The Inconvenient Convenience of the American Option

So...let's get this out there first...just to be clear...I'm an American, and I love my country...

But...

There's a drawback to our culutural love of "options".

Yep, I said it. There's a potential negative...

For some, those choices are a convenient excuse to 1) not grow up, 2) not deal with personal issues or challenges, 3) not work on relationships...basically hinder or draw out our development.

Why?...if you don't like something, move on! There might be less drama or angst where that green grass is...

Ugh. It's frustrating because it can contribute to a person potentially remaining immature, shallow and/or disconnected from others. Umm...self-focused.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger!" It's SO true! Going THROUGH the tough stuff can actually unleash us...into maturity, depth, community...and a functioning reality of love...the kind that includes grace, mercy and compassion.

So...maybe the next time there's a challenge or frustration...instead of hiking up our skirts and getting the heck outta Dodge...we should hold hands and jump in. In addition to growing up, we just might make the world a better place...

Contact

This has to be one of my favorite speech scenes in a movie. I know she's referring to an ET experience...I like to think it's similar to how I feel about God. :)

Bike Ride Heaven

I was able to get my own bike rack yesterday. I've had a Trek bike for years (totally recommend, btw) and enjoy a good ride on occasion. I've had to go locally unless I've been able to find someone who has a rack...now, my options are endless. :)

For starters I went to my favorite local state park. Wild River!!! It's enough off the beaten path that not many people go there. They have trails of all types with a lot of great tree cover. Today, I enjoyed the peaceful privacy with a touch of a rain shower. It was so refreshing.

By the way...I've decided that nature sings classical music! I selected a nice playlist of classical pieces for my ride. Nature and the notes went hand-in-hand.

What a great morning!

Rain

Feeling Better!

It's amazing what a trailer, a cooler day and a little help from Dad can do to make a gal feel better! All my brush was pre-piled on Saturday, so my Dad and I were able to take a couple hours this morning to move the piles to the ENORMOUS brush pile at church.

Yep...this girl is no longer looking out of the house at a complete mess!!!! Oh my...I feel so much better. :)

I've had three very good conversations over the past two days that have given me great space to be "real". Between Steph, Jody and my Dad, I've had the opportunity to express things, be challenged, and laugh a little.

Now, I'm off to practice some intentional gratitude for my WHOLE life. The good, the bad...and the ugly. :) Strangely...that gratitude reveals God's presence in the light and in the darkness. Hmm...

Comfort

I have to say...there is great comfort found in shared experience. Loss of any sort has a way of putting people on an island of lonliness, but grief expressed with others provides comfort...and "togetherness". I ended up in a conversation with my neighbors this morning at church. They are much more concealed from the road, so I haven't known the full extent of their damage. Apparently, it's pretty bad for them. Add to that a scary car accident...they are wrestling with similar questions too. Well, my neighbor created such a bridge off my own island when she started talking about the sadness they were experiencing in the moment of the damage but also in this time of having to live in the midst of it. I picture it as she and I meeting half-way across. :) I so understood what she was saying that there wasn't a need for so many words. It was just good to be with someone else that "got it".

So...a moment of less frustration!

Ridiculous Morning

Unbelievable. We planned to do a final bush-hauling extravaganza to clear our neighborhood. It was scheduled, and a variety of people were invited...

Boy, was I excited to get things cleared. It's been rather depressing seeing all of the destruction, but also having people say they are going to do this or that and then not follow through. For a single gal...it makes a challenging situation seem impossible. For a gal that often thinks she has to do things on her own because people can't/don't help...it presents an additional challenge.

So...I get up this morning, bright and shiny, and start gathing brush piles in the lawn. 8am rolls by...no one. 8:15am...still no one. 8:30am...hmm, no one. 8:45am...my roommate comes out to ask why I'm working. Apparently she saw an email the night before cancelling it.

Nice.

How am I supposed to know to check my email the night before???

I can't tell you how pissed off I am. For SO many reasons.

The good news is that a couple of others hadn't heard along with me. They came to work for a couple of hours. Troy had a chainsaw, and that made things MUCH more manageable. He took the big stuff with him! :)

Needless to say, I'll be borrowing my Dad's trailer and hauling the rest away myself when it's not so muddy. I'm done waiting, and it's something I can do.

A Vacation

As an admin in a private school, I don't get the usualy "teacher" vacation...a whole summer. Instead, I get the month of July off. It's true...I can't complain. Between school holidays and my month in July, I've got it pretty good. It's just that (in order to make more money) during the 11 months of my work year, I work a 1.4 FTE (full-time equivalent where 1.0 is freaking full-time), so by the end of the school year I'M EXHAUSTED!

July is a welcomed reprieve.

Well, my first week of July was pretty much a loss. The roadtrip part of the journey to Colorado was absolutely wonderful. I had my sis all to myself. The funeral part?...woo, that was tough! And missing a chance to see my Wiebs because my stupid FB app on my iPhone decided it needed an upgrade mid-trip...that was REALLY hard. The return to a tree-stripped front yard and no power, though, made the rest of that week ALL WORK.

(Done venting...for now...hehe.)

So, this week...has been my actual first week of vacation. I finally got to sleep in, watch some movies and take in a few evening swims. Tonight...TADA!!...is Harry Potter (Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!). Tomorrow??...Womaning the GOP booth at the Chisago Fair.

Next week...well, we'll see. It's the family camping venture. Parts of that are fun, but other aspects drive me loopy. We're doing a bit different plan this year, and that might just make it more tolerable. As always, I'm so thankful for the handful of rellies that have my back against the bossies. Hahahaha! 

TTFN!

Kids at the Beach

A fun day-camp opportunity for kiddos this summer! Three weeks left!

Kids at the Beach

Control Freak

Here's a shout-out to the control freaks in my life...

Step. Off.

Yep, I shove back now. ;)

Trees Falling

Well...the reminders of the terrible storm that rolled through still linger. Today, about 7 more trees were cut down and hauled away, bringing my yard total to around 20 lost. Some were pretty damaged and needed to go. Others made the house vulnerable should another bad storm come through.

Ugh...it makes me so sad.

I know. I know. Some are asking why in the world trees falling would rock my boat.

The answer??

First, I'm a nature-loving girl. Trees. Wind through the leaves. The smell of needles and crunchy Fall leaves. Oh, they are heaven to me.

Second, I'm in love with sanctuary. The things I'm involved in tend to be a bit invasive. For an introvert...a little space and privacy are key to renewing the soul. My home...my yard...had so much seclusion due to great tree cover. It was my hideaway.

Having so great a loss...well, it hit me where it hurt. (...and the timing couldn't have been worse.)

So...some blessings. (Gotta look for some highlights to broaden the perspective, you know.)

A little one today. The logger that came to take the remaining trees was pretty sensitive to my obvious loss. He's a tree-lover too. He did everything he could to save all of my gardens in the falling. He also left my lawn with a wonderful scent of pine. :)

The day of the storm. Well, I was in Colorado, so I was feeling a bit helpless. Apparently, my whole neighborhood turned out to help each other. A few men from my church came with chainsaws and huge trucks, as did my family. Not only did they attack my yard and Deb's yard...they went from house to house!!! They got so much done to open the roads and driveways. My church opened the property up to all of the neighbors to make a massive burn pile. There's going to be quite a bonfire in December. ;) Can you say "community"??? Amazing!

A few days after I got home. I put out a request on Facebook for anyone to come to help haul brush. I was really nervous that I'd be alone in that. You know...not everyone enjoys...well, work. I was so surprised!!! My nieces and nephews came. Former students came. Current students came. I was undone by their sacrifice.

So, I guess there've been a few blossoms in the sh## pile. More brush needs to be hauled, and I'll have to figure out how to seal my yard in again...but I'm still kicking. Still fighting a bit of the "sad's", but I find being honest about that actually helps the healing of it.

Here's to new growth!!!

Wonder Class: Session 3

Amazed: Living a Life Full of Wonder

C.S. Lewis said "It is in worship that the presence of God is communicated to man." So often we fall into a rut that says that worship happens on Sunday mornings in a church service or in our personal devotional times. Formulas=Worship. That is so not true! While worship is very much possible in those places, it is absolutely possible in the moments of our daily lives. It's in our very basic human wiring to experience him. So we reviewed a bit from Wonder Class: Session 1 and Wonder Class: Session 2 and then took off into a tour of the senses.

This week?...HEARING :)

First, a clip explaining how an ear hears. Personally, it's one of God's fingerprints. :)


We take hearing for granted...maybe we should pay attention a bit more!


OK...the in-class assignment!! I handed out blank pieces of paper with instructions to jot down any thoughts, feelings, pictures (real or imagined), etc. that are prompted by the various clips for listening. Often God is in those little things, giving us insights, encouragements or reminders. He loves the little things! The key to this assignment is to close your eyes. Often by limitting one sense, we heighten the other. We want to focus on our hearing, so we are closing our eyes to listen.

Just sit back, relax and listen. :)
The sound of crickets slowed way down. Pretty amazing! :)


A Lauging Baby


A Thunderstorm


Car engines (Hehe...I figured someone must like that one.)


Talk about a musical genius...this composer "wrote" his friend in song.


Having God's word read to you


We took time at the end to share any of the things that came up during the listening clips. We also shared our "favorite" sounds. It was amazing to notice how the other senses are activated in the descriptions (i.e. smelling sawdust when prompted by the "favorite" of a saw cutting wood).

At the end we completed our enjoyment (see previous sessions for explanation...per C.S. Lewis) by offering thanks to God.

It...Was...FUN!!!

Have a great week...and get listening!!! :)

DeadMau5

I find it interesting...the variety of music that can get me going. ;) I'm not usually a huge techno fan, but I do love it sometimes. For some reason this song has me on my way to a speeding ticket. Haha!

Innate Laughter

Martha brought up something interesting in class yesterday. We were listening to a baby laugh and laugh and were all giggling along. She noted that it doesn't seem to be something learned. It seems like laughter is something in our wiring.

I LOVE IT!

So...have a little gigle today. You were designed to... ;)

Miss Annie!

So, so, so proud of one of my school kiddos! She took a HUGE leap and ventured off into a candidacy for a local town's Ambassador program (i.e. pageant). What a risk for this gal!

And....???

She did it!

Now begins a year of parades and community service. Being that she's pure sunshine, I know she can do it...and have fun all along the way. :)

A Little Visit

So...I've found something a bit peaceful...a place to sit in the questions, expecting no answers but finding some space. The cemetery where little Ben and my Grandparents are buried. It's a ways out of town with great trees and the sounds of nature. The other day I picked up some flowers and some strawberries and went to sit by Ben's grave. I'm sure I looked a little odd, but who cares? (That's a daily thing for this girl...hehe.) I just sat there eating my strawberries, listening to the wind through the leaves and thinking...

I didn't find any more answers, but as I was leaving, I realized that I felt a bit fuller. Not in my stomach...in my heart.

Little visits are good for the soul.

Fix You

The person that made this video on youtube said that it reminded him/her of the human's interaction with Real Love (i.e. God). I love it!

My Wish

Steel Magnolias Clip

No one does it like the ladies of "Steel Magnolias".

Tantrums

Pretty sure I put this one to shame. ;)

Swept into a Tornado

The past week has literally been a whirlwind. Maybe this season actually. About a month ago my cousins lost their 2-yr-old in a terrible accident. Shortly after, my friend's dad came home from the hospital into a hospice situation. I then started working on Legacy letters with him because he loves his family so much. I finally finished the academic year (admins go a month longer and start a month earlier) which was stressful. Then my sister's high school friend was killed in a drunk-driving accident, and we drove to Colorado for his funeral. While I was gone, a terrible storm hit my neighborhood, and I lost 12+ trees. I returned to 3 more days without electricity. And finally...I got sick.

Pretty much, the "crap cup" runneth over...

I have to say that I've been wrestling with God over it all. Death, dying and destruction seem omnipresent, and my heart is having trouble making sense of it. I guess I struggle with my expectations that He keep all from hurt and harm...but that's not how it always goes. Keeping a handle on hope and wonder in the midst of it...well, it seems easier to embrace the "half-empty" glass and move on.

But...that's not how I want to live. Not...in...the...least.

Keep in mind that God lets me hammer things out on Him. I have great freedom to tantrum. In that mix He sometimes give me insight and at all times gives me comfort.

Last night, when I was praying with a friend about all this, He told me that "there's a difference between resignation and surrender". My heart is still spinning a bit, but I'm hopeful that He'll help me process that one out a bit more in the near future.

So...a bit swept up into a tornado lately. It has left me a little sad and angry and confused...overwhelmed. But...He is here, so I'll keep moving.

Good Women Project

"Good women are a dying breed, and the Good Women Project is doing something about it.

We’re here to tell you what a good woman is, why you should be one, and how on earth you can. Too many of us have given up on being a good woman, and frankly, the idea just isn’t too appealing the majority of the time.

But, that’s a lie. Good women have the most fun, the best sex, and most fulfilling lives."

Good Women Project

What Men Really Want

Haha! I love this guy! And...I want one of these. ;)

What Men Really Want

Wonder Class: Session 2

Week 2 of 'Amazed: Living a Life Full of Wonder'

We reviewed the main points of last week, and people shared stories of moments they were reminded that we can live like God is in the room. There were so many fun stories! Week 1 Information

Remember that one of our goals is to live with more and more of an awareness that God literally is found in our everyday lives. He's written all over creation. Our humanity understands a physical reality. We experience time, temperature, states of matter, and as we grow up, we begin to need the safety of anything we can know to the degree that mystery, imagination and our other core reality can become difficult for us to inhabit. The problem is...our humanity is also eternal!! We cannot know the extent of a fully human life without embracing our First Story. (The death and dying process referred to in another blog reveal evidence of this.) Our physical and rational reality exists within and is infused with the reality of God. We can...and are designed to...interact with Him ALL THE TIME. And...we can use our physical senses and our individual wiring of talents and abilities to do so.

Hence...the Multiple Intelligences.

But before we go into that... :)

One thing I will say...in doing any everyday exercise of experiencing God and ascribing wonder to Him...it doesn't need to be as "difficult" as our rational mind can tell us. C.S. Lewis reminds us of simple gratitude. "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation." The experience of things that we find amazing (even the simple things) can actually become worship when we give God thanks in the moment. "Thanks" as though He's in the room!!!...because He is! Other practical exercises include asking yourself what you are thinking about in the moment, what it reminds you of, what you are feeling, what you imagine, etc...and then turning that into a praise of sorts. It's actually rather fun. :)

Back to the Intelligences...

It is wise for any educator to understand the Multiple Intelligences (See Howard Gardner for more information) because it helps you to understand the ways that students learn and thus the ways to make your content relevant to their reality. What it also helps is experiencing God! You are already wired with some modes of understanding. They are unique to you...and God speaks to you in them.

I've included a link for a free assessment. Find out your top 3 and then spend some time in one of those strengths and give God some praise in your awareness of Him.

Multiple Intelligences Test

Here's how one of my "Intelligences" gets turned into Wonder...

Swimming with Dolphins

I'm so proud of this kiddo and happy for him too. It's SO bizarre that I used to have to get after him for ear piercings...Haha!

True Colors

The Dip

I went swimming with one of my neighbors this week. She loves to go, but our beach doesn't let people swim alone. I went along to "follow the rules". ;) I have to be honest...I'm not a huge water lover, BUT...I loved going!! Yep, I might be growing a new delight. Anyway, we were swimming back and forth along the shore, and it hit me...

I'm so small and fragile! My head bobbing up and down in this mass of water much like a cheerio in a bowl of milk. BUT...in that decent re-sizing...I remembered that God is neither small nor fragile. In fact, I'm securely nestled in the palm of His hand.

Nature has great lessons and reminders.

Wonder Class: Session 1

Week 1 of 'Amazed: Living a Life Full of Wonder'

The first order of business was to identify the lack of wonder that marks our lives. When we were younger, we saw the world with such magic. As we grew...and as our culture progressed into a diagnostic approach to living...we categorized and anaylyzed everything to the point that we were robbed of mystery, inspiration and possibility.

We need to recapture our wonder. We need to look at our everyday lives with the kind of awe that reconnects us to the eternal. We need to see the fingerprints of God and rejoice...all possible in our daily lives.

“Live with the wonder of a child…” [From a song by Mark Schultz]

"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Delight me to see how Your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father through the features of men's faces. Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all." [-Heschel from Ragamuffin Gospel by Manning]

“The spirituality of wonder knows the world is charged with grace, that while sin and war, disease and death are terribly real, God’s loving presence and power in our midst are even more real.” [Manning from Ragamuffin Gospel]

One of the ways to step towards a life full of wonder is to live as though God is in the room. BECAUSE HE IS!!! When we encourage or compliment a friend, we say things like, "You are so compassionate" or "You make everyone feel like they have a friend." When we speak of God, we say things like, "He is faithful." or "He is good." Our own words reflect how much we function as though God is far away...even though He is closer than that friend we would compliment. We need to step back into the reality that our compartmentalized life is really within an eternal reality. Our timeline, while also physical, is infused with the abundant, eternal life that Jesus revealed. 

“If we cannot ‘practice the presence of God,’ it is something to practice the absence of God, to become increasingly aware of our unawareness till we feel like man who should stand beside a great cataract and hear no noise, or like a man in a story who looks in a mirror and finds no face there, or a man in a dream who stretches his hand to visible objects and gets no sensation of touch.” [-C.S. Lewis from The Four Loves]

So, we are starting small...because He is in the details.

1. Make something that you can carry with you through the day that will remind you that God is in the room. We made bracelets, but others may like the idea of a post-it note or something else. THEN...interact with Him in that moment.

2. Begin a list of some of your Favorite Things. Choose one that's do-able, and do it! BUT...do it WITH God. Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

In reality my Dad didn't just let us watch him live as we were growing up. He modeled AND invited us into his conviction. Still does. :) It's been a privilege to watch him love people...and be loved by him...he does so with abandon.

Love you, Dad!

The Wonder Class

Here we go! A great challenge is before me. I get to teach an 8-week class on wonder for our church Growth Groups (i.e. adult Sunday school). It's called "Amazed: Living a Life Full of Wonder". Oh my gosh...I'm so excited! Our lives are far too compartmentalized that we miss so much of God around us in every moment. That lack of reality robs us of daily worship! It's time to turn ourselves toward Him as He's written over all of creation...and be amazed. It will be interesting though. It might be a little "outside the box" for some...but whatever it is, hopefully a great adventure! :)