Today I am thankful for...

...the opportunity to teach in chapel this morning. It was fun to spend 30 minutes with the kindergarten thru 5th grades of Lititz Christian. I had a blast.

...the lunch date I had with my daughter, in which I found out that she thought her Uncle Ben was sick. Why else would we always talk about doctors when we talk about Ben? It was humorous to see the light come on when she realized the HE is the doctor.

...the time I had on the phone with a friend earlier this week. She is also in Children's Ministry and it was fun and encouraging to talk things thru with her.

...scented candles that help to cover the smell of pigs (our rental house is right next to a hog farm). If the smell is outside and even when the wind changes direction and the windows are open it's usually not that big of a deal, but every once in a while the smell lingers in the house. (Plus add in the smell of growing boys who have gym every other day-WHEW!!) Candles are my friend.

...the blessing of being a mother. It is the hardest job I have but it is the most rewarding. I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. I love my children and I am so thankful for the blessing each one is to me.

The View from Here...

Is pretty good!!!

His mercies are new every morning.

Weekend Ramblings

This week, though shortened by a holiday felt extra long. Maybe it was cramming extra work into 4 days instead of 5.

I am thankful the weekend is here though. But as our weekend took off things took a turn that we weren't planning on. My Grandfather ended up in the hospital for the second time this week. So my Friday evening ended up being busy with checking on him in the hospital as well as taking care of his car. (He was rather distressed that it was still in the eye doctor parking lot with the windows open a bit.) I spent a good portion of my evening going up and down 501. (Major road thru Lititz.)

Today has been good so far. Other family and friends are taking care of checking on Grandpa as I wait to see what the doctors say. If they discharge him, I will be going to get him later, so for now we are hanging out at home, close to our phones.

We are looking forward to some good tennis (US Open) and then a good football game this afternoon. GO BIG BLUE!!!

I have had a twitch in my eye for about a week and it is really getting on my nerves. I also must have pulled a muscle during the move and my arm is still a bit sore at times. Maybe I should be in the hospital too. :-0

Tomorrow is a work day for me and while I love my job, it is the most stressful day of the week. I am glad that the NFL season is upon us as I am looking forward to finding a sweet spot on the couch tomorrow afternoon. GO PACK!

Anyway, no matter what the next few hours or days hold, I am thankful for my family. We have been enjoying time together today and I really couldn't think of a better way to spend the weekend.

Perspective

Lately in various ways I am being reminded that perspective is a powerful influencer. Our perspective is not always accurate. In fact sometimes it is downright wrong. Often times our incorrect perspective is tainted by our assumptions about the "rest of the story" or by misunderstanding. Sometimes our perspective is clouded by "the moment" and the difficulty of our situation.

As the Director of a ministry area, my perspective is different than that of a parent or volunteer. My perspective as the "newbie" on staff is different than those who have been on staff for a few years. In these situations it would be easy to discount the perspective of others and only consider what I think to be best. Over the past few weeks I have intentionally sought out others who have different perspectives to help me form policies and procedures that can be effective.

But the fact of the matter is that my perspective is just that MINE and the perspective of those I have sought out is THEIRS. My goal should be to have the perspective of Christ. I should be trying to see others through His eyes, loving others with His love, serving others by His power. When my eyes are fixed on Him, I find that my perspective on things in this world shifts. I don't see agendas, to do lists or disgruntled people. I see a purpose and a plan that He is putting together. I see hurting people in need of love.

It's interesting because God used a vine to remind me of this idea. You see in the landscaping at our rental house there was this very weird looking vine. As Aaron and I were looking at it, we actually talked about getting rid of it.

The sad thing is that on that day I could only see a part of the plan for this vine. Had I gone ahead and gotten rid of this bizarre looking plant I would have missed the big picture and potential of this plant. The beauty that this plant held.

I am so glad that God has a broad and eternal picture of each of us. I am so glad that His perspective of us and our lives is not shaped by a bad day, but rather by the potential and plan He has in store for us. I too want to have a broader perspective as I deal with people or develop curriculum or design a set or bulletin board. I want to have the mind and attitude of Christ. I want to reach my potential for Him.

Labor Day Weekend (and a party)

We had a great weekend. It started Friday for the boys as they did not have school. They got to spend the morning with Daddy, watching a movie. Emma actually had school and since I had to take her, I ended up staying at work and getting caught up on things.

That evening my in-laws came into town. They made great time, even pulling a trailer full of stuff that didn't make it during the original move to PA. We took them to one of our new favorite restaurants. It was great to see them and spend time with them.

Saturday morning we unloaded and found "homes" for the stuff that Larry and Margo brought with them. We then went to Friendly's for lunch and then on to "That Fish Place" which is a giant pet supply store that also carries a large variety of fish. From there we split up and Margo and I headed to the mall while the guys and the kids came back to the house. After an afternoon of shopping, which included last minute birthday shopping, we all went to Oregon Dairy for dinner. (Yes I think I gained about 5 pounds this weekend.)

Sunday dawned bright and early for me as I headed to work. Aaron actually went in with me, so the kids came to church with Larry and Margo later in the morning. Margo got lunch ready and then we got everything ready for Jack's birthday party.

Jack's party was a lot of fun. His presents included gifts from family that could not be here in person. He got lots of Lego's and a huge marble track kit. He was thrilled. We enjoyed cake and ice cream and good friends and family.

Later we all worked on different things and then ate the leftovers from Friday night.

Monday morning Larry and Margo headed back to IN and we enjoyed a whole lot of not doing anything. Aaron did put up the tree swing that he and Larry had gotten over the weekend. We enjoyed some family football fun in the backyard. And the boys completed every Lego kit and the marble track all by dinner time. Over all it was a productive day of not doing much of anything. Just what Labor Day should be like.

Here are some pictures from the party:

Jack and his cake...

One of the 7 Lego's kits he got...

This dog rolls around on the ground laughing...

Jack and all his presents...

Jack is 9!!!

Today is the birthday of my second son, Jackson Dean. He is 9 today. It is hard to believe how fast time has gone.

In honor of Jack's day, here is the Jackson Top Nine:

1. His laugh. It is seriously the best laugh there ever was.
2. His sense of humor. He is silly and bizarre.
3. His love of all of God's creation.
4. His heart for others. He has a gift to connect with other children and people, young and old.
5. His self confidence. He is not intimidated by anyone or anything. He knows who he is and is confident in himself.
6. His love of animals. He is happiest when he is learning about animals and not just everyday animals but special species. He can rattle off bizarre and interesting information about a lot of animals.
7. His laid back, care free spirit. Very rarely does he get uptight or upset about things.
8. His hugs. He squeezes hard and in those hugs you know you are loved by this precious boy.
9. His prayers. He always volunteers to pray and boy can this kid pray. His prayers are from his heart.

There are many more things that make Jackson who he is. I thank God for the joy and blessing of being his mother. I look forward to seeing all that God has in store for him. I believe that he has the amazing potential to do amazing things for the Kingdom of God, I look forward to seeing it happen.

Happy 9th Birthday Jackson!!!

Today I am thankful for...

...my kids smooth transition to school. The boys have tomorrow off (extended holiday weekend) and so their first week is complete. They all love their schools, teachers, and classmates. So far things seem to be going very well.

...the routine that school brings. I love having a schedule. We all seem to do better as a family when there are consistent expectations.

...hurricane Earl coming up the coast. While I am praying for the safety of the many of people being directly affected, I am thankful for the cool weather that will come as a part of this system. We are also in need of any rain that it may produce. It is hot and dry here as it is many places right now.

...the conversation at the dinner table that was the result of talk about the coming hurricane. We were able to talk about hurricanes and tornadoes. But then we also were able to talk about the fact that no matter what is happening around us (weather or otherwise) God knows us and the number of our days. No matter when that day comes the only thing that matters is that we know God and have Him in our hearts so that we can live with Him in Heaven.