Identity

The past two weeks I have spent a lot of time with my friend Amanda in the classroom that it all started in : the 2's/3's potty training room. I spent four years in there, for one of those Amanda was my aide. We went through some very tough times together, the toughest school year of my career so far, but it built a camaraderie strong between us. When the world felt like it was crumbling, when we didn't know how, or if, we would survive, we had each other. She has expressed to me how that specific time prepared her for the commitment she needed to be ready to marry. To know what it was like to be in the trenches with someone through the good and the bad - knowing neither of you were leaving, even though it seemed impossible to make it, having each other we clung and grew together, not apart. We learned much about dependence and strength from God. That was a year of many tears and frustrations, but I look back now and know God must have strengthened my character through it, and gave me a deep love to share with my friend Amanda. This week I have been filling in as her aide, and it's really fun to be working closely together again. I love having another teacher in the classroom. It really is the best way I work.

Today I was telling her how I feel I have grown so much as a teacher this past year. My perspective has changed in some ways. I've learned the importance of some things, and that other things aren't as important as I once counted them. As I was verbally processing this, I tracked it back to deeper things. I didn't really learn these things in isolation only pertaining to my career, but they linked to much deeper aspects of my life. I realized it was reflective of my overall growth as a person, which came from the deepest part: my spiritual growth. 

C. S. Lewis wrote down the idea of us not having souls, but being souls who have bodies. I teach my students our soul is the part that is made to connect with God, and we need to feed it and water it to grow. It is the deepest part of us. It completely makes sense that this ripple of quiet, steady transformation in my life all links back to the things I have been learning as a child of God. My church went through a series this year on what it means to have our identity in Christ. What it means to put on Christ. What it means to really be in Christ. It changed my life. It has renewed my thinking. It has strengthened me in my weaknesses, humbled me in areas of pride, and given me fresh air to breathe. It has given me weapons to fight against my tendencies toward people pleasing. It has brought me new life, and because it is the work of God, it allows me to bring new life into my relationships, my work, my classroom. 

found this in the archives (c.2009) . I've cooked many batches since.

I have an interesting relationship with cooking, not something I really want to get into right now, but I do enjoy making cookies. And I'm glad to know that. The girl I worked with, day in, day out, for 6 hours together 5 days a week, moved to san diego, so I made cookies for her last day. Inspired by a mention and experience of the Toll House recipe, I gave it a shot. They turned out great!

Very glad I didn't run out of flour this time, also that I remembered we have a hand mixer, I really need to keep that in mind!

chocolate chippss. call me crazy, but I usually put less than the prescribed amount. 2 cups is so much!

babies

they showed love all on their own!

ta da!

Spring

The birds have been singing incessantly the splendor of spring since it began on Wednesday. I sat in my car on my lunch break and heard them celebrating in such beautiful arrangement, it was as if they knew, as if they had all be in cue waiting for their moment to burst forth in song. The day before wasn't as such, and since then it is all I have heard.
Without realizing it would be the first day of spring I had planned to have a friend over for dinner. And I am so glad I did. Despite the fact that I broke the glass part of the blender, we had a great time. Together we made a salad I had learned the week before when I went cooking with my friend Lindsay. I brewed up some strawberry lemonade, my first time trying it and it was absolutely delightful! Angie had brought mango and strawberries for dessert, which started us on thoughts of mango sticky rice. So pushing time, we found ourselves adventuring to find some. We did, just before closing, and brought it back home to eat with the mango. I'm pretty sure it has become one of my favorite things.
What did you do on the first day of spring?

March 7, 2013

Today brought a springtime cool, with clouds and drizzle, a need for jackets, and a whispering suggestion of cozy. So here I sit with my ideal gloomy day snack of toast and hot chocolate, recollecting the day's simple delights.
As I sat in my car on my lunch break, connecting with Jesus through words written down, a drizzle splashed over my car, I looked up at my windshield to see the little kisses left on my windows, suspended transparency. I was safe from the wet, able to enjoy the gift it brought.
On my way home, as I rode the on-ramp, my eyes met that place above the horizon where they find the treasures the Creator brings each day. I was delighted by the figures God had placed in the sky today. Within the clouds were whimsical creatures, first I saw elephants, then a turtle, then a schnauzer who ended up giving me the thrill that floating clouds do. And I am pretty sure Nessie was there, too, the first time I have ever seen her in the sky...