A Royal Affair..and a little respect!

Yesterday was the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton.  I was caught up in the fairy tale, but as the news replayed the day over and over again, I was struck by the overwhelming respect that everyone displayed.  From a crowd of over 1 million, not one incident was reported.  We in the US can hardly manage a Friday night High School football game without some sort of drama.  I'm thinking, there is a real deficit in the US, and I don't mean in the budget.  We lack respect, self respect, respect for authority, respect for other...it's quite sad really.  It must sadden God too...

When you don't have self respect, how can you treat others with respect?  How can you expect children who have not been taught respect to have it when they get to school?  Yes, we do have some major problems in this county of excess....we are poor...poor role models, poor stewards of  what we've been given and we have poor attitudes, so are we really a rich nation?  In all the ways that count, we are poor, very poor.  Maybe we don't know everything, maybe there's something to be said for tradition and protocol. Maybe we are not a nation of one. maybe we are the "greatest" nation on earth, but the greatest at what?  Do we really want to be the greatest at disrespect?    Just something to think about.....as for me in my little corner of the world, I think I'll have some tea and scones and try to recapture some of the pomp and circumstance of yesterday's wedding....

Grace Revisited....

We'll be prisoners to our shame unless we experience grace.  Grace reminds us to learn our lessons, accept God's forgiveness, and move on.

We'll be slaves to lists of do's and don'ts unless we embrace grace.  Grace gives us freedom to do the right thing because we are so deeply loved.

We'll try to work our way to God unless we understand grace.   Grace reminds us to trust our lives to Jesus, and not our own goodness.

We'll spend an eternity apart from God unless we accept God's offer of grace.  Grace is our hope for forever in God's presence.

From Easter Message, Bon Air Baptist Church

4/24/11

Why I feel blessed!

young love, new love

love of a son

loving parents and some of my kids for church

Easter Morning....an empty tomb, a grateful heart, an inclination to forgive those that hurt me....on purpose, a prayerful heart for a difficult situation, and love....love pretty well sums it all up!

I will rise.....

I can think of no better song to celebrate the sacrifice made for our benefit.  Happy Easter!

Irritation....

This pretty well sums up part of my day.....all that yellow at the edge of the curb....POLLEN, and I was...well irritated, figuratively and literally.

I'm much better now thank you!

Training.....

On my way to get bagels for brunch with Dan & Jackie, I saw an odd sight.  It was this elderly man with a quite rambunctious dog.  Mind you it was still cloudy and misty, so the weather was not the best, and paws were muddy.  This poor, but patient fellow was trying his best to train this dog to walk on a lead.  The dog was everywhere...in front of the man, behind him, in the street, on top of the man...all the while, the man patiently, very patiently started all over again, and rewarded the pup with a treat for the smallest accomplishment.  It was so tender that I pulled over in a parking lot to watch for a few minutes...finally, I guess out of desperation, the man picked the dog up and carried him to his destination, all the while talking calmly to the dog and promising a better outcome on the next outing...

Patient man on sidewalk, dog in the road.....

Looking for a treat

I thought to myself, there had to be a lesson in that...how like God...the patience, the calm, the love, and finally, picking up and carrying when the need arose...thank you Lord for being so patient with my training...

Spring Break Day 5

Today was:

Free Starbucks day with your own mug in honor of Earth Day
Clean UP day with floors, laundry, cooking dinner etc

Cold and rainy

The day Gracie & Dave came home for Easter

And most important...it's Good Friday, and Sunday is coming as surely as the King is coming!  HE is the reason for the season

Day #4 of Spring Break....there's a new driver in the house!

We were up early today.  It's amazing how having something to motivate him gets "T" up and moving!  We hit DMV at a good time.  We were in and out in less than an hour with this!!!!

Which made "T" smile like this!!!

Day #3 Spring break....

Today was the third day of T's spring break.  He slept in to honor the day.  Me?  I went to work. Today was my evaluation to come off of probation...WHAT???  I didn't even realize I was on probation.  Good thing I kept my nose clean!  Anyway, I did just fine, and have now been placed in a leadership curriculum...oh JOY!  Actually though, it's really nice to be recognized for the effort I put forth:)

Tomorrow brings another day...this one off!  T wants to go get his learners permit, O wants him to come over to Grandma's...me, I've got a to do list a mile long...and we all know about my lists!

I don't love snakes....or Spring break day 2

Today as I headed off to work (happy, happy, joy, joy) I dropped T off at church with Mom & Dad.  They are keeping "O" since she's out of school this week.

After the meeting and lunch, T went back to Mom & Dad's and helped with yard work.  Well he got more than he bargained for!  In addition to being a Bee slayer, he met up with a snake!  Now to me, the only good snake is a dead one...sorry guys but it's true.  I couldn't tell you if it was black or a diamond back rattle snake, but he has now met his maker!  It was only a baby, and as I type this, I now wonder where his Momma might be...eek!

Having dealt with a snake makes my day at the office seem a piece of cake!  It's all about perspective:)

I Love a Bargain!

I found these amazing little outfits on sale at Target today for $1.74 each!!! Now all we need is the little princess to wear them!

Spring break Day 1

I discovered that I miss the routine of being at school!  I'm filling the void though with other things...like laundry, cooking and cleaning.  Things most ordinary people loathe, but when you can't do it everyday, it becomes something you miss!

Last week on Thursday, there was the Little Feat event at JRHS.  Our  Sp. Ed kids from OB Gates went to compete.  Here is the send off the whole school gave them....it was so touching.

Friendship....

I've been reading this book since I got it at the "books are fun" sale at Bensley.  There is some really good stuff in it.  I  have been blessed with some of the best real life friends anybody could have.  What I lack in my bank account, I more than make up for in the richness of my friends.  They who help me to be a better person every day, whether it's being a nurse, a mom, a Christian or whatever.  I'm so lucky to be able to go to work and be among friends...they lift me up, dry my tears, make me laugh and we create memories all while trying to make a difference in the life of a child.

Another book that I can't do without is Sarah Young's Jesus Calling.  Pam & I were both reading it unbeknown to each other.  In the course of talking last week, she was telling me that she had lost her copy of a really good devotional book.  When she called the name, it gave me chills!  Our friendship is just like that....no accidents!  I had an extra copy of the book that I found at a consignment shop.  Again, no accident!   I was happy to send it on to her as she faced a stressful week last week.  It somehow keeps our friendship closer to know that even though we can't see each other as often as we like, we can both start out our days reading the same words, on the same footing.

SO...yeah, I guess that's what friend's are for!

The hunt is on....

When I got to school on Friday morning, there was excitement in the air and Easter Eggs all over the ground!  Almost every green space had an Easter egg on it.  It was then that I realized that the teachers were about to release over 300 kids to pick up said eggs...they were absolutely precious.  Some of the bigger kids helped the smaller ones, and I was even offered an egg...a cracked one!

That pretty much set the tone for the day....it was a sugar high until the final bell!  Well the sugar and the fact that school's are out for the next week.  Being a county employee rather than a school board employee, there is no such break for me, but I still managed to take a few days off to enjoy the season too.  My first day off will be tomorrow...ahhh, a Monday to sleep in!  I'll probably be awake by dawn's early light, but knowing that I don't have to be anywhere will be a gift unto itself.  I love the school kids, I do, but it's nice to invest in myself sometimes too!



  And, I've got this little package delivery to look forward too....she's due at the end of this week!!!