Faith

Our dear friends Audrey and Nate are moving from the neighborhood. Their decision was based on the expenses incurred and future expenses from the care of their daughter Saylor. Saylor--that is a whole other story that needs to be told by her mother-and it will be told. But just for the record, Saylor was the first child born in a program for in utero fetuses with spina bifida. Within the womb, Saylor had her first operation.

Nate and Audrey felt they were doing the right thing. They were down scaling considerably and were trying to purchase run-down homes that Nate would have to remodel. Yet, when they tried to buy three different houses and all three offers fell through, they became a little discouraged, but only for a day. Because after the discouragement,or the trial of faith, they found a different house, one that is far nicer, in a far better neighborhood and a house that has made them feel relief because they didn't get any of the other homes.

xxoo mom

UNCLE!

I concede! I do look almost 50!!!




Pictures from the Queen of May





Flowers all the way from Indiana


Homemade Lasagne from Tony!


The florist and cake decorator


An extra special day because PJ gave a Mother's Day talk and Brett came to listen

Happy Birthday To Me!

I woke up this morning smiling--profoundly grateful to be alive and well on my 49th birthday; to have been blessed to be here at this time and place and the great blessing of life and living that I have shared with everyone I love. I am blessed to still have my parents living, my husband, all my children, my sisters.

Do You Love This Face?

You do, don't you? But it isn't young or wrinkle free, is it? Would it be the same if it was?

Last night, dad and I attended a function where we ran into an old friend who is younger than I am. When she said hello, there was something different that I couldn't quite grasp. She looked angry and harsh but it threw me because she was just as friendly as always.

As dad and I were sitting behind the woman he whispered to me, "Did the lady," and he pointed her out, "have some kind of facial surgery? It looks like she was in an accident." Dad could see clearly that she'd had some kind of face-lift/tightening and I thought she just looked angry.

So, what's the point of growing old? Growing, learning, softening with your body and your face. Acceptance, gratitude, pleasure. And becoming as beautiful as grandma.

My Birthday is in Three Days

Here is what I'm asking as a present from each of my daughters:

*Please thoughtfully and prayerfully consider your goals in different aspects of your life, write them down and share them with me:
*spiritual
*physical
*mental
*emotional
*career -if applicable
*family

Or create your own categories!! And have fun with this because I will! I will accept email attachments. There may be valuable prizes for different winning aspects of your goal setting!!!

In Every Book...

In every book is a little vacation. This was quoted at a talk today that I heard on literacy.

I am so proud of the readers that you girls are. I wanted to share some important details about reading with children. Holly, you are already a whiz at this and I think Mandi, Jillian, and Pj (someday) you will all do the same for your children. Here they are:
*Reading is to the mind like exercise is for the body
*Children that are read to have 4 to 5000 more words in their vocabulary
*Nursery rhymes are very important and rhyming words are the beginning recognitions of the flow of language and rhymes are critical to language acquisition
*Implement a strict bedtime but allow child to stay up another half hour to hour for reading
*Give books for birthdays and holidays
*Listen to CD's instead of watching DVD's in the car and at home to foster imagination
*Do library and bookstore story time
* Get children their own library card when age eligible
*keep books in the car-reachable from child's car seat
*Child should have own place for books or bookshelf
*REaders are 300% more likely to: attend plays, museums, exercise, volunteer, not pick their nose (chuckle-not really)
*Two book recommendations on the importance of reading to children: Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells and Reading Magic: Why Reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever-I haven't read either yet

There you have it! Now who wouldn't read to their children?

Another Endeavor Almost Over

Tomorrow, I start my last week of school. It has been a growing, wonderful, trying and humbling experience.

A year ago, I met the minister of education for the country of Uganda at a soiree at Glenda's house. Glenda asked her to come and tell her conversion story and the story of becoming the head of education for her country. It was a wonderful evening and at the end of the night I asked the woman if I could come and teach English in Africa for a summer. She was quite pleased when she heard I would do it as a volunteer.

I have thought of this teaching certificate as more than becoming a high school English teacher, but a skill that will allow all types of new adventures. Where will this take me? What will I learn? What will I be able to give?

Education is so much more than a degree and a job, it is a way of life.