Tabby Tuesday #3

A quick peek into the giggles and grins brought by the world's most terrific tabby cats, Tom & Jerry...

We love the sink!

Meaningful Monday #1

Mondays are always tough days for me. I don't know why I have such trouble getting a new week started, but for some reason, I always seem to start the day in a "blah" mood. As I've been praying this weekend, I realized that perhaps a shift in me was needed to get the week started in a more God-centered frame of mind ... perhaps a shift to starting my week solely focused on praying for others and their needs. Thus begins "Meaningful Mondays."

This morning, my heart and prayers rested here:

• with my IRL friends Jaime & Melissa, who are trying to adopt from China. Their dossier has been sent and they're now awaiting a "Log In" date
  
• with my IRL friends Carla and Heath, that God would do great things in their sweet baby Garrett's life this week: http://www.icenhower-family.blogspot.com/
  
• with Stellan, his momma MckMama and his family, from a relatively new blog I've been reading (I think she started "Not Me!" Mondays, by the way). Stellan is in his third week in PICU with some serious heart troubles. Please pray that God would guide the doctors in his treatment this week, and give his parents peace and rest.
  

• with my IRL friend Suzanne and a situation in her family - may God smooth the path ahead
• with my IRL friend J, that J would turn over real needs to God and let God work it all out
• with Angie and Todd Smith, who lost their sweet baby girl, Audrey Caroline, a year ago on Tuesday. I randomly stumbled on their blog on Friday night and was captured instantly by their story and their faith in God - I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to backtrack all the way to the beginning and read forward. I laughed, I cried, I sobbed, I celebrated with them, and I mourned with them.
  

• with Cindy Foote, who writes blog I've been following
  (http://www.adoptingaria.blogspot.com/) They're awaiting an adoption referral for a little girl from Ethiopia. Right now they are #2 on the list!

Savoring the Savior #2

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Philippians 4:11

Contentment is such an elusive state of mind. Why? Why is it that we rebel against a God who is perfect, who is all-knowing, and who has our very best in mind? We rebel and instead take our lives into our own hands, weaving our own plans, all the while reaching but not grasping that ever-elusive contentment.

Yet contentment is not attainable apart from living centered in God’s will. God is faithful. God is faithful – no matter what! We must rest in that confidence, and only then will contentment envelop us.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21

In a sense then, our contentment is directly proportionate to our obedience. God does say in Romans 8:28 that “in all things God works for the good” but it is followed by “for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” The love here is active – how do we show love? One way is to obey Him. We obey Him by leaving our lives in His hands and trusting Him with the outcome. We trust God to meet our very deepest needs. Only He can do that – no one and nothing else. When that happens, contentment blossoms.

When we begin to feel the chords of discontent strumming in our hearts, we must ask ourselves – am I desiring now whatever God wants – what is His will, or am I lost in desiring what I want at this time? As we grow in relation to God, the two are often reflections of one another; yet the moment we take our eyes off God and lose focus on Him as our sole source of contentment, too often our “wants” shift as well.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:6

Holy Father, help us (help ME) to focus on you, to embrace that only you can reach into the depths of my heart and meet my every need in Your perfect way. Help me to have complete confidence in Your plans for my life. When those plans don’t seem to be a reflection of my wants, please help me to understand that means I have taken my eyes off of You.

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25-26

Sassy Saturday #2

I'm not in "sassy" form today (that's probably a good thing!) ... perhaps a whole day devoted to soapboxes and sass is not necessary in the grand scheme of life. Last Saturday's post was one that had been rolling around in my brain for many weeks (months? years?), and it felt great to finally just put it out there. Likely I should rethink this Saturday endeavor and revisit it only when the sassy whim descends upon me. :-)

So today I'll just leave you with my wishes that YOU have had a simply sassy Saturday!

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Have A Sassy Saturday

Fabulous Friday #2

(Please pretend that I really posted this on Friday - it was a busy day yesterday and by the time I got home, I was ready to just crash!) :-)

Today is a fabulous day because I am blessed. Every day, I am blessed, but I wanted to reserve a day to be certain that I really focused on those blessings.

Today, I wanted to express my gratitude for my job and for a boss who knew just the perfect "niche" for me. I've moved into a new role this year, and I absolutely love it. Don't get me wrong - I adore teaching and for ten years, loved the thrill of learning new things alongside my students. I loved my 4th and 5th graders, teaching them, nurturing them, and laughing with them. Yet over the years the list of my "other" duties began to grown, and soon enough, it was overwhelming my task list. Last year was a struggle for me as I felt like I couldn't do anything on my task list to the best of my ability, and that made me sad. I knew that my students were not getting the very best from me, and yet I didn't have any more to give them either.

As I prayed through this, God helped me to see that the chances of those "other" type duties decreasing in continuing years was slim - I lean toward organizational, leadership activities and it's hard to not suddenly find myself surrounded by them. He also began to whisper to my heart that, over 10 years of teaching, all 4 principals I'd served under had tried to tell me that they thought I would eventually step into some other role beyond the classroom. All along the way, I refused their vision, claiming that I loved the classroom and would be in it for my entire career in some form or fashion. I refused it most because I don't think that administration is a job that I would thrive upon (then again, I've been proven wrong many times). God just nudged my heart to be open to possibilities.

Sure enough, one day in early February last year, I was meeting with my principal and expressed some of my restlessness. In that moment, I was overwhelmed by God's graciousness and His perfect plan - Ardath shared with me a position that the district was creating, described a little bit of it to me, and asked if I would be interested in it. I responded that I definitely was.

In the 7-8 weeks that followed, I continued to pray over it, and the ball rolled along at the district as the new position was officially created and approved. Problem was that the position had to be "rolled out" over a 2 year course, and my school was in the 2nd year. I was devastated at first, but then hopeful because my principal is a determined force, and she went forward with a creative plan to still be able to have me in that position for this year. Right around the first week of May last year, she got the "go ahead" and we celebrated it!! The caveat was that my role would be half-time ESL teacher and half-time in this new role, Campus Intervention Specialist (CIS).

I have loved it!! ESL has been a phenomenal experience because not only was it a great way to still have some direct involvement with students as an adjustment phase from years of having 90-120 5th graders in the course of a day. It has also been another wonderful learning opportunity! The CIS position was at first tapered down to be truly 50% of the job description since I was juggling two roles ... however those of you who know me realize that I crave challenges, and it was probably six weeks into the year (okay, um ... two?) before I had the entirety of the role in my lap again (and gladly so).

It's made for a busy year - juggling a job and a half, essentially. Yet I have truly loved (almost) every moment of it. I am just so very overwhelmed by a principal who knows me well enough - perhaps better than I did at the moment - to know that I would love this position. Not everyone gets great satisfaction out of organizing things, after all. At least, not enough satisfaction to be content enough in that place of the "teacher heart" to be simultaneously content with a more indirect involvement in helping students. So today I'm thanking God for my boss - may He bless her for her vision and her passion.

But I would be remiss not to say that I am far more grateful for God, who orchestrated all things according to His plan for me, and who perfectly orchestrated each step along the way to guide me into and keep me on the right path. I am so blessed.

Truth-Filled Thursday #2

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23
(NIV)

~~~~~

I am so humbled by this verse, because as an emotions-driven person, I fail miserably at guarding my heart as regularly as I succeed. How true it is, though; from our heart springs everything. In the days when I am not guarding my heart and it is invaded by jealousy, bitterness, sadness, anger, or even just plain distraction or busyness, it is obvious because the wellspring that pours out from me is tainted with those things. Yet when my heart is focused on and set apart for God, the wellspring of my life evidences that as well. I pray that I will place my heart in God's hands and allow Him to guard it. May He be my one and only hearts' desire.

Wordless Wednesday #2