evening service

Well, I just got back from an evening prayer service that was absolutely lovely. I knew many of the pastors who participated, and I loved the corporate prayer time. What an awesome way to end my Sunday!

My boys' choice for lunch: Subway. They know Subway's sandwiches aren't nearly as fattening as pizza or hamburgers and fries, and their $5 footlongs are kind to my bank account. We ate healthy and enjoyed some entertaining conversation too! :o)

Oh wait....we ordered cookies for dessert. We almost ate totally healthy! :o)

Now I'm off to be a good little girl and finish my homework. Before I do my real homework for college, I need to enter some grades into my grade book and prepare for tomorrow's classes. Then I'll work on my paper a bit more before I get some sleep.

Thankfully, I was organized and already made copies of the final exam for each class. I have to make a different test for each period because they cheat. Isn't that a shame? But at least it's all done!

Have a wonderful week! Love you!

trying to be optimistic

I just finished watching Pride and Prejudice.

Thank you, God, that women no longer need to rely on men to have a decent life.

Thank you, Lord, that I have a fulfilling, challenging, and thrilling career rather than merely a job.

Thank you, Father, for helping me care for my children in addition to providing a few "extras" once in a while.

As I watched the film, I contemplated all of the above. Of course, facing my "single" status was inevitable during this movie, but the final scene struck me as particularly touching: Mr. and Mrs. Darcy begin celebrating their wedding night by holding hands and talking outside on the patio.

Wow...I would love to experience that someday.

Surprisingly, though, I find myself grateful for being alone. At the moment, I am totally in control of my finances, can come and go as I please, and make summer plans (teaching summer school and attending grad school) without consulting anyone else.

Perhaps I am growing accustomed to being a "Ms."... It really isn't so bad.

Someone told me recently that he thinks I need to pray about the relationships I have with others (both men and women).

No kiddin'.

He thinks I pull away (and I do), but I also love deeply. Perhaps I go overboard with trying to actively show my love for people. If I see a need, then I do something about it, especially for a loved one.

I've had someone recently mention tasks that I used to do to help him at work, but that tone is entirely different from, "Hey, I miss you." But maybe he doesn't miss me; maybe he just misses the work I did. I appreciate the truth, and I'm glad we spoke.

To borrow some words a friend wrote about me, I wish God would give me someone who "knew what makes me tick, what ticks me off, and how to calm me down." [Thanks, Bob!] :o) I wish I could bounce ideas and frustrations off of a sweetheart, but for now, this blog will do. I can't hurt or offend a blog, so it's harmless to vent here. I'm not typing anything that shames or embarrasses me, especially since anybody and her momma can read this. Getting my thoughts collected, organized, and stored here on a somewhat regular basis soothes me.

God knows what's best for me, and I'll just have to remember that. I think I'll just "be still" and "know that He is God."

Lord, your will be done. Amen.

1st Paper's done! WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

Go me! Go me! I finished the first paper! I even wriggled a few comments about the Lord into this paper. I know, I know...that's dangerous...but what the heck? Why not? I had to do an explication on a poem that involved Emily Dickinson's aversion to church, so why not deal with the real issues?

Pray ya'll; I think I did a great job, but my professor might not like how I explained my point of view...especially if she isn't a Christian.

We shall see, and you will definitely hear what happens when I get my paper back.

I'm going to proofread this sucker, print it, and then hit the sack. I can't believe I'm going to bed by 9:15....I thought I'd be up until 11:00 writing!

God, You are sooooooo good! I love you!

Memorial Day afternoon

Wendy and my bro, Eddie, stopped by for a visit this afternoon. I think she's just a friend, but they seemed kinda cozy...


Jazz wasn't interested in making friends...he just wanted some num nums....


Isn't my Mom a cutie????


Shaq spent a few minutes making a rough draft of his real English project; he used a box from the computer stuff I bought last week. I thought the rough draft was neat, though....so here's a pic:

OK...now I really AM going to do my homework. This is my last time playing on the computer. I'm going to focus...focus...focus.... (I think I'll go make some hot chocolate before I write this paper; maybe I should do some laundry first... )

I went to the Memorial Day parade downtown, and it was beautiful! The sun was shining brightly while a small breeze cooled us off. Perfect weather for a parade! :o)

I heard someone discussing a student of mine, and I turned around to see her mother. This little lady is her grandmother, who thought I was a teenage friend of my student! Woo hoo! I HAD to get her picture....



Don't they look dapper????


I would love to drive one of these...



...or these...


Our marching band is awesome! The seniors didn't have to attend this parade, but they did anyway. Cool, huh?


These flags are bigger than the kids! :o)


Our courthouse is magnificent. I tried to get the best view of it without getting in the way of other folks.



The guy in the suit is our extremely friendly mayor. :o)


This is a log cabin that sits across the street from Courthouse Square. If I had more time, I would have taken a picture of the steel cage my ex made in metal shop. There's a memorial in the yard, but I didn't want to make my mom wait for me too long.


Those are the best pictures I took today. Yes, there were others, but I messed them up somehow (cut off people's heads, had a blurred snapshot, etc.).

I will try harder next time!

If you've lost a loved one in the military, you have my deepest sympathy. Please know that his/her sacrifice is truly appreciated by all of America! May God's grace and peace be with you. You are in my prayers!

afternoon of fun

My friends, Tim and Marlena, invited me to a barbecue, and I truly enjoyed myself! I didn't know the host family, so I wasn't comfortable taking pictures of their home (which was lovely). I did, however, take pictures of my friends...

Tim is a magnet for children! Watching them flock to him was absolutely fascinating! One little girl was upset because a loose dog was roaming in the garage, but Tim had her laughing and asking for a balloon of her own. He has such a gift! He is a clown too, although he's not wearing make-up here. He spent at least an hour blowing up balloons for every single child at the party.


A poodle:



A cat:



A pink unicorn:



This is Eric, one of the sweetest, friendliest kids (err..."young men") you'd ever want to meet. He also happens to be Tim and Marlena's baby boy. :o)



Eric's Mama and Papa:


God, I just want to thank you for a fabulous afternoon! I enjoyed spending time with my friends as I met new ones. Lord, I pray that you continue to bring your children together for fellowship and fun. It's important to study the Bible and pray together, but I enjoyed my afternoon of play and silliness with this awesome family. Bless them, Lord, with your love! Meet every need, and I pray that you continue to knit our hearts together in love as we seek your face on a daily basis.

Please help me to handle things well and to allow your Spirit to minister to my heart this evening. Thanks for being with me tonight, Lord. I love you. I also thank you for allowing me to play at church. I never thought in a million years that I'd be playing so soon, but I'm grateful that you're in charge (and I am not). Father, you amaze me...In Jesus' name, amen.

Bear attack!!!

My ex came over this morning to fix a few things around the house for me. I didn't know that he would bring his puppy, Bear. Here are a few pics, but the little fella refused to stay still long enough to get any good ones! If the truth be known, I am NOT the best photographer, which is why I chopped my son's hair out of this first one...


Bear is a greedy little critter. I made him a bowl of puppy food, but he wanted everyone else's snacks too.



Bear was wandering through the house today. I think we bored him...until he found our dog, Jazz. I have no pics of that, though, because they were running through the house too quickly to get a snapshot. I think it's safe to say that Jazz isn't interested in seeing a permanent addition to our household any time soon.



Bear is preparing to jump off of the couch to mercilessly terrorize our dog, Jazz (who was a great sport today, by the way).


I'm excited about tomorrow. Church will be fun, as always, but I was invited to a grown up picnic with my grown up friends, Marlena and Tim. Yay! She wanted to give me a chance to meet some people, and I'm thrilled. It should be fun! I'll slip my camera into my purse just in case we enjoy some Kodak moments.

Have a super weekend!

aaah...the memories....

Here's a pic of my brother, mom, sis, and me. My other sis lives in Minneapolis...just think "me" only thinner. ;o)



"The gang" at my kitchen table: me, Shaq, sis, Mom, Jamil.



This is what my boys look like after a happy day of food and fellowship:



This is my ex-hubby and me. Amazingly, we are still friends! In fact, we get along better now than we did as a couple. Bless his heart...he's coming over tomorrow to be Mr. Fix-it for a day. Nice, huh? :o)


I remember this day! We were at the mall, and he was so proud of the prizes he "bought" with the tickets he won playing games. Those $2 toys probably ended up costing $20!!!! ;o) Oh well....it's all about the fun!


I REALLY need to get to bed! I've been playing with this new computer, pictures, games,etc....there's no way I'm going to be able to get up at 4:00 a.m. as I planned. Oh well. This has been quite a nostalgic evening for me; I've enjoyed myself!

Have a great weekend!

totally random pictures

Here's our Christmas tree. Jamil did a magnificent job, eh? I don't like a lot of ornaments, but there are lots of white lights that you can't see. (Trust me on this one.) Sitting in the dark with only Christmas lights on is SOOOOOOO relaxing after a crazy day at work.



This is the gazebo in the park (that didn't exist when I was in high school). Back in the day, this was just a broken down, pot-hole-filled parking lot for the equally dilapidated 9th grade building (which lavished its asbestos and critters upon us). Nice improvement!



This is the middle school I attended. These are the same colors I saw every day in 1985!



This, my friends, is my illustrious high school. The outside has held up pretty well. I walked the halls two years ago, and I must admit that this building is long overdue for some tender loving care.



This is my buddy getting married to her sweetheart. Keep this very young couple in your prayers, please. I don't know him very well, but she is near and dear to my heart! :o)


That's all for now. I'm going to make a concerted effort to take more pictures over the next few weeks. Life will be hectic as I teach and attend my poetry class, but I will have two weeks off in June. That's when we'll get the house the way I want it. I'll try to show you when we're done.

My friend invited me to a grown up picnic/party on Sunday afternoon. Yay! I get to meet some more people! I'll try to remember to take my camera.

Have a great evening! Love you!

Leonard...I love you!

My nephew, Leonard, popped in from Florida for a mini-vacation. He copied all of his "family" files for me, so I decided to share a few with you tonight. This first little guy is our beloved Jazz when he was a puppy. Doesn't he look ornery?



This guy is King, my Mom's dog. He's part beagle and German shepherd. Weird combo, but he's so lovable!



King is chillin' by Mom's bed. I just wanted to give some perspective at how big he really is....pretty intimidating if you aren't a fan of dogs in the first place, eh?



This is me and my baby! Isn't Shaq cute? This was taken a year ago; he's even taller now!



My son, Jamil, is such a handsome fella! He's always smiling...just like this! :o)



I'm sitting next to my 6'2" tall nephew, Leonard. (Your aunt thanks you again for these pics!) I'm seriously thinking of getting my hair cut this short again. What do you think? By the way, the shirt I'm wearing is actually a Christian one: it says, "Just one drop." The blood of Jesus is precious, isn't it?


Aren't my cabinets icky? The 4th picture is their happier, peachy color. (This is what my hair looks like now.)



This was taken five years ago. I was taller than my children then. Where did the time go?



My Mom and Leonard strike a pose in my parents' home. Can't beat that 70's wood paneling! ;o)


I hope you enjoyed these pics as much as I did! I promise to share more with you soon. I'm off to go do poetry homework. Goodnight!

l-o-n-g class tonight

I am tired. Three hours of Emily Dickinson is enough to make me nauseous.

We got out of class 15 minutes early, but it was still overwhelming.

Good news: I get a mini-break. Since it's a Monday/Wednesday class, I'm off Monday for Memorial Day.

My students have a test on poetry tomorrow. Man, I've tried to explain these poetic devices and each individual poem ad nauseam. Unfortunately, they still don't get it. (Some do, but 80% don't.)

Oh well.

Some kids had the nerve to ask me, "What's the test on?"

Seriously? We've only been doing this for three weeks!!!!!!

I need summer before I clobber somebody.

I'm out of the dark ages!

God is soooooooo good, ya'll!

I was worried about finances because I needed to go back to school, but God made a way.

Now, I'm typing on my brand new computer! It came with the typical keyboard and mouse, but the big screen for my old eyeballs and the nifty printer are awesome!

I'd type more, but my children are watching me and want their turn.

I'll write more tomorrow. God bless!

Welcome!

I just noticed that someone is "following" me, and it's cool! I wanted to thank her (or him), so I added the "followers" gadget.

This has never happened to me before, so I'm not sure about proper etiquette. The last thing I want to do is lead anyone to believe I'm some kind of stalker chick; I don't want to scare anyone off! :o)

I promise, though, to try to speak in a godly, loving way. What you "see," so to speak, if what you get. This blog is a release for me; I vent, I pray, and I write. That's all; nothing spectacular.

Remember: if you ever have a prayer request, send it my way! I'd love to pray for you.

God bless!

first day of school

God is wonderful!

My professor calls the University of Illinois her alma mater. She's silly and approachable, and I'm so comforted by that. After everyone left, she was helping me set up an on-line account for her class. Since I'm a readmit grad student, some of my information was added late, but I'm finally able to participate on-line now and start working on my "poster."

We chatted for almost an hour after everyone else went home. ;o)

She is amazing! She mentioned the Miracle Whip factory that stinks constantly, and I grinned as I remembered someone else telling me all about that. She also said that there was a stench that oozed from the factory when they made Velveeta cheese. (Don't eat that stuff, guys!) She thinks that Illinois is beautiful in its own way, but she just doesn't like how flat it is.

Tonight was my first class of "19th cent. Am. lit." The syllabus is a bit overwhelming; in fact, of the six graduate courses I've taken, this is by far the most complicated and time consuming class. Yes, I will need to spend a LOT of time writing and researching if I want an A (and I do), but it's possible. Thankfully, she is not giving a final exam, but we will be working on six major projects over the next few weeks. I'll just need to keep up with the reading and papers...

...and my grading, lesson plans, and eventually finals at work...

...and summer school stuff in three weeks...

No sweat.

(I'm kidding of course. Please pray, ya'll, pray!!!!)

I'm happy, excited, thrilled, anxious, and nervous! It feels wonderful to be a student again! I'll need to miss church on Wednesdays for two months, but at least I can go on Fridays and Sundays.

How was your day?

job offer

For the second time in one week, I've had to turn down a job offer.

I was approached to be the music director at a church I've never attended. If I wanted to play every Sunday, I could! I didn't accept because I feel God leading me to simply rest for a while (although the extra income would be lovely).

My first day at Maranatha was probably over ten years ago. I enjoy talking with the pastor and his wife, listening to Pastor's sermons, going to the women's Bible study, and participating in fellowship opportunities. My children already know everyone, and it's nice to simply be in the congregation for a change (instead of leadership).

Let's pray:

Father, thank you for the many income possibilities you have provided for me! I do, however, want to listen to your voice instead of being greedy about my finances. You know that I've been hurting, although I'm thankful for the peace and forgiveness You've helped me to feel towards some folks. Now, Lord, I'd like to move to the next step: I want to be able to show love to the individuals who have been harsh or merely didn't support me recently. Jesus, when I see these folks, help me to love them. Help me to see what You see, in Jesus' name. Amen.

saving $$$

My friend, Melanie, rocks!

I shared my certification nightmare with her, and she started doing some serious research. She found a class I can take for $310 instead of $1200! Woo hoo! She doesn't have all of the information, and she's not absolutely sure that our board of ed. will approve them; that's why I'm still going to pay for and enjoy my 19th century lit. class tomorrow. I want to be sure I get hours that are approved.

But the rest of them I can take with Melanie through this correspondence course. It won't count toward a master's, but I'll save sooooooo much time by studying at home instead of driving to a different city for class. It's also MUCH cheaper. (Thank you, God!)

I hope you have a fantastic day! Enjoy your worship service this morning.

long day

It seems as if I've been running all day, even though I had a bit of a break this afternoon.

Since I've been having more bad hair days than I'd like, I got my hair chopped off this morning. Don't worry; I still look like a girl. I tried to get it cut into a cute style, but alas, my natural curls are still doing their own thing. Fiddlesticks. At least I felt a bit cooler.

Then I went grocery shopping this afternoon, and I just happened to time this perfectly: as soon as I finished in the check out line at Wal*Mart, it began raining so hard that you couldn't clearly see 20 feet in front of you.

Nice.

After my second shower of the day and a quick change into a dry outfit, I went to a funeral (the wife of my friend, George), and I was a bit taken aback by the figure in the casket.

She looked just like an older version of me.

Weird...and just a bit creepy.

I met George's son and daughter (who hugged me a bit tightly for someone who doesn't know me at all). Perhaps she just saw my resemblance to her mother. The funeral home was huge, but it seemed tiny with so many people in attendance. I decided to leave quietly after noticing there were only 5 empty chairs left and at least 50 people standing.

I love to drive on the highway, so the journey home was relaxing.

My son went to the mall with me, and I decided to get my nails done. I used to pamper myself this way every two weeks, but I stopped when I got a job as a music director. Now that I won't be playing regularly, nails won't be a problem at all. Working with them is truly like riding a bike: I'm tickled at how quickly I'm typing right now. :o)

My boys did a fabulous job cleaning their bedrooms, so they'll only have to do a little bit of yard work tomorrow. After church, Shaq will trim the bushes and Jamil will cut the grass. I will be dusting and cleaning in the house since I wasn't home today (although I did get the bathroom done before I left the house this morning).

I hope all is well at your house this evening. Good night.

music

Don't you love music?

I do.

After a meeting this evening, my buddy, Tracy, requested to hear a couple of songs. (Of course I said, "Sure!")

We ended up worshipping for quite a while, and I loved it!

Today has been phenomenal, but busy. I don't have much time; mom is waiting for me upstairs. I just wanted to thank God here and let you know that I'm praying for each of us.

Blessings!

God was showing off today!

I spent an extra hour in the grocery store this evening. :o)

Yep, God gave me a chance to minister to someone who was hurting. By the end of the conversation, she was laughing! God is awesome!

I feel great! I can't even describe how free and exhilarated I am at this moment. Wow.

My day at work was awesome too. One of the assistant principals tried to get me in trouble on Friday (after being a dork himself and attempting to "correct" me in front of my class). On Friday, I could have dwelled on it and stewed all weekend, but God had me re-focus my thinking. I had planned to go to the Relay for Life, so I kept my mind on those cancer survivors who continue to need prayer.

This morning the Lord led me to stay positive, so I spent a few bucks on thank you cards, packs of bubble gum, and some 100-calorie bags of chocolate covered pretzels. I wrote an individualized thank you note to each of the principals who have helped me this year. I encouraged them and deliberately mentioned specific acts of kindness they had shown me.

That made their day! It was so cute to see their faces light up when they saw me. Isn't God amazing? Instead of letting me whine and complain (which is exactly what I had planned to do), the Lord nudged me to be a blessing instead. That, my friends, was MUCH more fun!

My principal wanted to know exactly what happened on Friday, and I told her. I also explained that I didn't expect her to do anything about it since I'm a big girl; I simply wanted her to know that I wouldn't be as polite if he ever did that to me again. She said, "Oh no, I am going to do something. We (principals) have a meeting today, and I will make sure he doesn't treat you that way again."

Today I lived the scripture, "All things work for the good of those who love the Lord!"

Ha! I love it!

Then I got a hug from her (not a reprimand or a write-up) and was thanked for all of my hard work.

So there, devil! God is always in control!

I'm also getting pretty excited about starting class next week. It will, no doubt, be difficult to keep up with grading, lesson plans and my graduate work, but I'm sure God will help me. I'll keep you posted.

Keep me in your prayers, especially next week, okay?

You will definitely be in my mine. God bless you, my friend.

Amazing!

God is truly awesome!

I just got the coolest e-mail, and I want to praise God for it! I LOVE how God performs little miracles just to let you know he sees when you are hurting or in a pickle.

Lord, I praise you for caring about me, even to the point of taking care of my physical needs when it seems there's no way to get everything done. You are so merciful! I pray that you touch hearts tomorrow. Thank you for letting me enjoy my mother's presence! She has been missing Dad immensely lately, so please give her peace on mother's day tomorrow.

Holy Spirit, I truly want to thank you for holding my tongue at work on Friday. Spiritual attacks certainly aren't fun, but I'm so glad that I'm never alone. God, you are the best! I love you, and I invite you to walk with me every step that I take this week. In Jesus' name, amen.

job offer

I was just invited to be the music director and piano accompanist for a production of Bye Bye, Birdie. That's $500 for each position!

Too bad I had to decline.

I'm taking two graduate courses this year, and I'm also teaching a junior/senior summer school class in June and July.

I did, however, explain to her that there is a chance I may not have to go back to school at all. If the LPDC accepts my 70+ contact hours and converts them to CEU's, then I won't have to take graduate classes this summer in order to become certified to teach. That would make my life a whole lot easier! (If you haven't been following this funky drama in my life, a glitch caused the 4 graduate classes that I've already taken in the last five years not to count. I'm still a bit miffed about it.)

So, if you are a praying guy or gal, please pray for me. If God shows me favor, I'll be making money instead of losing it! :o)

peaceful evening

I had to tutor after school until 4:30, but I've gotten so much done this week. I spent many hours Tuesday, Wednesday, and today prepping for summer school. I have ALL of my lesson plans done and made all of the copies I'll need for the entire summer session. This afternoon I typed out my own notes on the introductions to each literature unit. All I need to do now is make an answer key for every assignment. That way, once I start teaching summer school, I'll have a much easier time. My goal was to be efficient so that I can use every spare moment to study for my grad class.

Happily, I finished with all of my work by 5:30, so I was home by 5:45 this afternoon. Wow. That's the earliest in several weeks!

I was sorta brain dead when I walked in the door, so I made hot dogs. (At least we had food, eh?)

I spent the evening talking to my Mom (who popped over for a visit) and then watching a show on houseboats. I want one. Unfortunately, my teacher salary will never be able to afford the $300,000+ cost. Oh well; I'm blessed to have my little house. :o) God is amazing! Last year, I was thinking to myself, "I'll be debt free in three short years. I can make it!" Now, I'm only two years away from having a lot more financial freedom.

I'm going to bed early tonight so that I will be rested for the Relay for Life event tomorrow evening. Do you have one in your area? It's an awesome 24-hour walk-a-thon! We raise thousands of dollars for cancer research and to help the American Cancer Society with their mission. I'll probably only stay until midnight, but I'll go home, sleep, get up at 6:00 a.m., and get right back to walk some more.

Have a wonderful night!

tough love at its finest

I just had a difficult word with my son. He has been going downhill lately; I'm not sure if his friends are influencing him or if he's dabbling in activities I'd shudder to know about in detail.

Regardless, his grades have dropped horribly (from straight A's to three D's in the third quarter and an F currently, and I don't know about his other classes yet.) Midterms will arrive in one week, and I'm not thrilled about opening that envelope.

I have told him in no uncertain terms that if he doesn't work to take care of himself, then I'm certainly not going to do so after he turns 18. Now he has an incentive: either get his act together so that I can help him through college OR prepare to live on his own in two years.

I have never felt so helpless. If I don't do something, though, he will end up like some other relatives I know and love. I am not a man; I do not know how to make one, either.

Please pray for him (and me too). Thanks.

I feel sooooooooooo loved!

I just got home from a 4-hour chit chat with my friend. I had so much fun!

There were tears, laughter, hugs, and smiles as we encouraged and uplifted one another. It felt good.

Lord, thank you for allowing me to feel such acceptance and compassion this afternoon! Thank you, especially, for her heart. She is an amazing woman, and I pray that you would continue to use her to bring peace to those around her.

Jesus, you are so worthy to be praised! I love you! Amen.

"meeting" today

I assume my friend, M., is meeting me this afternoon to discuss my absence from church on Sunday. She's definitely not one of the gossips, yet I'm sure she's going to attempt to persuade me to come back.

I won't.

I love God, being a Christian, worship, prayer, and everything else that goes along with serving the Lord.

Unfortunately, some incidents have happened that have caused me to struggle horribly there. I have decided to leave. I will not speak badly of anyone, especially Pastor, so I suppose I'll just tell her that I'm leaving because of my own feelings and frustrations...and leave it at that.

Please pray that God leads me to a good church home soon!

sneaky little devil

You know, you've got to be careful not to give the enemy ANY room.

I spent several hours at the piano this afternoon, and it was fantastic! Just as I finished, my mom wanted to come listen, so I waited until she arrived and started all over again. :o)

She decided to take me to dinner, but the conversation went downhill quickly.

Today is the day my dad passed away (nine years ago), so I did a lot of listening. She was definitely missing him today.

We have to be soooooooo careful, don't we? The enemy probably wasn't happy with all the worship I did today, but he's not going to steal my joy or ruin my evening.

So there.

:o)

r-e-l-a-x-a-t-i-o-n

I had forgotten what it's like to have an entire day off.

For quite a while (years, actually) I have been working seven days every week during the school year. That's why it was a fabulous treat to sleep in (until 9:00 a.m.) yesterday, work out, cook, read a book and watch a few movies on television.

That's all I did! ;o)

No stress - - - no running around - - - no frustrations.

I have two more Saturdays to spend like that until my graduate class begins on May 18th. I'm actually looking forward to being the student for a while!

Today I will worship the Lord at home. I'm thinking of visiting another church this evening because I love corporate worship. We'll see what God leads me to do.

Tomorrow I'll be able to work ahead on lesson plans for summer school because my students will be working on a reading project that is due on May 14th. Midterms are due at 8:00 a.m., but I don't need to rush to school early because I turned in my grades last Thursday. :o) Working ahead on projects reduces my stress immensely, which is why I try to stay on top of everything.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend too! We (my children and I) will get a few things done around the house, but sometime this week we will need to get the weeding finished. All in all, no worries!

Have a great day! God bless!

still seeking God

I enjoyed some awesome worship last night! Although I was alone in my living room, I felt a big 'ol hug from the holy spirit as I played and sang to the Lord. Man, it was fun!

I saw an ad in the paper for 80% off pianos. If I could, I would look into that. I need a couple of years (exactly two) before I'll be debt free. Then I'll be able to pay cash for a new piano. My old one will go in the basement; I will never sell it because if was a gift from my father. Since he's in heaven now, I won't be getting anything else from him.

My friend, John, called me yesterday for the first time. We have worshiped together before, but we've never had telephone conversations. It's amazing how God gave him exactly what to say to me. Wow. I'm going through some personal issues right now, and I didn't want to talk about anyone to him. Yet, John spoke directly to my heart, and I'm grateful.

God sees you where you are...even when you think He doesn't.

Are you hurting too? Do you need a hug? Let me pray for you:

Lord, thank you for a wonderful day! We're supposed to have thunderstorms, but I'm so glad that it's not bitter cold anymore. Father, we are so blessed to be able to speak to you in such a personal manner. You are definitely amazing! We are in awe of you! Thank you for walking with us today, for holding our hands when we're afraid, and for granting us peace when we can't figure out how to attain it on our own.

Jesus, so many people are hurting right now. Please touch their minds; give them the tools to rest in you today! I pray that you will allow us to grow in our relationship with you, and I also pray that those who have been hurt by churches would forgive quickly and move on (myself included). I pray that your love, a love that surpasses all understanding, would wash over us today! We need you more than ever, Lord!

I also pray that we will be able to share that love with those who have never formally met you. Use us, lord, to enlarge your kingdom in heaven! In Jesus' name, amen! :o)