The Intentional Life

Paul mentioned a few days ago how Christmas has a different feel to it.  I have pondered over that comment for the last few days.  I never asked him to clarify, but wondered if he was disappointed that it was different, or was it just an observation? Tonight I asked him about it.  I guess we came to the same conclusion. Christmas doesn't have the same excitement and expectation as it used to.  When we were younger as soon as Thanksgiving was past we were eagerly awaiting Christmas and all the magic and gifts that it held. I guess the feeling is a little different now that we are older.  But I think that is OK. Becuase I have found over this past month that I still have been eager with anticipation.  I have been eager to share Christmas with my kiddos - both the big ones and the little ones.  My own kids know the Christmas story better than some of residents do.  I have enjoyed sharing the Christmas story with them, helping them to see t...

When we first got married I started collecting a nativity set.  It was fragile and certainly one I wouldn't want children playing with.  Even now, with three little kids in our house, I put the nativity set up high on a shelf so it won't get messed with and broke. Isn't there something wrong with this scenario? Until this year it didn't occur to me that there was. But as I was getting the nativity set out this year, showing each of the figurines to our kids, telling them what each was about, telling them to be careful and not brake anything, then placing Jesus high up on a shelf, I realized that I was going about this all wrong. Jesus came and lived among us.  He came to our dirty, filthy lives.  The nit and grit of the everyday.  He walked beside the sinners, the hurting and blind, and ate meals with them,too.  He didn't come so he could be placed at a distance, to look at and remember from time to time. How often do we put Jesus on a shelf?...

 This weekend we got to spend the weekend with Paul's side of the family:  his parents, his two brothers, their wives, and our two nieces (more on the festivities later).  The picture above is of my youngest niece, Morgan, who is 6 months old (give or take a few days).  This weekend Morgan reminded me of some important bits of wisdom.  I had the privilege of rocking her to sleep not once, but twice, this weekend.  Swoony. It was so so sweet.  As I was standing, swaying, and humming her to sleep I had a few thoughts go through my head: " Who ever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child cannot enter in the kingdom of heaven." As I looked at her sweet face I thought of how I really did not cherish the times I was trying in vain to get my own children to go to sleep.  I was always frustrated, impatient, and upset that I was spending time in a room all alone, save for a screaming infant.  But now that my own children are now past...

Sometimes life doesn't really go as planned. I didn't really have to say that - you know.  i know it. But sometimes acknowledging it makes me feel a little better about the fact that life doesn't really go as planned.  For some reason i so often think it's supposed to.  Even if life continues to prove otherwise. This week started with some much anticipated time off .  We were on duty for 9 days - 6 of those without school (thank you Thanksgiving vacation!).  But things went, for the most part, smoothly, and we were headed into the week faced with a few days to not have to worry about anything but our own children and whether i should changed out of my pj's before or after breakfast lunch. The original plan was for me to spend all of Monday helping my mom make Christmas candies.  Something i was really looking forward to.  Alas, not to be. Tuesday night we were supposed to spend the evening with my parents (sans children) at a fancy restaura...

God does funny things. He can take those things that make us the most uncomfortable and those things that make us shake our head and say " no way, uh uh, that is not going to be me " and He can plunk us right down in the middle of it. I disliked high school .  When one mentions high school I get sweaty palms and my breathing speeds up and scary images of awkwardness come to mind.  Don't get me wrong, there were high points. I did marry my high school sweetheart after all. But there were enough of those scary awkward moments that when I finally got out of high school I told myself I am not going back, no way, no how.  I told myself that I cannot be around teenagers.  Because they kinda freak me out.  I always felt like I needed to impress them.  Even when I was years out of high school, I still felt the pull to impress the present day teenagers.  those 'cool' people.  Always hoping that they thought I was 'cool' too. But then God said, '...

Paul.   I really caught myself quite the catch when I married him.   Paul is selfless and humble in every sense of the word. And for the last year has been working like crazy to complete his Masters Degree. And I bet some of you didn’t even know that, and if you did, it’s only because I was the one who told you. Let me paint the picture for you:   Last November Paul enrolled in a Graduate’s Program to obtain his Master’s in Education.   This has been something that he has wanted to do for the last 10 years and he finally was able to make it reality.   So, for the last year, with a fulltime job, demanding wife, and 3 children under 4, Paul worked away at achieving that degree. There were many late nights and hundreds of sighs but the last long haul came in mid-August when school started.   Paul started his student teaching .   Which means he: Got up every morning at 5 AM to do lesson plans and get to school early Taught 6 high school math class...

...great things He has done! I didn't want it to get too far past the day of Paul and I's half-marathon race to give God the praise! Every mile of the race I was thinking of and praising my Creator. He has blessed me with two healthy legs and a healthy body that can be propelled for 13.1 miles. Thank you, Lord, for seeing me through this training season and through the race today. To You, my Lord, be all glory given! (i didn't get much for pictures...Ben (our faithful supporter and spectator) I'm looking to you for that one!)