Nursery News

At our church we believe in staffing our nursery with an "Equal Responsibility Employer" motto. Fathers are just as welcome to assist in the care of infants and toddlers as mothers. However, this can lead to some err... "compromising" situations.

Last night I was staffing the nursery along with one of the fathers. Other than a few mysterious odors, things had gone quite smoothly. We found toys, books, drinks... many things to keep the little ones entertained during the service.

On the jacket of the dress I was wearing was a rather large (about 5 inches long) very colorful, shiny brooch. As you might imagine, this caught the attention of one of the toddlers. As I was holding her, she pulled and tugged and played with the brooch as best she could considering it was securely pinned to my jacket. She became bored with the brooch so I put her down and she ran off to play with something else.

It was getting very warm in the nursery so I took my jacket off and hung it up. As the service neared the end, I lifted my jacket up to put it back on. The "securely" pinned brooch came loose and fell down the back of my dress. It got caught on the material and would not fall the rest of the way out. It kept sticking me as I danced around the room trying to shake it loose. I couldn't ask my co-worker for assistance for that would require reaching down the back of my dress. Since he was another woman's husband I thought that would probably be inappropriate. The congregation was in the middle of an alter call and my husband was on the platform with the mic. I was running out of options. Thankfully the pin finally jarred loose and fell.

I repinned the brooch, put on my jacket, regaining what was left of my dignity and returned my attention to the children. Soon afterward, one of the little boys said, "I want to hold you!" Of course I couldn't resist. I replied, "I want to hold you, too!" and picked him up. He started reaching for that irresistable brooch. At least that's what I thought until he grabbed the front of my scooped neck dress, pulled it out and with a wide-eyed gaulk at what he discovered cried,"EWWWW!!!" Yes, that father was still in the nursery and there went what was left of my dignity.

Kids!! You gotta love 'em!

Two Builders

A builder builded a temple;

He wrought with care and skill;

Pillars and groins and arches

Were fashioned to meet his will;

And men said when they saw its beauty

"It shall never know decay.

Great is thy skill, oh builder,

Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A teacher builded a temple;

She wrought with skill and care;

Forming each pillar with patience,

Laying each stone with paryer.

None saw the unceasing effort;

None knew of the marvelous plan;

For the temple the teacher builded

Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the builder's temple;

Crumbled into the dust,

Pillar and groin and arches

Food for consuming rust;

But the temple the teacher builded

Shall endure while the ages roll;

For that beautiful, unseen temple

Was a Child's immortal soul.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

St. Francis of Assisi

The Greatness of God

Driving down the country roads to church or to work I have noticed the beautiful fall colors. I have seen the cows that have been released to the fields to feed on the leftovers from the harvested corn. The fields that have the huge round bails of hay scattered over the rolling hillsides and the wonderful array of colors that blanket the land are captivating. I see God's beautiful masterpiece and I am in awe of His wonderful creation and power.

As a science teacher, I observe the perfection, precision and accuracy of His great design and am astonished that anyone could be blinded into believing that this world, this universe is the result of happenstance.

Each time I commune with God I am overwhelmed by the idea that this great and mighty creator of the innumerous solar systems and galaxies wishes to spend time with an insignificant speck in the overall scheme of the universe such as I.

I am humbled by the omnipotence of God. Yet, He walks with me, watches over me and is aware of every splinter that may prick my skin. I am in awe of His omniscience. He knows all there is to know about time, past, present and future. Even those things which occurred before time began. Still He is aware of the very slightest of details concerning my life. I am fascinated by His omnipresence. He watches over me as I sleep in the midnight hour yet, simultaneously communes with the believer in the Middle East.

My God is a great and mighty God. He is worthy of all glory, honor and praise. I will not bequeath to the rocks that for which I have been created! I will praise Him with a loud voice! I will worship Him with all that I am. I will give glory to Him with all that I do!

I love you Father. Thank you for loving me. Help me to be ever mindful of You and the work that you have commissioned me to do. Help me to worship You each day of my life. Help me to glorify You every moment with my life. Help me to be Your friend. Thank you for being mine. Help me to recognize others who need to have this same relationship with You.

Give me opportunities to share Your goodness, greatness and love with others. Use me as You see fit. Help me to be sensitive to Your voice and heed your instructions. Open my eyes to the Harvest. Let me be a worker in Your fields. Thank You, Father for using this lowly servant.

Amen!

Quote for the Day


"I want to know God's thoughts...
...the rest are details." Albert Einstein

Kentucky Roots

When I was growing up I used to hear people say ,"Kentucky, the land of fast women and beautiful horses" (or was it the other way around?) I loved Kentucky. It was a beautiful place to grow up. And I was oblivious to the idea that almost everyone else in America veiwed us as dumb hillbillies where the women were barefoot and pregnant all the time and the men carried shotguns everywhere they went. "And Lord help the revenuer who sets foot on our property!"

While attending college (in KY I might add), I had the good fortune of meeting a fella from Illinois who later became my husband. He took me from that sheltered environment and moved me to his homeland. This was the first time I discovered we were the brunt of many of the jokes of people who lived outside our territory, in particular Illinoisans.

Now I have spent the past 20 years of my life trying to dispel the stereotypes of Kentuckians. It has been particularly difficult for me to get people to take me seriously since I have the added detriment of being a blond. But having worked my way through school obtaining first a bachelors degree then a masters degree, I thought I was finally making headway. That is until the events of this past week. In one shining moment, my parents anihalated all my hard work.

My sister called me the other day to tell me she had run into one of her neighbors who happens to work for the utility company. The same utility company that is in charge of the lines where my parents live (yes we had electricity where I grew up...and indoor plumbing, too)! Apparently, some of his employees had asked permission from my father to trim the trees around the power lines on their property. My father agreed to give them access if the power company would trim all the other trees on his property as well. Incredibly, they said they couldn't do that.

Well, a few days later the power company sent its workers out to trim the trees around the lines on my parents' property. As the rest of the world is aware, the utility companies don't need permission to access one's property for this purpose. I believe it's in a little clause called eavesment rights. Somehow, my father missed that memo. When he saw the men on his property, he went out and ran them off ( not politely I might add)!

A day or so passess and my sister's neighbor (the utility guy) goes to my parents' house to talk to them about trimming the trees. The polite gentleman knocks on the door and (are you ready?) my mother meets him at the front door with a loaded shotgun! He did sweet talk her enough to get the shotgun put on the table by the door but that was where the hospitlity stopped, still no access but I'm sure he got some new underwear out of the deal!

Oh, I forgot to mention why the man stopped my sister to begin with. He wanted to know if our parents are insane? Go figure, I guess because in Kentucky most people would meet you at the door with just a loaded pistol.

The Quest For the Ring

I set out on a mission last night to find my husband a new wedding ring. Our twentieth wedding anniversary is coming up and I thought this would be an appropriate gift. So I gathered all the necessary gear for my journey and off I went to begin my quest.

J.C. Penney was having a sale (unbelievable I know) of up to 50% off so I started there. There were some expensive rings, some over priced rings and some er... let's call them less expensive rings. If I bought one right then I would get the "Pre-sale" extra discount of an additional 15%! I was very tempted but I thought I should shop around so I headed down to a jewelry store.

As luck would have it, they were also having a sale. If I bought at their "pre-sale" sale I would get an extra 10% off! As the sales clerk was showing me the different rings, she would explain the wonderful features of each, the great value, the beauty, the fire,... I then noticed a ring with a strangely colored metal. "Oh, these are our titanium rings. Very beautiful." I agreed and unusual as well.

My husband likes unusual and different things so this caught my interest. However, before the clerk would show it to me, she wanted to know what my husband did for a living. (Did she want to know if I could afford it? Was it just polite conversation? Why was she asking?) I politely responded, "He's a minister." "Oh," she replied, "I always ask because a lady bought one of these and ended up in an accident and broke her arm. Her hand began to swell turning her finger purple. The ring was cutting off the circulation so the hospital tried to cut the ring off. They didn't have the right tools so they cut her finger off instead." I quickly turned my attention back to the "regular" gold rings.

I kept eyeing the "comfort band with diamonds" but it was a little expensive. I could spend $5oo on this ring or I could go to J.C. Penney and get an engraved gold band on sale for $50 something. Now, I don't want to sound cheap, but this would be my husband's fourth ring in less than 20 years of marriage!

The History of The Ring

Our first set of rings was purchased by my mother. We were so poor, we couldn't afford rings. These plain gold bands were very precious to us so we never took them off . My husband began to glow. I thought it was because he was so much in love. I later discovered it was because his ring became electroplated with battery acid while working on our car. The ring began to "eat away" at his skin. We tried to have it cleaned numerous times to no avail. Needless to say, he had to stop wearing it.

Ring one down

A few years later, we were a little more financially secure so I bought Darrell a gold band with diamonds for our anniversary. Due to the webbing in his hand and being unaccustomed to wearing a ring now, he kept taking it off. (I think he was a little more concerned about "hurting" this ring as well.)

While out of town for a funeral, he took the ring off to polish his shoes. In our rush to get to the funeral on time, he forgot to pick his ring back up. We had already checked out, so he called the desk as soon as we arrived at the funeral home to have the manager to retrieve the ring before the room was cleaned. Amazingly enough, the maid that was sent to check, said there was no ring. Now according to the manager, none of his maids would steal anything. The only possible explanation? Light Fingers Luie somehow found a key, entered the room unnoticed, and stole the ring.

Ring two down.

I felt really bad about the loss of this ring, so I bought him another for his birthday this year. Within a month of the time I paid it off, it sprouted legs and walked off. (You just can't stop evolution.)

Ring three down.

Back to "The Quest"

I thought this series of events over carefully, discussed them with a friend and after extensive deliberation...I went back to J.C. Penney for the $50 something ring. (I figured he could use this one for everyday.) I pulled out my credit card and told the clerk to ring it up! I was ready for Christmas!

By the look on the clerk's face I knew there was a problem with my bargain. "Oh, I'm sorry." she said,"This is a 'value right' ring. You don't get the 50% off, just the 15%. This ring is $89." I said, "You had me at the $5o!" I put my credit card back in my purse and left.

I guess The Quest will have to continue.

Better

Today started off pretty much like yesterday. Got up early, did some laundry, fought with my hair, let the dog out... you know, normal morning routine things. Then at about 7:15 my daughter comes in and I realize something is wrong with this picture. There was a reason I had gotten up so early and had so much time to do all of these things. What was it?

Oh my god! I realized I should have left five minutes earlier for school. There would be 20 or so students waiting for me that I had threatened with removal from the team if they were not on time and I was probably going to be late myself!

To make matters worse, I couldn't find my keys. I dumped out my purse in frustration, no keys. Looked in all the usual (and unusual) spots, no keys. Looked in my car, no keys. Decided to drive another vehicle, had a flat. My husband is searching, no keys. Meanwhile the clock is ticking, anxiety is peaking. This is my first year at this school and the last thing I need is a reputation for being irresponsible.

FINALLY, my keys! I find them in the bottom of my school bag! Heaven only knows why I put them there. I take off for school and get behind every huge truck with massive amounts of inertia that could be sitting at a stop light or entering the freeway. Anxiety mounts.

I call my family and tell them thanks for helping, love ya, sorry I didn't have time to come back in and do this right...guilt, guilt, guilt. What if I died, what if something happens to my kids or husband and I didn't take the time to hug and kiss them only because my head wasn't screwed on straight - again...guilt, guilt, guilt.

I get to my classroom and waiting there in the hall outside my door are my dutiful, dependable students. No accusations, no finger pointing, just waiting.

So why the title BETTER?

I realized how blessed I am. My students listened patiently as I recounted my unfunny morning trying to make it so. My husband came to my rescue in spite of the fact he had his own time schedule. And when I logged into my blog I found my picture in my profile. So what?!

I searched quite some time last night trying to find a picture to use and then trying to figure out how to get posted. I finally swallowed my pride and asked my husband for help. He remarked he didn't have my login or password. I was in too much of a hurry (again) to stay and help. Just figured it would have to wait. When I saw the picture, I knew my husband had taken the time to find a picture he thought I would like (I'm very picky, don't like any pictures of myself. I consider them a necessary evil for posterity's sake). He cropped and downloaded it. That was kind enough but I realized of all the people in the world I am one of the most blessed. My husband was not only considerate, but he knows me well enough that he figured out my login and password. Some may consider it invasion of privacy, spying... I know that isn't it. He stays out of my stuff unless invited. It just makes me realize he's paying attention.

Yes, today is BETTER!

LIFE!!!

Up and down, up and down, I have a good day then a bad day. Last week all was going fairly well. Saturday my family and I traveled to Champaign, IL for a band festival my son was competing in. It was expensive but well worth the cost. Sunday I was asked to play a song I'd never heard and it felt like it had always been a part of me.

Then today comes. I just couldn't get my thoughts straight for my 1st period class. I managed to get through it saving face with my chemistry students, then along came my Physics students. I reviewed Friday's lecture and then gave the students some practice problems. I had painstakingly worked out each example on a transparency so that I could explain each step. I get to the 2nd or third problem noticing the look of confusion on their faces only to realize I had done the WRONG assignment!

ARGHHH!!!!

Even as I'm trying to type this, I keep hitting the wrong keys sometimes deleting things unintentionally. I am truly in a fog today! I hope for my students' sakes I get back on top of the game by tomorrow.

Thanks, God, for good students.

Addendum:
When school got out today, the fog continued. I did remember to babysit the student car lot (a little late and only because it was sent to me in a bulletin). I packed all my things, saved everything I needed to work on on my flash drive, shut down the computer and rushed to the lot. Everyone was gone. OK, I thought, I'll just go to my car and get my son's trumpet and run it to the shop. It wasn't there. I'd left it at home. Called hubby to bail me out (thanks, God, for hubby). Brought the trumpet, met me at the shop, the pieces were gone and couldn't be replaced. Back to the old duct tape routine.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Traveling back in time

OK, I hope I'm doing this right. I'm new to this game, but surfing the Blog Sea, I just couldn't resist. While sitting up waiting for my son to come home from a competition, I had the pleasure of eavesdropping via blogs on some Aussie college students. They love fun and they love God. It gave me an opportunity to travel back in time to my twenties (not sure I ever left mentally) and remember. I did have a blast in college and I'm glad my son will soon be able to have those same experiences (not all I hope). Though the thought of his growing up and leaving leaves a hole in my heart, I look forward to his future with great anticipation.

Thanks ebae, dbae and all you others including that really cool pastor for letting me in for a little while.
Well, it's time to come back to my forties and be mom again (gotta pick up the boy child). Come to think of it, I like it here, too!