I may have been been disappointed when we had to cancel our trip to the mountains due to sick kids, but I'm rejoicing now because one of my favorite mountain treasures, a solid rock who both encourages and inspires, came here instead! And she brought her wise and wonderful 12th grade daughter who is taking the same course in public school that I am teaching this year. We enjoyed wonderful conversations even though they were only here between 10pm and 7:45 am. This college friend and I reunited a few years ago during a trip to the mountains after not seeing each other for over 20 years, and now I have seen her twice in the past two months. What a gift dear old friends who encourage me so much in my walk with the Lord are to me! I love you and your family, Michelle! (Gift #945)
Valentine's Day
We did not have a typical Valentine's day this year. My parents drive up that day to attend my son's basketball game and so we could celebrate Mom's birthday together. Nana also brought nice Valentine's Day gifts for the kids as she never comes without some new gift for the kids. After reading this article (click on it now and read it..but you may need tissues) about how the intense love grandparents show to our children, which we parents view as spoiling them, is really a wonderful gift of love the kids will cherish for a lifetime, I am now more thankful than ever for the way my parents spoil our children. (Gift #946)
Our son played a great game, and the Suns won again. Our boy got the Christlike sportsmanship star. We took pics and then celebrated at a local 50s style, Christian owned, burger & soda shop. It's such a blessing to have my family close enough that they can come to some of our kids' games, meets, and most of their big performances. (Gift #947)
After enjoying cupcakes and giving mom her birthday gifts, we went for a family jog/bike ride, and then I crashed. My adrenals must be burned out because I have been so sleepy for so long and especially felt like a zombie this past weekend. Relationship difficulties kept me distracted, so apart from giving my husband two cards, we did not really celebrate Valentine's Day between just the two of us. He shows me he loves me every day of the year (Gift #948), so I guess I did not need chocolates, cards, gifts, or romantic dinners (although he did order pizza and serve it on a candlelit table which the kids thought was very cool) on this particular day. We both crashed hard that night. We're just entirely too busy during this season of life.
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| My true valentine till death do us part |
Valentine's Day did not pass me by without taking time to reflect on the meanings of love, both God's agape love for each of us and the love between a committed husband and wife. Here is a collection of thoughts on real love excerpted from a recent blog post by Ann Voskamp that spoke to me on Valentine's Day:
"Love without Truth isn’t reality— it’s sentimentality. And Truth without Love isn’t sustainable —- it’s terminal.Bunny
Real Love truthfully sees the flaws — and still really loves fully.
Love isn’t blind — Love is the only way of really seeing.
A broken heart is really an abundant heart — all those many beautiful pieces only evidence of an abundant life.
Make yourself vulnerable, and you make yourself irresistible. This is what Love does.
And boring love is what touches the deepest– our lives boring down deep into each other’s hearts."
Our bunny continues to annoy and amuse us. She gets into everything and decided to eat some of my algebra 2 homework the other day.
"There is ....a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance..." (Ecc. 3:3b-4)
...and even a time to box with your bunny.
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance..." (Ecc. 3:3b-4)
...and even a time to box with your bunny.
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| Boxing the air or our punching bag is my latest form of stress release. |
Reflections on Parenting & Life
The lessons found in the contrast between King David’s relationship with his “adopted” son Mephibosheth vs. his biological sons Absalom and Amnon as described in 2 Samuel seem so applicable today and speak to me especially as one who realizes how needy and desperate I was when my parents adopted me.
Though David loved all his sons passionately and gave to them generously, out of these three, only his “adopted” lame son Mephibosheth remained loyal to King David and his family. Horrific acts of lust, betrayal, and murder occurred as bitterness overwhelmed his undisciplined biological sons until both died tragically as selfishness and rage consumed their hearts.
While both
biological sons may have been victims of their father’s inaction and
ineffective parenting, the root cause of their downfall was their own
selfish, entitled attitudes which brewed bitterness when each man did
not get whatever he wanted. Conversely, Mephibosheth humbly
acknowledged his own unworthiness to be treated like a son saying, “What
is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I? “
Even after Ziba betrayed Mephibosheth by tricking David into giving him
half the land David had restored to Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth
responded, “Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king
has come back in peace to his own house.” Mephibosheth cared only about
his king and wished for peace, not material possessions.
Imagine how different modern society would be if we all traded our selfish pride, entitlement mentality, and materialism for humble and grateful devotion to our Lord and King who wants to extend grace to each of us despite our total unworthiness and adopt us as His sons and daughters forever.
Imagine how different modern society would be if we all traded our selfish pride, entitlement mentality, and materialism for humble and grateful devotion to our Lord and King who wants to extend grace to each of us despite our total unworthiness and adopt us as His sons and daughters forever.
Crazy weather
We've had some wild weather lately. It went from 70 degrees to 55 degrees in one day, and then from 55 degrees to 35 degrees in 90 minutes. With wind gusts around 40mph, we wondered if we would wake up in the Land of Oz. Our house stayed firmly planted, but we did wake up to find a neighbor's trampoline in our yard. The kids thought that quite the good fortune until we informed them that we must return it.
Whatever storms may come at night
Korean masters stand ready to fight,
While Southern Americans hunker in
With milk and bread lest they get too thin.
Our daughter...not the typical writer
"Coldness crept through Kaitlen's shoulders as she climbed over the fallen log. She felt the wetness of the fresh snow seep through her thin boots and socks. Wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt, she trudged on until she reached a small cabin. She reached out to knock and her arm fell to her side. Kaitlen sank to her knees as the door opened. "I'm sorry," she barely managed to whisper. Then everything went dark."
Do you want to know what happens next? So does the 10-year-old author who makes up stories as she goes along...which is rather backwards, but our girl prides herself in being unlike everyone else. Watching her put her extreme creative bent to pen and paper is a gift, especially compared to some of the other destructive outlets she has employed. (Gift #951)
After spending over a week studying Proverbs with the kids where the theme was to heed the wisdom of thy father and mother lest calamity come as a natural consequence, I found it amusing that our son refused to heed our warning when we advised him not to try eating a whole garlic bulb raw, for the taste is quite pungent. If only I had a video of his reaction to play for the kids next time they question our judgment.
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After reading the proverb for the day one day last week, my daughter asked, "How do I know if the voice I'm hearing in my heart is coming from God or from the world?"
So I asked her, "If you were blindfolded in a crowded room with lots of people talking to you, how would you know which voice was mine?"
She answered, "Because I know your voice and hear it all the time."
"Then seek to know God more than you seek to know this world. Be
diligent to hear and read His words all the time, and you will know." (John 10:27-28)
I love these morning talks. (Gift #952)
I love these morning talks. (Gift #952)
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I'm not sure which amused me more the other day:
1) Hearing my little boy read and try to explain Proverbs 11:22, which reads, "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion," during our Bible study this morning, or
2) Having a student say to me (after overhearing Mrs. Ficken and me
reflecting on our college days in the 1990s as we donned 90s attire for
decade day at school), "You two sure don't seem that old because you are
both so nice and spunky and not at all like typical crotchety, grumpy,
old women."
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We are still having lots of fun in Stats class though I have toned down the relevant topics a bit so as not to upset any parents who are sending their children to this school to keep them extremely sheltered. I hope the parents don't mind my beer jokes.
My students know I am a teetototaler myself but do not think it is right to set that standard for others (legalism), so I find it ironic that though I am possibly the biggest prude in the school in terms of how I live my life, I have been accused of pushing the envelope when it comes to subjects that I broach in class as a way of getting students to think logically and mathematically about these issues now so they will be prepared to make wise choices when they are confronted with them in the midst of much peer pressure and emotional instability.
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While I know there must be a balance between reading for pleasure and reading for knowledge (and my kids do not always get excited about some of the literary classics I check out for them from the library), I'm thankful that my teachers forced me to read great literature. (Gift #953) I'm also thankful for the opportunity to send our kids to a classical school where they start learning Latin in 3rd grade and Greek in high school, and are required to read excellent literature throughout their formative years. (Gift #954) Unfortunately, there has a been a big shift in the schools from classical literature to modern literature to technical journals. Read all about it here. I was an avid reader before college, but when I entered the technical field of engineering and was required to read technical texts all the time, my love for reading waned considerably. It has taken me over a decade to regain that love for reading, and now I read much slower and with less enthusiasm than I did as a child. This common core push to create technical worker bees is a huge mistake if it is destroying the love for learning which is absolutely essential to a fulfilling life.
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I have tried to attend most of the home men's varsity basketball games since so many of the players are in my class. They ended up winning both the conference season and the conference tournament again this year. I took both kids with me to watch the game on Senior Night. The parents were so emotional as these guys have played basketball together on the same team under the same coach since 6th grade. They are such great fans showing respect to the opponent and great support for their sons. (Gift #955) Here is a photo of some of my favorite parents during the last home game. Their son is in my class, and I love this family so much.
Unfortunately, the senior recognition took place after the game (for some reason, I thought it would happen during half-time), so it ran until midnight which is way past our kids' bedtime. There wasn't really a good time to get up and walk out without being noticed or making a scene, so my son pressed through as long as he could until he crashed. Lesson Learned: I will not take the kids next year.
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We are still having lots of fun in Stats class though I have toned down the relevant topics a bit so as not to upset any parents who are sending their children to this school to keep them extremely sheltered. I hope the parents don't mind my beer jokes.
My students know I am a teetototaler myself but do not think it is right to set that standard for others (legalism), so I find it ironic that though I am possibly the biggest prude in the school in terms of how I live my life, I have been accused of pushing the envelope when it comes to subjects that I broach in class as a way of getting students to think logically and mathematically about these issues now so they will be prepared to make wise choices when they are confronted with them in the midst of much peer pressure and emotional instability.
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When we're having a bad hair day
And hair keeps getting in our way
Resourceful teachers do not mind
We use whatever we can find.
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While I know there must be a balance between reading for pleasure and reading for knowledge (and my kids do not always get excited about some of the literary classics I check out for them from the library), I'm thankful that my teachers forced me to read great literature. (Gift #953) I'm also thankful for the opportunity to send our kids to a classical school where they start learning Latin in 3rd grade and Greek in high school, and are required to read excellent literature throughout their formative years. (Gift #954) Unfortunately, there has a been a big shift in the schools from classical literature to modern literature to technical journals. Read all about it here. I was an avid reader before college, but when I entered the technical field of engineering and was required to read technical texts all the time, my love for reading waned considerably. It has taken me over a decade to regain that love for reading, and now I read much slower and with less enthusiasm than I did as a child. This common core push to create technical worker bees is a huge mistake if it is destroying the love for learning which is absolutely essential to a fulfilling life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have tried to attend most of the home men's varsity basketball games since so many of the players are in my class. They ended up winning both the conference season and the conference tournament again this year. I took both kids with me to watch the game on Senior Night. The parents were so emotional as these guys have played basketball together on the same team under the same coach since 6th grade. They are such great fans showing respect to the opponent and great support for their sons. (Gift #955) Here is a photo of some of my favorite parents during the last home game. Their son is in my class, and I love this family so much.
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Our school's big benefit auction took place this past weekend. The 5th graders each created a panel for this art piece to be auctioned. I tried to guess which one was our daughter's and failed. Hers is the one with music notes in the background with the star off center (because of course a right brained child would not create a perfectly symmetrical panel as would her left brained mama!). She does love music, so I hope she will give up competitive gymnastics next year to make more time for music lessons again. Fundraising is SO not my thing, so I'm thankful for the talented parents who took on this project to raise much needed funds for our very low budget school. (Gift #956)
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| Star art by the CCS 5th graders. The title says it all... Small Things, Great Things "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh |
Before the weather turned freezing cold over the past few days, we enjoyed some gorgeous winter days with temperatures in the 70s! It was glorious. (Gift #957) My son and I enjoyed scootering "dates" on the greenway behind our neighborhood. We also biked and ran together, soaking up the vitamin D while it lasted.
My how far this world has fallen
One of the first articles I ever wrote to go viral (well...viral for my standards anyway) offered no new insights but merely reiterated obvious reasons why Christians should not go see the movie Magic Mike. I thought the soft porn in that movie, which wrecks marriages and plants images in one's mind which can't ever be unseen, was as bad as it could get in the movie cinemas. For surely anything worse is reserved for those hideous porn channels.
But alas, now 50 Shades of Grey is opening in theaters across America, and is it ever so much worse because (based on what I've read) it is explicit hard porn that romanticizes the worst kinds of physical/emotional abuse and glorifies the objectification and exploitation of women. While we can certainly take a stand against domestic abuse by not seeing the movie, I've been encouraging others to go a step further by donating $50 to a domestic violence shelter or ministry for trafficked women. We gave to Transforming Hope Ministries. #50dollarsnot50shades
Thankfully, the internet is filled with articles explaining why the movie is so harmful and correcting so many of the false ideas communicated through the movie (Gift #958). I appreciate all the efforts to counter this film, but this particular article from a mother to a daughter was especially concise and practical.
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| Unlike the movie or book, I could really enjoy spending time with these 50 Shades of Grey! |
"The movies you may watch do not portray women in a positive light. Hollywood does not view you the same way that God does. God wants to liberate you and allow you to be all you can be. He wants you to see yourself as special so you, as well as guys will cherish you as a special gift."
http://www.movieguide.org/…/letter-daughter-eve-fifty-shade…
While the following meme could apply to so many situations (like abortion), it seems very relevant right now in terms of truth. God's truth.
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