Hope

Hope - It looks so different depending on your life circumstances. This week I saw what hope looked like to my brother and his family. His daughter, my niece, has severe food allergies. She is deathly allergic to peanuts and has at least 15 other known food allergies (wheat, dairy, soy, all meats, glutens, and tree nuts, and others I can't recall). They've been faced with the reality that she will be going to school soon. Being an educator, I know my school and district take extreme precautions for severe food allergies & health concerns. But I can't guarantee that of my niece's school district. Needless to say, we are all very worried for the day she goes to kindergarten and her well being when away at school. This past week they tried an alternative treatment with acupressure and computer simulated allergin tests. The treatments went very well and will hopefully lessen the severity of her allergies over time. Anyway, they stopped by on their way home. I've never seen my brother so hopeful. After four long years and bad news after bad news of worsening allergies and new allergies cropping up all the time, he finally has hope that maybe his daughter can someday eat more foods and suffer less. I hope this, too.

Ghetto Cruisers

Ghetto Cruisers - we've all seen some form of these monstrosities. You know what I'm talking about - the souped up pieces of garbage that some people like to ride around in and think they look cool. Well here are a few from a message board my husband likes. Forgive me for the one with profanity; it's not very fitting for my blog. But these were just too good to not pass along.

Where Did the Summer Go?

I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by. I feel like I just got out of work (probably because I have been in several times since my "last" day), but only two weeks are left before I go back.

Last week we sent our daughter to daycare to help her get back in the groove. We're sending her to the sitter once a week from now on so she can spend some time with the other kids and become familiar with this setting once again. As I dropped her off this past week, it was a different experience than we left off with this past May. She saw the house and started saying, "No, no, no" on our way in. I handed her to the sitter (who is such a warm & wonderful caregiver) and she cried, "No, Mommy, no!" I quickly ducked out before a bigger scene erupted, but oh, the heartache. My eyes welled up with tears on the way home as I realized that I would be back at work for real soon enough.

That was the first of my realizations that summer is coming to an end. The other is the lack of days on my calendar to finish those "I'll get to it this summer projects." I should give myself some credit - we've accomplished lots since both of us were home and have made some great memories with our daughter. I'll mark these as DONE - sealing & fixing the patio (thanks Brian!). moving the library, lots of play dates, sorting through lots of kid clothes, trip to MN, many afternoons poolside, Sox games, making over a rocking chair, starting a digital scrapbook, re-working my blog, weekend with the nieces, and more I'm probably leaving out.

Still to come - Harry Potter movie date, outlet mall date, Cougars game, painting the kitchen, painting the foyer & upstairs hall, back splash in kitchen, basement organization, planning for school/work, more play dates

Later this year - painting master bedroom & bath

The list goes on and on, but I can see after making all these lists (done and left undone) that summer has been devoted to some worthwhile projects and lots of family time. I'll focus on these positive thoughts to keep myself from the bitterness that creeps in when August rolls around.

Be Faithful in the Small Things

Yesterday I watched Joel Osteen's message about being faithful in the small things. This message was a really good one for me. My husband has been out of work for awhile, and it is imperative that we stay focused and keep living to our fullest potential even though it's hard and it doesn't seem fair.

However, this message applied even more so to our church life. We recently joined a newly formed congregation. Starting something new is hard. I get frustrated that sometimes services are poorly attended, especially in the summer. I am aggravated that only a handful of the members attend adult education. I would love to see new members flocking through our doors. I wonder if we'll ever get to the point where we will experience some substantial growth. Joel's message this week focused on being faithful in the small things, such as a small church just getting started. Our roots are so important to the growth God has in store for us. I should view this as an opportunity to develop myself spiritually and be faithful.

"So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." Galations 6:9

"He who is faithful in little can be trusted with much." Luke 16:10

Thank you, Joel, for helping me see that this is a season in my life to grow roots; a season in our church to grow roots. If something in your life is hard right now or you feel you are doing insignificant work, it is not insignificant in the eyes of God. Trust Him and be faithful that He is working in you right now to make your roots strong and big blessings are in store for your life.

Smells Like Popcorn

As a treat for some students who met a special goal I'd set for them, I provided popcorn during their lesson this week. I used a big popcorn maker in our lounge. It took me about 20 min. to prepare the popcorn I needed each time. (I've had a couple of rounds of making popcorn this week.) I had to laugh out loud several times at people's reactions to all this popcorn making. I would be going about my business and other adults would be in and out of the lounge. EVERY time someone came in the lounge, they mentioned something about the popcorn. Each person's comments were much like the person before.

Popcorn comments:
"Oooh, smells like popcorn."
"Oh, you're making popcorn."
"Smells good!"
"Popcorn sounds good right now."
"Wow, that smells great!"
"Are you making some popcorn?" (My response in my head: "No, I enjoy standing here by this machine.")

I laughed to myself and wish I had someone to share it with. So, here you go.