June 17 - A Very Special Day, Indeed!

Twenty-seven years ago, Bill and I were married! We had fun taking a trip down memory lane, trying to remember as many details of the day as we could. At one time we had a tradition of looking at the VHS tape of the ceremony. Katrina put an end to that. Our tape, our wedding album, my dress...they are all floating around in the Gulf of Mexico. Yikes! I just had a mental picture of my wedding dress covered with all that BP oil!

A few weeks after Katrina, a neighbor came over with this picture and asked if we recognized the couple. The storm had placed our picture in their backyard and they thought that we would like having it returned. So here is our only memento of our wedding:

I kinda' like this picture. It's rich with symbolism!

I thought Bill and I were ancient when we got married...but we actually look kind of young.

Yes, we've weathered many of life's storms together, but God has been faithful!

And here we are today!

May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in You.

Psalm 33:22

Jokes, Anyone???

I've been reading about diabetes so I can be of help to Bill as we face this new adventure together. This is something I read today: Laughing lowers glucose levels!

Anyone out there care to share some good jokes with us?

Can You Help Me???

Can you help me? I am VERY computer naive. I know just enough to be dangerous~ LOL Anyway, I have had an inordinate about of people visiting this little blog from people world-wide. And what baffles me is that they all visit the same sight....the one entitled "More Unexpected Family Time" where I wrote about a colonoscopy. Can anyone out there tell me WHY this is happening? I don't know how people are hearing about this blog and why they keep visiting the same blog post. Am I on some weird site that tells people about this blog? Or is my poor blog being used for some type of strange activity??? If anyone can advise me about what in the world (and I do mean WORLD!!!!) is going on, PLEASE TELL ME!!!

Today we had some more unexpected family time. As many of you know, Bill has had a very erratic work schedule of late. While we are thankful for work when it is available, we really are in need of a job with consistent hours. Actually, my prayer is that Bill would be able to retire soon, that I would have a job that would be enough to cover our living expenses, and that we could sell our home and move back to Michigan. For many years, Bill resisted moving to Michigan, but of late he has finally had a change of heart. (Another answer to prayer! I NEVER thought he would want to move to Michigan...and believe me when I say I have suggested it often!) But I digress...Bill has days off right now so I thought I had better try to get him into the doctor before he gets called back to work. He just hasn't felt good lately. He has been so tired. He falls asleep at the drop of a pin....falls asleep in church, falls asleep while soccer is on, falls asleep if he just sits down for a few minutes. He has also been very thirsty and losing weight. Today was his doctor's appointment and he was told he has diabetes. We will find out more about this in the next few days, but right now he is on a pill - no shots - and will talk to the nutritionist at the hospital to understand how to keep his sugar levels stable and what to eat and not eat.

If you could, please pray for us as we work through this unexpected life change. Bill NEVER complains, so I'm sure he will face this new adventure valiantly. And if you live in Michigan, can you look for a condo for us and a job for me? THANKS!!!!!

Music!

Day Two for water aerobics and today we had...MUSIC!!! I wish you could all be silent witnesses to our exercise experience. It's hysterical! But at the same time, we are a very special group of diverse women at various ages and stages of our lives, all trying our best to keep fit. What made it so funny today was the music. Yesterday I told you about our 78 year old instructor who sang to us because her CD player didn't work. Well, today it worked and we all huffed and puffed to the music. What made it so surreal is the fact that here I was in a pool in Houston, Texas, with women in their 70's, dancing away to the lyrics of "Dirty White Boy"! If someone had told me 5 years ago that I would be writing that last sentence, I would have found it VERY difficult to believe!

It's miraculous, isn't it, the way that God directs the path of our lives??? Reminds me of one of my favorite verses in Jeremiah: "I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD."

Take a minute today and think of the things you have experienced that you would have never chosen for yourself. Can you see how God has turned it into something beautiful? Or is it something that creates distance between yourself and God?

For too many years I've wrestled with God. Far too often I've distrusted and questioned and blamed. But slowly, over the years, as I've grown closer in my relationship to God, I've become more confident in His love for me. I trust Him more. And what is so amazing to me is that this slow transformation has taken place because of pain and trial and gunky stuff that I would NEVER have selected for my life if I was the one in control.

Yup, God has plans for us! And more and more I'm thankful for those plans.

Water Aerobics

Poor Elise! Today I dragged her to her first water aerobics class. I told her how fantastic it would be and prattled on and on about how much fun it was to exercise in the water.

I read in the neighborhood paper about a free water aerobics class offered every morning at 10a.m. I instantly added this activity to my legendary "Summer To-Do List". I can only fit it in on Friday and Saturday mornings, so today was Day One!

Elise and I were the first to arrive, so we gingerly made our way into the pool and tried to get used to the water. Next came our cute little instructor, wheeling in all her equipment. As she set up her sound system, a few more women made their way into the pool.

That's when something became glaringly obvious. Not only we were the first to arrive, we were also the youngest people in the pool...by a l o n g shot!!! The next thing that went wrong was the sound system. It didn't work. No problem...our cute little instructor SANG!!! Now, if you've ever been to a water aerobics class, you know how crucial the music is to the class. It's a very highly charged music that keeps a definite beat...very fast and lively! Well, can you picture us in a class of 70 somethings and the instructor (who is a youthful 78!) starts singing a song for us to jog and turn and twist and jump to??? Go ahead and try it out for yourself...I'll wait for you. Start singing a little diddy like "Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill" and then do jumping jacks. Sorry, but it didn't quite put a pep in my step...how was it for you?

Elise and I giggled our way through the class, managed to get a fairly decent workout, and also got plenty of sun...we're both quite pink tonight and I think we'll sleep well. And tomorrow we'll do it all over again!

Random Stuff

Today was Bible Study. I only get to attend this study during the summer because of my work schedule. Participating in this study has been on the top of my "Summer To-Do List" for some time now...but then things started to disintegrate.

For the past few days, our computer has been acting weird! First, it started to refuse to print things. Then, it refused to access the Internet. This made it impossible for me to get to the notes I needed for the study. Next, I over slept. Had to forgo getting pretty...I had just enough time to wrestle up some clothes. So off I went to Bible Study...unprepared, AND ugly!!!! Then it started to rain. Hmmm..maybe a sign! Maybe ALL these things were signs...signs that I should just turn the car around and stay at home. Then came the BIG sign...I was late and I missed the turn for the church. Had to turn around on a busy street, facing an onslaught of Houston traffic. I REALLY thought I better just give up. I mean, who wants a late, ugly, unprepared woman coming to their Bible Study????

God, that's Who!!! I'm so thankful I went. Learned a lot!!! Good to fellowship with these ladies that I don't get to spend much time with. (Ewww...bad grammar!) Studying Jonah. Loved this question: "If God is sovereign, and in control of all things, and had made it very clear that Jonah was to go to Nineveh, then WHY was there a boat ready and waiting at the dock, leaving for Tarshish?"

What's YOUR answer??? It reminded me of all the times I make bad decisions based on the thought, "Well, this must be a sign!!!" Reminded today that circumstances NEVER trump what God has made clear in His Word!

Next thing I did today was began to read this book. I'm going to join an on-line study group to discuss what we read. Lysa is the founder of the She Speaks convention that I attended last summer.

And ended my day with a laugh.



A friend of ours from Mississippi put this picture on Facebook and said this is what they had to eat on the Coast since the oil spill has robbed them of their much-loved seafood!

That's it...random thoughts for June 8!

Missed Call

Coach Wooden

I think this past week more people were caught talking about sports than usual. Sports affectionado or not, everyone seemed to be moved by Umpire Jim Joyce's botched call and the grace and character that followed. Both the pitcher and the umpire gave us all a lasting lesson on how to handle life when it gets really unfair. I learned this past week that there have only been 20 perfectly pitched games - this would have been game 21 - but it didn't happen - all because of a missed call. I don't remember any of the other guys that pitched a perfect game. (Well, with the exception of Sandy Koufax - any kid that collected baseball cards in the 60's knows that one!) But I have a feeling this missed call will go down into infamy because of the excellent life lesson it taught all of us that witnessed it ( and what it will teach to future children as coaches tell and retell this inspiring story). Someday, we will probably forget the name Armando Galarraga - it will probably show up as a question on Jeopardy about five years from now - but I don't think we will forget how he humbly accepted the umpires call and how he took it like a man.

And speaking of "missed calls", I already miss Coach Wooden. What a guy he was, eh? I've seen many pictures of him in the news lately as the sport's world remembers this great man that passed away on Friday, but I chose the one above because that's how I remember him best - with a rolled up program in his hand. Did you know that he also had a "missed call" and it made all the difference in his career?

He was waiting for a call from the University of Minnesota to be their head basketball coach. The call never came. The call from UCLA, however, did come through and Wooden, thinking Minnesota didn't want him, accepted the offer from UCLA. The next day, the offer came in from Minnesota. Apparently the lines were down because of a bad snow storm and that is what caused the delay. How different college basketball would have been if Coach Wooden would have received the all from Minnesota first!

I am in no way a HUGE sports fan - just a little one - but this past week was a good week for sports. It showed us its good side!

Oh, and one more thing...when Coach Wooden was interviewed for his 92nd birthday, he was asked what he wanted to hear from God when he arrived at the pearly gates. Coach's response?

"Well done!" I think he got his wish, don't you?

Rest in peace, Coach Wooden. And thank you for all that you taught us - on and off the court.

.

Doughnuts!!!

National Doughnut Day...Yeah!!!!

A special day for doughnuts! Who knew? Probably my dad...he never met a doughnut he didn't love!! Whenever he would come for a visit, it wouldn't take long before he was off to the doughnut store with David and Elise. And we did have one of the world's BEST little donut shops in the world! If you are ever in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, you must go to Tatonut and savor donuts made from potatoes! That's right...potatoes! They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

What's your favorite donut? Whatever your day holds for you, I do hope you can take a minute to enjoy one of these delectable taste treats! Happy Friday everyone!

Two Cute Emails

Two Emails Too Cute Not To Share!!!

A Quiz for people that know everything
There are only nine questions.

This is a quiz for people who know everything!
I found out in a hurry that I didn't.
These are not trick questions..
They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4.. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar.
Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'

Answers To Quiz:





1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends: Boxing.

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward: Niagara Falls .
(The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.)

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle.
The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.

6. Three English words beginning with "dw": Dwarf, dwell and dwindle...

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar: Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe,question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S': Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts..

Received this next email "cutie" from a friend in Europe. Needless to say, he is not too enthralled with the EU (European Union). He can't stand that the countries in the EU all have the same currency...and that's just the beginning of his complaints! Anyway, here is a cute email from Europe on ways we can improve the English language so that it is easier for everyone to read, write, and speak.



Urgent Announcement by EU

The news is that the European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would be known as "Euro-English."

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favor of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan haveone less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replased with the "f'. This will make words like "fotograf' 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent"e"s in the language is disgraseful, and they should go away.

By the 4th year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "V'.

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz yer, ve wil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. ZE DREM VIL FINALl KUM TRU!! And zen ve vil take over ze vorld!!

Let's Hear It For June!!!!

June has finally arrived! In the heart of every child and also every teacher, there is an innate feeling of "YIPPPEEEE!!!" at the mere mention of "June"! June just seems to mean, "Yeah! I made it through another school year! Let summer begin!!" So, summer has officially begun for me! I am in the process of making a big "To Do" list so that I will be able to stay on track with productivity and not waste my precious days of "freedom!

Today was my "Let's Just Do Whatever" day.  I allowed myself a shopping outing today...the rest of the summer I really want to steer clear of any malls.  My goal is to not buy any new article of clothing from now until August.  For some of you, that might be easy...for me it's sort of like training a mosquito not to bite - I just don't know if it is even possible!  But I'm going to try!!!

In August, I hope to be in a new size because, yes!, I'm also resurrecting the diet and exercise program of last summer. I did well last summer, but slacked of during the school year. But I have two new gaols that I'm shooting for...my high school reunion is at the end of August and my sisters and mom and I are going on a cruise in October. So, I figure, IF I lose weight, I can celebrate a tiny bit by looking for sale clothes in August that I can take on the cruise AND to the reunion!

Tomorrow, I'll share a few more of my summer goals. Meanwhile, happy June everyone!!!!

Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day, 2010

I hope everyone enjoys this Memorial Weekend. In honor of those we gratefully remember on Memorial Day, I thought this would be an appropriate post. Many of you may have read this story already as it has made its way through the email chain. It is such a heartwarming story and I hope you all can take the minutes that are needed to read the entire story. This comes from an airline pilot that has a blog named "Fly Guy".

Last month I showed up to start a trip and was approached by a gate agent. “Captain, good morning, I wanted to inform you that we have H.R. on this flight”, she said. H.R. stands for human remains. “Are they military?”, I asked. “Yes”, she said. “Is there and escort?”, I asked. “Yes, I already assigned him a seat”, she said. “Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck, you can board him early”, I said.

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and with us. “My soldier is on his way back to Virginia”, he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words on his own. I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he has the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. “I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board”, he said. He then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year-old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait 4 hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when he asked me if there was anything I could do. “I’m on it”, I said. I told him that I would get back to him.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of email like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and this following is the text.

“Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family, thanks.”

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, “You have no idea how much this will mean to them.” Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing.

After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us. “There is a team in place to meet the aircraft”, we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, “Take your time.”

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, “Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His name is private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is army sergeant XXXXXXX. Also on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.”

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap their hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of “God Bless You, I’m sorry, Thank you, Be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with the loved one lost.

I never did see the family. Another soldier died, another family grieved and we did what we could. That is the way it works sometimes. I get a call from the cabin and we work as a team to do what we can. That day everybody from the flight crew, to the operations center, to the 184 passengers on board, we did what we could. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I made. They were just words, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring that soldier back. I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this day and the sacrifices that millions of men and women have made to ensure our freedom, safety, and the right to live a good life.

Stability

I have been waiting to write a devotion on "Stability". Every month a woman from Proverbs 31 invites women to share their thoughts on a specific topic. I knew that this month the key word was stability, but somehow I missed the deadline. It's a good thing I did, because the more I focused on stability, the more I realized that I don't naturally have much...if any!

I knew the verses that I wanted to reflect on...verses from Psalm 62:

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Those thoughts are a recurring theme in this Psalm as well as many of the other Psalms written by David. I found it interesting that David often refers to God as both a rock and as a fortress. So I tried to look up a picture of a rock or a fortress and stumbled across this product called, appropriately enough, "Fortress Rock"! Here is their ad:


It's such a tiny picture and I didn't really think much about it...until...
until I saw the before and after pictures!

Before

After

And that's when I realized what I have because of Christ...

I'm very much like the "before" picture. Left to my own crazy thoughts and schemes, my life sort of erodes all over the place. Christ has given my life stability. He really is my rock, my fortress, my stability.

In reflecting on this, I have thankfully come to realize that stability is not up to me. It is a gracious gift that is given to me because of Christ. The more I trust Him, the more I grow in my relationship with Him, the more of His stability is reflected in my life.

Maybe that is why Christ was born in a "stable"...a play on words, I know...but how thankful I am that when I was given "new life" ("reborn"), the Christ of the stable gave my life what it sorely needed...stability!

Thank You, Father, that You are my Saviour from sin. Thank You that You are also my rock, my Protector, my peace, my joy, my hope... and my stability! I love You, Lord!

Here Comes Summer!!!!

Hmmm....I was thinking summer haze...but the more I think about it, this picture of a summer maze may be more appropriate!

Summer is quickly approaching and before it gets here, I have so much to do that it sort of feels like I'm in a haze, walking through a maze!!!!

My GED student passed all of his tests and graduated! I am so proud of Jordan and his "I'm NOT going to give up" spirit!!!! The journey was not often easy, but he made it to the finish line and a whole new future is waiting for him!

Next week, I will bring four more of my students across the finish line as we "finish" our studies for the summer. All of the families have asked me to continue teaching their children for the next school year. What an honor!

I was also contacted by a very unique school to teach high school English for the Fall. It would be for two sections of 12th grade British Lit. What makes this school so different, is that it is very focused on preparing the students for success at the college level. Students attend classes only three days a week. On Tuesday and Thursday they complete their weekly homework assignments. I have had two interviews with them and I would LOVE to teach there, but it would mean giving up some of my other students. And so I am in the process of seeking God's guidance in making the best decision.

Tomorrow I will fly to Chicago and drive back to Houston with our daughter, Elise. She just finished her third year of college and we are sooooooo proud of her. She transferred to a college so far from home where she knew no one PLUS it was in the cold, cold NORTH (and Elise is VERY much a Southern Belle!) But she excelled in her classes, made lots of new friends, and kind of likes snow (although she would probably NEVER admit it!).

So...road trip, final week of classes, set up summer tutoring schedule, decide on jobs for the fall...

Summer, here I come!

Insurance or Assurance?

Today I was looking over all the junk emails that somehow find their way to our computer. It takes a lot of time to sit and click those things away, doesn't it!!! Before deleting a particular one from today's long list, however, I took the time to look at it. It was an email for insurance. I looked at this particular email because I am on the lookout for some better car insurance.

Insurance. Yuck!! It sort of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. After we lost our home and possessions in Katrina, we felt we would be ok because we had insurance. We quickly learned that was not the case. Seemed like the insurance companies looked for any excuse NOT to honor the home owner policies.

After that brief encounter with junk mail this morning led me to start singing an old hymn written by one of my heroes of the faith, Fanny Crosby. The song is Blessed Assurance. As I sang, I wondered about the difference between insurance and assurance. So, I looked into it...

My handy-dandy computer dictionary gave me these definitions:

Assurance is

• pledge or promise: a declaration that inspires or is intended to inspire confidence
  


• confidence: confidence in personal ability or status
  


• certainty: freedom from uncertainty

Insurance is

• financial protection against loss or harm: an arrangement by which a company gives customers


• financial protection against loss or harm such as theft or illness in return for payment premium

While I know I need insurance to live and function legally in the USA, as I think of the two definitions and what they offer, my heart is much more drawn to the word assurance.

Insurance - the kind I need for health, home, and car - no longer gives me any confidence. Seems whenever we submit a claim, it is denied or it is paid but the premium goes up!

So for me, these two words can't be used interchangeable, as one dictionary suggested. My insurance does NOT give me assurance.

Assurance? That comes from knowing Christ! He's the only One I know that has an unbroken track record of faithfulness when it comes to promises!!

It really is bless-ed, isn't it? It's WONDERFUL to be lost in His love!!!

Hymn lyrics

Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Fortune Cookie or Joel?

A friend of mine had such an interesting blog about Joel Osteen. For those of you who don't recognize that name, Joel Osteen is a very prominent preacher here in Houston. He is the senior pastor of a huge mega-church and their services are held in a former pro-basketball arena.

Joel is also seen by millions on television. He has vast appeal because what he preaches is a "Feel Good" gospel. He starts every service with a joke. He wants everyone in his audience to feel happy, upbeat, and positive. Because of this, he never talks about sin.

Some people say that he preaches a "cotton candy" theology...meaning it's good, but it's not nutritious. Joel often states that he doesn't care for theology. He thinks that people today want advice on how to cope rather than learning theology.

Ummm... last time I looked, the word "theology" simply means "knowledge of God". Forgive me, but I don't understand...does Osteen REALLY believe that people don't want to know about God, they just want to know how to live and cope in today's world??? I don't understand the disconnect.

Anyways, here are saying that my friend posted. He wants to know if you can tell if they are from a fortune cookies, or from Joel Osteen. Take the quiz and the answers are posted at the bottom. Let me know how y'all did!!!


Question One
"Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it."


Question Two
"Do all you can to make your dreams come true."


Question Three
"Take time to make a difference. Think about how you can make somebody else's life better."

Question Four
"Avoid focusing on the negative aspects of the past."


Question Five
"You have something to offer that nobody else can give!"


Question Six
"When you can't naturally feel upbeat, it can sometimes help to act as if you did."


Question Seven
"To affirm is to make firm."


Question Eight
"Relationships are more important than our accomplishments."


Question Nine
"Somebody needs your encouragement. Somebody needs to know that you believe in them."


Question Ten
"The best things in life aren't things."


Question Eleven
"You will produce what you're continually seeing in your mind."


Question Twelve
"Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant."


*****

1. FC
2. JO
3. JO
4. FC
5. JO
6. FC
7. FC
8. JO
9. JO
10. FC
11. JO
12. FC

Overcome

Today a friend of mine posed this question on her blog: "Are you overcoming or overcome?"

Honestly, today I'm overcome. Tomorrow I hope things will look brighter, but today, I'm just plain overcome.

When I feel like this, I try my best to remember Who is in control. One song that expresses this thought is His Eye is On the Sparrow. So I'm playing this song for me today, and if any of you are going through hard times, I pray that this song and the truth of this song will encourage your heart as well! Hugs...

Mother's Day or Mothers Day??

Tonight, on our local news, they closed the broadcast with a picture of this swan and her babies. They told a little story about how the swan had found a home at a local pond, had made friends with the locals, and how the swan family made everyone feel so warm inside to know she had safely seen her babies into this world and now delights in swimming with them in the pond. They concluded the story with a tie-in to Mother's Day and wished all the Mothers in the viewing area - swans included - a happy Mother's Day.

Nice story! Unless you live in our subdivision. Like in the news story, we also have ponds. Instead of swans, however, we have ducks. This Spring, one of the ducks laid eggs. Lots of them!!! Funny thing, though, she didn't lay her eggs anywhere near the pond. Nope. This duck laid them in the middle of the road, so to speak. The entrance to our neighborhood had a median that divides the north traffic from the south traffic. The median is a rather lush area decorated with trees and flowers. This is where our neighborhood duck laid her eggs. People entering or exiting the subdivision would slow down to get a look at mother duck and her silent brood. Some people went overboard. They brought the Momma bowls of water. They even brought her salad! Then, someone put up a sign to remind the yardmen not to disturb the Momma's nest. The whole neighborhood waited for the pitter-pat of little webbed feet. But sadly, it was not to be. One day, the eggs were gone. The ducks were gone. No explanation...just gone.

I write this to remind us all that Mother's Day means different things to different people. Some Mothers today will be forgotten. Today will be a sad day for them as they wait, hoping to hear from a son or a daughter, but the call or card never happens.

For others. they think of the babies that would have/could have made them a Mother. They think of the baby that they gave up for adoption. They think of the baby that they lost due to miscarriage. They think of the baby that they aborted. To these women, Mother's Day means a whole lot more that what a Hallmark card can begin to express.

We all know mothers like Mrs. Swan. But I hope that today we don't forget about Mrs. Duck...the mother that waited patiently, did all the right things, but never got to swim in the pond with her babies.

Shrubs vs. Trees

A friend of mine from "She Speaks" has a give-a-way! Visit her blog by connecting to the link below, and you may be the winner!

http://titus24u.blogspot.com/2010/05/mothers-day-give-away.html

And in other news, I've been trying to be more like a tree and less like a shrub!

Look at Jeremiah 17:

5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. 6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

It's so easy and so natural to rely on what we see, to rely on our own human strength. But God's Word always warns us that we weren't meant to handle this life on our own. His desire is for us to rely and trust in Him.

Don't misinterpret this thought. The Bible does NOT say we are to sit around and do nothing and hope God takes care of everything. But neither is their a verse in Scripture that says, "God helps those who help themselves".

It's so easy , when life is uncertain, to run to friends for comfort - to place our hope and confidence in what they might say.

But God desires for us to first go to Him. Yes, he has given us friends and mates to confide in and to go to for help and guidance. But ultimately, He desires for us to find our confidence in Him alone. When we do, several wonderful things happen:

• 
  
  We see God reveal Himself to us. We are allowed to see His character.


• 
  
  When we learn that our God is trustworthy, our confidence in Him grows.


• 
  
  Because we are "abiding in Him", we are going to start growing what the Bible calls the "fruit of the Spirit".

God wants His children to develop Godly character. He wants us to be like strong trees, not little shrubs. When was the last time you had a picnic under a shrub? When was the last time you enjoyed relaxing under the shade a magnificent shrub?

And so, yet again our family is facing uncertainty. I won't go into all the specifics, but during this process, during these days of instability, I really want to stay away from "shrub thinking"!!! And if I am to be "tree-like" in my outlook, I choose the magnolia tree! They are blooming here in Texas and are absolutely beautiful!

Precious

Yesterday got me thinkin' about some of my favorite teaching experiences. I wish I would have kept a journal over the years because I know many of the things that occurred are no longer occasions that I remember. But the memories that I do have, I savor.

One special memory that I have is rather bitter sweet. It happened at Pascogoula High School where I taught English. All of my life I had either attended or taught in a private school. It wasn't until 2004 that I interviewed and was accepted to teach in a public school. I didn't know if I could do it...teach in a public school. But when all is said and done, I think It was a wonderful fit for me . It just felt like God had called me to serve Him at PHS.

Maybe you've never heard of Pascagoula. Or maybe you heard about it because of Ray Steven's song. The Mississippi Squirrel Revival sort of put Pascagoula on the map and elevated it to cult status. Here's the song in case you want to listen:



Pascagoula is a wonderful Southern town located on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. It is a town of extremes. It has it's beautiful mansions that dot the coastline, but it is also home to the poorest of the poor. Another claim to fame is that it is home to Senator Trent Lott. He attended Pascagoula High School and would often visit and give a talk to the students whenever he was in town.

I taught a variety of students at PHS, but, as time passed, it was obvious that I was the teacher that they could rely on to reach out to those students that were floundering. Students that had failed the State test for English over and over and over again...those were the students I was assigned. And you know what? I LOVED that challenge. Teaching them to write a proper essay, getting them to read and understand Shakespeare, just getting them to stay awake long enough to read ANYTHING...well, let's just say it was never boring!

I had a student that hated me. Absolutely HATED me. Until one night he was out with his friends and a car pulled up to his. Out of nowhere, a gun was fired. There was my student, suddenly holding a dying friend in his lap. I was the teacher he cried with. No 17 year old should have to experience what he went through.

I can't tell you how many of my students were already parents. Often when one or two would put their head down in class, another student would whisper to me that it was because they had been up all night with a sick baby.

One student I'll never forget was "Precious". Let's just say that her personality did not match her name. She was tough with a capital "T". Half the time she missed class, and the other half she spent ignoring me. Often she would raise her hand just so she could entertain the class with inappropriate stories about the police coming to her house or her father being taken to jail. One time during the winter I was out for four days in a row due to bronchitis. It was my first day back and Precious raised her hand as soon as I got the class settled down. I really wasn't ready to hear one of her distracting stories, but I let her speak.

"Where was you, Miss S? I heard you was sick and me and my daddy been prayin' for you."

I lost track of Precious after that year. And then one day she appeared at my door at the end of the school day. We sat and talked and caught up. Then she told me she was pregnant. She was excited about the baby and tried her best to convince me that life was never better.

I walked her to my classroom door and watched her walk down the empty hallway. I stopped her about halfway.

"Precious?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Precious, do you remember when I was sick and you told me you and your daddy prayed for me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I just want you to know that now it's my turn to pray for you, ok?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."

And I watched her turn the corner and walk out of sight. I never saw Precious again. Her baby is probably in Kindergarten by now.

Tonight I will say a prayer for Precious and thank Him again for the wonderful students He allowed to cross my path at Pascagoula High School.

Appreciation

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." -Henry Adams

Today, May 4, is Teacher Appreciation Day. Did you know that? I had no idea that Congress voted for this special day way back in 1980. I was teaching in 1980. I don't remember being appreciated. Oops...that sounds terrible, doesn't it?

As a teacher, many of my students have shown their appreciation in many, many touching ways. I've had yearbooks dedicated to me, special letters of recognition, as well as untold notes and messages from students and parents (and even from a few grandparents!). But what I don't remember is celebrating one special day where I was shown appreciation. Until...

Until I resumed teaching in the late 1990's. I was in the dark. I had no earthly idea that in the 15 years that I had been absent from the world of teaching, that teacher's all across our country waited in eager anticipation for May 4. I had no idea that during the first week of May, PTA's went into overdrive. They sent out a "secret" letter to all parents. Every day of the week was something special. One day, every student was asked to bring one flower. Another day, each child was asked to bring the teacher a special snack. On and on it continued, until the culmination on Friday. On that day we were given a special gift. Pretty nice! And pretty overwhelming! Most students didn't bring just one flower. By 9 a.m. on the designated flower day, I would often have 27 floral bouquets and not enough vases! My room looked and smelled like a funeral parlor. Same thing on "Snack Day". I really could have opened my own concession stand and made a healthy profit from all the candy I received.

While this was all very nice, I think I would feel more appreciated if it came randomly and from the heart. Like maybe a parent just tapping me on the shoulder at a basketball game and letting me know that their son or daughter suddenly understood verbs or finally found the joy of reading.

Today I went to work. No flowers. No cards. Not even one candy bar. But C did his homework all by himself even though he didn't want to! And O wrote out 12 sentences correctly. And when it was time to start the school day and I asked them to get out their Bible books, C lit up and said, "Yeah!!"

They didn't gush all over me about what a great teacher I am...they didn't have to...just to see their little eyes light up over what they had achieved with last night's homework and the pure joy they had over beginning a new day...for this teacher, that was all the appreciation I needed!

Thanks C. Thanks O and L and M. Because of students like you, I had the BEST Teacher Appreciation Day ever!!!!!