Out of the Mouth of Babes (well not quite that young)

What!?!  Is this correct, blogging two days in a row!?!?!  Yup, craziness I tell you, craziness!

Anyway, last night it occurred to me that in less than 48 hours (about 30 hrs now), I will begin to start bringing my things to my new place.  I'm nervous, excited & stressed.  Well one of my friends text me saying:

"You have so many people here to help, don't worry!  You're starting a great new chapter.  New job, new home...new tattoos!  God is lining you up to walk through some big doors he's opening."

That came from a 21 yr old!  I've known her since she was at least in 7th grade.  Through Scripture class, Mission trips in high school, leading retreats for the younger students & she's now a Catechist!  I'm proud to call her friend & we still go see movies when we can (& have clam chowder afterwards!).

You never know how other people will lift you up when you need it most.  God works through everyone, young & mature...we just have to be open to listening to God in all forms!

True Friends

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday Everyone!

These past two weeks I've been consumed w/ purging 15 years of stuff from my apartment to get ready to move.  Wow, one really accumulates a lot of junk in 15 years!  Poor Tallula Belle is freaking out b/c she's not used to seeing Mom clean!  😼

I have found that I have some really good true friends throughout all this.  By that I mean these are the ladies who will not only continually come over and help purge, pack & clean but they won't let me rationalize keeping something I really don't need!  They are honest even if I don't want to listen.  Oh...and then there is the exploding can event!  You see  two of these ladies gave up 5 hours of their Saturday, (both have families of their own!) to help me a few Saturdays ago and when they got to the lower cabinet in the kitchen that was all canned food, I told them to just leave it b/c I would take it all with me.

That's when I got the "Mom" look from both of them.  They went to read off the expiration dates of most of the cans, you know 2011, 2005, 2007...you get the point.  As they are tossing can after can out, one of them stops and exclaims "I've never seen something like this in my life" and proceeds to pull out a large can of tomato sauce that had exploded...years ago.  Then she pulls a second one out!  Opps!  🙍.  That's when I get the lecture from both on checking expiration dates on a regular basis.  Yeah, that's going to happen.  I am not Suzy Home-maker, never have been, never will.

Having said that, I've had 4 ladies, one of which has come over almost nightly, to help out, giggle and share stories!  It's made a tough job (physically & emotionally) a lot easier!  Last night we started loading up vehicles!!!  I will start my move in this Thursday and my friends & I will bring vehicle loads of stuff each night until the furniture arrives on Feb. 15th. 

Enough cannot be said about true friends and I am eternally grateful for mine!

It's the Little Things...

Happy Friday Everyone!

This week has flown by!  I have many things up in the air, new things at work which is always exciting plus an impending move that seems to be happening quicker than I can get my head around!  All good things, but I stress over them all.  I want to do things as perfect as possible which we all know is unattainable, and yet we still try.

Anyway, for whatever reason quit a few of my younger students have taken to come up & give me a quick hug when they see me in the school hallway.  How adorable is that!?!  They do it at the end of class too!  Seriously, I would have NEVER and I mean NEVER done that to a teacher!?!  When I was a student I felt, "Are they even human"!?!

I was an intellectual snob since at least high school (science & math, clearly not grammar!!!!) so I may have held certain teachers/professors in high regard but I tended to keep to myself, which is still true today.

I was just so touched at how kind the students can be, It would have never occurred to me to do that as a student or to expect it as a teacher.  So it doesn't matter if my day is chaotic and parts unsettling, these students have a way to instantly make that all go away and put a huge smile on my face!

I really should make a point to let the students know just how such simple acts can really change a person's day!!

Have a restful weekend!

The Advantage of Reading YA books as an Adult

Happy Friday!

In the past 15+, I have been a Director of Youth Ministry, Director of Religious Education & Faculty member (Religion teacher & Librarian extraordinaire!!) for students grades 1-8.  I cannot tell you how much it has helped to read YA books.  Not only does it help to keep on the pulse of what teens are reading but it's a great way of relating to the students as well.

I can't take any credit for it either.  Jeepers, I don't even know how long ago it was but one of my students talked me into reading the Twilight series.  Yes, it's overly romantic but it was also a good teaching point on over-protective males are not always the gentleman that Edward Cullens was.  Often it's a red flag for relationship abuse.

Reading the Hunger Games & the Divergent series had strong female leads which was empowering but they also spoke to how dystopian books seems to be the rage at the moment.  What is happening in society today that we see young people relate so strongly w/ dystopian societies!?!

And it will be no shock that Happy Potter is just about everyone's favorite YA series.  The writing is impeccable and the underlying theme is that love is the strongest magic, the strongest connection we have!  There are so many ways one can relate the different themes in HP to the gospels.  Inclusivity, teamwork, standing up for what you know is right even when it's difficult, especially when it's difficult.  Knowing that their could very well be dire consequences for doing what is right & doing it anyway...proudly.  All gospel values.

I am so grateful that that one student talked me into reading some YA books b/c of it I feel I can reach students at a deeper level and help to relate scripture to them in ways I otherwise could not.

So, thank you to all the students who have taught me so much more than I thought possible!  You've made me a better person for it!

Radio Silence is Over!

Good Morning All!

It's a balmy 10 degrees here.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas break!  Personally I had a cold, that transformed into bronchitis & finally lead to the stomach flu.  While none of this was fun & was grateful that it was over the holidays when I could stay at home w/ my nursemaid T.  She took very good care of me.

It also reminded me of H. G. Wells, "War of the Worlds".  I'm sure you can watch it on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  Anyway aliens take over the planet and are devastating humans.  However after a week or so the aliens start to die off.  Why!?!  Because they've no immunity to "bugs", viruses, bacteria & what not.  So you see, getting sick is evolution's way of helping us adapt to all things around us!

Have a wonderful day!