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As I pray for my friend, Val, to receive healing and joy, I will also pray for myself.
I'm actually extremely happy! :D
I just need God to be more clear about my purpose at church. I have never felt more disconnected!!! I thought I was supposed to work with the women, but I don't see how that's possible at the moment. I'm doing much more ministry with my on-line friends than I do at church.
On a happy note: School starts Monday! I will have meetings all day today, tomorrow, and Friday, so I'll try to pay attention. ;o) Ron Clark will be our speaker at convocation; they made a movie about him teaching in New York City. You might remember the clips that showed him learning how to double-dutch with some of his students. I saw him speak in Cleveland, and he'll probably be as hyper as ever!
My friend, Rob, stopped by my classroom yesterday. Niiice. Maybe I'll get to see him today too.
"Your Will" by Men of Standard just started playing!!! Yes, Lord, I'm staying in Your will! ;o)
Well, gotta get ready for "work." :D
Our pastor was the only guy who showed up for Bible study tonight, and we were, *ahem*, a bit out of hand. He knows we love him, though! :o)
Have you ever had a perfect day?
Today was one of those days when everything falls into place perfectly. I started my day by worshiping the Lord and enjoying his presence...then I wrote paper #2...went to church to organize the office a bit...chatted and prayed with Pastor, came home and cut the grass...made supper and ate with Jamil (Shaq was at a friend's house)...went to Bible study, visited with my mom for a while and then came home.
Today was balanced with work and recreation, responsibilities and a bit of fun!
I'm looking forward to tomorrow!!!! :o)
I just e-mailed both of my papers for my grad class, and I'm officially done!!!!!
YAY!!!!!
I think I'll treat my self to something nice, like a book from Borders. Have a good day!
I finished one paper for my grad class!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!
I will work on paper #2 when my brain can handle it...probably Wednesday morning. I'm sure I'll get an A, but it's still so time consuming.
I will let myself relax this evening by reading while enjoying some refreshing ice water with fresh lemon juice. It's supposed to cleanse the system, and I love it! Yummo!
I'm working on keeping my joy...how about you? :D
This week has gone by crazy-fast!!!!!
Today is the last day of my grad class, and I had planned on turning in my paper early because I'm such a nerd. However, I spent many hours ministering to folks this week during the little bit of free time I had. I'm no longer in leadership at church, but I haven't slowed down one bit as far as listening, praying with, and ministering to hurting people. I've even had people in my grad class ask me about my spiritual life. Cool, huh?!?!
Anyway, my paper isn't due for two weeks, but I'm going to write it tomorrow (Saturday) morning so that I can relax and breathe. This is the last paper I have to write for at least two years, which is when I'm planning to take more classes for the fun of it. At this point, it looks like the boys are going to college for free because of Wilson's disability, but I still want to help them a little every month. I'd prefer that they do not work while in college, so the money I would have paid for tuition can go for clothing, cell phone bills, food, or whatever they'll need. :o)
I keep forgetting my camera, but I'll try to take pictures of the beautiful campus where I've spent the majority of the last four days. It's gorgeous! A convent is on the other side of the grounds, and the nuns are so cute in their habits! They're sweet, too, and I enjoy chatting with them before/after class or on breaks. Walsh University pays them for three classrooms, and they've been renovated. It's an older building, but it looks brand new on the inside. I'll have to show you with some pics this evening.
My son, Shaq, volunteered to do some ministry with our pastor, and I couldn't be happier about that. My little one is going to the "The 99" with my mom tonight; maybe I'll see if since I'm a prayer counselor. I'm planning on staying until Shaq calls me for a ride home.
I hope you have a spectacular Friday!
I just finished checking my e-mails and reading recent news articles.
In the last ten minutes, I've read 3 articles about people hurting children in gruesome ways.
Let's pray:
Father, these situations clearly do not reflect the love and care you expect parents to show their children. Please protect little ones! Keep your arms of protection around them, and touch the minds of parents who are contemplating hurting their own children. In Jesus' name, amen.
On a happier note: I only have two more days of my grad class. It's interesting! I've learned a great deal of time savers that I'll try to implement this school year. I also received a behavior analysis that is almost 100% correct! I LOVE taking questionnaires like that, especially when they are amazingly accurate.
I just got off the phone with my buddy, Iva. We spoke for several hours, laughing and being silly. She's such a sweetheart!
I'd better get to sleep. I have a long day tomorrow. See ya!
Today was my "first day of school" for my grad class, and I wasn't sure what to expect.
Thankfully, it's a wonderful experience! It is NOT a joke or a waste of time, but he isn't piling on the homework, either. I've learned a great deal today, all of which is applicable to my teaching career.
I'm looking forward to the next four days! :o)
Granted, I'm tired because my brain was working all day. It's also a 1 and 1/2 hour drive round trip, so I'm tired. It was nice quiet, worship time, though; I listened to 95.5 The Fish (contemporary Christian station) during my drive.
If I remember, I'll take my camera so that you can see the gorgeous grounds where my class is being held. There is a flower or plant, though, that has an awful stench; we could smell it all day until we close the windows and turned on the air. :D
Happy Monday!
Dr. T. just e-mailed my grade: A. Yay! One class down, one to go...
For the first two days of summer school, I have tried to get my students to work as independently as possible. I do have one child who is incredibly demanding of my attention, but she's quick to say things like, "You know, I hated you, but now I love you!"
Seriously...that's a verbatim quote of hers from this morning.
As a teacher, I always want to be in control of every situation. I do not want behaviors to become so wild that no one listens. On the other hand, I'd like the kids to enjoy themselves while they learn. It's a delicate balance, but I think I've got this class where I want them. I'm lenient, though; it's difficult for folks to focus for six hours on one subject (especially if it was failed during the regular school year).
So far, every single kid has a C or better! (Thank you, Lord! Please help them to keep it up!) One young man said, "Man, you're really nice, and I understand this (persuasive essay assignment) now."
As I sit here reflecting on the day, I am pleased that I let God control everything. He helped me deal effectively with some classroom conflicts without resorting to discipline tickets (which remove them from the classroom).
I have tried to let the same thing (allowing God to be in control of me) happen in my church life, but sometimes transitions are hardly smooth. I find myself longing for the peace and excitement for "church" that I had two weeks ago. Now I am bracing for an uphill battle that won't be pretty.
I asked for some advice from you here on my blog. Since I haven't gotten any responses, I suspect that I'm not the only one who may have reservations about giving advice on how to deal with difficult people.
I have exasperated my arsenal of witty, endearing comments for those giving me grief at the moment. Sometimes I can use humor in the classroom to totally diffuse a situation, but that hasn't gotten me anywhere at church.
You know, I'm just plain weary of getting emotionally beaten up by the very folks I have tried so hard to support and love. God is calling me to continue, though, so I will...
On a happy note: Tomorrow should be fun! A couple of friends are going out of town, so they'll miss a graduation party for their son's buddy. I was asked to take pictures, so I will try my best. My less-than-professional snapshots will have to do.
Hmmm....on second thought, perhaps I should give my camera to someone else for the afternoon!
:o)
Enjoy your Friday evening!
I couldn't ask for a sweeter group of kids in my junior/senior summer school English class.
Most of them are taking parts A and B, so I'll have them for 19 more days. They are a pure joy! I have kids from several surrounding school districts (including the one in which I teach), and they're getting along well. In fact, I don't foresee a need to ever use a disciplinary card.
My classroom is across the hall from one of my best friends, Melanie. It's cool to be so near to her; during the regular school year, I'm in the basement while she's on the third floor. I'll get to see her every day!
My boys were invited to the movies, so I'll have the whole house to myself for several hours. What will I do? I'm exhausted, so I'll probably just play the piano/sing some worship songs, watch one television show, and then go to sleep.
I know...I know...it doesn't sound very exciting, but that's exactly what I want to do. Have a good one!
I am finally completely, utterly finished with this project! It's not due until Friday, but I am DONE!!!! I can turn in this puppy tonight, and I am sooooooooooooooo happy!!!!!!
I had a chitchat with my pastor this morning and into the early afternoon. I have a serious question to ask you, and I need an honest response, ok?
How do I make amends with someone who is extremely angry with me but won't tell me what I did? You also need to know that when she fussed at me (in front of several other folks), not a single person in the room agreed with her (that I think I'm better than everyone else, not approachable, offensive....those were the implications, but I still have no idea what I did to make her feel this way about me).
I'm trying to keep peace, and I don't want to do anything to make matters worse.
I need to take a shower, pick up a bag of clothes (for me from a friend) and drop of two bags of clothes (for the mission), go to college, make some copies, get to class, give my presentation, attend Jenny's funeral, and come home.
I probably won't get on the computer because I'll be exhausted (since I never had a chance to go back to bed this morning and had a total of 4 hours of sleep).
*** I am VERY interested in your answer to my question. ***
I have asked this woman to explain what I did, but she won't tell me. I'm not going to do anything until I pray some more, but I thought I'd throw my predicament out there in case you guys have a wise answer for me.
Thanks! See ya tomorrow.
She knew we had a ton of work to do (all of which is due next Wednesday), so she chose not to lecture tonight.
She gave us the night off! WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!
I stayed in the computer lab with my group so that we could finish our project. Now it's done!
Tomorrow I will exercise (my daily 8 miles), cut the grass, get cleaned up, write my paper that's due Friday, cook supper, and then go to Bible study. It will be a full (but totally enjoyable) day.
I will try to take pictures. I keep forgetting to take the camera with me!
Have a fantastic evening!
I'm so sleepy! Here's what I did today:
1.) I slept in until 7:19 (instead of getting up at 5:00). Niiiiiice.
2.) My breakfast was an English muffin with 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam.
3.) I already finished the research for my paper on the weekend, so I organized everything and actually wrote the paper itself. My brain was fried, so my wonderful son proofread it for me before he disappeared to skateboard with friends.
4.) I made some Shake-N-Bake chicken and baked potatoes for supper.
5.) While dinner was cooking, I worked out. I did Taebo last week, and I was abnormally sore. I guess I'm just anxious to get this post-surgery weight off for good. My insides hurt for days. I know, I know...I shouldn't have started with Taebo, but I love doing all of those kicks and punches. Oh well...Leslie Sansone gave me a decent workout today. It's a "walking" video with gentle moves that left me smiling (instead of squirming from pain).
6.) I took a 1-hour nap.
7.) Class this evening was long but informative. I (and the rest of my classmates) had to present my paper, and it took almost the entire three hours to get through everyone.
8.) I made a little trip to Wal*Mart to get some veggies, fruit, and low-fat snacks for me and the boys.
9.) I blogged...and now I'm talking to you. :o)
I have been going, going, going all day, but I also enjoyed myself. One thing I did NOT do is read my Bible. I will try to start my summer mornings with prayer and scripture; otherwise, I'll get tired and won't do it.
I hope you have a wonderful evening!
Have you ever wanted to simply get home, but someone decides to putz in the passing lane?
Thankfully for him, I do not have laser vision...or he might have become dust tonight.
It's all good, though. I just put in a Christian CD and sang.
Today was the last day of school for the kids, and tomorrow is mine. I have a paper due on Wednesday, which will probably get finished tomorrow afternoon. Then I will get to rest! Hallelujah!
How was your day?
Yep...I've been asked (by the music director herself) to lead worship for every Sunday evening service, starting next week.
Pastor usually has 2-3 songs, but he asked me tonight, "You're not playing 1 or 2 songs, are ya?" I said, "How many would you like?" He replied, "5...6...or more..."
:o)
I get to lead worship every week! Yay!!!!
Tomorrow is the last day of school, and I'm looking forward to doing the finishing touches on my classroom. Most of the big materials are put away; it'll take me 1 hour tops to finish getting ready for summer.
I'm planning on putting some stuff in a crate for summer school, but everything else must be stored in a locked cupboard. I'm so grateful for the storage space! I don't have to bring anything home this year! WOOOO HOOOO!!!!
Have a great week!
Please pray for the lack of motivation in some of my students.
Yesterday they were given an assignment: Write a personal letter to me including the grade they would assign my teaching this year with supporting details.
They were allowed to think I was terrible, but they had to write WHY I was terrible.
As simple as this assignment was, I still had folks who refused to do it, even if I provided paper and a pencil.
They are forcing me to fail them...and I hate that.
On the other end of the spectrum, one of my advanced classes earned all A's (with the exception of one B and one C) on the final exam! :O) Woooo hoooo!!!!!!
We still have two more days of finals, and I hope the rest of my classes do this well!
Tonight my boys will go to youth group for the first time. That is such a blessing to me! My Mom forced me to go to church when I was younger, and that resulted in my rebellion later. That's why I didn't make my own kids go to these youth meetings since we've been back for a month. God is good, though! I've been hoping they'd show interest; they already know Pastor W., but all of the young people are folks who have joined the church after we left several years ago. They'll meet some new friends this evening!
Have a blessed day!
I got an A on my first paper....only 5 more projects to go...
I haven't been up this late on a school night in quite a while. Thankfully, ALL of my written homework is finished for this week!
Unfortunately, I couldn't complete the reading. I will try to get that done tomorrow afternoon by 4:30....which is when I need to head to class.
I forgot all about commencement tonight. I had planned on working straight through from 2:18-? to complete all of my homework, but I had to stop from 5:45-7:30 for graduation at school. It was beautiful! My job was to dispense programs...but only one per family. That always irritates some folks.
I finished writing, copying, and labeling make-up tests and then organized everything for tomorrow. It was 9:30 p.m. as I pulled out of the parking lot to go home. I had instructed the boys to make their own supper, but alas, they were waiting for me to cook when I walked in the door. So I made some ghetto spaghetti: I couldn't find a single box of real spaghetti, so I used my last box of pasta (lasagna). I couldn't make real lasagna because I didn't have all of the ingredients. I threw in a bag of frozen veggies to thicken the sauce, melted some mozzarella cheese on top, and voila! They had supper at 11:00 p.m.! ;o)
I'm not entirely upset about cooking so late at night since I now have a very nice lunch to take to work tomorrow. That way, I can eat at work and head to class as soon as the last child leaves my room. I can get quite a bit of reading done between 3:30 and 6:00 when class begins.
Thank GOD I don't need to keep up this pace much longer!!! Tomorrow is the first of three days for final exams (should be quiet at work for the rest of the week). Then Monday is basically a free day (and an early release day), so I will simply distribute final exam grades, 4th quarter grades, and year-end grades. I rarely see more than 40% of my kids on the last day of school.
As of next Wednesday, I will be able to work every day on my 19th c. American lit. class. I will be finished by June 24th, and then summer school starts on June 25th.
Let the good times roll...
