by Theresa A. Thomas
Seventy years ago today, on May 24, 1937, Blessed Mother Teresa made her final profession as a Loretto sister. Like most suburban housewives, I have never been to India. I never witnessed Mother Teresa as she ministered to the world's "poorest of the poor." Like many others, however, I devoured books and articles about this dynamic and simple nun who pulled the dying off Calcutta's streets, and gave dignity to those suffering. She literally helped change the world.
At first glance, an American mother's life seems so unlike the life Blessed Mother Teresa had. She lived amidst poverty. We live in a country full of wealth. She wore a simple sari. Most of us have a closet full of clothes. She chose a consecrated life of poverty, chastity and obedience as a sister. We have vocations as wives and mothers. Our lives seem worlds apart, yet Blessed Mother Teresa's spirituality can be instrumental in teaching us to know how to live our vocation and raise our children well. Here's how.
Mother Teresa teaches us to accept what we get from the hand of God. Biographers tell us that Mother Teresa, whose given name was Agnes, admired St. Therese the Little Flower and her "Little Way" very much, so much that she wanted to take the name 'Therese' upon professing as a sister. However, another postulant also wanted that name and spelling. Quietly, without a fuss, Agnes took the Spanish spelling of the name ('Teresa'), relinquishing the spelling she desired more. In this simple action and attitude, Mother Teresa teaches us to accept what life deals us with calm resolution that God Himself guides all happenings, large or small.
Mother Teresa teaches us there is holiness in doing small things with great love. With a smile on her face she quietly and tenderly cleaned the maggot-filled sores of a dying man, ignoring the stench and fighting the human urge to turn away. She did this again and again and again each day — small things with great love. When I tie my child's shoe patiently or wipe his nose gently, I am doing a small thing with great love. When I serve my husband who has had a difficult day his favorite meal with a smile (even though my own day has been filled with uncooperative children and minor emergencies), I am doing a small thing with great love. When I lead my sick child to the bathroom to throw up for the third time during the night and I clean him and the floor with calm resignation, I am doing a small thing with great love. Life is full of these opportunities. Mother teaches that is the path to holiness.
Mother Teresa teaches us not to fret about the tasks before us. When she was alive she did not wake up in the morning anxious and stressed about the day. She didn't say, "Oh my goodness! I have so much to do! There are so many poor and I can't handle this ...." She simply looked at the task before her, tackled it, and then moved on. We should follow this example in our daily living.
Mother Teresa teaches us it is good to rest. Biographers tell us Mother Teresa took naps. Does this surprise you? There was a point in time when I thought it was a sign of weakness if I laid down to rest during the day or went to bed early. I now see how silly that is. If our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, then taking care of those bodies is a serious responsibility. Besides, refreshed, we can accomplish more.
Mother Teresa teaches us that every person has worth and dignity. The annoying soccer coach, the impatient clerk at the store, the grumpy mailman who bypasses my house because he thinks my van is parked too close to the mailbox — these people were made in the image and likeness of God just as much as the friendly parish priest or sweet, elderly grandmother. Sometimes it would be easier to love a beggar dying in the street than the neighbor who growls at my children if a stray ball rolls in their yard. Mother's actions showed we are to respect everyone.
Mother Teresa started her day with prayer, and arranged her day in an orderly way. She had a schedule. When we do this, we prioritize our lives toward God and keep focused.
God's plans for me are different from what they were for Mother Teresa. Mostly likely I will never tend to wounds of people ravaged by disease or scarred emotionally by severe rejection. But as a mother I will daily tend little wounds many times — a scraped knee after a trip to the playground, my child's hurt feelings over rejection from a playmate, the fatigue of my spouse over the daily troubles of work and family living. By remembering Mother Teresa's example and living the spirituality she demonstrated, I can be an instrument of God, bringing peace and healing in my little part of the world.
For more information on Blessed Mother Teresa, visit her website.
Theresa Thomas, a freelance writer and columnist for Today’s Catholic resides in northern Indiana with her husband David and their nine children. She has been home schooling since 1994.
This article originally appeared in Today’s Catholic.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
A Bouquet to Homeschooling Moms
From a View From the Pews Blog @ www.viewfromthepew@blogs
I have the utmost admiration for all mothers who decide to educate their own children at home. What an onerous task and at times a thankless one I should think.
When one looks at the way schools are being run today you have to weep at the absurdity of the Political Correct movement which has infiltrated many schools.
By educating your own children you are arming them to face the world and their future with confidence and a great deal of kowledge that many schools dont teach anymore, such as history.
These mothers are selfless in their devotion to educate their children as it should be done. I am also sure that many of these homeschooling mothers have moments of tiredness, they may feel run down and depleted yet they continue. That is courage. That is selflessness. It is love.
So please all blogger home school Mothers accept this bouquet for a job well done. Bravo to you all. YOU deserve it.
Anyone who visits this blog, please pass this Bouquet to All homeschooling Moms. I have chosen the links below because they are wonderful blogs who will spread the word to homeschooling Moms.
I have the utmost admiration for all mothers who decide to educate their own children at home. What an onerous task and at times a thankless one I should think.
When one looks at the way schools are being run today you have to weep at the absurdity of the Political Correct movement which has infiltrated many schools.
By educating your own children you are arming them to face the world and their future with confidence and a great deal of kowledge that many schools dont teach anymore, such as history.
These mothers are selfless in their devotion to educate their children as it should be done. I am also sure that many of these homeschooling mothers have moments of tiredness, they may feel run down and depleted yet they continue. That is courage. That is selflessness. It is love.
So please all blogger home school Mothers accept this bouquet for a job well done. Bravo to you all. YOU deserve it.
Anyone who visits this blog, please pass this Bouquet to All homeschooling Moms. I have chosen the links below because they are wonderful blogs who will spread the word to homeschooling Moms.
A Bouquet to Homeschooling Moms
From a View From the Pews Blog @ www.viewfromthepews@blogspot.com
I have the utmost admiration for all mothers who decide to educate their own children at home. What an onerous task and at times a thankless one I should think.
When one looks at the way schools are being run today you have to weep at the absurdity of the Political Correct movement which has infiltrated many schools.
By educating your own children you are arming them to face the world and their future with confidence and a great deal of kowledge that many schools dont teach anymore, such as history.
These mothers are selfless in their devotion to educate their children as it should be done. I am also sure that many of these homeschooling mothers have moments of tiredness, they may feel run down and depleted yet they continue. That is courage. That is selflessness. It is love.
So please all blogger homeschool Mothers accept this bouquet for a job well done. Bravo to you all. YOU deserve it.
Anyone who visits this blog, please pass this Bouquet to All homeschooling Moms. I have chosen the links below because they are wonderful blogs who will spread the word to homeschooling Moms.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Bitter Homeschoolers Wishlist
By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling Magazine, Issue #1, Fall 2007
1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?
2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.
3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.
4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.
5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.
6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.
7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.
8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.
11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.
12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.
13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.
14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.
15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.
16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.
17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.
18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.
19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.
20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.
21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.
22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.
23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.
24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.
25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!
(while I wouldn't say shut up...I would wish that they would ask their questions appropriately, instead of going about it with the erroneous idea that they know everything there is to know about homeschoolers.)
This came from LadyPoets Blog at homeschoolbloger.com/ladypoet33
1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?
2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.
3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.
4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.
5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.
6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.
7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.
8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.
11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.
12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.
13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.
14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.
15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.
16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.
17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.
18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.
19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.
20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.
21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.
22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.
23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.
24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.
25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!
(while I wouldn't say shut up...I would wish that they would ask their questions appropriately, instead of going about it with the erroneous idea that they know everything there is to know about homeschoolers.)
This came from LadyPoets Blog at homeschoolbloger.com/ladypoet33
Sunday, January 27, 2008
If you were a cartoon character....
who would you be? Its a good question. I read this on some one's blog and it started me to thinking? Who would I be? I know for sure that the most powerful cartoon parenting moment I've ever had was from "Finding Nemo" when Marlin and Dorie were looking for Nemo there's a part where Marlin says to Dorie "I promised I'd never let anything happen to him (Nemo)...and Dorie replies,"Well that wouldn't be any fun for little Elmo" (Nemo)...In itself its not very powerful, but understanding that Marlin parented from a place of fear, it was very true and exactly how I used to parent. But, how neat it is to be free from fear. So my answer used to be that my cartoon character would be Marlin but
now its more like Crush the daddy Turtle who encourages his child to try things and trusts that God has his back!
Well, I added the God part but that's my goal now in parenting. So...what kind of cartoon parent are you?
now its more like Crush the daddy Turtle who encourages his child to try things and trusts that God has his back!
Well, I added the God part but that's my goal now in parenting. So...what kind of cartoon parent are you?
Whatcha Readin?
Its winter...I'm reading. I love books, I think I've said that before. For Christmas, I bought a girlfriend of mine a library. It came with signout cards, a stamper pad and date stamp and a label set. I loved it so much I bought one for myself so I could keep better track of where my books are. Really, its a problem, I love books so much. So, on my night stand I'm reading two books, one fiction, one not. The non-fiction one is called 'The Way of The Wild Heart' by John Eldridge. 
Its kind of picking up from 'Wild at Heart'...I recommend every mother of boys to read this, every married woman to read it and every father of sons read this book. Valuable to parenting but more so to healing the masculine heart. So so good. The fiction book is called, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
A coukie story of a woman's desire and desperate search for God. So far, she's not getting it very right, but who ever does? A sweet and interesting read, not intellectual, but fun. My morning read is another non-fiction called 'The Rest of God' by Mark Buchanan, a Canadian author.
This book is revolutionising my Sabbath. I finally get it. It's not a book heavy laden with legalism. Its really getting to the heart of rest. No guilt allowed kind of rest. Love it. Read this book with a pencil and a highlighter near by.
So that's me in my cocoon. Curling up and reading...I love books. In case I never told you before.
Its kind of picking up from 'Wild at Heart'...I recommend every mother of boys to read this, every married woman to read it and every father of sons read this book. Valuable to parenting but more so to healing the masculine heart. So so good. The fiction book is called, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
A coukie story of a woman's desire and desperate search for God. So far, she's not getting it very right, but who ever does? A sweet and interesting read, not intellectual, but fun. My morning read is another non-fiction called 'The Rest of God' by Mark Buchanan, a Canadian author.
This book is revolutionising my Sabbath. I finally get it. It's not a book heavy laden with legalism. Its really getting to the heart of rest. No guilt allowed kind of rest. Love it. Read this book with a pencil and a highlighter near by.
So that's me in my cocoon. Curling up and reading...I love books. In case I never told you before.
Friday, January 25, 2008
A Homeschool Family
I hope you can all see the humor here and not be offended....I just roared with my kids! Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Mom and Dad's Expectations of Our Kids
My blogging friend Aduladi asked on her blog, what do we expect of our kids and are we expecting too little! Most excellent question...
This is what keeps my sanity in our home. After all, when an argument comes up, I just point to the fridge and say, sorry, its on the fridge, there's nothing I can do. Keeping in mind God's grace and mercy, we extend them as often as we can without becoming doormats. Hope this list helps. Its a combination of several different authors and our own ideas. One idea we love is a family constitution. Dr. Gary Smalley has one and it is good. Check his website for it.
Mom and Dads Expectations of Our Kids:
• A B+ Average in school
• Four nights at home with family
• In bed, lights out by your specific time on school nights: Simon 10:00
Sara 9:00
JP 9:00
• No signs of fatigue or stress
• Chores done daily
Kids are in control of:
• Choosing who they depend on
• Doing what you are able
• Adjusting behavior to minimize consequences
• Accepting failure, learning and improving
Kids must accept responsibility for:
• Your part in friendships
• Study Habits
• Completing tasks for allowance or to help out
• Respecting relationships in our family
• Jobs outside the home
• For getting up on time and getting to activities/school
i.e.: arrange a ride
10 Boundaries you must know:
• Consequences are real
• Responsibility: pull your own wagon
• Power: know when to ask for help and when to do it on your own
• Respect: your not the only one who matters
• Motivation: when you see something that needs to be done, just do it, don't complain about who should have done it
• Evaluation: learn from your mistakes and pain
• Pro activity: think before you do something you’ll regret
• Thankfulness: have an attitude of gratitude
• Activity: feed your body well/be active
ie: a fruit, yogurt and grain before 10:00 snack
• Honesty: always the best policy
This is what keeps my sanity in our home. After all, when an argument comes up, I just point to the fridge and say, sorry, its on the fridge, there's nothing I can do. Keeping in mind God's grace and mercy, we extend them as often as we can without becoming doormats. Hope this list helps. Its a combination of several different authors and our own ideas. One idea we love is a family constitution. Dr. Gary Smalley has one and it is good. Check his website for it.
Mom and Dads Expectations of Our Kids:
• A B+ Average in school
• Four nights at home with family
• In bed, lights out by your specific time on school nights: Simon 10:00
Sara 9:00
JP 9:00
• No signs of fatigue or stress
• Chores done daily
Kids are in control of:
• Choosing who they depend on
• Doing what you are able
• Adjusting behavior to minimize consequences
• Accepting failure, learning and improving
Kids must accept responsibility for:
• Your part in friendships
• Study Habits
• Completing tasks for allowance or to help out
• Respecting relationships in our family
• Jobs outside the home
• For getting up on time and getting to activities/school
i.e.: arrange a ride
10 Boundaries you must know:
• Consequences are real
• Responsibility: pull your own wagon
• Power: know when to ask for help and when to do it on your own
• Respect: your not the only one who matters
• Motivation: when you see something that needs to be done, just do it, don't complain about who should have done it
• Evaluation: learn from your mistakes and pain
• Pro activity: think before you do something you’ll regret
• Thankfulness: have an attitude of gratitude
• Activity: feed your body well/be active
ie: a fruit, yogurt and grain before 10:00 snack
• Honesty: always the best policy
Friday, January 4, 2008
Moving from Fear to Freedom by Grace Fox
Have you ever read a book that just blesses the socks off you and actually changes your life? Okay, yeah, the Bible. Okay, yes, that one certainly counts and most definitely changes everything. But once in a while, God uses his everyday people to move us. I've struggled with fear for most of my parenting life. I'm talking the kind of fear for your kids safety, not the kind that won't make you go out the door. But simple fear. Like if they fall will they be hurt and need stitches. The worst fear moment I had was one where I was at a women's event listening to a speaker talk on freedom in the Lord and my girlfriends cell phone went off. I instantly thought that my daughter had been killed and someone was trying to get in touch with me via my friend. All this flashes through my mind, my heart and guts so quickly I didn't know what was happening. How did a simple phone call on some else's phone become all about me? Fear. Was I trusting God to be who I believe He is? No. I was walking the walk and talking the talk but not believing it. Grace Fox has written a book that cleared up the area of fear so completely that although the notion of fear tries to creep in, I feel more like I can decide to Praise God in the moment anyway. And the fear leaves. With nowhere to hang on, the spirit of fear dissolves. This book digs deep and says it like it is in all areas of fear. Grace Fox is an excellent author and speaker. Please if you are a resolution type person and want to receive freedom in your life from something so debilitating as fear can be, read this book! Get your socks blessed off. Visit her beautiful website at www.gracefox.com where you can see my note to Grace under her book.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas Past
Hmmmmmmmmm, the feeling of not shopping, not baking and not cleaning. Yet. Its good. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good. I'm not the boxing day type. I'm feeling like I've shopped enough. And cleaned enough and all the rest. But something gets in me around this time of year and I want to rip apart every nook and cranny and reorganize the stuff. Old stuff out, new stuff in and a place for everything. I'm feeling over stuffed at the moment. But truely blessed. We are a blessed people on this side of the world. Peace is true here. I think of the unrest on the other side of the world and just marvel at the peace of Christ. Truely. This Advent we have seen 5 people pass away (one as young as 15) and as sad and horrible as it is, there's still peace. Its a fragile peace though, so attached to finance and commerce. I'm looking for that Peace that surpasses all understanding peace. The kind that only comes from the King of Kings. I can't imagine separating from that Peace. Peace to you friend.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Funerals and Christmas
Trying to channel the absolute peace of Christmas during a funeral is harder than I thought it would be. My plan this year was to have all my shopping done in November so I could enjoy my Advent. That almost happened. I did get the bulk done and am I ever glad. Now these few days when my hubby has been home only to sleep (and even one night away with his dad) have been less stressful and more of a smooth experience. You know, ironing everyones clothes so we have 2 outfits, one for funeral home, one for funeral. Does everyone have shoes? Do we all have black socks without holes? Who needs a haircut? All these chores would normally have to be done anyway in preperation for Christmas Day, but now its just amplified. And thankfully, my focus isn't on 'stuff' its where it needs to be. I will definately do that plan again next year.
Anyway, this song helps me focus on where I need too. I hope it blesses you as well.
Merry Christmas!
Anyway, this song helps me focus on where I need too. I hope it blesses you as well.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sad news
It's always sad when someone dies because we the ones left behind miss the people so much. Its almost selfish to want to cling to them, but releasing our loved ones the The One who loves them Most...like the Most High God...that takes trust. And that requires much. To say God is sovereign and knows what He's doing is one thing...to believe it is completely another. Its still sad. Hubby's Grandmother passed away today. She was 84. One of my favorite people was this woman. She exuded wisdom and love. I will miss her greatly, my kids will miss her, my husband will miss her, my mother in law is devastated. She was best friends with her mom. Nonna gave birth to her last child 2 years before her daughter gave birth to her first child. They raised their kids together. What a blessing. Sad days ahead, but joy in heaven today. Nonna gets to see her husband today! She was a smart woman her whole life, I'm not surprised she chose heaven. Always the best choice.
Monday, December 17, 2007
...and the snows they came!
Wow! We got socked! Buried, almost alive...well, not really. But it is a ton of snow. For sure a ton. These are some pics my son took around our house and this was only at the half way through the storm part. Over the tops of the houses should be the Niagara Escarpment...can't see it can ya? The storm started a few hours later than predicted with freezing rain that actually was hitting the bedroom window so hard, it woke me up. Then it teased a little with some chunky flakes but sorta stopped for a while. About an hour later, the escarpment was missing from view and the road was invisible. Suddenly, the winds picked up and we were taking cover. I think it was a pj day for many..family church, cozy time. Loved it. I finished Christmas cards and just generally hung out with my family. My beloved went out to shovel at one point and I couldn't see him. I saw the shovel once in a while but he was a blurr. So neat. And this morning, beautiful clear sky...what a treat.
Enjoy the hills...we will!
Enjoy the hills...we will!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Orca
I found this really neat website called orca-live.net where you can listen to Ocean sounds and occasionally hear some whales. Its really neat but it takes some time to be able to sit and listen. I'm running it now as I blog and its really cool. Makes you think about the majesty of God's creation. His hand is so big and so wide to cover so many wonderful areas. What a mighty God we serve. I'm sad these beauties are captured and yet, its amazing to understand them better. Its a bitter sweet battle between us vs. nature. I love that I've been able to touch one and I'm appalled that they live in tanks and hurt. orcalab.org is a nice website too...it explains the pain of capture. A tug of war for certain.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Oh Christmas Tree....blahhhhhhhh
Ever have one of those days when your just not proud of your behaviour? That's me. I'm about to apologize to my husband for my rotten Christmas tree hunting attitude, but I wanted just one more moment to confess before I do....I was really mad at him. I thought it was his bad mood, his attitude, his lack of excitement, but really, its me and my way too high expectations. And so, now, my husband is out hanging lights, trimming the tree to fit the space and probably walking on egg shells thinking about what he's going to walk into. So...here's to humble pie! I have to put him out of his misery (which is me), change my attitude and walk lovingly, even though my heart isn't really in it right now. Because I know, I walk by faith and not by sight...so in faith, I will adjust my bad mood because if I walk by sight, someone might catch a dagger....time for heart surgery!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Logan
Its been a tough week. The music director at our church passed away Sunday and it was really hard for my daughter. She's been in the choir since grade 2 and has a special relationship with her. Very hard to say goodbye. But we know she was a great woman of God and is singing with her voice that she couldn't use near the close of her earthly life. She's singing with choirs of angels in heaven most certainly. And we also had news of another pillar in our church taking a stroke that sounds fatal. Heaven is near for her too. And sadly, one of the most inspiring women I've never met passed away. She's been beating cancer for a year and is one of the most courageous, lovely women I've never met. I keep saying never, because truely, I never met her. I know of her through a few friends that church with her family. Her story was blogged by she and her husband. Completely inspiring. So, Jesus took her cancer away this week and she is healed in her new body. It's been hard, thinking about her family, her husband is this knight in shining armor kind of guy who loves their 3 kids under 5 with so much dignity. He's a great man of God who will do great honor to his wife. This clip is an amazing testimony to the understanding of our pain that God has. We often say things like, "Why did God let this happen?" Well, this clip helps us remember, that God understands our pain from personal experience.
Its sweet, but get a tissue!
Its sweet, but get a tissue!
Everything
This video is incredible...I never thought of Jesus this way before and it makes me weep to think of His strength that oftens is just simply ignored....
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