Is Your Plate Too Full?

God did a favor for me today.  He made it snow.  It's been 17 days since my last post, and had the roads been clear enough to travel upon, it would have been another four days before I could write.  Thankfully, one of the many cancellations occurring today is a meeting that I was supposed to co-host.  While I was looking forward to seeing the presentation and my friends, it is actually a relief to get back that 9:30 to 3:30 time slot.  Do you ever say, "Yes" to things that you know you don't have time to do?  This was one of those things.  I looked at my calendar, shook my head, and said, "Well, I don't know.  I guess I could do it".  Now, like many previous posts, here I am writing about my lack of resolve to "just say no".  If you are finding yourself in the same boat, it's time to jump out.  The holidays are busy enough without taking on every job that's put on your plate of responsibilities.  Scrape some of them off, or say, "No thank you; I'm full".  Let's savor the moments ahead of us instead of gulping them down to make room for more.  If saying, "Yes," will hinder the flavor of what's already on your plate, remember to say, "No".  
It's never too late to change, no matter how many times you've tried.
   Today's sea glass picture is called, "New Perspective".  (I'm trying....)

Teaching Again

With clear blue eyes staring seriously into my much older green ones, an innocent first-grader told me, "We could spell "shit", but we're not supposed to say it".  I told him I was glad he knew the rules, and that we would have to think of some other words that say, "sh".   Our lesson on blending continued without skipping a beat, but inside, I was proud of myself for not cracking up with laughter over the little guy's comment!

In my new job as a Title One teacher, the goal is to provide students with extra reading and math activities in a quiet, small group setting, and sometimes, I get to meet with one student at a time.  After being retired, for seven years, from classroom teaching, I was excited to work with kids in a more peaceful environment, and they haven't let me down.  Each child comes with their own uniqueness.  Their bubbly dispositions and views of the world are refreshing.  Their smiles are heart-warming, and I feel as though I've found the fountain of youth. 

There are a number of things I could have written about today, but my mind kept coming back to how thankful I am to have been given another chance to be a teacher (and I had to share that story about "sh").  With that said, I look forward to teaching again on Monday, and to being forever young.

My beach glass photo was taken under water, causing bubbles to appear, thus, the title, "Bubbles".  It reminds me of the bubbly personalities of my students.

The Rest of the Story

Isaiah 53:5 says, "...and with His (Jesus') stripes, we are healed".   The stripes were the marks whipped deeply into Jesus' flesh before He was hung on the cross.  He allowed this knowing full well how much it was going to hurt.  His love for us was, and is, stronger than fear and pain.  So when I get sick, I claim my belief in what Jesus did.  For most of my life, I've experienced the proof of this scripture, but it wasn't until recently that I've fully understood what it means.  It's all become quite clear to me that Jesus heals us through many avenues.  Yes, there is supernatural healing, but He's also given wisdom to people to become doctors, to create medicines, to discover how important exercise, drinking water, and good nutrition all are to the healing process.  He's shown us how stress affects our health, and how faith in God's promises, like Isaiah 53:5, shows us which avenue to choose for our healing.  

Last week's post was a sad one.  I had been looking for a miracle for my loved one; her situation seemed hopeless.  I couldn't see with my earthly eyes what God could see from Heaven.  He showed doctors what medicines would work for my loved one, and the change in her is like that of day and night.  Today, I'm here to say that she has come home!  Praise God.

Sea glass pendants are an example of making something beautiful out of something broken.  When we are broken, we need to have faith that God wants to heal us.

Too Many X's

The only thing on the wall was a large, white desk-type calendar with x's as large as my fist crossing off each past day.  The first eight were heavy and strong, followed by two squiggly looking x's.  The next two were sort of angry looking.  Today's date is the 17th; that puts the balance of x's at five, and they were more resigned in their appearance.  

Thinking of the calendar in my loved one's room at the mental health facility makes my lip quiver.  I know she hasn't been there, against her will, for 17 days; the first eight x's weren't hers.  It makes me wonder how long the prior occupant had been crossing off days on the month before.  Did that person also have their bags packed and ready to go home every morning?  Did they, too, think their presence in such a place was all a mistake?  Did they hear voices through wires in their heads telling them what to do?  After all, that's "normal", right?  

To me, the calendar was a sad indication of time spent without freedom to roam, and with too much time to listen to those voices.  To my loved one, though, it provided a way to be certain of one thing: the day.  During my visit, I was told at least five times, "Today is Friday".  If my loved one was able to have even the minutest  amount of security, peace, or joy from that, then I'm grateful. 
This was a pendant I had made long ago with a simple charm on beach glass pieces.  I just thought it might go well with my mood today.