Stargazing


The other night I came home from a late rehearsal to find my husband sitting outside, enjoying a cigar. I sat with him for a while and we mused over the beauty of the full moon and the stars. The moon was incredible—big and luminous. We sat there for over an hour just watching it rise in the sky, and then took out a small telescope to get an even better view. I was reminded of younger days, lying on a blanket on our thick St. Augustine lawn in Bradenton, looking for the man in the moon. Some nights I could see eyes and a mouth… others I’d see the profile of a woman, or a man and a monster.

Last night we ventured back out after dark. The breeze was warm and balmy, the night clear, and the sky spectacular. We stared up into the heavens and enjoyed the view, occasionally breaking the silence to point out a bright star twinkling in hues of red, yellow, and white. This verse from Scripture came into my mind: “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Psalm 147:4. Amazing. This also brought to mind Psalm 8:

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!.

Looking at the moon and the stars made me feel very small, but when I thought about this psalm, I was reminded of God’s incredible love and care for all of creation—especially man. The overwhelming beauty of creation is a testament to the glory of God, and his love for his children evident in the place he has given man in creation.

I’m looking forward to another clear night and some stargazing.

Laughter


I love to laugh-- it's an incredible feeling, and I can't imagine life without it. Laughter can take me all the way to tears without much effort, and brings to me a sense of well-being that I treasure daily. Fortunately, I work with some incredibly funny people. They're bright, witty, fun, and they make me laugh every day. I often think about how great it is to be surrounded by such folks.

I remember the first time our eldest son Daniel laughed out loud as a baby. It was a splendid moment, and I found myself trying to make him laugh over and over again. Such a great sound! Dan's first belly laugh was in response to my making a silly noise while changing his diaper. Sam's came when Daniel pretended to fall on the floor. Jesse's was in response to mom being silly, and Marla's came when the dog was running in circles around her. I'll never forget any of them.

I came across this video yesterday of a baby laughing-- his laugh is completly delightful. I watched it quite a few times and giggled my way through each replay. Enjoy!

Math Tests


This year I have to take the Teacher’s Certification exam in the General Education domain to renew my Teaching Certificate. I think it won’t be too difficult with the exception of higher mathematics. Math was never my strong point. I’ve spent some time recently trying to brush up on skills I’ve not used in several decades, and it’s been coming back to me very slowly. The area I struggled the most in as a kid was complex word problems. I can remember thinking, “who cares?!” when reading them. I recall one problem in particular that so completely stumped me I decided to write an impossible word problem for the teacher as my answer. He didn’t appreciate my sense of humor.

Today, Lynette sent me an email that made me laugh— a compilation of creative answers to math tests. It hit really close to home!

Answers

We’ve been praying about the missions trip to Turkey and have been asking for clear direction. Our answer came this morning via email.

The planners for this year’s trip have asked that children not go due to the rigorous schedule. It makes me sad, but at the same time, I’m grateful that the Lord closed the door before we sent out our support letter. Hopefully next year’s team will be able to accommodate traveling with a child, and there’s the added benefit that she will be a year older.

In the meantime, we’re praying that we would be able to continue our correspondence with those we care for there, and are excited to see what the Lord might do. Who knows... maybe we can convince them to come and visit us here?

Good One

I love a good blonde joke. Not because I have anything against blondes, but because I think I really am one at heart, generally saying and doing more vacuous things than I care to admit, and it keeps the coworkers, hubby, and family amused.

Last night I was washing Marla's hair and had her lay back in the tub to rinse it out. She sat up with her eyes squeezed tightly closed, and proclaimed, "I'm blonde, I'm blonde! I can't see!"

She's blonde???? Oh... I get it (eyes closed... BLIND!)

Good one!

Dealing with the ramifications of an auto accident can be an extended, often frustrating experience. (Wow. I sound like one of those attorneys on TV.) The accident in June is still a topic of conversation in our home, and probably will be for a while to come. Last night, there was a funny break in the tension.

Don and Marla made a trip to WalMart yesterday and had some duplicate keys made for one of the cars. While waiting, she convinced her daddy to buy her some metallic Disney Princess keys, which she kept out to show me just before bedtime.

“Hey, you’ve got keys!” I said with a smile.

“These are for when I buy my car and I wreck my other one,” she earnestly explained.

I guffawed!

Maybe the words are a little backwards, but still, that was pretty funny coming from a five year old.

The Simple Truth


Summer is over. Let’s all pause for a moment of silence…

I’ve been wrestling with my calling as a teacher the past few years since Jesse’s death. The first year I taught on autopilot, just doing what felt right, and each subsequent year got just a little harder. It’s hard to be creative when you’re grieving.

Last year I somehow woke up from my funk. I enjoyed my students, and actually began to feel like a teacher again, but I was completely exhausted by the effort. So when this new school year began to loom on the horizon, I had some seriously mixed emotions. Would this year be better than last? Would I experience another resurgence of enthusiasm and skill?

Last week I decided to stop fretting and pray. I prayed that God would remind me why I teach, that he would somehow use me in the lives of my students, and that he’d enable me to do that which he’s called me to do. He’s answered my prayers in the sweetest way possible.

Over the weekend, I got an email from a MS student asking if maybe sometime we could go get coffee, like friends do. (You bet we can!) On Monday I was sitting in the mall with my Dad and my daughter (they were having ice cream) and another one of my HS students came flying up and embraced me, telling me that she’d missed me and that she was taking voice lessons so that she could take choir again next year (this year she must take another course to complete all her credits). Last night we had convocation, and two of my HS students from last year ran up and hugged me, their eyes sparking and faces beaming.

I get it Lord.

I’m not completely prepared for the year, but I’ve been reminded of why I teach:

To love on these kids. Plain and simple. Hopefully, they’ll even learn how to sing in the process.

The Love Hotel


Ever get the feeling your kids could see something you couldn’t? Sometimes it makes me feel like the Emperor in Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperors New Clothes” and other times it makes me laugh at life and myself loud and long.

I had so much fun picking out paint and finding the items needed for our bathroom project, scouring for deals and bargains. We did a really neat thing for very little money—the room makes me smile when I enter it. Don installed some sconces that I picked up and we thought they’d work out great. When he turned on the lights, a soft wash of light bathed the room.

“I think it’s too dark in here. Vic”

“hmmmm…. Yeah… it is kind of dark in here,” I mused.

Don looked at himself in the mirror. “I have an orange face.”

Ha! He did. We decided to leave them up until we could find something else.

A little later, Sam came in, headed down the hallway and flipped on the bathroom lights.

“Aaagghh!” He cried.

Don and I began to smile.

“I feel like I’m in The Love Hotel,” he proclaimed!

I couldn’t stop laughing. I mean, I’d try, but then the laughter would bubble up unbidden every few moments. I’m laughing as I write this.

I think I’m going to leave up the lights and start calling our home The Love Hotel.

Missions on our minds…



A few weeks ago, Richard Pratt, founder of Third Millennium Ministries, challenged our church to take the Gospel to the Muslim world by building relationships with them. His challenge was quite straightforward. The only way to make a true impact on the spread of Islam is through the gospel of Christ, and the way to do it is through relationships. I thought about our time in Turkey and the friends that we made while there, and the burning desire in my heart to go back and see them. I’ve kept up with one young woman in particular via email, and hope and pray that at some point in our relationship I might have the opportunity to share the gospel with her.

We’re praying about going back to Turkey. There will be a missions team leaving in October to serve for 10 days and Don and I (plus Marla) feel compelled to go. We’ll have to raise support as before, and are confident that if the Lord wants us to go then he will provide.

I don’t know if the Lord will use me in a teaching role this year, but my heart and mind are filled with the memories of the faces of the women I met and connected with. I ache to be useful to the Lord in their lives.

Why not go on a missions trip to a different place-- somewhere closer, perhaps?

Because we have formed relationships in this place, with these people. Relationships are built by time and personal investment… we need to go back.

Briefly... the ceiling.

Marvelous Man




Day 13 and we’re almost done! The walls have been painted and a few fixtures put in. We (translate “Don”) still have to connect the plumbing to the sink, put in the lights, and then find a rug, curtain, and towels. Fun! I need to find the last three items for free… think it will happen?

What the picture doesn’t show is the cool ceiling. We painted it a copper color to play off the skylight. When the sun is right overhead the room absolutely glows. I’ve already forgotten the terrible thoughts I was thinking as I painted it. Now it just makes me smile.

I’d like to publicly thank my husband for his hard work on my behalf. He hasn’t complained once (in my presence) about this project.

What a marvelous man!

The Man in the Tree

What were you like as a child? Were you quiet? Boisterous? Shy?

I was imaginative, and lived in a world of daydreaming, reading books and poetry, and playing “let’s pretend”. I enacted fairy tales with my friends, and spent many an afternoon lying in a hammock watching clouds race across the sky.

I still love to imagine, seeing whimsy in ordinary things all around me. Early this morning Marla and I went for a short bike ride just after our walk. We pedaled down the street until we came to the lane that leads to a nearby lake. Turning down the lane, I saw the huge oak tree that had captured my imagination since I was 12 years old.

The tree stood in a grove of oaks and its great canopy of branches was thick with leaves. If I stood just in front of the tree its knotted and gnarled trunk looked to my young eyes like a man trapped in the tree. It still looks that way to me today. I hope you can see what I do.

Morning Walks



Most days, Marla and I walk Amos (the dog) in the early morning together. It gives us an opportunity to start the day with some fresh air and we generally talk about whatever she would like to discuss. Today, I had an upcoming Missions trip on my mind and was feeling compelled to pray about it right then. So I asked Marla if she would mind If I talked to God for a few minutes while we walked. (I generally need to pray aloud so that I can stay focused.) So I prayed while we walked, finishing up after a few minutes and thanked Marla for her indulgence, telling her that I was feeling better now that I had talked with God.

She asked how I felt better. Hmmm... how to explain this to a five year old?

“Well,” I said. “It makes my heart feel good to talk to God. Do you ever get that wonderful feeling in your tummy when you’re doing something that makes you feel good?”

“Oh yes,” she replied. “With Gran and Papa.”

“What do you mean?” I probed.

“When I color with Gran, I have that feeling.”

“What about Papa?”

“When he takes me for walks or takes me out to play in his backyard, I have it too.”

It struck my heart so deeply to hear her articulate her understanding of the love and acceptance she feels when she’s with her grandparents. She knows they delight in her.

I wouldn’t trade these early morning walks for anything.

Perspective


A seemingly simple task can often turn into a study in frustration. Yesterday I began painting the bathroom ceiling with the ultra-thick glaze required to give it the finish we decided upon. It was like painting with wet clay. Ugh. By the time I trimmed out and then rolled the ceiling with it’s first coat I was getting a little grumpy. I recalled how difficult this paint was to use from a previous painting endeavor last year, and that I had vowed never to use it again. Apparently, optimism had clouded my judgment once again. What a pain. Top that off with the simple fact that paint burns when it splatters in your eye. (For a long time.)

Don came to my rescue and offered to do the second coat, (read that as: “Uh, honey, why don’t you let me finish that?”) but had to wait until 9:00 pm to do it as our faithful dryer of 21 years unexpectedly died around 11:00 am. The rest of the day was filled with a visit by the repairman, a pronouncement of death by motor failure, and then finding a replacement. Now normally, I don’t mourn the passing of aged appliances, but this dryer… well, it had dried the clothes of all our babies. I was kind of sad—until Don brought in the new one. He not only found the dryer that is the companion to last year’s new washer, but he got the scratch and dent one from Lowes and saved hundreds of dollars. I was doing the happy dance by dinnertime.

Today is wall day, but I also have to go to work… I may be up painting until late tonight, unless there’s a plumbing leak. Ah well… at least I could dry the towels if it happened.

Renovation Day 6


The dry wall is done, the baseboards are in, and the walls have been primed! Woo-hoo! With lots of praise, encouragement, and a little meatloaf, the room is finally ready to paint. The really good news is we’re still speaking quite nicely to one another.

Does anyone really care about this besides me? Probably not, but I’m posting pictures anyway.








The plumbing had to be rerouted and then drywall had to go up.



















While Don did the dirty work, I painted my grandmother’s mirror to offset the “find”.


















We’re painting the ceiling today, and then the walls tonight. Hopefully, we’ll be putting the vanity in by Wednesday.

I painted the hallway with Marla while Don worked on the drywall yesterday. I gave her a paintbrush and told her she could paint as many pictures on the wall as she desired until I was ready to roll the section she had painted. Happy, happy child!