The Present

Some truths that have been staring me in the face this week:

Life on Earth is short.

Life is unpredictable.

I count it a privilege to share in others' stories. My job allows me to share in so many, and my community at Bloomingdale Church affords even more opportunities. I hear bits and pieces of stories from the lives of family and college and high school friends through facebook, phone conversations, blogs, emails, etc. Stories are all around me...

Some heartbreaking quotes from this week include:

"S won't be at school tomorrow. Her step-brother committed suicide over the weekend"
~Our School Social Worker

"I just got called down to sign my pink slip."
~ Friends and Co-workers who lost their jobs this week

"I feel guilty that my parents spend so much money on karate for me. I'm terrified of foreclosure."
~Journal Entry from a Fifth Grade Student

"My lunch mom's husband died last night"
~Colleague and Friend

"The cancer spread to my lungs. Chemo starts tomorrow."
~ Women's Bible Study

I could go on, but I'll stop there. I think you get the idea.

I mention pieces of these stories not to depress you or stir up fear . I mention them because I am being changed by them. These are stories from everyday people. People like me, and most likely, people like you. They remind me of my frailty and lack of control in life. They scream REALITY to one who thinks she (me) is in control and pretends to have a PLAN. They teach me to be content and grateful. They teach me to be generous with time. They teach me to take myself less seriously. They teach me to take myself more seriously. They teach me to care deeply, to weep, and mourn. They teach me to LOVE...

My heart is overwhelmed. As I write this, I wonder if there is any way I can possibly express the awakening happening inside of me. I am moved.

Not knowing what lies ahead in this world gives me a FREEDOM in the PRESENT. Thoughts and worries that so often fill my mind vanish when I consider my lack of control. Instead I am filled with the desire to make the most of each moment...to be fully PRESENT.

I am one who has dwelt upon the past on a regular basis. Sometimes I dwell on the past because hurtful things myself or others have done continue to mess with my heart today. Other times I want to go back because I was so much happier, prettier, skinnier, more peaceful, confident, fun...back then.

I've also been one to dwell on the future i.e. what will we do with our lives, when can we have kids, will we have enough, will we get to do this or that...? What if something happens to _____, _______, _______, or _______?

I foolishly dwell on these things. All the while, I miss out on fully experiencing the PRESENT...the time that, ironically, was once my FUTURE and will soon become my PAST.

I cannot know what my life on Earth has in store for tomorrow, the next day, or any day after that for that matter. The stories I have heard from this week alone give me no choice to deny this fact. All I know is what my life on Earth holds at this moment so I pray that this recent movement in my heart and mind will continue to change me and that I will be given humility and strength to love deeply in all things big and small....to love deeply NoW because I do not know what quotes my story will hold tomorrow.
Whatever may come to pass, it is my HoPe that this quote will AlwayS be the central theme of my story:

Above all, LoVe each other DeePly...there is no FeAr in LoVe.
~ The Author of EvErY story

I Love Me Some ELLs

For those of you who are not in the education world, ELL stands for English Language Learner. I have the privilege of spending some extra time with a few of my students who fall under this umbrella or who have been a member of this category in the recent past. I truly cherish my time with my after school crew.

There are few things so satisfying to a teacher as when a child has a "light bulb" moment. These are the moments that make me say, "I LOVE my job".

Some of my favorite teaching moments occur in the after school hour with my little groupies. BeLieVe Me, my room becomes especially BRIGHT during this time.

Here's an example from this week that I think will shed a bit of light on what I'm talking about...

Mrs. Bailey: So remember whenever you see any variable x, y, z, n...whatever, all you have to do is plug in the number given to you for the variable....so if they say x=10, just plug in 10 wherever you see an x.

Narrator: This mini-lesson goes on for five or so minutes. Mrs. Bailey and the students complete several examples on the board...plugging in numbers for various variables to solve the equations. At the end of the interaction, Mrs. Bailey, thinking that everyone has gained full understanding of this type of problem, but wanting to quadruple check CoNfiDentlY asks...

Mrs. Bailey: Any questions?

Narrator: One student with a bit of a PuZZleD look on his face looks up at her and says...

Puzzled Student on the Verge of a Light Bulb Moment: I think I get how to do it, but I'm just wondering what exactly do you mean by PLuGGinNg iN?

Narrator: A now PuZzLeD Mrs. Bailey pauses for a moment with wide eyes as she realizes that she is in the midst of her own PeRsoNaL light bulb moment...

She wonders how these students pick up as much as they do in her fast-paced classroom of 27. She wonders how many expressions she uses on a daily/minute basis that keep them from understanding. She wonders how many times she doesn't stop and ask, "Any questions?" to clarify and how many times they don't stop to ask "what exactly do you mean by...?"

Recovering from her moment, she SmiLes gingerly and attempts to shed light on the plug analogy...

outlet:three-pronged metal thingie as variable:number

After a small bit of clarification, all five students, seemingly in one accord, let out an "Ahhhh"! Looks of puzzlement are replaced by looks of CLaRitY and CoNfiDeNcE.

As the students pack up their things Mrs. Bailey watches them in AmaZeMenT. She ponders anew how it is that these students who NEED so much manage to TeAcH her more than they could ever know. She smiles and waves goodbye, grateful for yet another personal LiGht BulB moment brought to her by her most HuMbLe students.

Attempting to Manage the Mayhem

What do you get when you combine loads of sugar and 27 ten/eleven year olds on a Friday afternoon Valentine's Day Party?!....PuRe mayhem. After nearly three years of experience, I've stolen/borrowed/begged ideas from others and come up with a few strategies of my own to make this recipe for ChAOs a bit less cRaZY!

To my fellow TeAchErs and ANYONE who has the privilege of serving/working with children in any capacity, I hope you will find these ideas helpful and use them if you would like...I'd also LOVE to beg and borrow your ideas. Please do tell!

My First Line of Defense:

I find the week leading up to the party is quite a challenge for many students. It's difficult to FoCuS on fractions and five paragraph essays when you're anticipating loads of candy, valentines, and games. I like to HELP my students out by offering them an incentive to work hard so we can party hard at the end of the week.

Exhibit A: Raffle Prizes

Above you see approximately $15 dollars of Valentine's Day loot from Walmart. AKA- a fantastic way to get your students to have a super productive week despite the excitement that can potentially cause them to act like kids that couldn't possibly be in YOUR class!

Throughout the week I pass out cut out hearts for students making good choices (trees for Christmas, pumpkins for Halloween, whatever fits your fancy). Students place their "ticket" in a basket. I pass out tickets all the way through the party. It's AMAZING how quickly the room is cleaned at the end of the bash when the raffle starts as soon as the room is spotless!!

Believe me this is a well spent $15! It keeps your room clean, your kids learning, your SaNiTy, and it's a great GIFT for your kids. They will LOVE it and so will YOU!

Exhibit B:

Here's an idea I got from a teammate. Use a banana as your Valentine to the kids, and it serves multiple purposes:

1. It eliminates wasting PReciOuS TIME in the Walmart aisle trying to decide between the endless cartoon characters, Hannah Montanna, Jonas Brothers, etc.

2. Your food contribution to the party...DoNe.

3. A great way to show LoVe for our world by making a GrEEn choice.

4. OBVIOUSLY fruit tastes better when your teacher writes on the peel!...a great way to RAGE against the major sugar injections taking place at such events!

5. This one could also be used by all of you moms and wives out there trying to encourage fruit consumption! As you pack those lunches, show a little LOVE by writing a message on the peel!

6. A FaNTaSTic Photo Op. The KIDS had a BLAST posing with the bananas as a smile, phone, or like this...

I'm SORRY I can't put their SuPEr FuN pics up on my personal site. This will have to do!


Exhibit C:



A creative mom brought in this SIMPLE yet CrEaTivE spin on cheese and crackers. It was a success! The kids actually had more of these puppies on their plates than the HOT CHEETOS! This is another one that could easily be modified for any holiday and used to add a little PEP to those sack lunches!

Well...that's all I've got for now! If you have any IdEAs, I'd greatly appreciate them...ALWAYS attempting to MANAGE the MAYHEM...and have a little FuN at the same time!

Beginning is the hardest part...

So I must confess I'm guilty of stalking many a blog, and I've been dying to get one going for our family for quite some time. I set up a page for us awhile ago, but it's so difficult to know where exactly to start.
I guess you could say I love stories...life stories...the good, the bad, the ugly...all of it. I love learning through others' lives as well as my own. I can't promise our story will be exciting, profound, deep, or anything else for that matter, but I want to put it out there because I truly believe that everyone's story is significant.
I don't know what direction this blog will end up going, if anyone will actually read it, or how to pinpoint exactly why I feel so compelled to start it, but I do hope that it will be an outlet to share our journey and process it along the way.
I have chosen the title "untitled" to allow myself blogger freedom to go any which way the journey from my head and heart to my fingertips may lead.
Though the blog is for Dan and me, I'm guessing I will be the primary contributor. I'm making it a family blog because to say it is my journey alone, would be inaccurate. I am grateful to share my life with a man who loves me well and challenges me to live a full life of love for God and others. So without further ado, this is our story. Welcome...