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I had a personal goal of writing on my blog at least once every day.
My lofty aspirations included sending words of encouragement and love to my internet loved ones on a regular basis.
Alas, I have failed miserably.
But I still love you!!!!!
Perhaps one really meaty entry per week will be more manageable since I'm back to work. Until then, I will write short bits and pieces as I am able. Even now, I'm under a time restraint because a friend is waiting for me to deliver something, and then I'm off to a local coffee shop to grade five more batches of diagnostic essays.
Perhaps I'll take a detour so that I can take some pictures of my beloved town. It's small, and we don't even have our own mall. (The closest one is in Niles, which is only a few minutes away.) Every time I need to drive to Columbus for meetings makes me nervous; people in big cities are so impatient on the road! Anyway, I'll try to post some pics soon.
I love you, even if I don't write as often as I did in the summer. Best wishes for a fantastic weekend! God bless!
Hi (especially to Kim)! :o)
It's been a crazy week so far:
SUNDAY: It took me a little over an hour to get to the car after service because I had some opportunities to listen when a few women (one at a time of course) needed to talk. I think God's going to do some pretty cool stuff in their lives!
LABOR DAY: I watched a few minutes of the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon and then worked at church, but I didn't have enough time to finish everything I wanted to do. In the morning my buddy, Tim F., fixed a leaky hose on my central air unit AND showed me how to clean a part on my furnace [to make it work better in the fall]. Yay! And he even bought the parts to get the job done. I love him and his gorgeous wife. They rock!
TODAY: I met my students for the first time. They are awesome! Of six classes and approximately 155 kids, only one student had an attitude. One outta 155 ain't bad, eh?
The new classroom is equipped with a microphone that I wear around my neck. That is the coolest toy! I didn't have the nerve to try it until 5th period, but I'm hooked! I'll be firing up that baby every period every day!!! I'll have to remember to get a picture of all the electronic gadgets, including the mike.
When I was having a difficult time last year, my Pastor came and prayed with me. The results were amazing! After prayer, my students were behaving, I didn't need to remove anyone for inappropriate comments (profanity had been a problem), and they were all on task. I asked Pastor to come pray with me this year too, so we busted out the oil this afternoon and went to town praying for everybody who came to mind.
I left work at 5:25 and barely made it to a women's meeting for another church. I bought a ticket to a catered dinner where we watched One Night with the King. Have you ever seen that movie? I love it! It's the story of Esther, who is actually a Jew named Hadassah. I HIGHLY recommend this movie.
As I exited my car, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. At first, I thought it might be a mouse running up the side of the garage. Upon closer inspection I realized it was something else...the biggest spider I've ever seen in my life. He must have eaten a small dog for supper tonight!
Ick!!!!
This is one of those times I wish my brother lived a little closer so he could pop over and kill it for me.
Alas, there was no one to call, so I took off my sandal and smacked it.
Would you believe that sucker kept crawling?!?!?! Ewwwwwww!!!! I had to put my shoe back on and stomp before it finally died.
I itch everywhere just thinking about it!
Since I need to get to sleep soon, I'll have to think happy thoughts to push out the creepy ones. Let's see....I like rainbows....and roses (although I'm highly allergic), and Christmas lights...
God may not be giving me everything I want, but I truly have everything I need. My children and I are healthy and happy, my teaching position is in full swing, my church is full of love, my friends show me quite often how much they love me, and my mom is more active than I ever dreamed she'd be at age 75.
I am humbled as I think about all that the Lord has already done to take care of me emotionally, spiritually and physically.
Wow.
I'm not sure what he has for me, nor am I sure what I'm supposed to do at every given moment, but I'm learning to listen a bit harder rather than rushing into something. I haven't mastered this, but I'm a work in progress.
You are special to him too, you know. Be blessed!
I am soooooo not looking forward to going to work today. I always enjoy working in my classroom, but today we have to listen to a 2-hour lecture on the perils of using drugs in the workplace. [They act like you'll get "help" if you tell them you need it, but someone who stepped forward has been terminated. What hypocrites!] Would you believe we have to listen to this every single year? They don't even bother to change it up!
Hmph.
At least I'll get three hours in my classroom before we have to attend that meeting at 9:30.
Lord, thank you for allowing us to have a frank discussion last night at the women's Bible study. We are learning to trust one another and beginning to share some incredibly personal struggles, and I praise you for that mutual support. When I was done praying, one of them prayed for ME. Wow. I'm in awe of you, Lord! And we're growing!!!!
Now back to this dating thing, Jesus. Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about it. I pray that you will give me wisdom and discernment when it comes to which guys get my phone number and which ones need to be handled more carefully. I pray that you will help me to kindly and lovingly decline offers from the ones who aren't putting you first. I have been in a recent habit of asking potential dates to pray for me; the ones who refuse have presented a deal breaker as far as dating is concerned. [John prays for me quite often! Yay! At least it's a positive, wonderful beginning of a friendship, right?]
God, I trust you, and I'm so thrilled that you are lining up everything in my life! My son, Shaq, and I had a wonderful afternoon together yesterday, although some of it was working at church. We didn't argue at ALL, and it was so pleasant to simply talk to him in the car.
I'm not "worried" about anything, Jesus, although I am a bit anxious about getting to know people of the opposite sex. So please calm me down if I get a phone call this weekend and help me to be able to talk without getting so nervous that I start stuttering! ;o)
Father, as I begin to have exceedingly long days once again, I pray that you help me to keep the boundaries I've set for myself. I'm willing to change them if you're calling me to do something else. Would you like me to help the choir boosters, even though you asked me to set aside time for you on Friday evenings and to keep Saturdays as my day off? Do you want me to decline both days? I need to hear you on this one soon, Lord, because he asked me to help this weekend. I didn't accept the invitation yet, but please let me know what you want me to do. In Jesus' name, amen.
I'm not used to such long days, especially several consecutive difficult days. This summer has been relaxing. Although I've been getting up at 5:30 a.m. to walk, it's different when you have to "work." As I walked toward the building, I couldn't help but admire God's pastels. Isn't He the most impressive artist?
This is the sky above the football stadium at the same time I took the previous picture. Gorgeous, isn't it????
I took this picture 10 seconds later. This is where my classroom used to be; by November, it will be our new parking lot with 500+ spaces.
Last but not least, this is my birthday present from Kim: a sign with my name on it. At the moment, it's resting on the ledge of my white board, but I need to hang it soon. [Thank you, Kim!]
Now that I'm a bit more comfortable using my little digital camera, I'll probably write less, especially as my free time starts to diminish in the near future. I need practice anyway; I'm a terrible photographer. I'll try my best to keep you posted on my life via words and pictures.
Have you ever been insulted by someone who had no idea she was insulting you? It's so awkward, isn't it? That happened tonight. At first, I was pretty bummed, but then I realized that she didn't really mean anything by it. I was easily offended, but innocent errors aren't difficult to forgive.
On a happy note, I've been thinking about my friend, John, a lot lately. He is the first gentleman I've seriously considered dating who is also interested in me. Although I don't want to rush into anything, I also don't want to put up my infamous "wall." He asked for my number, but I'm not sure why. I suppose I'll find out if he ever uses it, eh?
I'm exhausted. I'll try to write more tomorrow. God bless!
Hi guys! It's been a long week, and I'm a wee bit tired. I've decided to show you instead of telling you what I've been up to lately. Janet took a picture of me as we were on our walk. This is me first thing in the morning. Scary, huh? [Kim, this is what I REALLY look like!] :o)
This is a picture of the hallway leading to my classroom in the new building. Everything is shiny and squeaky clean at the moment...let's hope it stays that way for a while.
See my window?!?!? YAY!!! When it comes to keeping track of several classes, lesson plans, grading, etc., a neat desk is essential for me. This is pretty much what my area will look like for the entire school year. Yes, I have teddy bears to keep me company. And what's that book next to the school house and flag? Oh yeah! That's my BIBLE! It helps me remember who I am when I get cussed out.
This is window #2 and one of 2 computers for the kids to use. I LOVE all of the space and cabinets!
There's so much beige and black throughout the building that I decided to slap some bright green on the biggest bulletin board. It might look corny, but I needed a bit more color. I'll change it to something else in the next few months.
This is my 6 foot tall son who is helping my friend, Melanie, organize her bookshelves. We couldn't figure out how to change the height, so Shaq came to the rescue! [You rock, Shaq!] Those little plastic pieces are a pain in the patooty.
This is Melanie singing and dancing after Shaq accomplishes his task. She's so excited about school starting...can you tell?
Thank you, Lord, for such a full life! Thank you for friends who love me. Most of all, thank you for being with me as I try my best to raise my sons, minister to the hurting, wounded souls around me, and prepare to teach your kids some English. Bless our classrooms, Father, with your peace and your love. In Jesus' name, amen!
I want some quiet time.
Today.
I wish sibling rivalry were unheard of at my house.
I can't wait until the day I am able to see my boys be friends.
At least my headache is gone. [Thank you, Jesus!]
Although I'm a bit tired due to lack of sleep last night, I think I'll head upstairs to make some cookies. That's the least I can do for my buddy, John, who has spent quite a bit of time sending me encouraging letters over the last few weeks.
Then I need to work on my blanket. [Kim, you are going to get this on time if it kills me!]
I'm excited, though. School starts in a week, but that means I only have a week to get my room ready. Oh boy...wish me luck! A friend offered to help me, and I just might take her up on that. I can't seem to finish everything I have planned to do.
Lord, every day I wake up with such peace. Since that hasn't always been the case, I truly appreciate that huge blessing. Walk with me for the rest of the day, ok? And please bless my friend, N. She hurts, and she seems to be blaming me. But I know that you're able to bring true reconciliation, so thank you for working on that. Thank you for blessing me with everything I need. I enjoy your company, especially yesterday when I was praising you all by myself. You are awesome, Jesus!
