Five Minute Fridays... Begin

Begin...

It's difficult, sometimes. This starting over or starting something new.

Putting one foot in front of the other and not hesitating...

Today is the first of August and my first day back to work, but all of the 12 month employees in my building have been on a flex schedule, so the building was locked.

I headed home, thankful for one more day of respite.

I know that come Monday, the piles of old lecture notes and old meeting notes from last semester will still cover the floor of my office.

The books will still be piled high.

And it will be time to begin...

begin door schedules and syllabi and lecture calendars and clinical schedules and notes and exams and assignments.

I'll be picking up the pieces of what I left last semester, what I hurriedly piled up in an effort to breathe in the sunshine of summer break, and it will be difficult to begin...

Begin to file and begin to type and begin to sort and begin to put away.

Begin to revise and read new textbooks and learn about new students.

Every beginning starts somewhere, but yet the earth is round and we were infinite, because God knew  us before we were born. He has every day numbered, but had plans for us before the earth was formed.

In the beginning, God...

In the beginning, was the Word and the Word was God.

In the beginning...

as we begin anew.

He's there.  He  knows. 

So, take a deep breath and just step out.

Live each day as if it is a new beginning, a new opportunity...

because each day, each beginning, is a gift.

So begin...

Linking up with Lisa Jo for five minute Fridays, where we write for five minutes, unedited, about a given prompt.  Today's prompt, fitting for this first day back to work... begin.

What I Learned in July

1. A giraffe's tongue is really long.
And while that may seem random, it really came from watching Caleb feed a giraffe at the Knoxville Zoo.  The giraffe would stick his (her?) tongue out and allow the kiddos to place things on the tongue. 
Note: I also learned that Caleb Bates is braver than I am, because I got squeamish just watching from a few feet away.

2. The Smoky Mountains are never more beautiful than when they are seen at sunset from a 200 ft ferris wheel.
I love ferris wheels.  This one at The Island (I know... how is it an island in the middle of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee? But it's a fabulous marketing spot.  Good restaurants.  A light show in the water fountain. Arcades. And the ferris wheel.  I'd highly recommend going.)
But back to my statement... the sun was just beginning to set.  You looked to your left, and there was the Smoky Mountains in all of their majesty.  To your right, Pigeon Forge and the twinkling lights of all the action.  Loved it.

3. If you've read my blogs this month, you know I'm re-reading my favorite... Gone with the Wind.  So many of the characters feel like old friends. 
Belle Watling is the girl they love to hate... the prostitute who Rhett Butler gives money to and supports.  Scarlett is fascinated by her.  I was fascinated when I was googling places to visit in KY, and saw that the character it is thought that Margaret Mitchell based Belle on was a real person residing in Lexington, Ky... and is buried there. Belle Brezling ran a brothel in Lexington in the early 1900s. While Mitchell never claimed that her character was based on Brezling, her husband was from Lexington and would have known the reputation of the madame.  Another cool discovery? The person Melanie is named after, Sister Melanie, was a cousin to Mitchell... but was also a cousin to Doc Holliday, of Tombstone fame.  (Which just happens to be Wallace's favorite movie... "I'm your huckleberry.")  More info about this can be found at the following website, which may or may not be legit... but I'm planning on buying the book for sure!
http://www.gwtwbook.com/research.aspx

4. God's handiwork is amazing... Arizona is so beautiful.  I mean, Kentucky is beautiful... but they are so very different.  How is it possible that He created all of this out of nothing? I am in amazement.  In a span of four or five hours, I saw desert, lush pines, cacti, the Red Rocks of Sedona, and The Grand Canyon.  Just awesome. 


5. Also, heat without humidity is not that bad.  When I visited, the temperatures were always over 100.  Y'all, that is hot.  And if it had been Kentucky hot... with humidity causing the sweat to run down your back... I don't know that I would have been able to stand it. But 105 without humidity felt like 85 at home.

6. And ice cream tastes the best when it is over 100 degrees outside.  Best ice cream I've had in a while... I know it's just hand scooped, but maybe it is mental.  The Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale, Arizona was great.  Featured in Bil Keane's Family Circus cartoons, it had a nice selection of ice creams, sundaes, and floats.  I stuck with my regular favorite, mint chocolate chip, and also tried a scoop of almond praline.  Both were excellent.  Family Circus was first published in 1960 and Bil Keane lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona (which apparently is a really upscale section of town... like you know you are well off when your lawn is Astroturf. Not that his lawn was Astroturf.  But while driving through the neighborhood on a tour bus, I noted that someone's yard was Astroturf.)

For more info on Family Circus (although I am sure you loved them, too!) http://familycircus.com/life-and-times-of-bil-whats-his-name/

And here's my ice cream:

 

Worth.  Every.  Calorie. 

Linking up with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky.  I love seeing what everyone has learned over the month! 

 



 

 





Being a Mom is Tough

Being a Mama is tough.

Yesterday (Monday)  I took Caleb to the doctor for his 6th grade physical and shots.  He answered all of his medical questions himself.  He sat still while Evelyn took his blood pressure and while Dr. Plumb listened to his lungs. He laughed a little when she listened to his belly, because he's ticklish.

And he sat through two shots better than some adults I've seen.

As I sat there, I thought back over the last almost 12 years....

When babies are little it's tough because they cry and sometimes you don't know what they want.  There are late night feedings and little amounts of sleep and explosive diapers and explosive spit up and days when you are lucky to get to take a shower. We pray for them to talk and walk and then when they start we just wish they'd be quiet, sit still, and take a nap.

And for me, there were days when I went back to work and would come home from a 12 hour shift so tired, and he'd be ready to play peek-a-boo.

Or days when I would beg him at 18 months to take a nap, and he'd say, "Mine don't do naps."

Days when legos were strung through the living room floor to step on, inflicting pain and an occasional bad word.

Days when he'd line all the cars up in the living room floor, and get mad when I moved them. "Mom... I had them just.  that.  way."

Mamas, we thought we had it tough then.

Now, being a mom is tough on days when they hurt and you don't always see it.

When you worry about what they are going to do when they grow up... and what the world will be like then.

Oh, some days it seems easy... and then they backtalk and decide to tell you all about Season 3 of Once Upon a Time when you're not even finished with Season 2 on Netflix, or roll their eyes at something you say, or stomp off to their room and slam their door "accidentally".

And some days they do their own laundry, only to bust a Tidepod in the water and ruin their favorite shirt, or paint a masterpiece for you, only to leave the remnants on your kitchen table. Or not really care when you are leaving for a week, with their only concern being, "Mom can I have some money?"

To me, though, the hardest part about being a Mama is knowing I'm not in control.  Knowing that he has to make his own decisions, and that part of growing up is making mistakes...

Wanting him to make the right choice, but knowing that he won't always do so.

Being a Mama is hard.  Being a parent is hard.

But in our weakness, He is strong, and He knows all about being a parent...

Because He is our Abba Father.  And He loves me, even when I make a mess of being a Mom and yell and occasionally throw things and threaten and make my own poor decisions.

He loves Caleb more than I do....

And on nights like this, I'm so glad that He chose me, in all of my messes and mix-ups and temper tantrums to be Caleb's mama, and that He has promises to teach my children and to render His blessings to my children and my children's children.  (And I claim these for not just Caleb, but for all those kiddos I come into contact. May I always be a light for Jesus to them).

Blessed to be Caleb's Mama...and to know that I am loved by an awesome Father God.

Linking up on the P31 OBS blog, where we are discussing Lysa Terkeurst's Am I Messing Up My Kids?

#100HappyDays Join Me?

Are you happy?

Am I happy?

What does it even mean to be happy?

Some days, it's a good nap.  Some days, it's waking up.  Some days, it's a good book... a hug... a win...

Happiness is largely circumstantial.  True joy, though, is in Christ, and we can be joyful even when we aren't happy.

I long for true joy, the joy that Paul talks about when he says he has learned to be content in all things.

Joy is from the Holy Spirit, but it can be learned. 

A few years ago, I read 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I still relish the message of that book.  Joy in everyday.  Joy in troubles.  Joy because everything is a gift. 

I count those joys, write them down, though not as faithful as I should be. 

Today I ran across a hashtag on facebook. A couple of my friends had been posting using it, and it made me curious, so I looked it up. Basically, this guy was feeling depressed, and all of his friends and family couldn't understand it. 

Isn't that just like family and friends?

Or maybe they were just being brutally honest...

Because sometimes we can't see how good we have it.

Sometimes, counting our blessings is as easy as looking around...

But in today's world of facebook and pinterest and instagram where everyone lives in a white-washed world, it's also sometimes hard to count blessings when you look around.

If I'm not careful, I can camp out in the "have-not" or "if I" or "should be" campgrounds and completely miss out on life's journey.

So, back to the hashtag... his friends and family were all like, "Dude, what's up? You've got things so good" so he RESOLVED to look around and look within and focus on the good.

He resolved to have 100 happy days.

See, attitude is a habit and if we foster happiness it will eventually become our norm.  Eyeore's can turn into Tiggers. 

For the next 100 days, God willing, I'll be using the hashtag #100happydays. 

Maybe you might join me.  I'll be posting on facebook and instagram. 

Looking for the good and learning to be content, because there is always good. 

Thoughts on Recruitment

I read with interest an article written by one of the local editorial authors in my small-town newspaper.  The issue discussed was recruiting in high school athletics with an emphasis on awareness of this in our local schools as we prepare for football and volleyball seasons.

Recruitment is most definitely an issue, not just here in the 14th region, where many of our schools have nothing to offer student athletes and their families, but also in areas of our state where a good job provided by a booster can be a very enticing offer.  While we all recognize that these violations are wrong, we are aware of them and sit back quietly.  A look at the rosters of several schools in the 14th Region read like the roster of a Jr. College; however, with the emphasis on winning in our society and the ease of access through social media and the internet I fear this problem will only continue to get worse.  I fear that recent injunctions against the KHSAA will only limit their jurisdiction in an area where they should be the authority, rather than a court of law. In light of several recent news articles about the plight of Eastern Kentucky and one journalist's suggestion that the only way to improve Eastern Kentucky is to leave,  it almost makes this influx humorous.

However, the local editorial/article focused primarily on our local schools, and to say that this is upsetting to me is an understatement, largely because the student athletes at our local schools are near and dear to my heart.  I love high school athletes; I've written a whole other blog post about how they make me smile to watch them because they leave their heart on the court and play not for incentives but for love of the game.   (http://blessedtobecalebsmama.blogspot.com/2013/12/for-love-of-game.html)

I think for the most part, for our local athletes, this still remains true.  Many of them may not be stellar athletes, but their heart and dedication to the sport makes up for this. In my tenure as a high school coach's wife, I have cheered on maroon and white, purple and gold, blue and white, and have also cheered on students from other schools who have no idea who I am, because ultimately the game is about the kids. (Even when you have loud, boisterous coaches who like to demonstrate their passion for the game by yelling on the sidelines... for many of them, and especially the one I love, it is still about the kids.) It is especially satisfying for me to get to sit across the gym from one of these young ladies, who nine or ten years ago rolled their eyes as Wallace quarreled at them, and see them pacing the sidelines themselves as coaches. And as I've mentioned before, I may or may not have yelled the wrong team mascot before...

There are various reasons for recruiting and also for players to get into discussions about being recruited, but since I am just an amateur writer I do not feel it is my responsibility to get into those in detail, but will offer my own humble opinion.  I believe that the majority of coaches, and schools, recruit to win, not to hurt other schools (unless by hurting other schools it means to cause them to lose).  I also may be naïve, but I think it has far less to do with enrollment numbers than it does in hanging banners in gymnasiums. As for players, most likely they decide to seek other playing opportunities  because it will give them a better chance for a viable future, increased playing time, or padded stats, and perhaps increased recognition and support. Let's face it, there is a lot of jealousy on every level in our world, and sometimes kids just want to know that you care about them and support them.  When they don't get that, they may be tempted to move to greener pastures.  (To quote something I read the other day, which really has nothing to do with this topic: "The greener pastures are the ones you water.")

In a community as small as ours, I think it is important to remember that these are our kids regardless of what uniform they are wearing.  Life in Eastern Kentucky can be hard enough without division. So, to piggyback off of what that local editorial writer submitted, as football, soccer, and volleyball season come into play, I'd like to be the first to encourage you to support our local student athletes.  Whether they be cheering on the sideline, kicking the ball toward the goal, defending a kick, making a tackle, throwing the football, running 65 yards for a touchdown, spiking the ball, serving underhand or overhand... I guarantee they have put in lots of time to perfect whatever it is they are doing.  And even though this article has been geared toward recruitment, might I also suggest that we all remember to be encouraging to each other?  No 50 yard line bleacher quarterbacks.  No coaches in the bleachers.  (Even I need to work on this one.. maybe I especially need to work on this one!)  While we may not always understand or even agree with decisions made, ultimately it is the individual who will have to pay the repercussions, and really, isn't it only a game anyway?  While I am all for the Vince Lombardi attitude about winning, I also believe that in high school athletics, it is about teaching maturity and reacting positively to obstacles thrown in our way. 

Now, is it Friday night yet?  Or at least August and volleyball season? 

Things that Made Me Smile

So today I just want to share some things that made me smile.  Life is hard and we don't stop enough to appreciate the little things. Big smiles on my face all day long, though, because:

1. My Mama's knee surgery went well.  She's been having some pain and a little limited mobility in her right knee for a while.  It's been catching and she'd finally had enough... but not enough to go through with a knee replacement. Today they did a scope and removed some cartilage.  I left her settled in on the couch using ice every hour for twenty minutes with plenty of pillows.  And Dad.

Which brings me to number 2.

2. My Daddy is awesome. That's all.  Today he set my Mama a tray up for supper in the living room, took meticulous notes from the surgeon, and then asked Mom if he should wake her up in the middle of the night to  make her move around and see if she was okay.  Apparently, he's responsible for my insomnia as well, because he was one of those Daddy's who wanted to wake me up to feed me.  Every girl needs a Daddy like mine.

3. Hearing that Caleb was waiting for Mom when she got home, and stayed with her this afternoon. He made her a ham sandwich, and informed her that he must really love her, because he touched mayonnaise. He also cleaned the kitchen, washed her windows, and dusted.

4. Hearing my Grandma Bert say "fiddle-dee-dee" when there were no paper towels in the bathroom at McDonalds.  Y'all know I'm reading Gone with the Wind, and it made me think, "Spoken like a true Southern woman."

5. A clear CT scan for my Grandma- three months post-op and cancer free!

6.  A kiss from Will through the gate as I walked. He's pretty stingy with sugar, so I was especially tickled with this one.

7. Watching a video of my cousin Brayton singing Tom Petty to his daughter Braylee.  She's laying in her rocking thing, looking up at him. It is precious.

8. Bedtime. Night, y'all!

Wednesday Wanderings

I'm about to take you on a long journey, with lots of twists and turns.

Tonight when I got home from church, the sun was still out and it was the perfect weather to walk... but my phone was dead.  I hate walking without music, but tonight it was so nice, plus I had to get my 10,000 steps since I didn't keep track of them two days this week (see my thoughts on the zoo post if you are dying to know about that.)

So I started out. For once, I could hear the frogs somewhere close to the creek and also in the vicinity of the pool, which I just won't think about. The birds were chirping and squawking and it made me think how all of nature praises God. Some of us just sound better than others doing so, and that is even true for birds, who have their own distinct sounds.

And then I realized how much more I was noticing the color of the green grass and thought how God decided to choose that color, and paints the sky a different color each night, which led me to think about how awesome God is... and He just spoke it into existence.  Creating something out of nothing... that's kind of His job.

As I walked, I thought of how flawed I am.  How much I mess up. Every. single. day.  And how good He is to forgive.

As I walked, I thought about friends who are sick, who are struggling with decisions, who are going through battles, and sent up prayers for them.

And I thought of how each day is a gift, and how sometimes I waste them. 

I mean, playing Candy Crush and watching Once Upon a Time and reading are all well and good... but there is a time and place for all of them.

And how it all revolves around love.

I thought of church tonight, when I was passing out the pop downstairs and some of the smiles that I got.

And how I tossed a salad today to help with a spaghetti dinner.  Some people may not be family, but they sure do feel like it.

I thought about laughter in the gym and kissing my Mama and walking her dog and texting Kami and snapping pictures of Caleb and chatting with Wallace.

And I started thinking about success, and what it really means.

Today, I was successful.  I loved well, I think. 

Tomorrow may not be the same, but I'm hoping I'll be intentional.

Success is love, laughter, compassion, and grace...

And forgiveness.

Thanking God that He is faithful, that He has a purpose and a plan, and that His love endures forever.

If I should boast, let it be in Christ.

Christ in me... the hope of glory.

Until the true success is in laying down my crown.