Life's Little Treasures

Have you ever had just a very little something happen in your life that really made you overwhelmingly happy? This has happened to me a lot in my life and a lot lately.

For example, my friend, Aeriole, is living in England on an amazing adventure, and I have been following her blog. However, she had not blogged in so long, I was really missing hearing from her. I told her I was having withdrawals, and she wrote a new blog titled, "This is For Michelle". The blog was just about her daily life, but it made me smile from ear to ear...to think that she was thinking of me and wanted to please me...a little treasure.

A couple of weeks ago, I took my kids to McDonald's for supper, and I had looked forward to having a Dr. Pepper when we got there. I got a medium, only drank a few sips, and when we left, I dumped the tray...with my cup still on it. I was so bummed about that. The next day, my husband brought me flowers (my favorite ones!) and a large can of Dr. Pepper. Another little treasure.

I have an AMAZING Secret Pal this time at school who continues to bless the socks off of me with gifts both large and small. What a treasure.

Sometimes when our world becomes so busy, so hectic, so stressful, it's nice to remember others and give them a reason to smile and feel special that day. Little treasures. My favorite is writing hand-written notes of encouragement to people. I always thought it was easy for everyone to write these. But a while back, I was with a friend who was trying to write one, and it was quite hard for her. I had no idea this would ever be hard for anyone. I feel it's almost a gifting to be able to do that. Some people are great leaders, some are great orators, some quietly show greatness by using skills God has given them. We should find out how we are wired to bless others and use that skill to glorify God. I need to write more to people. I want to bless others with little treasures, too.

Glory

So, I wrote a poem today. At school we are gearing up for a Spring production of "The Glory of God", and the kids will be writing essays, poems and stories describing the glory of God. I wanted to give an example of slam poetry, so I wrote one. Here it is:

Glory
By Michelle Jamison

Is our world so dim
So dark, so foul
That no goodness can be found?

I see hurting people
Babies neglected
Unemployment soaring
Divorced couples on the edge...
Of something.

Is it despair?

Is there nothing good to behold?

Is this world hopeless?

Or can I look beyond the darkness
To find light?
To find goodness?
To find...glory?

What is glory?

Something that brings honor
Praise
Renown
But to whom?
Glory brings honor to the one and
only God.
Life eternal
Giver of all good things.

Where is glory?

I DO see glory all around me
Surrounding me
Even when I refuse to look.

A baby's toes,
A heart that grows
More in love everyday.
The orange of a sunset,
The delicateness of a flower,
Even the death of trees in autumn.

In these I see the glory of God

The laughter of children
The beauty of a song
Never heard but newly written
The softness of snow
Close conversations with a friend
Also the warmth of knowing I am
loved.

In these I see the glory of God

Glory transforms darkness
Glory brings light
Hope
Newness

Glory is found among us
If we will just look.

The real gift

Christmas has always been such a happy holiday to me...the wonder of it all...Jesus...born so long ago in such terrible conditions. A murderous plot, Mary and Joseph traveling so far for government business, no room for them so they must go to a stable and birth a baby among dirty animals, smells, no accommodations; UNCOMFORTABLE. The wise men finding more than they ever realized they were searching for...they come in worship and find their lives changing forever. The shepherds being counted as worthy to go see the newborn Messiah. What a beautiful love story God has given us to ponder on all year and be amazed by our whole lives. Happy birthday, Jesus! The real gift IS You!

I know some people are not so happy during the holiday season. Memories too painful crowd out the joy of the season. Some so lonely they cannot bear to try to find joy. I pray that those thoughts never have to invade my mind. I pray that even as life deals blows (which it will), that I will always keep in mind the real joy I have in Jesus. It IS during these times that I miss my Granny so much. She loved making Christmas special for the grandkids. Her last Christmas she spent apologizing for not making it very special because she was in the hospital. I hope she is celebrating this Christmas with Jesus and that each Christmas she finds more and more joy in Him as He reveals more of Himself to her.

Merry Christmas!

Hello, Joy!

This is for my friend, Joy, who I believe is the only one who reads this. Thanks for your friendship over the years, and I thank God for you. Thank you that we can be real with each other without getting offended, and I pray you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! You are very special to me!

Poem

Read this poem today, and I really liked it.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.



from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.

Funny kids

Today at lunch, I was teasing Sammy because he was coming to the table very carefully with a steak knife. Shelden wanted him to pass it to her so she could set it by his plate before he walked behind her for fear of him stabbing her accidentally. I told him, "After all, your Indian name is Runs With Knives." Shelden looked at me in shocked surprise and said, "Is it really?" I cracked up! Of course, I had to tell her that if she looks up "gullible" in the dictionary there is a picture of her next to it.

Later this afternoon Dennis and the kids were playing the Wii, and Molly (being in her own world most of the time) was looking at Easter eggs and candy and said, "Twix doesn't fit in Eater eggs." We burst out laughing again. Thanks for the warning, Molly.

Facebook | Michelle Jamison

Facebook | Michelle Jamison

bouncing

I just finished bouncing with the family on our trampoline. I always forget how much fun it is until I go flying through the air again, screaming, laughing, and enjoying the time with my children. Thank goodness we purchased the surrounding net, or this mom would have been dead long ago. (Or at least VERY injured.) Every time Dennis bounces very close to me, I involuntarily scream because I know I could very easily loose my balance and take a plunge, which I do quite often, but it still scares me. I remember bouncing on trampolines as a kid and going much higher, but I guess my age has made me more cautious. Of course, I was not that risky of a child anyway, so cautious is probably more of a description of my whole life, but I know I would do tricks while jumping back then, but for now...just to jump is good enough "fun" for me.

I shall leave you with a poem of the joys of a trampoline:

"The Magic Trampoline"

A kid on a trampoline,
All day long to jump and scream
Oh what fun to run and jump ,
Flying higher with each bump .
Inhibitions in a bin ,
Pumping with adrenalin,
I'll break the news to you all ,
Up you go and then free fall .
I went up and I came down .
I touched the sky ,off the ground ,
I saw things not many see
Like a cat up in a tree ,
I had this agility
To land oh so purr-fectly
The soar again with a scream ,
On a magic trampoline .
Its sad but I must announce,
Time to go
So ends the bounce .


By Paul McCann

My whole life

OK, it's been several months since I've blogged. I put aside blogging and entered the world of Facebook, which has been so much fun. I have connected to many people: old friends and new. So, hooray, I am writing the first blog of the year. :)

I was "Googling" and ran across a statement: "My parents have known me my whole life." ....Um, DUH! I mean, of course your parents have known you your whole life. ...But then I thought, "Wait. I guess not everyone has had parents that have known them their whole lives." I mean, some people are adopted and never know their biological families. Some people are raised by only one parent. Some people lose their parents when they are children or newborn. Some have parents that exit the scene in different ways part of the way through their lives. It really made me thankful for the life I have lived. Thankful that I have always had two parents that love me and are concerned about me every day of my life. Sad for those unfortunate people who cannot say that. "My parents have known me my whole life." That's quite a bit statement. Not so stupid after all.

The best experience

I had the best experience as a teacher last week. Two of my six boys submitted their lives to Christ. It was very emotional and something that I will always hold dear to my heart. I have been crying out to God for years that I could be effective for the Kingdom of God. I don't just want to waste time here on earth. I want to be useful for His purposes. I just began talking with them about Kingdom issues, and asking them some questions about where they are with Jesus. During that time, two of them told me that they had not made Jesus Lord and Savior, and one told me, "You know I have, because you were there praying for me when I did!" Honestly, I had to stop and think about what he was saying, and I realized he had gone forward a few weeks before at an altar call at church. I didn't know he was up there to be SAVED, but I did pray for him. That blew me away, too! Here I was praying for him during the most important event of his life, and I didn't even know it! So, I have been able to be involved in three (not just two) of these boys' lives during the most important decision they have ever made. It's very humbling. I cried much that day.

The down side: the battle is ON now. One boy in particular is having a very hard time living righteously. He is in trouble all of the time. Please pray for him. These boys have a major leadership quality that God wants to use in the future, but these are the training ground days for them to figure out how to please God in the little things.

And I am honored to be a part of it, even though sometimes it can be frustrating. I just have to remind myself that I have read the end of the book, and Jesus WILL be victorious.

Testimony: Part 3

We knew that this was to be our church home and that we wanted to really plug in and find our place in the body of Christ. We were meeting all the families and getting to know everyone along with their children. I’ll never forget an incredible sermon we heard about the body of Christ. Each member of the church is like a brick. And we are built together into a wall as living bricks (“stones” the Bible calls us) to build the “church”, because the church is not an actual physical structure--it’s US. If we were not built together, but if we, as bricks, just came together every Sunday in a pile, said hello, sang some songs, and then left to be discarded bricks again, would that serve any purpose? NO! We must be joined together for a purpose. My brick is joined closely to other bricks in the house to build the church and the kingdom. I cannot just be a “lone-ranger” brick and build anything. I need others. And I am naturally going to be more closely connected to other bricks/stones because of our connection or our place in the body, but that brick/stone will be surrounded by other bricks that I am not as closely connected to, etc. This revelation freed me from feeling like I had to be BEST friends with everyone in the body. I can love all, but it is not possible for me to make a “best friend” connection with every brick in the body. But for a perfectionist, this is a hard revelation to grasp. You feel like you are somehow failing some people. In this picture, I realized that those bricks that I touch are reaching out to those that I can’t. But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired 1 Corinthians 12:18.
Relationships are the key. Jesus walked in relationship and so must we. We need each other.
When most people hear the word “accountability” they start getting defensive. With a stiff neck and chin lifted, they chide, “Nobody better tell me how to live my life. That’s between me and God.” Or, “If someone tried to keep me accountable I’d make sure they remembered what they’ve done wrong.”
Biblical accountability is not coming up to a brother or sister in Christ and blasting them with a list of their sins like you are some Holy Ghost hitman. Rather, it is coming alongside them in love, talking with them, relating with them, asking questions, or praying. But it must be with a person that you have already built a strong bridge of relationship with in the past. Otherwise, if you try to hold someone accountable for their actions that you have no relationship with, chances are they will think, “Who do you think you are telling me this? I don’t even know you that well?” It is just too odd and will not produce the benefits desired. Biblical accountability is speaking the truth in love to one another, and sometimes it is not easy, but it is necessary for growth. Sometimes the truth really does hurt, but my true friends have been honest enough with me to say what I have needed to hear out of love for me, and I have benefited from their honesty and have grown in my walk and faith in God. We need each other. Sometimes we go along with life and are blind to things that are hindering our walk with God that other people can help bring to the surface, whether they mean to or not, just by talking with us. Or maybe as they start asking us how we are really doing (not just the casual, “Hi, how are you?”, but really digging in to find out what’s going on in our life) they begin to ask about an area that maybe we don’t want to share with them. It’s at that time that we have to ask ourselves, “Why don’t I want to share about this and be transparent? Is there something I’m trying to hide or avoid about this? Could it be that I need to work on overcoming some sin in this area, and I’m just offended that they’re trying to bring this up?” Your friend is just trying to be a friend. They are trying to help you walk out things in a Godly manner and are there to help you, not condemn you. That is what an accountability partner/friendship is for. It is not always easy. The Bible says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” Proverbs 27:6. Thank God that there are friends that are willing to be true friends and are not afraid to ask the hard questions in order to help us grow up in God!


I know this has been long, and some of it not directly my "testimony", but it is what God has placed on my heart, and I wanted to share it with my readers. May we be faithful to the local church bodies that He has placed us in as we provide our "body" part.

Testimony: Part 2

After Dennis and I had decided it was time to move on and find God, we began to tell people that we were looking for a church home. And, of course, everyone said, “Come try our church!” So we did.
I had begun working for a local company in our town just as I was finishing up my degree at the University. One day, I had to travel with some people from work for a meeting at our facility across town. I got in my supervisor’s car, and as we began our trip, I noticed her radio was on the Christian radio station. After everybody had left to go home that evening, I stayed around long enough to talk to her. I asked her if she was a Christian, and she said, “Yes, why?” I explained to her how Dennis and I were looking for a church to grow in because we had not grown spiritually in such a long time that we were dying. She told me that we could try her church, but that it definitely was not Baptist. I laughed and told her that I didn’t care: I just needed to find God!
We went to Covenant Harvest Church that Sunday as the first church we attended since making our decision to seek another place. Both Dennis and I are very musical people, so imagine our delight to walk into a church that was not intimidated to play their instruments and sing with their whole hearts! None of this “I’m not going to really get ‘into’ this because I don’t want to look like I enjoy it too much,” or “I’m going to sing and look like a deer caught in headlights because I could really care less what the heart of this song is,” or “This is just a song service, so I’m just singing, blah, blah, blah”. No, these people were different. And what really caught our attention was that ALL of the children were up front praising God, lifting their hands, smiling, actually having FUN in the presence of God! I could hardly believe it! I could not remember a time when I had been in the presence of God like that. It took my breath away. Then I thought, “Well, worship was awesome, but I wonder how dull the preaching will be.” Boy, was I wrong! This pastor was on fire and gave a message that challenged us. This place grabbed my heart, and as we left, I knew in my heart of hearts that we would be back.
We had told different people that we would try their churches, so we did. But each Sunday, usually within the first five minutes, we knew we had to go back to that little church where we felt alive.
One month later, we came back to Covenant Harvest for good. We were immediately asked to come over for lunch by one family, and every week that followed for quite some time, we were at different homes sharing not only food, but finding a life in God that we had only dreamed of. At the time, the church had about 90-100 people attending, and half of that were the children! Our previous experience in the church we had come from was that people were very friendly up until we joined, but it seemed as though after that, they no longer had much else to do with us. We never had anyone that would sit by us, and it was a good day if someone actually said hello to us! It was pathetic! We were desperate to have strong friendships, and found none. Needless to say, we were just waiting for that phenomenon to happen once we joined this church, but I am happy to report that quite the opposite occurred. We found deep, real friendships, not just Sunday acquaintances.
I can remember as I was growing up, any time that we had company, there seemed to be something inside of me that would come alive. I LOVED to have people come over to eat or play games or just visit. We didn’t do it very often, but I loved it whenever we had the chance. I believe now that God was preparing my heart to have a love for hospitality even at an early age. Dennis has always been a “people person”. He cannot stand spending time alone, so he is a “natural born” host.
In the past, we had tried to have our church friends over as often as we could, but because it seemed so bizarre to everyone else, we didn’t do it very often. People wanted to know, “Why?” Just having people over to get to know them better seemed like a foreign concept to the people we went to church with. My question now is, “Why is that a foreign concept?” Look throughout the New Testament. The disciples and new believers spent time together, sharing meals, selling possessions to help those in need, making sure that nobody was left out of sharing life together. “They had all things in common. They broke bread and prayed together” Acts 2:44-47. That is the kind of fellowship we were desiring, and that is the kind of fellowship that we enjoy today.
So, what is hospitality? A lot of people envision Martha Stewart coming out of the kitchen with the perfectly cooked meal on the perfectly silver platter, setting it on the perfectly set table with all the stemware and wine glasses sparkling under the light from the crystal chandelier. Everyone is dressed in their formal gowns and tuxedos with perfect smiles on their faces.
In my house, this does not occur. However, some of the best memories are developed not because I had the most perfect material possessions, but because of the knitting of hearts that happened through conversations we were enjoying together. These conversations could have been during a cookout on paper plates, or maybe while we were enjoying my husband’s “world famous” this, or “world famous” that, or maybe over a big pot of soup using my everyday dishes. Nobody has ever told me, “I’ll never forget the time you served us brisket on those beautiful dishes with the elegant tablecloth. That was such a fun day!” But people have told me, “I’ll never forget when we were sitting in your living room and you looked right at me and told me something I’ll never forget.” Now, I ask you: What is more important? Is it how the table was set, or the conversations that can change lives?
We don’t have to make it something hard and complex. Relationships and friendships are built by spending time together. Period. It doesn’t matter what you do together, it just matters that you are together. That is the heart behind being hospitable--being available. I must admit that availability is something that I, being a person who likes cleanliness, forewarning and planning, have had to work at. My husband likes to joke that I have a touch of “obsessive compulsive disorder”. If everything isn’t in its place, he says I go crazy. In the past, if things weren’t “just so”, I felt as though I probably shouldn’t have anyone over or was embarrassed if someone dropped by. However, over the years, and three children later, I have come to realize that nobody has ever gotten offended at my dust or my unmade bed or at the sight of toys not picked up or at dishes not done and walked out of my door in disgust never to return. Therefore, I do the very best I can to keep up, and if I know ahead of time that guests are coming, usually I am on schedule and the house is fine, but if it is an unplanned visit, I have learned to just smile, and maybe even apologize to my guests if there is something I may be a bit embarrassed about, after all, who knows what your two or three year old will do to your spotless house right before your guests arrive!
As I said before, one of the first things we noticed about this little church was the praise and worship. Dennis and I are very musical people, and we love to sing, so this caught our attention right off the bat. But I believe very strongly that it catches the attention of God as well. The Bible has many references to praise and thanksgiving and to singing, shouting, dancing, glorifying God, and making His praise known among the people, so I believe He is looking for a people that are zealous and passionate for Him. I want to be counted as one that is. I think that it is hard for us to break out of our reserved lifestyles, especially if we were raised to be reserved and quiet, but I know that God honors those that love and obey Him, so I am trying, and I will keep trying. I want the passion and zeal on the inside of me to be shown on the outside. I want my children to know that Mommy is a passionate worshiper and she loves God with zeal. I cannot keep silent about this! He is worthy!!

Testimony: Part 1

I was raised in a Southern Baptist church in a small town in Southeast Kansas. I have never lived my life apart from a local church. Whenever the doors were open, we were there. My Dad was the song leader for many of my growing-up years. We had several families that came, and quite a few children. However, as I got older, more and more families left for various reasons, but for whatever reasons, the relationships were breaking down and not being fixed. By the time my sister went off to college, I was the only one in the youth group. It is very hard to press in to know God more and to want to do His will when nobody your age is, and the relationships in your church are not very strong. My church had no vision for legacy. The legacy left, and all that remained were a handful of older people staying together out of tradition and a longing for the “good old days”. The Bible says, “Without a vision, the people parish” Proverbs 29:18. Fortunately, today, that church has a new minister who has birthed a new vision, and some of the people who had left when I was a child are coming back, and so are some of their kids and grandkids. However, I dare say they are not out of danger if the things that they are building upon are not what Christ desires for a local church to built upon: relationships with Him and each other and a vision for legacy.

After I married, we found church after church with the same dilemma: mostly older people, mostly women, few children, and fewer still young people that DESIRED to be there. The little children came with their parents, and most of the older kids came because their parents made them come, even if they were kicking and screaming. They are the youth that sit in the back, arms crossed across their chests, rebellious to any authority, coming to church hoping to find a boyfriend/girlfriend to at least justify “wasting time” there. Even sadder is the fact that people think of them as good church kids just because they fill a pew! Do we really just want bodies to fill space, or are we building a church that would fulfill the purposes of Christ on the earth? After punching our religious timeclock for a few years, Dennis and I came to a point in our lives where we felt spiritually dead. We were longing for relationships, only to find none; we were longing to find a place where God was alive and moving. We kept saying, “There’s got to be more!”
There are two reasons people leave a church: 1) out of purpose 2) out of perversion. If you are leaving for any reason other than finding the purpose of God for your life, then you are leaving for the wrong reason. If you leave because you had a fight with someone, or you just don’t like someone there, or you are not happy with how “they” spent your money, etc., then you are leaving with unresolved sin issues that will follow you to the next church you decide to call home.
After much prayer and desperation, Dennis and I knew we had to find where God was actively moving and where we could begin to have a family. We knew that we did not want to start having babies before finding a place where they could grow up knowing, loving and serving God, not just knowing about God and being religious church kids.
There is a big difference between knowing God and knowing about God. You can gain all the academic knowledge you can about God, be able to recite the Bible forwards and backwards, and yet not have a clue what God’s thoughts and ways are about. How does one know God that way? The same way you know your best friend inside and out. You spend time with Him, talk to Him, be open to Him, share everything about who you are and what you think with Him. It’s called being transparent. When I live an open, transparent life, I’m laying everything out on the table for someone to see. Not just the good, fluffy stuff, but my bad side, too. And we ALL have a good AND a bad side.
We were all born sinners. But just because I have a good side doesn’t make me saved. I’m still a sinner. What makes me saved is the fact that I have acknowledged that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and because of His blood, I can boldly come before the God of the universe and ask for His forgiveness and let Him be Lord of my life. You see, before Jesus came, people had to sacrifice animals in order to have forgiveness of sins. You see it in the Old Testament and in historical Jewish documents. Sacrifices were made at different times throughout the year in order to cleanse the people of their sins. The animals had to be without blemish, spotless. They had to be pure. No human is pure, so they used the blood of animals. However, history changed when Jesus came into the picture. He was the only perfect human; both absolutely human and absolutely God. The Bible talks about Jesus praying the night before his death for God to take the cup away from him, unless that was what God’s will or purpose had to be. The cup he is referring to is the cup that holds all of man’s sins (yours and mine). He looked into that cup, saw all of the corruption, deceitfulness, lies, lust, sexual immorality, idolatry, murder, and bitterness that we had committed and chose to drink it. He chose to put all of those sins, both present and future, upon himself, even though he was sinless, in order to be the living sacrifice for us so that we would have a way to come before God covered by his pure blood. Before Jesus, only the high priests saw God. They were allowed into the Holy of Holies, a room where God’s presence dwelt, only once a year, and if they were not cleansed and holy, they would die in the presence of God. Once Jesus died for us, the veil between the Holy of Holies and the rest of the tabernacle was split wide open. Jesus made a way for God’s presence to be among us and for us not to die when He is with us. When the reality of that hits us, and we become keenly aware that we have not been in God’s presence in such a way that it has changed us, then we are living as if we know Him, but in reality we only know about Him.

My perfect family?

I realized something tonight. I was looking at an old photograph of my grandparents and my dad and his sister when my dad was probably in Jr. High. They all had their "Sunday best" on, and I remembered how my Granny always had everything perfectly in place at their home. NO dust, no "dirtiness" anywhere, all clothes perfectly ironed, everyone always looking their best, and not just on Sundays. Then the more I looked at the picture, I thought about how my aunt turned out to be such an "unperfect" child for them and how much grief and heartache she caused and still causes. I thought to myself, "Maybe they tried so much to look perfect on the outside because there was turmoil on the inside they were trying to hide?" I've always thought that families that looked and seemed perfect were hiding something. That when nobody is watching and behind closed doors, it is so different. Hmmm...could it be true? Maybe it's okay that my family doesn't look so perfect. We try to be as real as possible. I think that, after all, is a great thing.

Thanks to all my fans/new stuff

I want to say thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to keep writing. It made me feel better about it and ready to expound more.

New stuff:
Have you experienced this phenomenon? I believe most people have. I have realized that if life was like a time line, then a lot of people that were in my life in the beginning of the line are no longer a part of it, but I have gained new people in the "newer" parts of the time line. For example, I have lost grandparents to death, and I no longer talk or have relationship with many of my childhood friends, high school friends, etc. However, now I have people in my life that weren't there to start out with, but are very much a part of my life. I am glad I have reconnected with a few people from my past. It has been great. The deal is, I am trying to live for God's purposes, and it is hard to connect to people that are not because I have nothing in common with them except the past. My friends from the past that ARE trying to live for God I can relate to and have something to talk about with them. It's wonderful. Time and distance seem less when we "talk". It proves to me that who we are as kids is not always who we end up being. That is a strange phenomenon. But can be a fantastic one.

Scott's Snak Shack

When I was in high school, I worked at a small "mom and pop" hamburger shop called "Scott's Snak Shack." The owners' last name was Scott. I had a great time there getting to know the people of our small hometown and learning what it was like to earn a wage. Dennis used to come in there and mess with me (i.e. telling me to come to him because he had something to tell me and then ripping out my headband letting my hair look a wreck, etc.) with or without his girlfriend (before me). We both have many memories of the beloved Snak Shack.

We have taken the kids there to eat some of the "cuisine" on our way through town over the years. About a year ago (or so) they were bought out, and it is now "Big G's". Same food, just different owners.

All of this to say that my youngest daughter, Molly, informed me the other day that she and her friends play "Scott's Snak Shack" on the playground! They get in the little house-looking-thing on the playground and yell at the top of their voices, "Scott's Snak Shack!!" looking for customers. I laughed so hard and still laugh at the thought. I got to see it first-hand the other day at school. It's quite funny. I bet the owner, Sandy Scott, would find it comical and yet honoring. If anyone sees her soon, please let her know that Scott's lives on at Covenant Harvest School's playground. :)

Speaking of Star Wars...

I read a book entitled, "Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away", and there were some great truths in it. Here are some from the end of the book:

In God's story, heroes don't have to be powerful; they simply have to be available.

Jesus reminded us that the true hero's quest lies not in creating new possibilities for tomorrow but in seeing today's possibilities with new eyes.

What if you spent every moment as Jesus did, looking for epic possibilities?

In as much as you see divine possibilities where the rest of the world sees only difficulties and trivialities, you are a hero.

Hmmm.....

Just a thought--if Luke Skywalker is the "Christ" figure, the Senator or Chancellor guy is the "Satan" figure, and the force is the "God" figure, would Yoda be the "Holy Spirit" figure?

Is this mic on? and school year

I'm thinking about not writing anymore as I think nobody is reading this thing.

Anyway, I had a great summer, I had a major breakthrough as a teacher, and I spent quality time with my family.

School has begun. We have had 3 days, and I am EXHAUSTED! It's good, though. I love it. I have to be a lot more on my toes this year with these boys. I feel like the last 10 years have just been a training ground for this year. There's no way I could have taught this class 2 years ago or when I first began teaching 10 years ago. I see God's hand in all of the timing that has brought me to this place.

I also began to realize that I didn't "miss God" like I thought all of these years that I had. I always wanted to be a teacher, but, just like one of my previous blogs tells about, I was told I would be poor the rest of my life. I received a business management degree, and a year after that thought I really missed God by not getting a teaching degree. God revealed to me that I didn't miss Him, He knew that is what I would do, and I was saved from learning how to teach the wrong way. I have been schooled on the job and by Him, which is way better for me and the students. That was SUCH a relief, and I have a confidence now that was lacking.

Now my aim is to point the students at all times toward God. Why do we learn, obey rules, learn Logic/Latin/History, etc? To glorify God.

It's going to be a great year. It may be exhausting, but well worth it.

I am sad

As far back as my mind will reach, I remember going to Granny and Grandad's home just about every week. Sometimes just to visit with them, sometimes to celebrate an occasion, always on Christmas Day to exchange gifts. Their home has been filled with many laughs, tears, worry and joy.

They had a tradition with my sister and me that if it was my birthday, she would also receive one small gift and vice versa. My parents have continued that tradition with my three. It takes the "jealousy" factor out of birthdays ("How come she gets all the gifts, and I don't?"). Also on our birthdays, they would take the whole family to the restaurant of our choice.

On Christmas Day, we would have lunch, open gifts, and drive out to Candy Cane Lane to see the lights. Granny also always fixed Christmas Dixie cups full of Christmas candy for the kids. YUM. If we got married, we no longer received the candy cups. :( haha

After Dennis proposed, that was the first place we went to proclaim our news.

Lots of memories.

My Granny died a year and a half ago. It was very different to go to the house after that, but still great to spend time with Grandad. Grandad's health has declined in the last year, and last winter, he broke his hip and hasn't been home since. Nor will he. He is in a nursing home now, and will always need care. Even though he hasn't been home for several months, I guess the hope has always been in me that he would return.

My Grandparents have many nice neighbors. The family to the east of them used to own a restaurant there in Coffeyville, and their son is buying my Grandparents' home. I went last week to pick up some items from the house before it is no longer Grandad's. I have to say this makes me very sad. I know Grandad is fine with this idea, but it makes me feel weird taking things that are still "theirs" when he is still here with us. I kind of knew it was coming, but kind of hoped it wouldn't.

I am not ready to live without any grandparents. I'm not. Especially my Grandad. He and I have always been close. I don't like this.