Smile and Be Joyful

  Today is election day.   I’ve never seen a political race more closely watched, worried about or polarizing. I am not concerned about the outcome.   The Ruler of the Universe is in control.   On a day when the nation feels so divided, my prayer is that people will remember their “common ground”, the things we can all agree on rather than the things we disagree on.   Disappointment and discord are inevitable whatever the results, throughout the nation, within cities and neighborhoods and unfortunately, even within families.   Days like this one are Satan’s favorite.   He is at the ready with his giant stick to stir the pot of our discontent.   Instead of discontent, let’s fill our pots with all the things we agree upon and treasure.   If each “side” can be gracious and not lash out or boast, Satan will be missing even more of the ingredients needed for his recipe for disaster.   Rather than fanning the flames of discord and fear, perhap...

  I recently had to have an MRI.  I prayed all the way there.  I am not crazy about small enclosed spaces.  (God, please help me do this.  God, please keep me calm.)  As I laid down on the hard surface, I asked the technician how long this would take.  I was hoping for/expecting an answer of “Oh, 5-10 minutes.”  That’s what I had prepared myself for.  When the guy answered, “30 minutes”, my heart rate immediately doubled.  He placed a  device in my hand and said, “Push this button if you need to get out.”  As my body was pulled into the “tube” my anxiety level increased even more.  Apparently, I am more claustrophobic than I thought.  While my body was still, my thoughts and emotions were bouncing around in my head like a pinball machine and my shoulder was screaming with pain.  I immediately began to think about pushing the button.  I reasoned with myself trying to remember why I was doing this.  (A su...

These last few weeks have been quite challenging at work as the teachers in my school district have been asked to teach both “face to face” students and “at home” students at the same time. (As in, simultaneously !)   Multi-tasking has always been “a thing” in education, kind of like being a mom, but with more kids (who are not your kids) and less bathroom breaks.   The job description is un-writeable even in “normal” circumstances.   As a teacher I am accustomed to juggling many tasks at the same time.   It is a talent I had (nearly) perfected over time.   This school year my usual act of juggling balls and bowling pins while keeping plates spinning on tall sticks has been upgraded with the addition of chain saws, knives and flaming torches.   (Thank you, technology, learning management software and unstable internet!)   And did I mention I do all this blindfolded?   (while wearing a mask?)   One of my new sayings is “I don’t even know what ...

  September 12, 2020 Life is full of choices, both big and small.   But even choices that seem small at the time can have a big impact.   Having an open dialog with God (talking to Him as we go through our day) can help us to make the right choices.   Think of it this way…   If I am driving along already on the phone with someone and need to ask them a question, I can just ask it and listen for their answer.   The opposite of that situation would be driving along needing to talk to someone and not having their number in my phone, or not being able to find my phone or (even worse) realizing I left my phone at home.   When I jump into my day without dialing into my heavenly Father, I am choosing to navigate the day’s challenges on my own.   The phone may be in my pocket, but if it isn’t charged it does me no good.   If I talk to God in the morning but let the first unexpected trial detour my day, it is like I’ve lost my phone between the seat a...

  September 12, 2020  “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”  I am really glad that saying has turned out to be untrue.  The last few weeks I have experienced a learning curve unlike any that I have encountered in over thirty years of teaching.  But this “old dog” has learned a lot of new tricks thanks to a lot of help from my younger counter parts and my patient daughters.  Learning how to teach in person and on-line simultaneously, and all the technology and logistics that requires has been frustrating.  My faith (and my brain) have been stretched and tested and have grown stronger.  Compared to the struggles that other people around the country are experiencing, I know that my problems are small.  My family is well, my home has not been destroyed by fire or flood.  I think it is always important to remember that we are not the only ones with problems.  Perspective is key.  We are so blessed that God always cares about our ...

August 29, 2020 When I think back on all the advice my mother gave me growing up, one of the things I remember ignoring the most was, “Always eat breakfast.  It is the most important meal of the day.”  I was in my 50’s before I began to heed that advice regularly.  I wish I would have listened sooner.  I really do feel more energized and focused when I eat a good breakfast.  This has also been very important in my weight loss journey.  I always had some excuse why I could not or did not need to eat breakfast.  (No time…nothing I like…makes me more hungry later…)  I let myself make those excuses because breakfast was not a priority for me.  I had not experienced its benefits.  Unfortunately, I can also say the same is true for beginning my day with quiet, alone time with God.  My time spent talking (and listening) to God was something that happened “on the fly” for many years.  Just like the breakfast thing, I finally realized t...

August 26, 2020 I wish I had started a journal at the beginning of 2020.  The plot twists and turns to this year have been unforeseeable and memorable.  It has been the kind of year that makes one long for “the good old days”.  Gatherings with extended family, teaching Algebra face to face, sports, wandering aimlessly through Target and going to the movies are all things that I used to take for “granted”.  I could not have even dreamed up a scenario that would have made them all impossible or unsafe.  Even now there is a massive hurricane churning in the Gulf that will cause life altering devastation wherever it makes landfall.  When God allows these kinds of strange and challenging times, He is trying to draw us nearer to Him.  It would be easy to give in to the urge to “run around like a chicken with my head cut off”.  Yesterday, I cried twice before 9 a.m. out of frustration with our new “learning management system” at school.  Apparently ...

August 20, 2020 My husband threw out grass seed all around our yard yesterday.  Then he watered it because it says to on the package.  It actually says water it every day for 2-3 weeks.  As hot as it is outside right now and as brick-like as the dirt is in our yard, if he doesn’t, it will probably never grow, and our money and his efforts will be wasted.  If we do our part, then we trust that God (nature) will do His part and we should have some pretty green grass where there is currently only dirt in a few weeks.  This reminds me of part of a Lauren Daigle interview that I heard on the radio yesterday.  She said something like, “Negativity is everywhere but it doesn’t have to grow and take over our lives or our attitudes.  Just don’t water it.”  We can’t control that negative things will happen in our day but, with God’s help we can control our reaction to it.  I have been struggling with a negative attitude a lot this week.  Everything...

August 13, 2020 If you’re not a teacher, I hope you can read this and apply it to your own daily life in some way.  Here is something that I believe about teaching:  A teacher who is in control of herself and her emotional responses to children, is in control of her classroom.  This results in a positive environment for the students and the teacher and every type of learning (academic, social and emotional) takes place.    As teachers, it is vital to remember that we set the tone in our classroom.  We all have bad days, but it is our responsibility, to ourselves, our colleagues and our students to persevere in our quest for joy.  Flexibility is key.  (Picture Disney’s Mrs. Incredible)  If we stand flat footed and immoveable as we face each day’s challenges, those “flying objects” will knock us down.  But if we can stretch and bend as we attempt to juggle the inevitable “joy stealing” events that roll through our day, their impact on us i...

August 10, 2020 I have a very hard time riding in the car with other people driving.  I feel out of control.  I don't know if the person driving is as aware of possible hazards as I am.  I feel scared, anxious and cannot stop myself from warning my driver about everything I see.  I  am unable to relax and "enjoy the ride".  I guess it is a phobia of mine.  I would rather just drive myself.  Today I am trying very hard to let God drive.  I completely trust Him.  He is certainly capable and knows everything that could happen.  So, why am I not just sitting back and relaxing?  There are many things I must do today but worrying should not be one of them.  I am going to picture this day like a car ride with God at the wheel.  I am going to pray and read His word (put on my seat belt) and then resist the urge to tell God how to drive.  I will not push Him out and grab the wheel.  I will try to enjoy the scenery al...

August 8, 2020 I am coming to the end of “the longest Spring Break ever”.  When I go back to work next week (in the middle of a still raging pandemic) it will have been over five months since I’ve been in my classroom (except for running in for an hour to close it all down in May).  That does not mean I haven’t worked in five months.  When school was forced to be “at home”, the only thing that got easier for teachers was that we didn’t have to dress professionally every day.  Everything else got more complicated and murkier.  We, along with our students, endured weeks of unanticipated stress, complicated by the ever-changing decisions as to how everything should be done.  The administration was doing their best, but these were uncharted choppy waters in a too small boat.  Then, thankfully, summer came, as it does every year, a deserved physical, mental and emotional break.  I love my job teaching Algebra to half grown people who think they know ev...

August 5, 2020 I am not a fan of waiting.  Waiting for something, in my mind, means a lack of progress and that time is “being wasted”.  Sometimes this is true and sometimes not.  When I must wait in a doctor’s waiting room (what a horrible name for a room) for 45 minutes for an appointment that I rushed to arrive at on time, I feel aggravated.  Traffic is a fact of life where I live and I have grown accustomed to it, but I still feel anxious when I am running late and there are twenty cars ahead of me at a stop light.  Also, there is a difference between waiting for good things and waiting for bad things.  Anticipating a batch of cookies coming out of the oven is “good waiting”.  Sitting in your car in line for a Covid-19 test is “bad waiting”.  But not all waiting is a lack of progress, even though my frustration may say otherwise.  When we are waiting on answers from God about our life, we may feel like we do in the doctor’s office after t...

August 2, 2020 My sister recently told me a story about a family she saw at a restaurant.   Both parents and the two children were sitting at the table together after ordering their food and all four were completely engrossed in their phone screens.   There was no conversation, no looking at each other, no interaction of any kind.   In fact, they were so oblivious to their surroundings that they barely noticed when their food came.   The mom had gone to the restroom, leaving the other three at their outdoor table.   As the dad and the kids began to eat, they never interacted or looked up from their phones.   A crow landed on their table and began to eat food off the mom’s plate.   No one noticed.   Soon the mom returned and began to eat her (germy bird) food while she stared some more at her phone.   How gross and how sad!   Perhaps the family had been on a long journey and had been talking in the car.   Maybe they were all Googling...

August 2, 2020 In yesterday’s blog I wrote about Jesus wanting to be our best friend.   He is always there for us and with us, even when we forget about Him.   Because our God is so accessible, sometimes it may slip our minds that He is also all powerful and without limits.   In his book “Before Amen”, Max Lucado says this: “Most people suffer from small thoughts about God.   In an effort to see him as our friend, we have lost his immensity….The God of the Bible cannot be contained.”   When we have problems, we must remember to look up to God for help instead of focusing on the problem.   He is bigger than any situation.   He made everything that exists, from nothing.   His power and wisdom are infinite and there is not anything that He does not understand.   We should not set limits on what we believe God can do because He can do anything.   Isaiah 66:1-2 (NCV) says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool . . . My hand made...

August 1, 2020 I’ve just returned from spending three days at the beach in Galveston with my 2 sisters. I feel very blessed to have had this time to relax, unwind and laugh. The three of us lead fairly different lives but share such a strong common bond. We love all the same people. We share the same history. We have the same corny sense of humor.  It is a bond to be treasured. The conversation is easy and continuous. The laughter is loud and abundant. As August begins, I can truly say I’ve never anticipated a month sure to be filled with so much stress and uncertainty. I know that I will look back on these last three carefree days and long for them. But more importantly I will draw inner strength and joy from them. I am sorry if this blog makes anyone sad because they don’t have a sister or have lost their sister (or brother).  That would never be my intention.  I pray that if either of these is the case that you will cast your net around and find someone to spend time w...

  July 29,2020 I am thoroughly enjoying a few days away at the beach with my sisters. I’m seeing so many things that inspire me.     I will be home Friday and will pick up my blog on Saturday.     1 Thessalonians 5:16:     “Always be joyful.” God bless.     Smile and be joyful!    

July 26, 2020 If it is raining outside, most people use an umbrella to stay dry.   When it’s cold, we put on a coat.   If we are removing something from the oven, we grab an oven mitt.   When there is a pandemic, we wear a mask.   We do these things to protect our physical selves.   They are automatic and considered common sense.   But are we protecting our spiritual and emotional selves?   As we leap out into the world and the busyness of our day, are we equipping ourselves with a parachute of faith?   We look both ways before we cross the street, but are we looking upward and inward to be sure that we are proceeding with our life according to God’s plan?   We check Google maps before we head out to a new destination, but are we reading our Bible before we navigate a new challenge?   Many people have a fire extinguisher in their kitchen and know how to use it.   Each day when Satan aims his fiery arrows at us to wreck our day, do w...

July 24, 2020 Today there is a tropical storm brewing in the Gulf.   It does not seem to be headed for us but is predicted to make landfall farther south.   However, being a lifelong Texan, I still feel the need to pay attention, because storms like this can strengthen, change direction, make landfall, go back out and come back in again.   There is no 100% prediction when it comes to weather.   Sometimes we prepare (board up windows, buy canned goods and batteries, fill the bathtub with water) and then nothing happens.   But a true coastal Texan knows “better safe than sorry” is the order of the day.   Preventive measures are also wise for financial emergencies and threats to our health (hello, Corona virus).   What are we doing every day to protect what matters most?   Our relationships with our loved ones and our Lord should be safeguarded and defended above all else, fortified and strengthened by our words and actions.   Kind words and car...

July 23, 2020 When I was 13 all I wanted for Christmas was a 10-speed bicycle.   It was the “big thing” that everyone my age was getting.   It had gears (that no one really knew how to change), curled under handlebars and hand brakes for front and back that would throw you over the front of the bike if you used them wrong.   But it was COOL, and I wanted one.   There was a double empty lot on our street that my friends and I called “the trails”.   It was just brushy enough to make us feel like we were “out in the country” and had piles of dirt here and there that made great “ramps” to add excitement to our course.   Even as I type this, I realize that the bike I already had was much better suited to this activity than the bike I was “dying to have”.   Christmas morning came and I did get a new bike, but it was NOT a 10-speed.   It had the body shape, curled under handlebars, big skinny wheels and uncomfortable seat but not the gears or hand brakes...