Time To Panic

One of the hardest things in my ELA classroom is helping kids transition from picture book readers to chapterbook readers. They need confidence and guidance to pick books they can be successful with. If they pick a huge book for their first try, they often find themselves floundering and running back to their picture book comfort zone.

Because we do a program called AR, the kids have a point goal they must reach by the end of the quarter. I break the 100% into weekly goals for them so that we can all try to stay 'on track'. This works great most of the time ... But when I'm starting a kid on chapter books they sometimes become concerned. "What if I can't test on it this week and I'm not at _____ % by Friday?!". Try as I may to explain how chapter books are worth more points than picture books and will therefore jump their percent up higher when they do test on it, that can be a tricky concept for them to understand. If they get behind on their %, they panic and want to cram in all short books again.

So, my standard phrase of comfort has become this: "Give it a try. Dont worry. I promise I'll tell you when its time to panic."

I tell them daily "don't worry, we still have time. Its not time to panic yet."

And then as we near the end of the quarter I begin telling some that have gotten behind "okay, time to kick it in to high gear! The quarter's end is coming soon."

And rarely, oh so rarely I have to say "hey kiddo ... Its time to panic."

I only have to say that rarely because we know exactly send the end of our time is coming. We know when we must have our goal reached. We've broken our progress into tanagable chunks because we had a timeline to base it on. Planning = no need to panic.

But (ready for real world application?) Guess what. We don't know when Christ is coming. We weren't given a set date by which our goal of being ready for his return must be met. We don't have a definite end time - and therefore no set 'chunks' we can break our progress in to.

So, for all intensive purposes ... Its time to panic.

If you aren't saved ... If your life isn't right with God ... If you aren't SURE of your salvation, its time to panic! Because the end of our time could be any time. Later today? Tonight? Tomorrow? We don't know. So the only safe way is to be ready already - and stay ready every day!

Even my 4th graders know its better to reach your goal early so you don't have to be stressed. They also know that once they reach their goal, they need to keep reading to work on becoming a better reader.

And so it is with us. We need to be ready for the end of our time now. Because even if our time isn't up quite yet, it is a much better feeling to be sure of our salvation than to be in panic mode. But, just like my kiddos, we don't get to quit working once we are saved ... We keep working and studying to become better Christians. If we stop and Gert stangnat, well, we may find ourselves needing to be back in panic mode again.

I'd love to tell you "Don't worry, give it a chance, we have plenty of time" ... But I won't because I can't promise you that we do.

I'd love to tell you "its time to kick it into high gear! The end is coming up soon" ... But I won't, because I can't measure for you how soon it will be.

So instead, I'm telling you this ... If you arent ready to face Him in judgment. If you aren't SURE of your salvation. If you've never been saved. If you need to make some adjustments. If, if, if .... Then its time to panic. Not panic like flail around and cry - panic like fix the problem NOW.

Its amazing what a 9 year old can do when you tell them its time to panic with AR - they are suddenly a super reader who reads in every free moment at school and takes books home to read, too, all to reach their goal and get themselves ready. They panic - make the necessary changes to their effort level - and they get it done.

How much more important is your soul than a simple reading goal? How much more worth being ready for is our spiritual end of time than the end of a schoool quarter?

So panic. Make the necessary changes. And get yourself ready today.

3 Types of People

My class watched a video about Jim Lovell, the pilot of the Odyssey in the Apollo 123 space mission, today. At the end of the video, while talking about the importance of his Mission Control team, Jim said this:

"There are 3 types of people in this world. There are people who make things happen. There are people who watch things happen. And there are people who simply wonder what happened."

Quotes like that beg the questions 'which type of person am I?' And 'Which type do I want to be?'

Those questions are easy for me to answer ... I *hate* having to wonder what happened. And I rarely enjoy just watching. So that only leaves one option.

It makes me think of James 1:22 "be ye doers of the word and not hearers only". Spiritually, we need to *do*. Do talk to people. Do get involved. Do live correctly. Do good.

We simply can't afford to just sit back and watch!

And, if at the end of our lives we are simply left wondering what on earth happened? .... Well, that is certainly not a position I want to find myself - or anyone else - in. 

So that leaves one option. Get up. Get going. Be a doer. And be the type of person that makes things happen. Pronto.

Blessings

I absolutely love listening to other people pray. Often I think what a person prays for and the way they say things give me a glimpse into their heart of hearts. I am constantly humbled by the innocense of a child's prayer and the wisdom of an old man's words. Sometimes I am blown away by the simplicity of a phrase spoken to God ... Sometimes I am left pondering a complicated thought shared. Prayers are just awesome.

Yesterday I heard my mom pray (at lunch with some of my aunts). Among other things she prayed "Lord, help us with our struggles and with our blessings."

....and with our blessings?

My first thought was a chuckled 'I usually need more help with my struggles than with my blessings!' But, the more I thought about it,  the more  I realized that isn't quite true.

I have a lot of blessings ... and when I really think about it, I need a whole lot of help with all of them!

*I'm getting ready to have a baby. That's a huge blessing ... And I am going to need oh so much help from God. For patience. For wisdom. For strength. For calmness.  For 5 billion things I haven't thought of yet that I know I will be pleading for help with. To raise our daughter in such a way that she chooses to follow God. To make the right decisions fo r her. Oh yes, I'm going to need help with that blessing.

*I have a wonderful husband who has taken the best care of pre-pregnant and pregnant me. And I know he'll be a great daddy, too. Our marriage - my best friend - is a huge blessing. But I often pray about it ... To be calm when we don't see eye to eye. To be more patient, more understanding. To be a better wife. And I've seen enough to know that raising children doesn't always make marriage easier .... So you can bet I need help with that blessing.

*My job is a wonderful blessing that I love. Yet it can be both trying and tiring. It requires patience that I often pray for. It requires dedication and hard work and pulling myself out of bed each morning even when I'm exhausted ... And so often it is a blessing I need help with.

*Our friends and family are my favorite people around. They are there for me whenever I need them. They make me who I am. They are a blessing. Yet how often do I pray for the right words to say in a discussion? The right way to help in a situation? Patience? To be a better friend? A better sister/daughter/granddaughter etc? They are a blessing that I need help with. 

*Our material things are a blessing ... Our cars, our house and all that it holds, our paychecks. And so often I pray for wisdom in how to use our things. So often I pray for help not taking what I have been blessed with for granted. Things are a blessing I need help with.

I think one crazy thing about this world is that it works to turn the very blessings we are given into the every day struggles we have. Satan works against our attitude, our patience, our better judgment ... And soon what we once saw as blessings are being viewed as simply one more thing to deal with.

Do I view my marriage as the blessing it is, or as the struggle Satan tries to turn it into at times? What about my relastionships with other people? And my children? Can I look at my job and still feel blessed? Am I using my posessions in such a way that they are a blessing or letting them become a struggle in the way of my spiritual walk?

God blesses us. Satan fights to make us overlook those blessings.

So, as we enter a new year, a wonderful blessing from God, I'll be asking (frequently) for His help with my blessings - seeing them, appreciating them, and using them for Him - because sometimes, we all need help with our blessings.

Perspective

Christmas Eve we always celebrate with my mom's family ... Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, cousins ... There were 22 of us there this year (plus 2 dogs).

It was wonderful. It was joyful and noisy.  Everyone enjoyed themselves (who wouldn't with good food, good company, and prsents all around?). Even Uncle smiled more than usual.

I say 'even Uncle' because its often hard to tell how Much he is able to enjoy. He doesn't talk much and he hears even less. In as crowded room he may not be able to track much of a conversation. I know he is sometimes confused. I'm sure he is sometimes frustrated.

After the events were over, Robbie and I drove Uncle back to Veteran's Home on our way through town. I hadn't been in a car alone with him in a while. ... I expected a quiet, dull ride. I was wrong.

"What a beautiful day it is!" he said. "Yes, though I'd like to see the sun a bit" I replied. "Oh, that didn't stop the fun we were having in there, did it?" He countered.

He continued "I think I've had the best life a man could ever have lived. And I'm still living it. And today just proves it!"

*um, insert foot in mouth for any time I've ever complained.

The whole way to town he went on about how he is 'writing the history of his life' (it may be the 4th time hes done so I think ... But each time he remembers something not included in the previous volumes).

He went on about things that have made his life so great .... Times that were hard (like The Great Depression and World War II) that simply "made me better".

He rambled about people who had helped him along the way (he claims he was forced to go to high school when someone offered to pay for it, forced to go to college when the military helped pay, and basically forced into teaching and coaching).

He discussed the memories he has of family past that he wants to write down for 'us kids'.

And every so often would say "the more I write about it, ghe more I knowI've just had the best life a man could ever live!".

Here is a man who has seen and experienced first hand hardships I have never had to face. A man wounded in war who almost died. A man who never married, never had children. A man who cannot hear and whose knees are giving out and must hurt terribly. A man fast removed from the "prime" of his life. A man whose daily high light is 'going to the country' each day when someone picks him up from the nursing home and takes him to sit and visit and my grandparents for a bit.

A man who has real perspective. A man who is thankful and counts himself as blessed. A man who easily recognizes what an awesome family I get to be a part of ... A man who has been a huge part of making it awesome.

There were things he could so easily complain about. Things he could be bitter and angry about. But instead, he chooses to say "I've had the best life a man could ever live - and I'm still living it!"

Talk about an example. Talk about humbling.  Talk about perspective.

Because, when you look at it his way ... I've had the best life a girl could ever live ... And I'm still living it. And each day just proves it!

New Happenings

So, it's been a while since I've written ... A long while.

Lots has been happening lately. Namely this:

We are getting quite ready for Miss Lydia to join us in about a month and a half! Add in teaching and a holiday season, and you have one tired and busy soon to be mom ... But tired and busy in all the best -my life is wonderful and I am incredibly blessed - ways.

So, with the nursery ready, lazy dog Jax and I are enjoying our winter break from school, taking it easy, and finally finishing writing the tons of thank you cards I need to get in the mail.

AND, I found a new inspirational thought that I LOVE ... And that is sure to help my mindset when things get nerve wrecking or tough ...

"Instead of saying 'Lord, I don't know how I am going to do this,' say, 'Lord, I can't wait to see how you do this.'"

Because, after all ... "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Grandpa

Grandpa wasn't at church this morning. The roads were slick and slushy. The side walks were worse. And it was cold. Rob and I slipped around a curve or two and almost turned around and went home. Church attendance was low.

It's not an uncommon occurrence ... we do live in Missouri after all. The weather gets bad. The roads get iffy. Sometimes Church gets cancelled ... other times you "make it if you can". Today was one of those days.

But Grandpa wasn't at church this morning. And I can count on one hand the times I remember that happening.

There are certain people in our lives that we somehow expect never to change. For me, one of those people is Grandpa. I blame it on the fact that for the first, oh, 19 years of my life, he didn't change a bit. He hauled wood (for himself and many others). He pulled people out of ditches. He worked cows. He climbed fences. He broke horses. He led horses. He did anything and everything an "old farmer" is expected to do and more ... and he did it better than most.

Then, what seemed like all of the sudden, he had a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. And he was "suddenly" old. And frail. And somewhere along the way he needed help hauling wood. And he couldn't climb fences. He lets other people work the cows. And sometimes, when it's icy out, he has to miss Church.

I *know* things like this don't happen over night. But I guess when someone doesn't change for 19/23 of your life, that last 4/23 seems awfully quick.

Grandpa has always been wise beyond measure. He is quiet and thoughtful, and when he speaks, you listen. Period. He is one of the most Godly men I know. And one of the strongest. And though it often hurts my heart to watch him grow older and lose his physical strength, I sure am learning a lot from him in the process.

*Grandpa has helped so many people in so many ways throughout his life. He has built quite a legacy. While it is often hard to accept that he now needs that help returned to him, it is amazing to see his children and others giving back to him. I pray I always remember to help others.

*Grandpa worked hard. Always. He has taught me time and time again not to be idle. Not to give up. To get back on the horse (both literally and figuratively). He has worked for his family, he has worked for his friends, he has worked for strangers, and most importantly, he has always worked for God. I pray I may remember not to be idle.

*Grandpa is a patient man. I don't have many (if any!) memories of him getting "rattled". He is calm and soft spoken and gentle ... he is a wonderful example of a godly Christian man. So many times I remember him having the right thing to say - a quiet word of wisdom, a calming voice. Now, his body often doesn't respond the way he wants it to. He falls down. And many, many times he has to watch other people do the things that he had always done before. And I know, I *know* it is terribly frustrating and hard to swallow. And I'm sure there is times it is almost unbearable. But his godly countenance has not changed. He is patient with himself. He is calm. I can almost hear him say "getting in a rush won't help anything". He does what he can. He graciously accepts help when its needed (which we all know is not easy to do). At a time when some would become angry with God, he serves God with all he has. I pray I can learn from his calmness and wisdom.

*Grandpa married a wonderful woman. And they have always taken care of each other. If ever Grandma wanted something done, Grandpa did his best to deliver. They raised 4 faithful children and helped raise many others. They've welcomed countless people into their lives and their home. I know it wasn't always easy. I know it isn't easy now. Yet they remain a wonderful example of what a marriage can, and should, be. I pray Robbie and I can follow in their footsteps.

*Grandpa is a strong man. Strength has many faces ... and Grandpa wears them all. He is strong enough to keep pushing and not give up. He is strong enough to be patient with himself and others. He is strong enough to remain faithful through each trial. He is strong enough to be caring and sensitive. He is strong enough to hold his emotions in check. He is strong enough to make it through and bring the rest of us through with him it seems. I pray I may emulate his strength as I strive to walk a Godly life.

I am blessed to have amazing people in my life. People that have not only taken care of their own families, but affected an entire community as well. People that I am blessed to call my family. People that I am lucky to love.

My Grandpa still has a lot of life left in him -- and a whole lot of teaching and serving God left to do. I am so blessed to be continuously able to learn from the example that is his life.

"Walking With Grandpa"

Rodney O. Hurd

I like to walk with Grandpa,
His steps are short like mine.
He doesn't say "Now hurry up!"
He always takes his time.
Most people have to hurry,
They do not stop and see.
I'm glad that God made Grandpa
"Unrushed" and young like me.

Thought Overload

I promise I have a lot of wonderful thoughts rolling around in my head ... the problem is they are all crashing together and there is just too many to think through right now! So here is a quick recap of the last little while ... and a promise for a better blog post soon!

*A couple weeks ago we got a new puppy. He is adorable. I'm in love. His paws are huge. I'm terrified to see how big he'll get and how much he'll shed. 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 bird ... our house is a zoo.

**Friday evening I took the dogs for a walk ... Sophie was attacked by our neighbor's bull mastiff. Talk about terrible. I felt to helpless and terrified! Thankfully another neighbor came and helped chase the dog away. She has lots of terrible looking places on her bottom and back legs ... it is just plain pitiful, that's for sure! Now we have a sad, sore puppy with lots of staples and stitches and sore spots! :( No fun. The hardest part is trying to keep the two dogs separated so Sophie will stay calm enough not to hurt anything more! Hopefully she will continue to heal up nicely and we'll be back to normal before long....

***I started a new class this week -- one step closer to my MET (Masters in Educational Technology). This summer I'm looking at 3 courses (9 hours), then 6 hrs in the fall and 6 in the spring, and we'll graduate with our masters in May! So, this summers plans have changed from a relaxing couple of months with an awesome family vacation, to a month of summer school and taking 3 classes and an awesome family vacation. Oh, how I longed to be an adult ... and here we are ... haha. I started a blog for my new course, so if you are bored and need another blog to follow, here you go! ;) Fantabulous Fourth.

****School is as crazy as ever. 'Tis the season for test prep and testing. It's not my favorite part of teaching, but it is a necessary part. And, the kids are working hard and doing great things, so I won't complain too much!

*****There is so much to pray for ... not the least of which is that a dear friend of ours mother is in the final stages of her fight with cancer. People go through so much - so we lift them up with love and prayer.

******I have been thinking a lot about strength. What is true strength? Strength of character? Physical strength? Strong faith? Consistency? Endurance? I know I have a ton of strong people in my life - and they are all strong in their own way. Maybe I'll write a post about it soon. ;)

I hope your life is going splendidly!