof over their head.

The email read something like this: “The boys’ Dad took them to see their Mom in another city about three hours away this past Friday. He told the Mom he’d return for them on Sunday. He didn’t come. On Monday he still didn’t come. By Tuesday, he called and told her he wasn’t coming. She’d have to figure out what to do with them.” Abandoned, in a way. Just. Like. That.

******
He entered our school yesterday; a Kindergarten student who was quite reluctant to be here. There was concern among the staff because he’s living with his “cousin” who is also in one of our K classes. The cousin is rather unstable and a bit whiny. This new boy arrived and the struggle began.

He kicked. He flailed. He cried. He screamed. He broke things. He made it quite clear he did not want to be here. He made it less than an hour and was sent home because he simply disrupted the entire campus.

All I can think is, “He’s FIVE!” Later I learned that his Mom’s in jail. Dad is living with a Stepmother and he, too, has “issues”.

*****
She came to me a few days ago with huge crocodile tears in her eyes. She was visibly shaken and angry. When I asked what was wrong--words flew out of her mouth. It was a “he said/she said” school bus story-knot that I could barely follow.

It turned out there had been a referral for her behavior the day before. She was to take it home and have it signed. Instead, she tore it to shreds. One adult at the school put the shreds into an envelope and explained that she WOULD take it home and show her Mother.

She was scared. Except it wasn’t the normal kind of scared. It was true FEAR. Besides, it was her Mother who told her, “If someone hits you, you stand up and hit ‘em back!” It’s a survival skill she’ll need for her neighborhood and probably for the rest of her life.

I wonder just how you draw that line when they have to learn to survive in a world that I have only briefly glimpsed. It’s a fine line, for sure.
*****
Her Mother dropped her off yesterday in the wrong uniform. It’s not the first time. It won’t be the last. She is dirty and unkempt. Her long blonde hair appears to have been un-brushed for days.

Her teacher saw her in the hallway and asked where she was going. The girl replied, “I have to go get a uniform shirt.” The teacher said, “Where are your shirts? Don’t you have five?” The girl sheepishly responded, “Yeah, I have them, but some are at my Grandma’s and none are clean at my house.”

As the girl headed toward the uniform loan closet, the teacher shook her head and said, “One of our suitcase kids.” She never knows where she’ll be staying from night to night.
*****
He comes to school with his two brothers. They are 10, 7, and 6. There are four MORE brothers (4 and under) at home. Seven boys! They live in a two room hotel room where Dad does caretaking for the manager. The boys sleep on army cots that can be easily folded and stored during the day. They have been given many things by people at the school and in the community. Still, they struggle.

The oldest boy (remember he’s 10) sometimes misses school because it’s his day to “babysit. his siblings.” Babysit? Four young children? That’s right. Babysit.

The three school-aged children are part of a program where they take food home every Friday. A HUGE bag of food! Yet, they have told adults at the school that each family member has to rotate a night going without food so that there is enough to stretch out for the week. When it’s “your night’ not to eat…you are famished by the time you get to school the next day.
****

These vignettes are not "race specific". In fact, of the families discussed above, there are four different ethnicities represented. I could go on and on with these stories. They are part of my everyday life. And these are just a few of which I am aware. They break my heart. Here’s the thing that just rolls over and over in my head, though.

It’s “normal” for them. They don’t know any different type of life.

I can tell you that one thing I have learned in my time working with this population: just because I have a “different” normal, doesn’t make mine more right and theirs wrong. Initially, while working in the inner city of Tampa (which was MUCH rougher than where I am now), I learned that I wasn’t there to “save kids”. I wasn’t there to “rescue them” from their environment, their dysfunctional families, their upbringing. I was there to show them how to be the best young man or woman they could be. I was there to give them educational skills and strategies that would help them.

Some will leave it. No doubt. Some will not. Helping them means giving them tools for survival and hope for their future no matter where that happens to be.

For me, it is my calling. It is what I was designed to do. Every day I am thankful that I have the chance to hug a child that may not have been hugged that day. I have the opportunity to speak positive words into their lives. I have a chance to show them unconditional love. I get to smile with them, laugh with them, and talk with them. I am able to wipe away tears. I get to assure them when they're mad that I still care for them. I get to teach them. I am blessed to work in a place with so many adults who share that calling. It's quite special to me.

For me, there's nothing more normal than that!

What a Weekend!!

This was quite a busy weekend! Although it was busy, it was also fulfilling.

Friday night I went with three friends for a "Girls' Night Out" as we went to see the musical Wicked! Our seats were fabulous...and we treated ourselves to a great dinner at PF Changs before the show. We laughed and enjoyed our "Estrogen Only" evening! We decided we are going to do it more. Our next adventure will be to see the new "Menopause the Musical" type show called "Waist Watchers" in Tampa. I CAN'T WAIT!!

I got home from the show around 1:30am and enjoyed a little middle-of-the-night conversation with my DS 2. He's a night owl and was up playing Nintendo at a friend's house. He came home about the same time and we visited for a bit before I really called it a night.

Saturday, DS 3 and DH went to an airshow. They love doing this and this is the month when there is one (or more) happening every weekend in our state.

DS 4 stayed home with me. He couldn't decide WHAT he "wanted to do"...and after going outside for just a few moments, I knew we HAD to be outside. It was absolutely GORGEOUS out! So, he and I headed to the beach. We stayed and played and relaxed for three hours out there. The weather was perfect.

I have to say I have crossed a new threshold in my life. Before we went to the beach, I needed to stop and get sunscreen and restock a few "beach essentials". For the first time EVER in all my 44 years, I bought a floppy straw hat to protect my head and face. I was sitting on the beach with my hat and my sunglasses thinking, "Wow...this must be a sign of aging." Oh well...I'm not burned and I was quite happy under my hat!

DS 2 met DS 4 and I later that afternoon for ice cream. It was a nice little treat on a beautiful day.

Yesterday was a great service at church and a lovely lunch with DS 3 and I. I love spending 1:1 time with my kids! Then, I pretty much lazed around the rest of the afternoon.

It was the perfect weekend to remind me just how blessed I am to have a wonderful family and a fabulous place to call home. Have a great week, everyone!!

A Masterpiece

I know several people who are currently expecting babies. Each time I see a young mother, I am reminded of my own pregnancies and the births of my boys. I remember details about each of them and recall the events with joy. While they were in my womb, I was constantly amazed at the little life that was growing inside. But, boy, when they were born, all I could think is "WHAT A MIRACLE!" There is no question that as I examined tiny fingers and toes, that we had a true masterpiece.

It's easy to think about the miracle of our own children. But I wonder, is it harder to think about the miracle that we were to someone else? Is it harder to imagine that just like I believe that God created four beautiful human beings for my DH and I to love and raise, that the same was true for ME? And YOU, too?? Every human being is a masterpiece.

The next verses in Psalm 139 make it very clear that God has his hand on each and every little person that is created:

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my
mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was
not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven
together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed
body. All the days ordained for me were written in your
book before one of them came to be.

Here's the deal: God knows us intimately. He made us. And, while I think most of us "could" accept that, I'm not sure we REALLY handle verse 14 as well. "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

When I read this, I am led to ask: "Do I really praise God because I am God's handiwork?" I think many people have trouble really saying, "Yeah...every nook...every cranny was created by God. Nothing was hidden from him." AND, in verse 16, the Psalmist reminds us that he ordains our days and he knew what each day would bring before "one of them came to be".

Are you getting it? He KNEW us before he made us. He MADE us. We are HIS handiwork. He KNOWS exactly everything about us. Rather than ask ourselves if he really means us....we should give him praise for we are fearfully and wonderfully made! Do you know it fully?

Hey you...reading this and thinking, "Yeah but I've done _____________ or said ___________." STOP! You ARE a masterpiece made by the hand of God too! There's no where you can go and nothing you can do to keep him from loving you right where you are and who you are today.

That, my friends, is simply AMAZING!

The LIGHT that is in Psalm 139

The next part of this Psalm made me think of the little children's song, "This Little Light of Mine":

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night
around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night
will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

In the second verse of "This Little Light of Mine" we sing, "Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna' let it shine." Then we sing, "Won't let Satan blow it out...I'm gonna' let it shine." I know this is based on the words of Jesus when he talks about our light and the city on a hill and such.

Jesus is the light of the world. Sometimes we try to hide in the darkness. We make decisions that are against our beliefs and we seek out sin. I know there are times when it'd just be "easier" to throw caution to the wind and forget my relationship with Jesus and let the "light become night around me."

That's where this Psalm hits me between the eyes. You see, when I want to "turn out the light" and hide in the darkness...God is even there. He doesn't see the darkness. Because the darkness is as light to him.

Isn't it amazing that God can see right through our "stuff" right down to the person HE created and loves? He sees our LIGHT and our potential and a different person than we see when we look in a mirror.

I am sure there are scholars out there that would disagree with my interpretation. But that's what it means to me this week. And I'm clinging to it. If you're like me...it's time to shed any darkness left and step into His amazing light...cause that's what He sees anyway!

And the blessing of Psalm 139 continues.... One sermon I found online said this about this Psalm: "It’s the ultimate feel-good Psalm, the equivalent of five self-help books, or a long, hot bubble bath with candles and chocolate. It has the power to soothe, comfort, ground you and inspire you, if allowed." I agree....let's lean further into the words:

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Up to this point (in verses 1-6 below), it feels to me like the author has been talking in terms of God taking the actions. He knows our thoughts. He searches us. He hears our words before we speak them. He goes before us and he follows us.



Suddenly, in these verses, it's the author who is taking the action and asking the questions. He asks, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" I saw one commentary that said, "Why would someone want to flee God?" I think we flee those situations that make us a bit squirmy, uncomfortable, and vulnerable.

When I reflected deeply on these verses, and searched some of the commentaries, this is what came to my mind:


If I head to the most spiritual of places, God is there. If I choose to go to a dark place filled with the most negative of influences, God is there. If I am in Heaven or Hell, he is there.

In vs. 9, the writer notes "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea." I wondered about this. What does it really mean? Again, turning to the commentaries, one thought was "the sun rises in the east (dawn) and settles in the west". In the area where the Psalmist was writing, "the far side of the sea" was the west. The commentator suggested that this is almost like the thought, "as far as the east is from the west"...forever...everywhere. It covers every inch of every place on earth. Even there...every place I could possibly go....up, down and side-to-side, God's hand will guide me.

And I love the last words here..."your right hand will hold me fast." He's not letting go! God's hand holds each of us whether we want it or not. And he will NEVER. LET. GO. He's holding fast...tight...with a firm grip.

Can you picture it? It's like the child who finally decides he doesn't need to hold the parent's hand in the parking lot full of cars. Yet, the parent holds on. The parent KNOWS that the child needs the guidance of that hand. And no matter how squirmy or fussy the child becomes, the grip remains.

Can you think of a better place to be? Even when I'm squirmy and fussy, I can't.

May we all find ourselves firmly and securely in God's grip today!

More of Psalm 139

The next part of Psalm 139 is

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

"Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely..." He knows exactly what we're going to say before we do! Very few of us really measure our words and "think before we talk"...in fact they are almost simultaneous events. I've heard many people talk as though they are thinking out loud. Sometimes it's helpful and other times, it's not.


Think about it, if God knows completely the words that we are going speak, then He knows the impact those words will have on those who hear them. He knows all of our words, whether they are blessings or cursings, encouraging or discouraging.


The Psalm continues with an interesting word picture: "You hem me in--behind and before." The New Living Translation says it this way: "5 You go before me and follow me." Think about that. God, in his infinite wisdom and awesome power, will be somewhere before we get there AND he will follow us at the same time.


When I was about 4 years old, my Mom and I were heading out somewhere on a day when there was ice and snow on the porch. She said to me, "Stay here. Let me go first. I will come back and get you." She walked down the steps to the car. I guess I've always been an "I can do it myself" kind of girl...so I took the first step and did not listen to her words.


I slipped. I fell. I cracked my head open. I needed stitches. It probably wasn't seconds before my Mother was there behind me scooping me up and taking me to get my wound stitched up.


This is the picture I get when I think about God, our heavenly parent, going before us AND following us at the same time. He goes before and guides us "in the paths of righteousness". BUT when we get the "I can do it myself" or "I don't need God" attitude, he's there too...following us. And whether he's before us or following us, the Psalmist reminds that his "hand is upon us". I love that!


The next verse sums up the magnitude of these realities of God: "6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!" To that, I say a resounding AMEN!


Are you getting the picture?


Here's SUSAN'S version of these first six verses: "He has investigated your heart and soul as well as mine (v. 1). He KNOWS you and me quite intimately--the good, the bad, and the ugly. He knows us when we are working or resting. He knows our every thought. He knows which thoughts will make their way across our lips. He walks with us WHEREVER we go...whether it's on the path of obedience or it's completely astray. There's no where on this earth that we could be where God is not. No nook. No cranny. No fortress. No where.

Isn't that AMAZING? It's almost too much to comprehend!"

Extraordinary Woman

I have just returned from the Extraordinary Women conference. For me, there were some speakers that I thought were extremely WORTH it and others that were not. Chonda Pierce was worth it!

Early on Friday evening, Chonda Pierce shared Psalm 139 with us. It is not the first time I have heard this beautiful Psalm, but it really spoke to me this weekend. In many ways, it summed up the entire event for me. I'm going to spend the next few posts exploring this beautiful piece of writing a bit at a time.

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

The central theme of this weekend's event was "Free to Be Real". Each speaker explored the importance of us being able to be WHO we are and WHERE we are. So many of us, women and men, have spent time trying to hide from God. King David was no different. He had tried hiding from God as we see again and again in his writing.

Verse 1 of Psalm 139 alone could scare some of us. BAD! I mean, think about it...God himself has searched each one of us. And this verse tells us the he KNOWS us. One study Bible says that this verse would be better described as "investigated and thoroughly acquainted yourself with my soul and conduct".

The Psalmist goes on to share a couple of "minor details" of which God is keenly aware: "you know when I sit and when I rise." The Message version translates these verses this way: "I am an open book to you." He discerns our "going out and our lying down." This tells me that he knows every single move I make. He knows every movement of my fingers, my toes, my arms, my legs. Everything.

Then, the words that just struck me in such an amazing way: "You perceive my thoughts from afar."

Is it just me or is it overwhelming to think that God, in his very nature, "perceives my thoughts..."? Every one of them. No one on this earth knows all of your thoughts or mine. No one! One commentary says this means that God knows what I'm going to think in an hour or in a day or next week.

For the past few days, I have been keenly aware of when I sit and when I get up. I have tried to pay attention to just how many times I am "going somewhere" and the times that I am simply lying down. It's a lot. Each time I do one of these things, I've been telling myself "God knows it." He knows it.

Now, that thought alone could get a little creepy. So, I must close with the MOST important characteristic of God summed up in Romans 8:38 - 39

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He knows you and he knows me. He's investigated EVERYTHING about us. And this verse from Romans assures me that despite knowing everything there is to know about me, HE LOVES ME right where I am! NOTHING can and will separate us from his LOVE!

And you can be confident that HE LOVES YOU TOO--no matter what! Isn't that GREAT news??

Saturday Snippets

I think I'll stick with the Saturday Snippets from Susan theme for this week as well. Here are my snippets in no particular order.

YFirst of all, I have been sick this week with a terrible cold. I took Monday off of school and then pushed to go in the other days since the dreaded FCAT (Florida's State Test) came in this week and has to be prepared for administration. Thank goodness I have some great help and we are almost completely ready.

YThis sickness has shown me what a blessing my friends are. See my last post. They've blown me away this week cause it's not like a dying sickness...only an "I don't feel like doing anything" sickness. Still their care and compassion has been so touching.

YWhile I didn't mention it in yesterday's post, I am also VERY THANKFUL for my blogging friends. I love your emails and your well-wishes via comments. You also are a BLESSING to me in so many ways! I don't know if I'll ever really get over how neat it is to have people you can call "friend" that you have never seen face-to-face.

YFor my blogging friends that I've had the blessing of meeting...I also don't think I'll ever get over the "coolness factor" of meeting someone for the first time and feeling so connected to them! I mean who goes and spends the night with a bunch of "total strangers" and has a total BLAST??? (Can you say "Bloggin' Babes"?)

YDH finally got home last night. He worked in Texas all week. I have missed him!!

YDH, DS 2, and DS 3 flew to Jacksonville today for a really cool audition for DS 2. I'm not going to go into it too much yet, but if you read this today, please send up a prayer for the three of them and for DS 2 as he reads his monologue sometime between 2:00 and 5:00 today. I'll fill you in when I can.

YDS 3 made it over the pole vault bar at track practice on Thursday! They practice with it at 6ft. He was so excited! He is looking forward to this week's track meet on Tuesday where he will once again try and clear seven feet. He is still amazing me!

YDS 4 has a very full social calendar today. He is going to two back-to-back birthday parties. I'm looking forward to the total quiet that will be in my house while NO ONE is home! ;-)

YDS 1 called this week. He is at AIT in Texas. He is being trained as a "combat medic". He told me he is determined to get top scores on everything. Today I read some of the notes from his basic training platoon comrades. Wow! Talk about being proud. Their comments about him actually made me tear up a bit! They are just seeing what we've known all along.

YWe're going to a friend's 50th birthday celebration tomorrow. She is collecting children's shoes for gifts so that she can give them to needy children in the community. I love that.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friends

Do you remember the song, "Make new friends, but keep the old; One is silver and the other gold."? Last night as I lay down to sleep, that song came to my mind. I have had this amazing week with "old" and "new" friends. (Note: I am considering an "old friend" anyone I have known ten or more years.)

Last Saturday I went to "Girls Night In" with some of my friends from school. It was hosted by one of my newer friends, Kelly. My long time friend, Debra, and I went. There were 9 or 10 of us there--some "old" friends and others newer to me. Some of the ladies were sleeping over. We sat around laughing and talking and eating and being "women" for an evening. Even after I left (which was after 11) they watched movies and played games into the wee hours of the morning. It was an absolute blast just hanging out and being with a bunch of "girlfriends".

By Sunday, I was starting to get a bit of a cold. I received an email from a friend I've made in the last few months at church, Connie. She knew that DH was out of town and said, "May I bring you all dinner this week? I like to do things for working Mom's once-in-a-while?" I thought, "We don't NEED her to bring us dinner." But I told her that while she didn't have to do it, that it would be nice. She said she'd bring it on Wednesday.

I ended up staying home on Monday. One of my newer friends, Katie, saw that I was sick when she read my Facebook page. She sent me a note to ask if she could do anything. I declined as I had everything I thought I needed. Still, it was so nice that she asked because I absolutely know she'd have been there in a second.

By Tuesday, I had to push back to work because the state tests were arriving and I am the test coordinator at my school. While there, I received a phone call from another newer friend from church, Carrie. She had also heard that I was under the weather and she wanted to bring me some homemade soup! I never could coordinate getting the soup with our strange schedule and the track meet that day. Still, I was moved that she wanted to do that for ME!

Wednesday morning I woke up and checked my Facebook status and there was a message from an "OLD" friend, Kelly. Kelly and I were friends from about the time we were 4 - 9 years old. She lived down the street from us. They moved away and we lost touch after that. I did hear from her for a brief time when we were in high school, but other than that...we had not heard from each other. Low and behold, she found me on Facebook! And she only lives about an hour from me now! The conversations we have had via Facebook over the last 24 hours have been like a good soup for me.

Wednesday night, our dinner from Connie arrived. I felt worse Wednesday than I have all week. I have to say that dinner suddenly became a double blessing, because I did NOT feel like cooking. I know my boys enjoyed it as much as I did.

Later Wednesday night, I reconnected via my old friend Kelly, another old friend, Cindy. Cindy also lived on our street when we were very young. We played for HOURS together. We have tons of pictures together--which I cannot wait to share with these girls.

Needless to say, last night I went to bed so thankful! I believe in the power of friendship. I know that there are different "kinds" of friends. Some are really close and intimate, others a bit removed from that level. Some are seasonal and others are lifelong. Some are "fun time" friends others are "anytime" friends. Still, all are important; each one a gift. And I am richly richly blessed by mine!

Here He Is...

Although he didn't make it over the bar, DS 3 showed such character and sportsmanship yesterday (see post below). He stayed until the bitter end to be there for his teammates and he has goals to make it the next time. I am glad I was there to see it and I couldn't be MORE PROUD of him!

Tenacious

I think this is a perfect word to describe my DS 3 for so many reasons! He knows what he wants, and he goes for it. It's admirable, in my opinion.

One thing you may not know about him is that he has muscle and coordination issues. When he was a child, the doctor noticed his "abnormally" large skull and encouraged us to go have it checked. At that time, he said he thought it could be a "tumor". He took that "giant leap" of a potential diagnosis based on the fact that DS 3, at 6 years-old, could not do a somersault and appeared to have some balance and coordination issues. No one wants to hear that their child might have a tumor. No one.

We went through a ton of tests with the neurologist and worked with experts at the Children's Hospital. After many tests and much discussion, they determined that DS 3 did NOT have a tumor. They said his brain had "extra growth" in that area. They also told us that the extra growth would increase his intelligence while decreasing muscle coordination and balance. The only thing we were told not to do was put him in team sports (a decision I don't think they would make today---and I have often regretted).

So, we pursued things like violin, piano, and drama to enrich him. He liked all those OK, but nothing lit his fire like the day he discovered aviation and airplanes around 11 or 12 years of age. If you've followed my blog at all, then you know that he is quite passionate about them. He flew solo in a glider on his 14th birthday. He plans to fly solo in a regular plane on his 16th birthday. And he KNOWS that he really wants to do something in the field of aviation.

One of his dreams is to make it into the Air Force Academy. My gut reaction, when he told me this, was "Great! I know you could do the mental part...but you weren't supposed to play team sports. It's that physical part that concerns me." He set his mind to it and researched the attributes of successful applicants for the Academy. He could tell you the list. I cannot.

One of the activities that many of the cadets share is that they "lettered in a varsity sport". Uh, OK. DH and I told him that perhaps he should think about track and field. We talked about maybe training for cross country or some other event.

Several weeks ago, DS called DH on the phone from school and told him he was going to stay for track team try-outs. DH called me to tell me that he has decided to try out for Pole Vaulting.

WHAT!?! Did he say "pole vaulting"????? Yes, he did.

So, my 6ft. 3in fourteen year-old with "balance and coordination" challenges, who could not turn a somersault as a child, has been working out with the pole vaulters and the track team. Everyday. He has done things in the past few weeks that I'm sure he never thought he could. He came home and told me that he needs to learn to climb a rope upside-down. Upside down? I can't even climb one right-side up! DS 3 continues to press on with our support.

Yesterday, he came home to tell me that he was going to "vault in the first track meet of the year on Tuesday." He was a bit frustrated about that. I said, "Have you ever made it over the bar?" He said, "Not really." I asked him how he felt about the meet, he replied: "I just hope I can make it over." Then he told me, "It'll be fine, MOM!"

I have to hand it to him. In a similar circumstance, I would most likely have quit. I'd say "Nope. This is NOT for me." But he has his eye on the ball. He is challenging himself to be better today than he was yesterday. He wants to grow and learn.

Not only am I proud of him...I ADMIRE HIM! I don't know if his future holds a stint at the Air Force Academy or not, but I DO KNOW that his tenacity will take him farther than even HE can imagine at this point in his life.

{If you get a chance, please whisper a prayer for him as he participates in his first track meet today at 4:00pm EST. I'm sure there will be more to come on this story!}

Director's Cut

Our recent series at church has been titled "The Director's Cut". It's based on a well-known concept in the entertainment industry. There is usually a "final cut" version of a movie. And then there's the "Director's Cut". That cut is one that has everything that the director WANTED and PLANNED to include in the movie. It's usually his or her picture of what the film "should" be. For many reasons, movies are cut down, however, to a "final cut". It could be financial, or time restraints, or simply someone's preference to remove a scene or two or three from the movie.

We have looked at people in the Bible who either took the "Director's Cut" and went the full length of a situation the way God (the ultimate Director) had planned (i.e.,Joshua and Caleb). We also looked at those who took shortcuts and missed important pieces (i.e., Jonah).

Honestly, the whole thing has made me wonder how many times in my life I've chosen a different way from what God had planned for and wanted from me. Last week, this verse from Romans 12 hit me right between the eyes:

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Honestly, there is not a time in my life when I've been exposed to Romans 12 that I didn't squirm a bit. The whole chapter is challenging and worth investigation. Here's where the verses above impacted me this week:

During the week, I am surrounded by people from all different faith backgrounds and belief systems. I work hard to be "real" in my daily walk. I want people to know that, like all human beings, I don't always get it right. I make mistakes. I hurt. I struggle. But, I also want to be bold enough to tell people when they ask that "God's mercy and grace---the Director's Cut---makes a HUGE difference in my life!"

As I gnawed on Romans this week, I also devoured new artist Francesca Battistelli who has written my new favorite song: "Free to be Me". Here are partial lyrics (just change the "twenty years of age" to "forty (or so) years of age"):

At twenty years of age
I'm still looking for a dream
A war is already waged for my destiny
But You've already won the battle
And You've got great plans for me
Though I can't always see, 'cause...

I got a couple dents in my fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
And on my own I'm so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me

Here's another song off that album that makes me think of that "Director's Cut". It's called, "I'm Letting Go":

My heart beats, standing on the edge
But my feet have finally left the ledge
Like an acrobat
There’s no turning back

I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

This is a giant leap of faith
Trusting and trying to embrace
The fear of the unknown
Beyond my comfort zone

I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

It's a challenge...choosing the Director's Cut. I know that sometimes I do it well and other times I fail miserably. I'm thankful that I'm "Free to Be Me"! Here she is to remind us of this important lesson:

Saturday Snippets

This has been a weird week!! I thought I'd give a few snippets about it:

aMost of you know that I have been at meeting after meeting after meeting at work this week! At one point I thought poking myself with a stick in my eye would be more enjoyable. UGH!

aWe are gearing up for state testing at school. I really don't like this time of year. It's stressful for kids AND teachers---even when you try to take it lightly.

aDH and DS 3 flew to DS 1's Boot Camp Graduation in Missouri on Wednesday of this week. They flew our airplane--which meant I spent about 8 nailbiting hours tracking their flight! DS 2 had his wisdom teeth out the same day here at home. Poor thing has looked pretty chipmunky ever since!

aDS 1 graduated from Boot Camp on Thursday. He called me a few times during that day and was so happy to be moving on to AIT at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. He got to "hang out" with DH and DS 3 until 9:00pm that night. It sounds like they had a nice time.

aDS 1 left on a bus yesterday morning for a 12 hour drive to San Antonio. I can't say I'd have been excited about that.

aDH and DS 3, in the meantime, got "stuck" in MO! It was too cold with clouds too low for them to take off for most of the day. They DID finally get to leave around 5ish last night and went to Austin, TX where DH is working all week this week. DS 3 will now fly home today

a DS 2 and I watched an EXCELLENT movie last night! It was The Debators with Denzel Washington. If you haven't seen it, get it---you won't be sorry!

a This morning I cleaned the garage...BIG TIME! I took one giant load to Goodwill and have a ton to throw away with the trash pick-up this week. I love that feeling.

a The weather is gorgeous here today! We have all the windows open, so it's a perfect day for a little Spring Spruce-up!

a Tonight I'm going to a "Girls' Night In" at my friend Kelly's house. Several of the girls from work will be there for an evening of fun. Some are spending the night. I am only going for a while. Should be fun!

There you have it: "Saturday Snippets by Susan"! Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!

To Catch a Thief...

I love to watch CSI and Law & Order. I know that I would never be a good detective, but I like to try and figure out the storylines of these shows. As you know, last week my purse was stolen right out of my car while I unloaded the groceries in my driveway. Last night I received a letter from the local police telling me they had "recovered some of my property" and wanted to return it to me.

And although my detective skills are sketchy at best, here's what I KNOW today:

The thief was probably not a woman or a girl. The purse, it's wallet and my coin purse are all "well-known" names and were left together with my cards/paperwork!

He/she was NOT savvy enough to figure out that a couple of specific store credit cards could have been easily used online. Instead, they were untouched and left in the purse.

This person most likely was NOT after "my identity" because my insurance cards, driver's license, and checkbook was left alone.

He/she was no fan of Disney...there are THREE Disney passes in the purse that have a day left on them. (I know that you have to stick your fingerprint on the machine...maybe they did too.)

This person is not "green" cause they THREW my purse on the side of the road. If I were a thief, I'd have thrown it in a dumpster somewhere where no one would find it. I'm glad they didn't do that!

This person is not a "reader". I know that's odd, but there are TWO gift cards for Borders and Barnes & Noble for $50 in there. I guess he/she wasn't smart enough to know that they could have picked up other things there too, not just books.

They most likely do not get headaches cause there were two bottles of painkillers in the bag!

In fact, other than having dinner at a local seafood restaurant for $20 on my credit card...and taking the cash that was in there, it looks to me like everything else was left inside the purse.

What have I learned? It's a "good thing" to get an "Ignorant Illiterate Environmentally Insensitive Thief"---cause it means you just MIGHT recover most of your stuff!

Where did it go?

If there is one thing I can't stand, it's to reach Sunday night and wonder where the weekend went! In my mind, this is a sign that we've been too busy! Sitting here now and looking back, I honestly can hardly remember Friday night! Then I remember why:

Friday night I came home and was exhausted! Turns out everyone in my house was exhausted, because we were ALL in bed and asleep by 9:30pm. DS 3 went first at 7:30! Then, DS 4 and I went. Finally, DS 2 went. He was getting up at 4:30am to haed to an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament on the other side of the state.

I got up early Saturday morning to conduct a parent workshop at my school. It was a Reading Comprehension Workshop for parents of students in grades 3 - 5 We did not have a great turnout, but those that were there enjoyed it (I think).

From there, I headed out to a craft fair. Our church had a table there (we have several people who make some beautiful cards) and we were handing out FREE Scrapbooking supplies as part of our kindness outreach. It was pretty slow, so we decided to pack it up early.

After that, DS 4 had a soccer game. He played great ball and they won! I don't know if he'll continue in soccer or not. He doesn't quite have the zeal that my other guys did...but he is definitely a better player today than he was just a few months ago.

Last night was "Crepe Night" at my house. My guys love to have breakfast for dinner when DH is out of town. And one of their favorites is crepes. So, we made crepes and enjoyed this little change in our normal nighttime meals.

DS 2 did not get home until midnight from the soccer tournament, but he was so excited that his team won the entire tournament! He loves playing. I guess you'd have to in order to play seven games in a day!

This morning we had a great time at church. I really am chewing on the sermon and want to share more of my thoughts on that later this week. After that, we went to DS 4's final soccer game of the season. They won again!

When we got home I took DS 4 to the skatepark. I am amazed when I am at this park. The park is filled with kids (usually boys) who are either skating or skateboarding in and out of the concrete pools and ramps. Today there were several kids flipping in and out of the pools. I cringe as I watch it!

I came home and finished my blog labels. As you can see, "chabby chic" won. I have loved working with this over the past few days! It's so much fun to learn new things.

It was busy, but it was good. Have a great week, everyone!!

A Little Help Please...

Ok, I'm happy with my signature. I'm happy with my header. Now, I THINK I'm happy with the "date" line. I still can't figure out how to make the comments come up in the same box as your post...I'm still trying with that one. BUT I did figure out how to make the comments come up in their OWN box so that you can read them if you're not reading "pop-ups".

I'm debating over the Labels, though. I'd like your opinion. Here are the two styles I am playing with:

I pasted some in the sidebars already so you can see how they look in there. So...more jewels OR chabby chic plants/cardboard??

Foreshadowing...

I spent time in my DS's classroom today while his teacher had to go run an errand. DS 4 was out of school sick, so he wasn't there. Still, I love this class of kids. They are really fun to talk with and just all-in-all SWEET.

Anyway, while I was in there, one little girl (who struggles with almost every concept) asked me about MATH! In my heart of hearts I was thinking, "NO! Do NOT ask me about MATH--anything but THAT! I have to reach out to my own DS 4's village when it comes to helping him with math on a regular basis." My second thought was, "Maybe I can find the teacher's guide for reference." Suffice it to say, she DID ask me a math term and I could find no teacher's guide.

It was a simple question for which I should have had an answer in seconds. But I didn't. We muddled through it together. I am not going to lie...it was the BLIND leading the BLIND. Just not right.

Now a little over a week ago, my friend Sandy (her teacher) made a comment about elementary teachers being "afraid to teach math". She noted that this really shouldn't be THAT hard. I mean we've all got college degrees, right?

A little elementary math shouldn't make any educated adult fret and break out in a cold sweat. For the most part, she's right (except it DOES get me jittery at times). Just because I don't know a term or a procedure the way it is presented "these days" does not mean that I am incompetent and could not figure it out. I tell myself it's because I haven't been using each of these skills or concepts on a regular basis. I'm sure there's a little truth in that, though some of it may just be that it's "not my thing".

Despite her reminder that all would all be well, today made me realize just how reliant I will be on all of my mathematical colleagues and as many resource books as possible for support when I am once again teaching this subject. I'm so glad I work in a place where people ARE supportive and helpful in times of weakness.

Cause I know I'm not incompetent, but when it comes to this subject, I am definitely inept!

Grrrr...

Thanks for all your sweet comments on my blog design. I used a digital scrapbooking kit to make it. I used the elements to create my header using Microsoft Publisher. I just saved what I created as a picture to get it into my blog.

Now on to my GROWL!

I woke up this morning to discover my purse has been stolen. DS 3 and I figured out that this must have happened while we were bringing groceries in from the car last night. It was dumb, but I didn't take my purse in during the first load. The car was opened and it's evident that it was taken during that time.

Someone charged $20 on my credit card...so it's not "that" bad. It's still a violation and it's a pain in the rear to get it all taken care of.

On a happier note, it seems like I may have figured out what I will be able to do next year. I know that I have to go back to the classroom. I had a wonderful conversation today about possibilities and I'm excited. I'll be able to share more after our budgets are done and the staff is configured. I've believed that God would help me make decisions and end up doing what I am "supposed to"...but I still am certain I've been going through a grief process over the whole thing. Still, it's the first time that I've been somewhat "excited" about my job since the cuts were announced.

By way of information, DS 1 graduates boot camp next week. I can't believe it's at the "end"...but I know he's ready for the next step. DH and DS 3 will be flying up for his graduation.

I plan to get back to regular blogging soon...I have to finish getting my place spruced up here. In the meantime, I finished my new signature below. This has definitely given me energy.

Hugs to all of you!!

Everything old is new again!! I've finally learned how to play with my blog template. This is what I've created for now. I'm still not completely happy with the header, but I'm working on it. Yesterday I was reminded just how motivating creativity can be! Sometimes when I am in a slump, it's being creative that helps pull me out.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

The WOW Factor...

I have always been drawn to this concept of "Wow" by Tom Peters. In his book, published in 1994, Peters pursues the idea of standing out in a crowd. Largely written for the business world, Peters tries to help businesses see that there are many look-alikes out there. The goal is to be just a little bit surprising and different.

While there are many critics of Peters' and his business philosophies out there, I know that the pursuit of "Wow" is legitimate. When I am "wowed" in a place of business, I am more likely to go back to that place again.

This weekend, I was "Wowed" by a hotel desk employee. Upon arrival, I learned that the travel agency that made the arrangements for our stay at the soccer tournament messed up. They did not put my information in and there was no reservation for me. Peachy, yes that was her name, immediately began calling and trying to figure it out. Eventually, she found me a room and made a reservation in her very full hotel.

The next day, more than 24 hours AFTER she worked so hard to help me find a room...Peachy saw my DS 4 and I walking outside and said, "Hello, Mrs. N. how are you doing today?" I was FLOORED. I know she dealt with a BUNCH of people the previous day. And she still remembered, and used, my name! WOW!

This morning, our paper had a GOOD NEWS story that WOWED me. I thought it was funny in light of this post I wrote last week. It was the shot in the arm that I needed in the morning news:

Headline: "Miami Banker Shares $60 million of Wealth with Employees"

Without clicking, I thought, "WOW"...that's a lot of money. And, I believe there are many people with that kind of money who simply don't know HOW to share.

Opening paragraph:

Citing a desire to reward his employees, a Miami banker doled out $60 million in bonuses to all staffers and even some retirees after he sold a majority stake in the company for close to $1 billion.

The article continues:

The board chairman and CEO of Miami-based City National Bancshares said by way
of explanation: "I sure as heck don't need" the money.Abess said he was
concerned that employees' 401(k) plans had suffered major losses as stock values
plummeted last year. "I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old," said Abess, whose father founded the bank in 1946. "It didn't feel right getting the money myself." He added that "those people who joined me and stayed with me at the bank with no promise of equity -- I always thought someday I'm going to surprise them."

And surprise them, he did! All 399 current employees and 72 retirees received a bonus based on their years of service. He also provided financial counseling and high-rate certificates of deposit at the bank. The article notes that some people received as much as $100,000 extra.

Wow!

Most of us don't have that kind of money sitting around to dole out. BUT we all have the capacity to dole out the "Wow factor" to someone else. I'm going to find a way this week to surprise someone with a simple act of kindness...I'm not looking for the jaw drop as much as I want to pass on what has been given to me on so many different occasions. I believe this is one thing that really could change our world!

Perhaps you'd like to join me in the pursuit of wow as well!

It's a GAME, People!

DH and I have been "soccer parents" for almost 15 years. DS 1 played rec ball primarily for many years. DS 2 played rec ball, club ball, and high school ball. They both played indoor for a couple of seasons and DS 2 is playing in an indoor adult league now. DS 4 has played both rec and club ball. Between our three players, we have been on the sidelines enough to know that there are many kinds of "fans" and "parents" out there. And, honestly, nothing should surprise me anymore.

But sometimes it does.

I have been in "Mouseland" this weekend for a Disney tournament. Their tournaments draw teams from both in and out of state. DS 4's team played one game yesterday morning and two today. Being a "people watcher", I thought I'd share some of what I saw:

During our time there, I watched one Mother call a Father on her cell phone to report on the son's field play. She reported that their son, a 9 or 10-year-old boy, was not playing up to his potential. She said he was "sloppy" and not doing the things he's been taught. I could only imagine what life was going to be like later when the family was together for the soccer grilling that was bound to happen.

I saw a kid get hit very low with a ball and be knocked to the ground. And the parent of the kicker screamed at her son, "Good job, honey! He deserved it!"

I witnessed a parent threaten his young son repeatedly because his "head was in his _____"! Then, when the son took a very hard hit at the knees that stopped his play, I listened as the parent yelled, "GET UP! GET OVER IT and GET UP! YOU DON'T STOP--YOU PLAY!"

As I said, I have been on enough sidelines to know that these people exist. I know that some of them are truly wonderful people when they are away from the game, but they kind of do a "Jekyl and Hyde" thing when their child starts to play. Usually, it's one, maybe two, parents on a sideline.

But, today, I saw something that I have not seen before...the entire sideline was so tightly wound that they had to call security to the game!

It was the game just before ours, so I only saw about 10 minutes of the melee, but it was definitely a sight. An entire team's parents were yelling at the ref. They were yelling at their players. They were yelling at the other team and the other team's parents. There was cussing and jumping around on the sidelines that was unmatched by any other game I've ever seen. Even when the game ended, the parents were so worked up that there were people complaining about them...and they were absolutely astonished that they were being asked to leave Disney immediately.

I wanted to SCREAM: "It's a GAME, people! So much for the "happiest place on earth!"

I keep saying that soccer leagues, and for that matter, sports leauges should video tape the crowd and then let them SEE and HEAR themselves. I wonder if it would make a difference. Oh I know some people are always going to be negative and intense at games. Others, though, might think twice before they speak so negatively and rudely. Perspective can and does change thing for some.

Soccer sidelines are not a weakness for me. I can be a very excited and boisterous fan, but I don't find myself tempted to scream and yell at players...their parents, maybe..but the players, no! Then I am reminded that just because soccer sidelines aren't a problem, doesn't mean that there are not times when I could be less negative or abrasive. Like the soccer parents I watched this weekend, that's when I, too, need perspective.

I know life is more "serious" than a soccer tournament...but I chuckle when I think of how many times I've heard it compared to a "game"...and I know that once again, my circumstances have taught me a lesson. I love that!

We Sure Could Use...a Little GOOD News...

I know I'm dating myself when I say that I have always liked Anne Murray. Her songs often reach into my heart and touch my emotions in ways that others simply don't. A few years ago, I purchased a CD of hers called "The Best So Far". It had many of my "old favorites" on it including: Danny's Song, I Just Fall in Love Again, and Could I Have this Dance?

Tucked in the middle of this CD is a song that I did not remember from radio play. It was relatively new to me...although the lyrics tell me that it is in no way shape or form "new". The song is called, "A Little Good News".

Even with it's "older lyrics" it is a relevant song for today with the economy, the wars, the hate, the violence, and all the other sad news that seems to jump across my screen when I open up my news readers. It is the song that leaps across my heart when I read over and over again of the horrible things that are happening in our world:

I rolled out this morning
Kids had the mornin' news show on
Bryant Gumbel was talkin' 'bout the fighting in Lebanon
Some senator was squawkin' 'bout the bad economy
It's gonna get worse you see, we need a change in policy
There's a local paper rolled up in a rubber band
One more sad story's one more than I can stand
Just once how I'd like to see the headline say
"Not much to print today, can't find nothin' bad to say", because

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned a single buildin' down
Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today

I'll come home this evenin'
I'll bet that the news will be the same
Somebody takes a hostage, somebody steals a plane
How I wanna hear the anchor man talk about a county fair
And how we cleaned up the air, how everybody learned to care
Whoa, tell me

Nobody was assassinated in the whole Third World today
And in the streets of Ireland, all the children had to do was play
And everybody loves everybody in the good old USA
We sure could use a little good news today

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town
Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned a single buildin' down
Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain
We sure could use a little good news today

And while I, like most everybody I know, would like to hear "good news" when we turn on the TV or check the news site, I know that the BEST news is not found in the general media. The best news...the GOOD NEWS...is summed up so nicely in the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 8:31 - 39:

31What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?32God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? 33If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, [e] speaking to him for us. 35Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36It is exactly as the Scriptures say, "For you we face death all day long.

We are like sheep

on their way

to be butchered."

37In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

So, while I wait for a little day-to-day "good news"...I am resting in the BEST NEWS today!!

Does the “green stuff” make you “green”? DH and I just started a small group for church that is dealing with finances. I have to be honest…I HATE that topic!

We have been in the position where we really needed to intentionally plan when and how our next meal would be funded…and which bills needed to be paid in which priority. We remember looking at a checkbook with an “almost zero balance” and asking, “How WILL we get diapers and formula and survive this week?” And I know that it can be downright frustrating and demoralizing.

We have also been in the position where we needed to consider the blessings God has given us. And we had to think about what priorities we would set for giving, spending, and general living. Of course, not being stifled and frustrated is much better, but it still can be an unsettling decision.

I know I am blessed with a husband who can, and does, handle our finances well. I admit that there are times when he talks about it…and I feel like I am listening to a foreign language. I trust him and I am grateful for his expertise.

Since we’re leading the group, we are participating as well. Part of the requirement is to write down EVERY penny you spend for at least 30 days---and, if possible, for 60 or 90 to get a real picture. So, starting January 1 of this year, we are writing down what we are spending. Everything. To borrow a Simon Cowell phrase, “If I’m being honest…” (and I am)…it has made me hyperaware of each purchase I’ve made. There are some I’ve decided NOT to make because I didn’t want to write it down on the paper. You know…ADMIT it!!

We are living in TOUGH economic times. Almost everyday that I go to work, I hear about another “cut” that is going to be made in our schools. While I am able to say I have a job, there are many who are not so blessed. Jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate. As you may or may not know, my job is being cut…which means I’ll be “back in the classroom” next year. It’s OK. But it’s not what I WANT…and it’s not where I think I’ll be best used for our profession.

And it all revolves around the GREEN stuff.

While I’d like to think I have a healthy perspective on money, there are times it makes me downright GREEN:

Sometimes it’s the green of envy. I see something someone else has and I think, “Gee, I wish I could have that!” It may be something really small like an article of clothing. But it also occasionally represents something large like a different house, a newer car, etc. We live in a society that touts bigger, better, faster, finer, more, more, more! It’s dangerous and it’s unhealthy. Often when I think I have this green “licked”…it creeps back up on me.

Other times it’s the GREEN that just means “sick”. It makes me SICK that we have to worry about it. It makes me SICK that I can’t do MORE to help other people. It makes me SICK when I see it controlling the lives of others. It makes me SICK when it controls ME!

And still other times, it’s the GREEN like the one that deals with our healthy environment. It’s the “green that makes the world go around” in positive motion. When the money monster is in balance, it’s healthy. It can help people and situations in many ways. It is necessary. It is helpful. It is a tool that provides security and freedom to so many. I like that green.

So, I admit it. The green stuff sometimes makes me GREEN…any one of these GREENS at any moment in time.

How about you?

Does the “green stuff” make you GREEN?

Affirmation is a Good Thing

We received a letter from DS 1 today. As most of you know, he is finishing up Basic Training for Army National Guard. He may or may not fully enlist, but has told us in almost every letter that he is more and more sure that he is doing the "right thing" and that he feels "called" to be serving in the military. Today's letter was a bit different.

It was addressed to just my DH and me vs. our entire family. He has not changed his mind about the Army or his place in it. I think you could say that this experience has given him a perspective that he has not had before. I want to respect his privacy, so I am only going to share tidbits here.

Hello,

So, in my time here I have noticed something quite profound. I am unlike almost everyone here. Stories of foster homes, group homes, gangs, drugs, abuse and violence are the norm. Poverty/low income are also very wide-spread.

He goes on to write that he is one of a few guys in his platoon who comes from a background of "wealth." He goes on to discuss that "wealth" to him now means so much more than money. He continues:

You guys gave me a great life, nice home, and all the love in the
world. The support I got everytime I wanted to do something new was always there.

This part of the letter talks about our support of his decision to go into the military. He also talks a bit about the support of our extended family.

I have really had an eye-opening experience to just how "rich" I am in family on both sides. The stories I have heard are endless, violent, and shocking....My life has been full of loving family events and many memories of wonderful times with family. Please pass on my love and thanks to all the family for the good times growing up. Thank you for everything!

OK...pass me a tissue...This is when the parent in me looks back at every twist and turn his life has taken and says, "It was all WORTH it!"

CBS Called and My Boys Need YOUR VOTES!

Thank you ALL for your votes and support. The video was #4! This means that they did not make the cut for the top three. We are so touched by so much support. And I'm sure they'll be on another venture in no time. :-) Susan


OK everyone...here's the scoop....

CBS called my boys yesterday and told them that they want to fly the person from the top 3 videos out to LA to shoot a promo video!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you might expect, they are over the moon with excitement at the prospect....BUT.....

While that may make you think that they are IN, nothing's sure until 3pm EST TODAY (Friday, Feb. 6th). The only thing we know for SURE is that they are in the top 5 right now.

WILL you PLEASE vote TODAY?? Will you consider linking back to this post and ask your friends to vote? Can you email a few people and ask them to VOTE too???? We need a REAL PUSH here. We appreciate anything you can do to help and everything you've done this far!

Hopefully we'll have GREAT news to share later today when we find out the top 3.

Here is the link to vote.

Wordless Wednesday: Family Fun

On a Clear Day You Can SEE HEAR Forever!

It's gorgeous out today! There is not ONE cloud in the sky as far as I can see. This is a good thing since yesterday was pretty much gloomy and rainy all day. Now, I know those of you who live where Phil saw no shadow yesterday deal with gloom and moisture sometimes for WEEKS at a time. But here in Florida, that just rarely happens.

Anyway, I was driving to our district office to pick up the State-wide Writing Assessment today. I don't know WHY there is no "courier" for this important secure test, but as the test coordinator, I am a 'trained professional', so I'm fairly certain all was well. We couldn't pick it up until "after 11am" because that is the time the State Board of Ed says the tests can be distributed and "unpacked".

So, I took off at 10:45ish to drive 20 - 30 minutes to our district office. Because I am in a non-classroom position on our campus, I am one of the people there who carries a walkie-talkie. This is used for communication throughout the day between administration, custodians and people like me. I put said walkie talkie in my cup holder and set my sights on the beautiful day and the drive to pick up the tests. I turned the music off and just basked in the blessed silence.

When I was almost to the district office, probably 8 - 10 miles from my school, I hear through sudden static "Mrs. T can you please call the office!" I nearly jumped out of my skin! I mean, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be talking in my car. If you were there, I'm sure you would have laughed cause I almost had to pull over since my adrenaline went from ZERO to FAST in NO TIME at all! (I guess that's why they call it adrenaline.)

I forgot to turn off the walkie talkie when I got in the car. I had a great laugh over it. And then I started to think. I was really far away. I mean I know you can hear it about 2 miles away, cause I've heard it in the bank parking lot before. I'm not sure if the clear day impacts radio frequencies, but I have to believe they are somehow connected.

Then, I thought: Isn't that what it's like with God sometimes?

When we get real quiet...and sometimes when we least expect it....we can sometimes hear his voice so clearly (sans static). But to do it, it has to be a "clear day"...not necessarily where everything is hunky-dory not-a-cloud-in-my-life kind of clear, but CLEAR...minus the STUFF that gets in the way of our spiritual frequency.

When we really listen. When we're really STILL. When we really move the stuff to the side and set our hearts and minds on him, we can HEAR him. Sometimes it's a still small voice. Sometimes it's a loud message. But it's him.

We have a choice. We can be like I was in my car today and momentarily wonder WHO is saying WHAT and WHY. OR We can be ready to hear it like young Samuel who learned say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."

Prayer Requests...and Our Response

I noticed something the other day. In the span of a few hours, I saw two different “prayer requests” hit the Internet between four different people. For the purposes of my observations, I’m going to call these four people by make-believe names:

Requa – requestor # 1
Questa – requestor #2

Cippy – recipient #1
Reci – recipient #2

Requa and Questa both put their prayer requests online to their respective group of readers and friends. In both cases, the requests were simple but non-specific.

Cippy responded to Requa’s request to “pray for her family” with this message: “I’ll pray, but names and specific situations are important and help greatly.”

Reci responded to Questa’s request to “pray for me” with this message: “I’m praying. Whatever your need is, God knows and He loves you. Let me know if I can help.”

I have seen responses like Cippy’s once too often when someone asks for prayer. The truth is, God DOES know. He doesn’t need US to give HIM specifics. In my opinion, Cippy’s response crossed a line. It is heading toward NOSEY. If Requa wanted to be specific, I’m sure she would have.

Reci’s response, in my opinion, is the one that ALL Christians should have when asked to pray. If, and when, Questa wants to share more about her situation, Reci has left the door open. More importantly, though, GOD does KNOW. And when we can honestly say we will pray even when we don’t know the specifics, I think it shows a certain level of faith and trust that HE CAN work in any situation. And that HE doesn’t need US to fill him in!

I confess, I have been in the situation where I was more curious than anything when someone asked me to pray, but didn’t “fill me in”. I try not to poke and prod, but I can’t say I have always been successful at this. I think, as I’ve grown in my faith, I work to respond more as the person who simply takes the request for what it is…a true heart-felt request. And, I DO pray for the requestor.

So, why am I writing this? I am not completely sure. It's simply what's on my heart and mind today.

I do believe that “prayer requests” have a very REAL danger of becoming gossip and meddling. I've seen many instances of this over my years in Christian circles. And I know when someone asks us to pray, we have a very real choice to make. We can be supportive of them where they are and offer to lend a true listening ear if, and when, it’s needed. Or, we can become meddlesome and possibly more damaging to a person in need.

It’s a fine line. May we all walk it well.