MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wishing you an abundance of peace, joy and love during this celebration of life's greatest gift, the birth of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
PLEASE HELP ME UNCLOG THE TOILET
Yesterday I found myself with a clogged toilet. Scott was busy working on a project, trying to put the play set outside back together after it was damaged in a summer storm (I know...it's fall...it happened in the summer...sometimes one just has to be patient).
Anyway...back to my toilet.
I tried several times to unclog it.
No luck.
Decided to just walk away for a while...you know...to see if it would magically unclog itself.
Again...no luck.
So I tried again.
Wanna take a guess?
Yeah...still no luck.
So there I stood in the bathroom with a plunger in my hand and I found these words (or pretty close to these words) going through my head:
"Lord. My toilet is clogged. And it's clogged pretty darn good. I need your help. Some might think this is a silly thing to be praying to You about, but I'm really working at coming to You with all things...good and bad, mundane and over-whemlimg. I need to do this with the inefficient plunger I have because the hardware store is closed and I can't run out for a new one. Lord...please help me unclog this toilet...because I know You can."
I took a deep breath and headed back to the task at hand.
And...wouldn't you know it?
Two plunges and that clog was gone!
I couldn't help but giggle out loud...and of course I immediately thanked my heavenly plumber for His help!
Take everything to God...
...and even your toilets will unclog :)
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Anyway...back to my toilet.
I tried several times to unclog it.
No luck.
Decided to just walk away for a while...you know...to see if it would magically unclog itself.
Again...no luck.
So I tried again.
Wanna take a guess?
Yeah...still no luck.
So there I stood in the bathroom with a plunger in my hand and I found these words (or pretty close to these words) going through my head:
"Lord. My toilet is clogged. And it's clogged pretty darn good. I need your help. Some might think this is a silly thing to be praying to You about, but I'm really working at coming to You with all things...good and bad, mundane and over-whemlimg. I need to do this with the inefficient plunger I have because the hardware store is closed and I can't run out for a new one. Lord...please help me unclog this toilet...because I know You can."
I took a deep breath and headed back to the task at hand.
And...wouldn't you know it?
Two plunges and that clog was gone!
I couldn't help but giggle out loud...and of course I immediately thanked my heavenly plumber for His help!
Take everything to God...
...and even your toilets will unclog :)
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Thursday, November 3, 2011
THE NUMBERS GAME
Wednesday nights are Family Night LIFE at church. Parker goes one way, Faith goes another way and Scott and I go another way to join the parents/adults for our own study. Last night we watched a video featuring one of the most passionate speakers I have ever heard. Her name is Christine Caine. I had not heard of her before, but will certainly be doing some digging to find more opportunities to listen/watch her.
So one of the things she talked about in her video last night was that sometimes we can get overwhelmed by numbers. For example, there are currently more than 27 million slaves in existence today. More now than at any other time in history. 27 million. Think about that for a minute.
...
So I decided this morning to do a little research:
So I also got to thinking about numbers in another way. Ever notice how often we are defined by numbers? Think about it:
Okay...so what's my point here? It's this...
No one in this world is a number. No.one.
As Christine said in the video we watched last night, when you think about 27 million slaves in the world today, that number is over.whelming. Who am I, one thinks, that I can make a difference in the lives of 27...million...people?
I can't. You can't.
But each of those 27 million people is one person. One. It amounts to 27 million, ONES.
When you break it down that way, the number doesn't seem quite as overwhelming. Hey...maybe I CAN do something about whatever it is that stirs the passion my heart.
Maybe for some of you...well...you're just trying to get through your own life, much less having the energy to worry about something/someone else. If this is so, please let me know so I can keep you in my thoughts and prayers. But remember this...you don't have to climb the entire staircase all at once. You can break it down to one.step.at.a.time.
We CAN make a difference in those numbers when we don't let it overwhelm us. We can't allow hearing "27 million" or "925 million" to scare us off. We are all "ones"...and together all of us "ones" can affect millions of people.
So my number thoughts keep coming. What about all those numbers that get assigned to us? All those numbers that when we do things such as call the doctor's office, they ask for our date of birth and patient ID number. When we call the car insurance company they ask for our our date of birth and our driver's license number. The bank asks for our account number. Your paycheck has your employee number referenced on it. You call to order pizza for delivery and they need your phone number and house number.
For some of us, our view of ourselves are based on the number of our years..."I'm 'X' years old. I am too young/too old to make a difference." The number on the scale can affect the way we see ourselves...I'm too fat...I'm just right...that person is too fat...that person is too thin...I wish I was a size X instead of the size I am.
When Faith was a baby we had some issues at the hospital she was going to. We sat down with the person in charge and shared our concerns. I asked this person if Faith had a number? The person wasn't quite sure what I meant so I clarified by saying, "Does Faith have an ID number that corresponds with her name?" Understanding my question now, she responded, "OH...of COURSE she does! All of our patients have an ID number."
My response was this:
"That's great. But Faith is NOT that number! She is not a number in your system. She is Faith Marie Johnson. She is six months old. She was born six weeks early and diagnosed with Retinoblastoma when she was two days old. She has an older brother named Parker, who is five. Her daddy is, Scott. I'm Jeanine, her mommy. She has a green blankie that she must sleep with. She likes to be snuggled. She lives in Delano. She has a puppy. She likes bananas. THAT is who she is. She is NOT a number!"
I must say that I was surprised at the passion that came with those words. I think the person we were meeting with was a little surprised, too...not to mention my husband!
We are not numbers, people. We are not statistics. God did not create us and assign us a number or put us in a statistical category. We are not, "Child Number 123,456,789". We are not assigned to categories such as poverty, slavery, orphaned, lower class, middle class, upper class, smart, dumb, beautiful, ugly, fat, thin, tall, short...
No...
...we're not!
He knows every inch of us...every hair on our head...every beat of our heart. He knows US like no one else knows us and he does not see the things of this earth.
When the time comes for us to meet Him...face-to-face...we will not be welcomed into heaven by a number. We will not be assigned a category. We will not be greeted by, "Child Number 123,456,789 assigned to Category X, has arrived."
No...He will KNOW who are without some silly number. He will KNOW who we are because he knows every.single.thing about us. We will not need to present an ID number.
Instead I imagine Him to say, "Welcome, my beautiful, beautiful Child" and He will embrace us with only the love and compassion that is Him.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
So one of the things she talked about in her video last night was that sometimes we can get overwhelmed by numbers. For example, there are currently more than 27 million slaves in existence today. More now than at any other time in history. 27 million. Think about that for a minute.
...
So I decided this morning to do a little research:
- Did you know that in 2010 there were 925 million people in the world who were hungry?
- Did you know that in 2010 there were 2.2 billion children in the world and 1 billion of those children (every second child) lived in poverty?
- Did you know that there are approximately 854 million illiterate adults in the world?
- Did you know that in 2010 there were 143 million orphaned children in the world and as many as 100 million more worldwide who were abandoned on the streets?
So I also got to thinking about numbers in another way. Ever notice how often we are defined by numbers? Think about it:
- A Birth Certificate is completed when we are born. This certificate has a number that corresponds to our name.
- Social Security numbers correspond to our name
- Students of all ages...elementary school through college...have Student ID numbers
- When you get old enough to drive you get a driver's license number
- Your car has a license plate number
- You get a job, you get an Employee Number
- You go to the doctor or a hospital and you get a Patient ID Number
- You probably have a phone number (at least one), a house/apartment number, a bank account number, PIN number, library card number, debit/credit card number
- Our age is a number
- Our birth date is a number
- There's height, weight, shoe size and pants/shirt/dress size
Okay...so what's my point here? It's this...
No one in this world is a number. No.one.
As Christine said in the video we watched last night, when you think about 27 million slaves in the world today, that number is over.whelming. Who am I, one thinks, that I can make a difference in the lives of 27...million...people?
I can't. You can't.
But each of those 27 million people is one person. One. It amounts to 27 million, ONES.
When you break it down that way, the number doesn't seem quite as overwhelming. Hey...maybe I CAN do something about whatever it is that stirs the passion my heart.
Maybe for some of you...well...you're just trying to get through your own life, much less having the energy to worry about something/someone else. If this is so, please let me know so I can keep you in my thoughts and prayers. But remember this...you don't have to climb the entire staircase all at once. You can break it down to one.step.at.a.time.
We CAN make a difference in those numbers when we don't let it overwhelm us. We can't allow hearing "27 million" or "925 million" to scare us off. We are all "ones"...and together all of us "ones" can affect millions of people.
So my number thoughts keep coming. What about all those numbers that get assigned to us? All those numbers that when we do things such as call the doctor's office, they ask for our date of birth and patient ID number. When we call the car insurance company they ask for our our date of birth and our driver's license number. The bank asks for our account number. Your paycheck has your employee number referenced on it. You call to order pizza for delivery and they need your phone number and house number.
For some of us, our view of ourselves are based on the number of our years..."I'm 'X' years old. I am too young/too old to make a difference." The number on the scale can affect the way we see ourselves...I'm too fat...I'm just right...that person is too fat...that person is too thin...I wish I was a size X instead of the size I am.
When Faith was a baby we had some issues at the hospital she was going to. We sat down with the person in charge and shared our concerns. I asked this person if Faith had a number? The person wasn't quite sure what I meant so I clarified by saying, "Does Faith have an ID number that corresponds with her name?" Understanding my question now, she responded, "OH...of COURSE she does! All of our patients have an ID number."
My response was this:
"That's great. But Faith is NOT that number! She is not a number in your system. She is Faith Marie Johnson. She is six months old. She was born six weeks early and diagnosed with Retinoblastoma when she was two days old. She has an older brother named Parker, who is five. Her daddy is, Scott. I'm Jeanine, her mommy. She has a green blankie that she must sleep with. She likes to be snuggled. She lives in Delano. She has a puppy. She likes bananas. THAT is who she is. She is NOT a number!"
I must say that I was surprised at the passion that came with those words. I think the person we were meeting with was a little surprised, too...not to mention my husband!
We are not numbers, people. We are not statistics. God did not create us and assign us a number or put us in a statistical category. We are not, "Child Number 123,456,789". We are not assigned to categories such as poverty, slavery, orphaned, lower class, middle class, upper class, smart, dumb, beautiful, ugly, fat, thin, tall, short...
No...
...we're not!
He knows every inch of us...every hair on our head...every beat of our heart. He knows US like no one else knows us and he does not see the things of this earth.
When the time comes for us to meet Him...face-to-face...we will not be welcomed into heaven by a number. We will not be assigned a category. We will not be greeted by, "Child Number 123,456,789 assigned to Category X, has arrived."
No...He will KNOW who are without some silly number. He will KNOW who we are because he knows every.single.thing about us. We will not need to present an ID number.
Instead I imagine Him to say, "Welcome, my beautiful, beautiful Child" and He will embrace us with only the love and compassion that is Him.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Monday, October 3, 2011
BULLYING IS WEAK
This morning I'm listening/watching Anderson Cooper's new show. Today's topic is bullying. Recently a 14-year old boy ended his life after years of of being bullied both face-to-face and on-line. It just got to be too much for him to handle, and a few weeks ago he ended his life.
It got me to thinking back to the 2004-2005 school year. Parker was in Kindergarten. We decided that we would enroll him in our local private school, thinking that a smaller, more nurturing environment was just what our little guy needed. He had been through a lot in his short life already. He had been diagnosed with cancer at 4-months of age. His little sister, who at the time, was just shy of a year old had also been diagnosed with cancer shortly after her birth and was in the process of being treated with chemotherapy. His daddy had also survived several cancer diagnosis. Parker was anxious, to say the least. But he was a happy, smart, and very much loved. So we thought we would build on that by sending him to a school in a Christian environment with smaller classes.
We decided that I would drive him to school in the mornings and pick him up in the afternoons to avoid a bus transfer on both the AM and PM routes. On the first day of school, I waited outside in the warm September sunshine with my sweet baby girl, waiting for my little guy to run out and tell me with great excitement all about his first day of school.
Instead, he came out in tears. Great, big tears. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "X told me all day that he didn't like me."
Well, that was a fun first day.
And the days to follow were much the same. Every day Parker would come out to tell me something that "X" had done and/or said to him throughout each day. There was name calling, gestures, taunting, threats...all done while out of the teacher's sight. Parker said he would tell the teacher about it but it didn't do any good. When I discussed it with her she denied it was happening and simply told me that the boys needed to get along and be friends, to which I disagreed and said, "No...they do not have to be friends. They must be nice to each other, but they do not have to be friends."
About two weeks into the school year, "X's" mom called me one day while the kids were at school. She said, "I'm so sorry. I just found out that X has targeted Parker." When I told her that it started the first day of school she said, "Well, is Parker a reactive child?" When I asked her what she meant by this she said, "Well, does he react to positive or negative actions against him?" I responded with, "Yes...but don't most people?" She said, "Well you see, X likes to get a reaction...whether positive or negative...so if Parker is reacting to what X does to him, even if it's negative, that is fulfilling for X. That's what he enjoys. He wants a reaction of any kind so he will continue to target Parker." Nothing I could say at this point in the conversation would sway her to much compassion for my child being bullied by her child.
It was the end of September 2004 that we needed to take our baby girl to specialists in Philadelphia. We would be gone for at least a week, if not longer. We had never left Parker for that long and did not intend to do so now. We decided that it was not going to hinder his education if we pulled him from Kindergarten for a few days, so that's exactly what we did. The day before we left I was waiting outside the school again at the end of the school day and I was talking to one of the other moms. I told her we would be out of town for a few days and filled her in as to why. I told her Parker would be going with us. Her shoulders immediately slumped and she said, "Oh, no!" When I asked her what was wrong she said, "Well if Parker's gone that means my son is next in line for X."
When we returned from our trip and Parker had been back to school for a couple of days, I saw this mom again. I asked her what happened while Parker was away. She said, "It was exactly what I thought would happen. X targeted my son and as soon as Parker got back, my son was off the hook and X went right back to Parker again."
I made an appointment to talk to the teacher and the principal. The teacher was useless...absolutely of no help what-so-ever. She just smiled through the whole conversation and said that Parker was not being bullied. Outside of the classroom the principal and I visited in the hallway. I asked her, "So tell me...is this a 50/50 thing between the boys or is this Parker fighting back?" She responded with, "This is Parker fighting back."
At this point we should have pulled Parker from the toxic environment we had subjected him to and put him in public school. But we had never had a child in school before and thought that it would get better. If we had known then what we know now, things would have been significantly different.
What we thought would get better as time progressed only got worse. Every day I had to hold back tears on our way home from school just listening to the things that he was telling me about his day. He would get in the car and say, "I'm a bad boy mommy. I'm a bad boy." I would tell him over and over and over that he was NOT a bad boy and that I loved him so very, very much. We would tell him that what X was doing was horrible. That Parker should just try his best to ignore X. That by bullying, X was just being weak. But every day was the same. And no one at the school would do anything to help us about the bullying.
Finally in April of 2005 I spoke with our pediatrician who gave me the name of a psychologist for Parker to see. I immediately called to schedule an appointment and the next day spoke with Parker's teacher about the fact that once a week I would be picking Parker up late morning for his appointments and he would return to school shortly after lunch. The teacher said, "Oh...well did you know that even though we are a private school, we can use the school district psychologist? We can schedule something with him, too."
My response was, "Whatever...but we're seeing the private psychologist recommended by our pediatrician."
The next week, the district psychologist was at the school to "observed" Parker. Not X...just Parker. At the follow-up meeting a few days later with the teacher and the psychologist, the psychologist proceeded to tell us that Parker had serious problems. We had better be prepared for a very long and rough road to remedy the situation. When Scott and I brought up the fact that our son was being bullied the teacher just shook her head and said, "Oh...no...that's not the case at all." I told them both that they were wrong about our child. That on top of everything our son was facing in life, he was also being bullied and that we did not have a long road ahead of us. Our long road would end when he was removed from the toxicity of this school environment. Our meeting ended in a separate room one-on-one with the psychologist. When we asked him directly about the bullying, he tip-toed around it. He hinted at "yes" Parker was being bullied, but he wouldn't commit to an answer one way or another.
Our appointment with the private psychologist was much more promising. She met with Parker one-on-one, as well as with just Scott and me, and then with all three of us together. She said Parker was a wonderful boy. That he was slightly anxious, but that he had also been given much in life to be anxious about. He was processing it all the best he could and the fact that the issues at school were taking place, as well, certainly didn't help matters. Parker continued to meet with the psychologist on a regular basis until a few months into the next school year.
I was never so happy to see a school year end than I was to see the end of that Kindergarten year. Obviously we made the decision to enroll Parker in public school from there on out and ti was the best decision we could have made for him. His first grade teacher was fabulous. She knew all about what had happened in Kindergarten. She knew that Parker was coming home from school every day saying he was a "bad boy". She new he was anxious and she knew all the reasons why. She was Parker's angel. First grade certainly wasn't easy. It took until about February of first grade to "deprogram" him from the effects of Kindergarten.
In April of that first grade year, the district psychologist was back in the picture. We had a meeting scheduled with him, the first grade teacher, the elementary school social worker, the principal, and Scott and me. My stomach was in knots and I had to try very hard to conceal the fact that I was so nervous I was shaking. But within minutes, those fears ended and the psychologist said, "I spent time in the classroom to observe Parker. Had I been told only that I was observing a child with "issues" but not told who it was, I would have never guessed that Parker was the one I was sent to observe." He followed with, "Almost exactly a year ago I told you both that you had a long road ahead of you with your son. I was wrong." I nearly jumped out of my chair in excitement. Instead, I shook my finger at the psychologist and said, "Isn't that exactly what I told you?" He said, "Yes...yes you did."
At the end of the first grade year, another parent who knew of our Kindergarten situation, came up to me and said, "Jeanine...I hate to tell you this, but X is going to be in public school next year. He will be in the elementary school." My heart sank and once again, my stomach turned to knots. I made sure that every year I filled out the form that asked if there was a specific child you did not want your child placed in a classroom with and every year I wrote in X's name. I made sure the teachers and staff knew that should something happen on the playground or in a time that children from various classrooms were mixed together that there was history between Parker and X. That Parker had worked very hard to overcome the effects of X and that we were certainly not going to go through it again...under any circumstances. Parker and X were never placed in the same classroom and they only had a couple of "interactions" during the remainder of their time at the elementary school...with Parker defending himself one of those times.
Middle school came. Again...I filled out the sheet stating that Parker and X were not to be in the same classroom. Apparently this didn't matter in middle school (so I'm not sure why we were asked to fill out the sheet). Parker came home the first day of 5th grade and said, "Mom...you'll never guess who is in my class." When I asked him who, he said, "X."
I have never grabbed a phone so quickly in my life. I called the principal and explained the situation to her over her voice mail. I called the assistant principal and explained the situation to him directly over the phone. He completely understood and said they would do everything they could to make sure Parker was not bullied again. I called the teacher and explained it all to him and he.was.awesome! He's been teaching for nearly 30 years and I could tell that he would have none of this happening in his classroom. I made it clear to all of them that should there be a problem, Parker would NOT be the one to be removed from the classroom and placed with another teacher. We would not bend to this situation again.
I held my breath and hoped for the best. And here's what happened:
It was a blessing in disguise.
Yeah...go figure! Turns out that by middle school, everyone had X figured out. If X targeted anyone, the person he targeted had a slew of people standing behind them. Against X, everyone had each other's back. No one set out against X. The teacher even confirmed that in conferences. But no one allowed X to target and bully. And the teacher, well he pretty much said it like it was and made sure that X knew exactly what was acceptable and unacceptable. Parker found strength in numbers and 5th grade ended up being one of his favorite years. And the teacher one of his favorites, too.
I'm sure everyone can recall a time in their lives when they were either the bully, the bullied or both. I know I can yes to all three...and the fact that I bullied certainly doesn't make me proud. I also know that being bullied hurts. It crushes the spirit...the soul...the breath...right out of you. It makes you feel lonely and afraid. Add that to today's world of social networking, texting...technology...and for some it can be inescapable.
So this morning as I watch and listen to Anderson Cooper's discussion on bullying my mind wanders back to that horrible, stomach-turning year of Kindergarten. My heart breaks for the parents and families of those who were bullied to the point of taking their own lives. I am beyond thankful that the bullying situation with Parker didn't take a turn like it did for some of these kids who just couldn't even face one more day on this earth because it was so bad. I'm thankful that God led us to the people He did so that Parker could get the help he needed to rise above the bullying...to know that he is NOT a bad boy.
But if you ask my son about his Kindergarten year, his face will scrunch up, he will let out a groan of disgust and tell you that it was the worst year of school...EVER! Then he'll usually follow up by thanking Scott and me for not sending him back to THAT school!
You're welcome, bud. And we're sorry. You're an awesome kid...and we love you!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
It got me to thinking back to the 2004-2005 school year. Parker was in Kindergarten. We decided that we would enroll him in our local private school, thinking that a smaller, more nurturing environment was just what our little guy needed. He had been through a lot in his short life already. He had been diagnosed with cancer at 4-months of age. His little sister, who at the time, was just shy of a year old had also been diagnosed with cancer shortly after her birth and was in the process of being treated with chemotherapy. His daddy had also survived several cancer diagnosis. Parker was anxious, to say the least. But he was a happy, smart, and very much loved. So we thought we would build on that by sending him to a school in a Christian environment with smaller classes.
We decided that I would drive him to school in the mornings and pick him up in the afternoons to avoid a bus transfer on both the AM and PM routes. On the first day of school, I waited outside in the warm September sunshine with my sweet baby girl, waiting for my little guy to run out and tell me with great excitement all about his first day of school.
Instead, he came out in tears. Great, big tears. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "X told me all day that he didn't like me."
Well, that was a fun first day.
And the days to follow were much the same. Every day Parker would come out to tell me something that "X" had done and/or said to him throughout each day. There was name calling, gestures, taunting, threats...all done while out of the teacher's sight. Parker said he would tell the teacher about it but it didn't do any good. When I discussed it with her she denied it was happening and simply told me that the boys needed to get along and be friends, to which I disagreed and said, "No...they do not have to be friends. They must be nice to each other, but they do not have to be friends."
About two weeks into the school year, "X's" mom called me one day while the kids were at school. She said, "I'm so sorry. I just found out that X has targeted Parker." When I told her that it started the first day of school she said, "Well, is Parker a reactive child?" When I asked her what she meant by this she said, "Well, does he react to positive or negative actions against him?" I responded with, "Yes...but don't most people?" She said, "Well you see, X likes to get a reaction...whether positive or negative...so if Parker is reacting to what X does to him, even if it's negative, that is fulfilling for X. That's what he enjoys. He wants a reaction of any kind so he will continue to target Parker." Nothing I could say at this point in the conversation would sway her to much compassion for my child being bullied by her child.
It was the end of September 2004 that we needed to take our baby girl to specialists in Philadelphia. We would be gone for at least a week, if not longer. We had never left Parker for that long and did not intend to do so now. We decided that it was not going to hinder his education if we pulled him from Kindergarten for a few days, so that's exactly what we did. The day before we left I was waiting outside the school again at the end of the school day and I was talking to one of the other moms. I told her we would be out of town for a few days and filled her in as to why. I told her Parker would be going with us. Her shoulders immediately slumped and she said, "Oh, no!" When I asked her what was wrong she said, "Well if Parker's gone that means my son is next in line for X."
When we returned from our trip and Parker had been back to school for a couple of days, I saw this mom again. I asked her what happened while Parker was away. She said, "It was exactly what I thought would happen. X targeted my son and as soon as Parker got back, my son was off the hook and X went right back to Parker again."
I made an appointment to talk to the teacher and the principal. The teacher was useless...absolutely of no help what-so-ever. She just smiled through the whole conversation and said that Parker was not being bullied. Outside of the classroom the principal and I visited in the hallway. I asked her, "So tell me...is this a 50/50 thing between the boys or is this Parker fighting back?" She responded with, "This is Parker fighting back."
At this point we should have pulled Parker from the toxic environment we had subjected him to and put him in public school. But we had never had a child in school before and thought that it would get better. If we had known then what we know now, things would have been significantly different.
What we thought would get better as time progressed only got worse. Every day I had to hold back tears on our way home from school just listening to the things that he was telling me about his day. He would get in the car and say, "I'm a bad boy mommy. I'm a bad boy." I would tell him over and over and over that he was NOT a bad boy and that I loved him so very, very much. We would tell him that what X was doing was horrible. That Parker should just try his best to ignore X. That by bullying, X was just being weak. But every day was the same. And no one at the school would do anything to help us about the bullying.
Finally in April of 2005 I spoke with our pediatrician who gave me the name of a psychologist for Parker to see. I immediately called to schedule an appointment and the next day spoke with Parker's teacher about the fact that once a week I would be picking Parker up late morning for his appointments and he would return to school shortly after lunch. The teacher said, "Oh...well did you know that even though we are a private school, we can use the school district psychologist? We can schedule something with him, too."
My response was, "Whatever...but we're seeing the private psychologist recommended by our pediatrician."
The next week, the district psychologist was at the school to "observed" Parker. Not X...just Parker. At the follow-up meeting a few days later with the teacher and the psychologist, the psychologist proceeded to tell us that Parker had serious problems. We had better be prepared for a very long and rough road to remedy the situation. When Scott and I brought up the fact that our son was being bullied the teacher just shook her head and said, "Oh...no...that's not the case at all." I told them both that they were wrong about our child. That on top of everything our son was facing in life, he was also being bullied and that we did not have a long road ahead of us. Our long road would end when he was removed from the toxicity of this school environment. Our meeting ended in a separate room one-on-one with the psychologist. When we asked him directly about the bullying, he tip-toed around it. He hinted at "yes" Parker was being bullied, but he wouldn't commit to an answer one way or another.
Our appointment with the private psychologist was much more promising. She met with Parker one-on-one, as well as with just Scott and me, and then with all three of us together. She said Parker was a wonderful boy. That he was slightly anxious, but that he had also been given much in life to be anxious about. He was processing it all the best he could and the fact that the issues at school were taking place, as well, certainly didn't help matters. Parker continued to meet with the psychologist on a regular basis until a few months into the next school year.
I was never so happy to see a school year end than I was to see the end of that Kindergarten year. Obviously we made the decision to enroll Parker in public school from there on out and ti was the best decision we could have made for him. His first grade teacher was fabulous. She knew all about what had happened in Kindergarten. She knew that Parker was coming home from school every day saying he was a "bad boy". She new he was anxious and she knew all the reasons why. She was Parker's angel. First grade certainly wasn't easy. It took until about February of first grade to "deprogram" him from the effects of Kindergarten.
In April of that first grade year, the district psychologist was back in the picture. We had a meeting scheduled with him, the first grade teacher, the elementary school social worker, the principal, and Scott and me. My stomach was in knots and I had to try very hard to conceal the fact that I was so nervous I was shaking. But within minutes, those fears ended and the psychologist said, "I spent time in the classroom to observe Parker. Had I been told only that I was observing a child with "issues" but not told who it was, I would have never guessed that Parker was the one I was sent to observe." He followed with, "Almost exactly a year ago I told you both that you had a long road ahead of you with your son. I was wrong." I nearly jumped out of my chair in excitement. Instead, I shook my finger at the psychologist and said, "Isn't that exactly what I told you?" He said, "Yes...yes you did."
At the end of the first grade year, another parent who knew of our Kindergarten situation, came up to me and said, "Jeanine...I hate to tell you this, but X is going to be in public school next year. He will be in the elementary school." My heart sank and once again, my stomach turned to knots. I made sure that every year I filled out the form that asked if there was a specific child you did not want your child placed in a classroom with and every year I wrote in X's name. I made sure the teachers and staff knew that should something happen on the playground or in a time that children from various classrooms were mixed together that there was history between Parker and X. That Parker had worked very hard to overcome the effects of X and that we were certainly not going to go through it again...under any circumstances. Parker and X were never placed in the same classroom and they only had a couple of "interactions" during the remainder of their time at the elementary school...with Parker defending himself one of those times.
Middle school came. Again...I filled out the sheet stating that Parker and X were not to be in the same classroom. Apparently this didn't matter in middle school (so I'm not sure why we were asked to fill out the sheet). Parker came home the first day of 5th grade and said, "Mom...you'll never guess who is in my class." When I asked him who, he said, "X."
I have never grabbed a phone so quickly in my life. I called the principal and explained the situation to her over her voice mail. I called the assistant principal and explained the situation to him directly over the phone. He completely understood and said they would do everything they could to make sure Parker was not bullied again. I called the teacher and explained it all to him and he.was.awesome! He's been teaching for nearly 30 years and I could tell that he would have none of this happening in his classroom. I made it clear to all of them that should there be a problem, Parker would NOT be the one to be removed from the classroom and placed with another teacher. We would not bend to this situation again.
I held my breath and hoped for the best. And here's what happened:
It was a blessing in disguise.
Yeah...go figure! Turns out that by middle school, everyone had X figured out. If X targeted anyone, the person he targeted had a slew of people standing behind them. Against X, everyone had each other's back. No one set out against X. The teacher even confirmed that in conferences. But no one allowed X to target and bully. And the teacher, well he pretty much said it like it was and made sure that X knew exactly what was acceptable and unacceptable. Parker found strength in numbers and 5th grade ended up being one of his favorite years. And the teacher one of his favorites, too.
I'm sure everyone can recall a time in their lives when they were either the bully, the bullied or both. I know I can yes to all three...and the fact that I bullied certainly doesn't make me proud. I also know that being bullied hurts. It crushes the spirit...the soul...the breath...right out of you. It makes you feel lonely and afraid. Add that to today's world of social networking, texting...technology...and for some it can be inescapable.
So this morning as I watch and listen to Anderson Cooper's discussion on bullying my mind wanders back to that horrible, stomach-turning year of Kindergarten. My heart breaks for the parents and families of those who were bullied to the point of taking their own lives. I am beyond thankful that the bullying situation with Parker didn't take a turn like it did for some of these kids who just couldn't even face one more day on this earth because it was so bad. I'm thankful that God led us to the people He did so that Parker could get the help he needed to rise above the bullying...to know that he is NOT a bad boy.
But if you ask my son about his Kindergarten year, his face will scrunch up, he will let out a groan of disgust and tell you that it was the worst year of school...EVER! Then he'll usually follow up by thanking Scott and me for not sending him back to THAT school!
You're welcome, bud. And we're sorry. You're an awesome kid...and we love you!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Thursday, September 22, 2011
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
I just noticed it has been over a month since I last blogged.
Life got a little busy.
School started.
Parker is in 7th grade and Faith is in 2nd grade.
Parker is playing football and practices are after school until 5:15 PM. Games are Mondays and Thursdays at 4:15 PM.
We have church on Wednesday evenings. Scott and I have adult Bible study, Parker has youth and Faith has children's time.
My mom has been ill for the past month. She has pneumonia and was in the hospital for four days last week and was re-admitted on Tuesday this week. She had tests done yesterday to try to figure out of this is bacterial pneumonia or radiation induced pneumonia from the radiation she received in April and May of this year. She is showing signs of both types. She is one sick lady.
My dad went on a WWII Veteran's Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. He has been excited about this trip for months. He left before my mom was re-admitted to the hospital. We were all glad about that, too, because had mom been admitted again before he left, we fear he would not have gone. He had never been to D.C. and he had a great time. He found the city to be beautiful...both in it's setting and in the fact that it is so meticulously maintained. He couldn't get over the Vietnam Memorial. Iwo Jima was another one that struck him as amazing.
Today my sweet little Faith Marie is home sick. She was coughing after school yesterday and this morning she has a fever. As soon walked in her room this morning and saw her, I knew she would be staying home. Her little cheeks were bright red and hot to the touch. Taking her temperature proved me right and she is home with me for the day.
Parker could hardly function this morning he was so tired. On Wednesdays Faith and I pick him up from practice, eat in the car and head directly to church. Scott meets us there on his way home from work. We're usually home by 8 PM. However, last night we had to make a run to Lenscrafters to get Parker's glasses fixed. He does not wear them to play football, but somehow when he put them in his locker the bow bent and they were very loose on his face. We didn't get home until much later. 7th grade also means a new academic schedule at school. He has Day 1 and Day 2. Right now Day 1 is Language Arts, Geography, ENCORE, Band, Lunch, Gym and Art. Day 2 is Family and Consumer Science (Home Ec, to you and me), Math, ENCORE, Band, Lunch, Gym and Life Science. So basically, each set of classes is every other day. Yesterday's homework is due tomorrow. Day 2 seems to produce more homework and yesterday was Day 2. He had all his homework done for today done on Tuesday. He didn't get much done last night after church. Tonight he has an away game. He's worried about how he's going to get all his homework done for tomorrow. I also had to tell him I probably won't make his game tonight because of his sister being home sick. He was sad, but he understood. He left for school today very tired, a quite stressed and bummed. :(
It probably sounds like things have been horrible around here. Not really...just a little chaotic. There's been some funny stuff, too. Like the other day in the grocery store when an curious elderly gentleman asked me why I had two gallons of vinegar in my cart. When I told him I use it in place of fabric softener in my washing machine, he looked at me sort of strangely, leaned in and sniffed my shoulder and said, "Huh...you don't smell like vinegar."
There was the day I took the dogs to the groomer and poor Max was difficult. Player did fine with a bath, haircut, nail clipping, etc., Max, however, was freaked out by the whole experience...and he didn't even get a haircut...just a bath and nail clipping. He's our big baby and apparently he cried and cried through the whole thing. Not only was I embarrassed by his behavior (mostly because of the glare I got as a result of it) but I also felt bad for the poor little guy. Let's just say that both dogs were happy to see their mamma...and I was happy to have them back home.
I have beautiful friends who have just called to check in, especially about my mom. They have offered to help with the kids, asked if there is anything we need and most importantly told me they have my mom in their thoughts and prayers. Lots of people have her in their thoughts and prayers and I appreciate this more than words can express.
So I've been a little distracted with life and have not had a good opportunity to enjoy writing in my own blog and catching up with all of my blog friends through your blogs. I hope you are doing well. That you're enjoying the full-swing of fall and school and beautiful weather.
I hope you have peace and simplicity.
Jeanine
Life got a little busy.
School started.
Parker is in 7th grade and Faith is in 2nd grade.
Parker is playing football and practices are after school until 5:15 PM. Games are Mondays and Thursdays at 4:15 PM.
We have church on Wednesday evenings. Scott and I have adult Bible study, Parker has youth and Faith has children's time.
My mom has been ill for the past month. She has pneumonia and was in the hospital for four days last week and was re-admitted on Tuesday this week. She had tests done yesterday to try to figure out of this is bacterial pneumonia or radiation induced pneumonia from the radiation she received in April and May of this year. She is showing signs of both types. She is one sick lady.
My dad went on a WWII Veteran's Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. He has been excited about this trip for months. He left before my mom was re-admitted to the hospital. We were all glad about that, too, because had mom been admitted again before he left, we fear he would not have gone. He had never been to D.C. and he had a great time. He found the city to be beautiful...both in it's setting and in the fact that it is so meticulously maintained. He couldn't get over the Vietnam Memorial. Iwo Jima was another one that struck him as amazing.
Today my sweet little Faith Marie is home sick. She was coughing after school yesterday and this morning she has a fever. As soon walked in her room this morning and saw her, I knew she would be staying home. Her little cheeks were bright red and hot to the touch. Taking her temperature proved me right and she is home with me for the day.
Parker could hardly function this morning he was so tired. On Wednesdays Faith and I pick him up from practice, eat in the car and head directly to church. Scott meets us there on his way home from work. We're usually home by 8 PM. However, last night we had to make a run to Lenscrafters to get Parker's glasses fixed. He does not wear them to play football, but somehow when he put them in his locker the bow bent and they were very loose on his face. We didn't get home until much later. 7th grade also means a new academic schedule at school. He has Day 1 and Day 2. Right now Day 1 is Language Arts, Geography, ENCORE, Band, Lunch, Gym and Art. Day 2 is Family and Consumer Science (Home Ec, to you and me), Math, ENCORE, Band, Lunch, Gym and Life Science. So basically, each set of classes is every other day. Yesterday's homework is due tomorrow. Day 2 seems to produce more homework and yesterday was Day 2. He had all his homework done for today done on Tuesday. He didn't get much done last night after church. Tonight he has an away game. He's worried about how he's going to get all his homework done for tomorrow. I also had to tell him I probably won't make his game tonight because of his sister being home sick. He was sad, but he understood. He left for school today very tired, a quite stressed and bummed. :(
It probably sounds like things have been horrible around here. Not really...just a little chaotic. There's been some funny stuff, too. Like the other day in the grocery store when an curious elderly gentleman asked me why I had two gallons of vinegar in my cart. When I told him I use it in place of fabric softener in my washing machine, he looked at me sort of strangely, leaned in and sniffed my shoulder and said, "Huh...you don't smell like vinegar."
There was the day I took the dogs to the groomer and poor Max was difficult. Player did fine with a bath, haircut, nail clipping, etc., Max, however, was freaked out by the whole experience...and he didn't even get a haircut...just a bath and nail clipping. He's our big baby and apparently he cried and cried through the whole thing. Not only was I embarrassed by his behavior (mostly because of the glare I got as a result of it) but I also felt bad for the poor little guy. Let's just say that both dogs were happy to see their mamma...and I was happy to have them back home.
I have beautiful friends who have just called to check in, especially about my mom. They have offered to help with the kids, asked if there is anything we need and most importantly told me they have my mom in their thoughts and prayers. Lots of people have her in their thoughts and prayers and I appreciate this more than words can express.
So I've been a little distracted with life and have not had a good opportunity to enjoy writing in my own blog and catching up with all of my blog friends through your blogs. I hope you are doing well. That you're enjoying the full-swing of fall and school and beautiful weather.
I hope you have peace and simplicity.
Jeanine
Monday, August 15, 2011
MINNEHAHA FALLS
In the heart of Minneapolis, you will find this:
Minnehaha Falls.
It was a great place to spend our 2011 Summer Adventure Day #6.
It's lovely.
It's picturesque.
Here...why don't you just let me show you...
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine
Minnehaha Falls.
It was a great place to spend our 2011 Summer Adventure Day #6.
It's lovely.
It's picturesque.
Here...why don't you just let me show you...
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine
Monday, August 8, 2011
WEEKEND WITH FRIENDS
We arrived back home last night after a weekend away at our longest-time friends. They live about two and a half hours west of us. Kris and I have known each other since first grade. We were best of friends in high school and college and it has continued on to now. Our husbands are both "city boys" and while we were all in our dating years, the two of them hit it off splendidly. Our kids are all fairly close in age...their son is 14 and entering 9th grade. Parker is 12 1/2 and entering 7th grade. Their daughter is 11 and entering 6th grade. Faith falls a little behind in age at 7 1/2 and entering 2nd grade...but she holds her own with the big kids. They get along as though they see each other all the time.
When they all come to the cities, they stay with us and we love it! We haven't been their direction for quite some time, so we decided early in July that we would spend a weekend with them. The drive there is lovely. Lots and lots of farm land with small (some teeny-tiny) towns along the way.
Our time together is always comfortable. Relaxing. The kids play. We grown-ups get to visit. Kris and I went carpet shopping for their bedroom. Scott and Thom took the kids to the pool. We grilled burgers. We had a bonfire. We went out for pizza. No one needs anything "extra" while we're together. We simply enjoy each others company.
Spending time with our longest-time friends is about the "who" and not about the "what".
It's peaceful.
It's simple.
It's peaceFULLYsimple.
Wishing you beautiful day!
Jeanine
When they all come to the cities, they stay with us and we love it! We haven't been their direction for quite some time, so we decided early in July that we would spend a weekend with them. The drive there is lovely. Lots and lots of farm land with small (some teeny-tiny) towns along the way.
Our time together is always comfortable. Relaxing. The kids play. We grown-ups get to visit. Kris and I went carpet shopping for their bedroom. Scott and Thom took the kids to the pool. We grilled burgers. We had a bonfire. We went out for pizza. No one needs anything "extra" while we're together. We simply enjoy each others company.
Spending time with our longest-time friends is about the "who" and not about the "what".
It's peaceful.
It's simple.
It's peaceFULLYsimple.
Wishing you beautiful day!
Jeanine
Thursday, July 21, 2011
THE CRAP JAR
There's an over-used word at our house.
The word is...
CRAP
Yes...crap. Everyone here says it...myself included.
Not that crap is a horrible word...the alternative is much worse...but it's just one that has gone from slightly-used to incredibly over-used and it's going to stop. It has also exited the boundaries of our home and is oftentimes used outside of our home, as well.
Not acceptable.
So yesterday I found myself with an empty jar. A lone canning jar, just sitting there looking for a way to be productive and useful in our house.
ding...IDEA!
To decrease, and hopefully stop, the usage of crap in our home, I have created this:
Here are "The CRAP JAR Rules"
1. If you say CRAP, you owe a quarter to The CRAP JAR.
That's it.
One rule.
Not sure what we'll do with all the crap money.
We'll figure that out as we go. (I'm thinking vacation.)
But all-in-all...pretty easy rules to follow, huh?
Yeah...we'll see. There's a lot of crap flying around this house!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple...and crap-free day!
Jeanine
The word is...
CRAP
Yes...crap. Everyone here says it...myself included.
Not that crap is a horrible word...the alternative is much worse...but it's just one that has gone from slightly-used to incredibly over-used and it's going to stop. It has also exited the boundaries of our home and is oftentimes used outside of our home, as well.
Not acceptable.
So yesterday I found myself with an empty jar. A lone canning jar, just sitting there looking for a way to be productive and useful in our house.
ding...IDEA!
To decrease, and hopefully stop, the usage of crap in our home, I have created this:
Here are "The CRAP JAR Rules"
1. If you say CRAP, you owe a quarter to The CRAP JAR.
That's it.
One rule.
Not sure what we'll do with all the crap money.
We'll figure that out as we go. (I'm thinking vacation.)
But all-in-all...pretty easy rules to follow, huh?
Yeah...we'll see. There's a lot of crap flying around this house!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple...and crap-free day!
Jeanine
Sunday, July 17, 2011
BE HAPPY
Feel free to play this video while you read.
hap·py (h
p
)adj. hap·pi·er, hap·pi·est
p)adj. hap·pi·er, hap·pi·est 1. Characterized by good luck; fortunate.
2. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy.
3. Being especially well-adapted; felicitous: a happy turn of phrase.
4. Cheerful; willing: happy to help.
I feel like lately I have been surrounded by unhappy people. I had a bullet list of 12 items to prove it...with more that I could have easily added. I decided to delete the list for fear it would expose some of the people who have made the comments. That would be risky business, to say the least. All of the items on my list have happened in the last couple of weeks and it's really starting to get.on.my.nerves.
Don't get me wrong...I have my complaints and belly-aching, too. You can ask my husband and kids and they will be more than happy to confirm this. But I certainly hope it's not to the extent that people don't want to be around me...that would be due to many other aspects of my personality :)
But seriously?
Life is short. BE HAPPY people!
And if you are a happy person...make it contagious!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple...and HAPPY day!
Jeanine
Thursday, July 14, 2011
RAINING
I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE rainy days!
I always have. Even when I was little.
I am fascinated by storms and would rather stand at the window and watch them than hide in the basement when the sirens go off or the TV weatherman tells me to "seek shelter". One time, however, I was terrified of a horrible storm that roared through the town we were living in at the time and destroyed many homes and businesses. My husband was on a business trip in Florida and I was left with downed trees and a garage that had been blown from it's foundation, not to mention a dog that took quite some time to recover!
But aside from that, I love the rolling sounds of thunder. Lightening shows in the skies are amazing to me. And I find the sound of a rain soothing.
Today is a gentle rain day. We awoke to it's comforting sounds. I feel cozy, relaxed and peaceful.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
I always have. Even when I was little.
I am fascinated by storms and would rather stand at the window and watch them than hide in the basement when the sirens go off or the TV weatherman tells me to "seek shelter". One time, however, I was terrified of a horrible storm that roared through the town we were living in at the time and destroyed many homes and businesses. My husband was on a business trip in Florida and I was left with downed trees and a garage that had been blown from it's foundation, not to mention a dog that took quite some time to recover!
But aside from that, I love the rolling sounds of thunder. Lightening shows in the skies are amazing to me. And I find the sound of a rain soothing.
Today is a gentle rain day. We awoke to it's comforting sounds. I feel cozy, relaxed and peaceful.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Thursday, June 30, 2011
$8,000 SHOES
On Tuesday morning Faith and I went out to do a little shopping. Parker is gone for the week so we decided that we would have a "girl" day. With the 4th of July coming up I told her we would go to Justice to get her an outfit for the holiday. Our town has a huge celebration of the 4th of July and when I was little I always got a new outfit. I do the same with Faith.
She asked, "Could I get a pair of shoes, too?"
I told her that we'd see once we got there and it would depend on how much it cost. I'm a sucker for shoes so I knew the answer would be yes, but I didn't want her to know that quite yet.
We got to Justice and it didn't take long to find a cute little skirt and a shirt that would make the perfect outfit. Yes...we can also look at shoes.
She found two pair that she wanted to try with her outfit. So into the dressing room we go. The outfit looked adorable. Done. The two pair of shoes were very different and each pair were super cute. How to decide?
Hmmmmm..."Well, Faith...let's get to the checkout and see what the total is and then we'll decide."
To avoid drama in the store I allowed the second pair of shoes. (You can agree or disagree with me on this, but I don't like in-store drama). The total came to $80 and some change. We exited the store and made a bee-line for the nearest mall bench to discuss whether-or-not we should have spend the little extra on the second pair of shoes or if we should return them? Tears. Real tears. Not screaming, yelling, temper-tantrum. Just real tears that dropped from her little eyes and a tiny voice saying, "But it's so hard to decide, mommy." I know, sweet girl. I hear ya.
Later that day we started getting Faith ready for her date-night with her daddy. They were going to a restaurant of her choice (McDonalds) and a movie (Mr. Popper's Penguins). Scott told me later that they had barely gotten in the car and the conversation went something as follows:
Faith: "Daddy?"
Scott: "Yes, Faith."
Faith: "I'm really sorry, but I wasted some money today."
Scott: "Huh? What do you mean you wasted money? Do you mean you spent some money?"
Faith: "No daddy, we wasted money. I wanted two pair of shoes and it cost eight thousand dollars!"
Scott: "Eight thousand dollars? Are you sure it cost eight thousand dollars?"
Faith: "Yes, daddy. It was four numbers. It was eight thousand dollars. I'm sorry I spent that much on shoes."
Scott: "Faithy...are you sure it wasn't eighty dollars and not eight thousand dollars?"
Faith: "I don't know, daddy. Maybe. Can we not talk about it anymore?"
Scott: "Okay, honey."
I asked Scott how he was able to keep composure during this conversation and not start laughing. He said he just did, but it wasn't easy!
Scott does a good job of all the "girl" stuff. He asked to see her new stuff and when it came to the shoes he "oooooo'd" and "awwwww'd" over them and made special emphasis on liking the second pair that brought the total to "eight thousand dollars."
Oh sweet, Faith. Ya gotta love that little girl!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine
She asked, "Could I get a pair of shoes, too?"
I told her that we'd see once we got there and it would depend on how much it cost. I'm a sucker for shoes so I knew the answer would be yes, but I didn't want her to know that quite yet.
We got to Justice and it didn't take long to find a cute little skirt and a shirt that would make the perfect outfit. Yes...we can also look at shoes.
She found two pair that she wanted to try with her outfit. So into the dressing room we go. The outfit looked adorable. Done. The two pair of shoes were very different and each pair were super cute. How to decide?
"Can I get BOTH pair, mommy?"
Hmmmmm..."Well, Faith...let's get to the checkout and see what the total is and then we'll decide."
To avoid drama in the store I allowed the second pair of shoes. (You can agree or disagree with me on this, but I don't like in-store drama). The total came to $80 and some change. We exited the store and made a bee-line for the nearest mall bench to discuss whether-or-not we should have spend the little extra on the second pair of shoes or if we should return them? Tears. Real tears. Not screaming, yelling, temper-tantrum. Just real tears that dropped from her little eyes and a tiny voice saying, "But it's so hard to decide, mommy." I know, sweet girl. I hear ya.
Later that day we started getting Faith ready for her date-night with her daddy. They were going to a restaurant of her choice (McDonalds) and a movie (Mr. Popper's Penguins). Scott told me later that they had barely gotten in the car and the conversation went something as follows:
Faith: "Daddy?"
Scott: "Yes, Faith."
Faith: "I'm really sorry, but I wasted some money today."
Scott: "Huh? What do you mean you wasted money? Do you mean you spent some money?"
Faith: "No daddy, we wasted money. I wanted two pair of shoes and it cost eight thousand dollars!"
Scott: "Eight thousand dollars? Are you sure it cost eight thousand dollars?"
Faith: "Yes, daddy. It was four numbers. It was eight thousand dollars. I'm sorry I spent that much on shoes."
Scott: "Faithy...are you sure it wasn't eighty dollars and not eight thousand dollars?"
Faith: "I don't know, daddy. Maybe. Can we not talk about it anymore?"
Scott: "Okay, honey."
I asked Scott how he was able to keep composure during this conversation and not start laughing. He said he just did, but it wasn't easy!
Scott does a good job of all the "girl" stuff. He asked to see her new stuff and when it came to the shoes he "oooooo'd" and "awwwww'd" over them and made special emphasis on liking the second pair that brought the total to "eight thousand dollars."
Oh sweet, Faith. Ya gotta love that little girl!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine
Monday, June 27, 2011
STILL HERE
Hi!
I haven't blogged for a while.
I'm still here...just in case you're wondering.
Everything is good.
Busy...just like everyone this time of year.
But my heart is full...even in the midst of the busyness.
Peace is existent.
Simplicity...well...not so much...but it's okay.
God's love surrounds it all!
I hope you're well...happy...enjoying summer...lovin' life.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
I haven't blogged for a while.
I'm still here...just in case you're wondering.
Everything is good.
Busy...just like everyone this time of year.
But my heart is full...even in the midst of the busyness.
Peace is existent.
Simplicity...well...not so much...but it's okay.
God's love surrounds it all!
I hope you're well...happy...enjoying summer...lovin' life.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A NEW DAY
The first part of this post is going to sound all whiny and complain-y. It'll get better by the end...I promise.
So yesterday was quite a day around here. It started out pretty good. We had Karate on the schedule and that was pretty much it. Scott decided he was going to work from home. His vehicle was acting up on the way home from work on Monday so his plan was to take it in before Karate so I could pick him up and then he'd go with us to Karate lessons. Nice.simple.plan.
11:05 AM. Faith comes to me and says, "Mommy, can I have ice for my eye. It really itches."
I looked at it and gasped out loud. It was swollen and red and well...gasp-worthy! I didn't mean to, but I know my gasp frightened her a little. Since anything eye-related is serious business at our house, I immediately called the pediatrician. I could bring her right in and they would work us into the schedule. I only wanted Dr. Garvis. He knows our little Faith almost as well as Scott and me.
My fear was pink eye. Thankfully my fears were for not. Dr. Garvis said he was sure it was allergies but he didn't want to mess around. So we wouldn't have to drive to Rochester to see Faith's specialist for most likely an allergy, he called the pediatric eye doctor at the eye clinic one floor down from the pediatrician's office. The pediatric doctor was in another building that day. Fifteen minutes away. Dr. Garvis scheduled us to be there in twenty minutes. We zoomed off and made it in time.
Dr. "P" was very nice. She checked Faith's eyes and agreed that it was allergies and nothing related to her retinal issues. She prescribed a daily eye drop that would help alleviate the itching and redness. It would take a few days to really start to work. One drop...once per day. My Faith was mad. mad, Mad, MAD! And scared. She does.not.like eye drops. She tried so hard to be brave, but once she and I were alone her little lip started to quiver and she said, "Mommy, I don't LIKE eye drops. I'm scared."
"I know, sweet girl...I know. We'll get through it one step at a time."
We didn't get to Karate. Scott was left hanging on how to get his vehicle in for service and get a ride home. He did what I would have done in the same situation and called my mom and dad. My dad picked him up and brought him home.
A few hours later his vehicle was ready. He had been leaking fuel. Some fuel got into the oil so the oil had to be changed again, too. End result was $620 in repairs. Better than a new vehicle...which is what would have been the case had he just let it go.
Next stop was a trip to the vet with our dog Player. I needed to pick up heart worm pills for both our dogs so I scheduled a visit with the vet for her to check Players ear, which I was pretty sure had an infection, and then also check a little lump on his tummy. Lump was nothing to be concerned about, just keep watch of it. Ears were infected, most likely due to allergies. I walked out with two packages of heart worm pills, prescription ear ointment, and of course, Player...but only after writing them a check for $113.
To top off the whole thing, my back has been so sore I can hardly move. It's my neck, left shoulder and mid-back. The only way I can explain it is that it not only hurts, but it burns. When I'm home I've been walking around the house with a large Ziplock bag full of ice on my shoulder/neck. I went to the chiropractor on Monday and I'm thinking I'll be back by the end of the week. Anything I do hurts.
Okay...so that was the whiny, complain-y part. Thanks for letting me get all that off my chest. Sorry you had to endure it, though.
Now for the positive side of things.
Our little Faithy is okay. It's just allergies. In the grand scheme of things, I'll take allergies over anything else that could have been going on with her eyes. In her "up-side" of looking at things, Faith said to me yesterday, "Well...at least it's my left eye." because that's the eye she doesn't see out of. She did really well with the drops last night. It took a good ten minutes to calm her down, talk to her about it and convince her that it would all be okay. When it was done she looked at me and said, "That's it? We're done?" Yep...easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.
As far as Scott's vehicle. We can be thankful that what was wrong was fixable and that we didn't need a new one. He said just driving it home the probably mile or so from the repair shop he already noticed a difference in how it drove. He could breathe easy knowing that he could drive it safely to work without it breaking down.
Making sure our two four-legged family members are healthy and well-cared for is important, too. What would we do without these two joys in our family? They add so much happiness to our lives and each of them has personality and uniqueness just like the rest of us. We can't put a dollar amount on them.
So...in the grand scheme of things...it all worked out okay. God provided and cared for and continued to hold our hands through it all...guiding, directing, protecting and loving every step of every day.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
So yesterday was quite a day around here. It started out pretty good. We had Karate on the schedule and that was pretty much it. Scott decided he was going to work from home. His vehicle was acting up on the way home from work on Monday so his plan was to take it in before Karate so I could pick him up and then he'd go with us to Karate lessons. Nice.simple.plan.
11:05 AM. Faith comes to me and says, "Mommy, can I have ice for my eye. It really itches."
I looked at it and gasped out loud. It was swollen and red and well...gasp-worthy! I didn't mean to, but I know my gasp frightened her a little. Since anything eye-related is serious business at our house, I immediately called the pediatrician. I could bring her right in and they would work us into the schedule. I only wanted Dr. Garvis. He knows our little Faith almost as well as Scott and me.
My fear was pink eye. Thankfully my fears were for not. Dr. Garvis said he was sure it was allergies but he didn't want to mess around. So we wouldn't have to drive to Rochester to see Faith's specialist for most likely an allergy, he called the pediatric eye doctor at the eye clinic one floor down from the pediatrician's office. The pediatric doctor was in another building that day. Fifteen minutes away. Dr. Garvis scheduled us to be there in twenty minutes. We zoomed off and made it in time.
Dr. "P" was very nice. She checked Faith's eyes and agreed that it was allergies and nothing related to her retinal issues. She prescribed a daily eye drop that would help alleviate the itching and redness. It would take a few days to really start to work. One drop...once per day. My Faith was mad. mad, Mad, MAD! And scared. She does.not.like eye drops. She tried so hard to be brave, but once she and I were alone her little lip started to quiver and she said, "Mommy, I don't LIKE eye drops. I'm scared."
"I know, sweet girl...I know. We'll get through it one step at a time."
We didn't get to Karate. Scott was left hanging on how to get his vehicle in for service and get a ride home. He did what I would have done in the same situation and called my mom and dad. My dad picked him up and brought him home.
A few hours later his vehicle was ready. He had been leaking fuel. Some fuel got into the oil so the oil had to be changed again, too. End result was $620 in repairs. Better than a new vehicle...which is what would have been the case had he just let it go.
Next stop was a trip to the vet with our dog Player. I needed to pick up heart worm pills for both our dogs so I scheduled a visit with the vet for her to check Players ear, which I was pretty sure had an infection, and then also check a little lump on his tummy. Lump was nothing to be concerned about, just keep watch of it. Ears were infected, most likely due to allergies. I walked out with two packages of heart worm pills, prescription ear ointment, and of course, Player...but only after writing them a check for $113.
To top off the whole thing, my back has been so sore I can hardly move. It's my neck, left shoulder and mid-back. The only way I can explain it is that it not only hurts, but it burns. When I'm home I've been walking around the house with a large Ziplock bag full of ice on my shoulder/neck. I went to the chiropractor on Monday and I'm thinking I'll be back by the end of the week. Anything I do hurts.
Okay...so that was the whiny, complain-y part. Thanks for letting me get all that off my chest. Sorry you had to endure it, though.
Now for the positive side of things.
Our little Faithy is okay. It's just allergies. In the grand scheme of things, I'll take allergies over anything else that could have been going on with her eyes. In her "up-side" of looking at things, Faith said to me yesterday, "Well...at least it's my left eye." because that's the eye she doesn't see out of. She did really well with the drops last night. It took a good ten minutes to calm her down, talk to her about it and convince her that it would all be okay. When it was done she looked at me and said, "That's it? We're done?" Yep...easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.
As far as Scott's vehicle. We can be thankful that what was wrong was fixable and that we didn't need a new one. He said just driving it home the probably mile or so from the repair shop he already noticed a difference in how it drove. He could breathe easy knowing that he could drive it safely to work without it breaking down.
Making sure our two four-legged family members are healthy and well-cared for is important, too. What would we do without these two joys in our family? They add so much happiness to our lives and each of them has personality and uniqueness just like the rest of us. We can't put a dollar amount on them.
So...in the grand scheme of things...it all worked out okay. God provided and cared for and continued to hold our hands through it all...guiding, directing, protecting and loving every step of every day.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Monday, June 13, 2011
HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYBODY!
Well...what a morning we've already had at the Johnson house!
It's the first FULL WEEK of summer break! I love summer break. Loved it as a kid and now I love it as the mom of kids. Of course there are days when Parker and Faith will have sibling "issues" and I secretly wish that I could send them off to school. But those are fleeting moments and they are few and far between.
So the morning started with Parker sleeping in until 7:34 AM! You have to understand that for Parker, this IS sleeping in and it's sleeping in LATE! All was off to a good start. Got the dogs outside for their morning "duties" and filled their dog bowls. Soon Max was barking more zealously than usual. I went out to the deck to unleash him only to find that Player had gotten off his leash.
Oh goodie!
Nothing like one of our dogs off the leash at 7:45 in the morning. I took a breath of relief, though, that it was Player and not Max. Player is easier to catch and we usually don't need a leash to get him back home. He just runs off his energy and follows us home. So the kids and I slipped on shoes and went outside to find our little Player. He was next door at the park and the kids spotted him almost immediately. And Player ran home almost immediately.
Crisis diverted.
Next up...Parker told Faith he'd play the Wii with her for a bit. Better to get it over-and-done with right away in the morning so we can move on to better activities. They started off great...giggling with each other and getting along splendidly. That quickly changed with Parker was going to show Faith a "move" and she decided not to listen. Parker got upset with her and Faith fussed about it. They argued. Parker told her if she continued in this way he would be done. She listened. They were happy again and soon Parker said, "Faithy...I'm sorry I got upset with you, but I was just trying to show you something." Faithy said, "It's okay, Parker."
Sounds like now the game is over. They were just wrestling with each other and Parker had Faith giggling like only he can make her giggle. They have moved on to the box of left-over Sunday morning donuts and fresh glasses of milk. They are reminiscing about something Faith did to Parker when she was a baby.
I love listening to them talk, giggle, play...get along (which is most of the time).
It warms my heart.
Hope your Monday is off to a good start, too...minus chasing the dog (did I mention I was still in my jammies?).
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine
It's the first FULL WEEK of summer break! I love summer break. Loved it as a kid and now I love it as the mom of kids. Of course there are days when Parker and Faith will have sibling "issues" and I secretly wish that I could send them off to school. But those are fleeting moments and they are few and far between.
So the morning started with Parker sleeping in until 7:34 AM! You have to understand that for Parker, this IS sleeping in and it's sleeping in LATE! All was off to a good start. Got the dogs outside for their morning "duties" and filled their dog bowls. Soon Max was barking more zealously than usual. I went out to the deck to unleash him only to find that Player had gotten off his leash.
Oh goodie!
Nothing like one of our dogs off the leash at 7:45 in the morning. I took a breath of relief, though, that it was Player and not Max. Player is easier to catch and we usually don't need a leash to get him back home. He just runs off his energy and follows us home. So the kids and I slipped on shoes and went outside to find our little Player. He was next door at the park and the kids spotted him almost immediately. And Player ran home almost immediately.
Crisis diverted.
Next up...Parker told Faith he'd play the Wii with her for a bit. Better to get it over-and-done with right away in the morning so we can move on to better activities. They started off great...giggling with each other and getting along splendidly. That quickly changed with Parker was going to show Faith a "move" and she decided not to listen. Parker got upset with her and Faith fussed about it. They argued. Parker told her if she continued in this way he would be done. She listened. They were happy again and soon Parker said, "Faithy...I'm sorry I got upset with you, but I was just trying to show you something." Faithy said, "It's okay, Parker."
Sounds like now the game is over. They were just wrestling with each other and Parker had Faith giggling like only he can make her giggle. They have moved on to the box of left-over Sunday morning donuts and fresh glasses of milk. They are reminiscing about something Faith did to Parker when she was a baby.
I love listening to them talk, giggle, play...get along (which is most of the time).
It warms my heart.
Hope your Monday is off to a good start, too...minus chasing the dog (did I mention I was still in my jammies?).
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine
Thursday, June 9, 2011
LET SUMMER BEGIN!
Yesterday was the last day of school. Parker has completed 6th grade and will be moving on to 7th grade...official Junior High. Faith finished 1st grade and is already very excited about being a 2nd grader in the fall.
For the last three years the neighbors have planned the "Westridge Hills End of the School Year Party" at the park in our development. It was fun. Here are photos to prove it:
Lots and lots of water balloons!
Too many kids to count...some are missing from this photo!
Lots of families celebrating together!
And then there were mine...
Parker didn't want his picture taken...
and Faith enjoyed the pink lemonade popsicles!
Today is the first official day of summer vacation.
How are we spending it?
Any...way...we...want!
Parker was awake at his usual non-school time of 7:00 AM. He's enjoying the computer. That's pretty much it...enjoying the computer and saving the world from Star Wars droids. I feel so much safer knowing he is protecting me from any potential threats of droid attacks.
Little Miss Faith slept until 8:20 AM! EIGHT...TWENTY! She was one tired little girl after yesterdays celebrations at school and then after school party at the park. Plum...tuckered...out! She is quietly enjoying the morning playing with her Polly Pockets and watching Sponge Bob.
Me? I'm on my second cup of coffee and enjoying the fact that my children are finally home for the summer! Wondering what adventures we'll be on during the next few months. Wishing there were not dishes in the sink that needed to be cleaned up. Guess that stuff doesn't take a summer break, huh?
But my kids do...and for that I'm excited!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
For the last three years the neighbors have planned the "Westridge Hills End of the School Year Party" at the park in our development. It was fun. Here are photos to prove it:
Lots and lots of water balloons!
Too many kids to count...some are missing from this photo!
Lots of families celebrating together!
And then there were mine...
Parker didn't want his picture taken...
and Faith enjoyed the pink lemonade popsicles!
Today is the first official day of summer vacation.
How are we spending it?
Any...way...we...want!
Parker was awake at his usual non-school time of 7:00 AM. He's enjoying the computer. That's pretty much it...enjoying the computer and saving the world from Star Wars droids. I feel so much safer knowing he is protecting me from any potential threats of droid attacks.
Little Miss Faith slept until 8:20 AM! EIGHT...TWENTY! She was one tired little girl after yesterdays celebrations at school and then after school party at the park. Plum...tuckered...out! She is quietly enjoying the morning playing with her Polly Pockets and watching Sponge Bob.
Me? I'm on my second cup of coffee and enjoying the fact that my children are finally home for the summer! Wondering what adventures we'll be on during the next few months. Wishing there were not dishes in the sink that needed to be cleaned up. Guess that stuff doesn't take a summer break, huh?
But my kids do...and for that I'm excited!
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
ANOTHER YEAR COMPLETE
This photo was taken 274 days ago on the first day of the 2010-2011 school year.
1st and 6th grades started.
This photo was taken today on the last day of the 2010-2011 school year.
1st and 6th grades complete.
Congratulations, Parker and Faith, on another year well-done!
Mom and Dad are so proud of both of you.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
1st and 6th grades started.
This photo was taken today on the last day of the 2010-2011 school year.
1st and 6th grades complete.
Congratulations, Parker and Faith, on another year well-done!
Mom and Dad are so proud of both of you.
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
BE BOLD!
Acts 4:29 New International Version (NIV)
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
This was the scripture focus of our pastor's message this past Sunday.
At then end of the service we were all given wrist bands that read:
Be Bold - Acts 4:29
See...here's mine
So what does it mean to be "bold"? I couldn't help but think of the lady that cut Parker's hair the other day. She was bold. Even though Parker was her customer, she proceeded to tell me that my hair needed some serious treatment to brighten up the white and that Faith could use the same treatment since her hair was looking "straw-like." Of course she would be "more than happy" to provide these services to us and what a wonderful way to spend some quality mother/daughter time. Faith looked at me and whispered, "Mommy...does my hair look like straw?" I whispered back, "No, sweetie...it does not!"
Pretty BOLD, huh?
However, that's not the kind of BOLD that Acts 4:29 refers to. Acts 4:29 refers to being BOLD in Jesus name. Unceasing boldness in the name of Jesus Christ. But how?
* invite someone to church
* pray with someone, especially someone who might be unsure of doing it alone
* share your faith story with someone
* stand up in the face of adversity and do it in Jesus' name
I had to laugh as every time Pastor Steve gave an example of being "BOLD" he would snap the wristband on his wrist and say in his big voice, "BE BOLD!"
I think sometimes we need that slap on the wrist...not because we did something wrong...but because we need to remind ourselves to do something more. A reminder to, "BE BOLD!"
Just imagine what could come out of being "Bold for Jesus".
Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine
Sunday, May 29, 2011
PEACEFUL? SIMPLE?
So my life-theme over the last year and half has been peace and simplicity. I try to make decisions based on both of these concepts. Sometimes I succeed...
...other times I do not.
Take for instance the "beings" that inhabit our home:
First off, there's Scott and me. We sort of started the whole thing...way back in 1993. I like where the journey has taken us.
Then, of course there are these two. The two we waited, prayed and longed for and who blessed our lives with their arrivals in December 1998 and October 2003. They are the light of our lives. Each unique in their own ways and both beautifully and wonderfully made by God.
Then in November 2005 we added "Player" (left), followed by "Max" (right) in June of 2007. These two guys are beyond spoiled and loved by their humans. Our favorite pets...but don't tell our other pets this...we don't want any hurt feelings.
In 2010 we added a parakeet named "Hiccup" and shortly there-after another parakeet named "Rainbow" (because parakeets are social birds and certainly must have friends of their own-kind to grow with). I don't have a photo of these two because they just don't photograph well through their cage. But just so you know..."Hiccup" is green and "Rainbow" is blue.
If that wasn't enough, this weekend we added two more to the Johnson household. Two female Betta fish (again...too difficult to photograph)...one named "Bubbles" and the other named "Sparkle". We were told that two female Bettas can share a bowl but got them home and feared that might not be true when "Bubbles" looked as though she was going to take the sparkle out of "Sparkle". Apparently it was just a showing of who was going to be "queen of the bowl" and this morning we woke to both of them swimming happily together.
So what does this have to do with my life-theme of "peace" and "simplicity"?
Absolutely NOTHING...because adding these two more pets to our family defies any peace or simplicity that I strive for!
The humans are not my problem. They clean up well after themselves...for the most part, anyway...and my heart is beyond bursting with love for all of them!
But the non-humans...(other than the dogs)...not so much bursting with love going on there. By adding two more pets I have created two more...well, I'll just say it...poop-cleaning jobs...to my already fairly hefty list of tasks. It's not really anything that falls into my categories of "peace" or "simplicity".
However, my life-theme is not only about me. I KNOW...go figure! Life is not all about ME?
Nope...it's not.
My life is about peace and simplicity for those humans pictured above that I love so very, very much. Each of these pets adds joy and happiness to the lives of my family...mostly the kids because Scott could really do without the birds and the fish (and he's put the ka-bosh to adding a kitty and has held strong against Faith's pleading and tears that she NEEDS a kitty).
So yes...every pet added to our household is just basically another task added to my list...which does not bring me a whole lot of peace or simplicity...but it's worth it to see the smiles on my kid's faces and the joy in their hearts for the animals that God created especially for our pet-loving family.
And just so you know...Scott may have nixed the kitty that Faith wants...but I have hands-down nixed the snake that Parker has requested!
Here's wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day...and all the joys that accompany it!
Jeanine
...other times I do not.
Take for instance the "beings" that inhabit our home:
First off, there's Scott and me. We sort of started the whole thing...way back in 1993. I like where the journey has taken us.
Then, of course there are these two. The two we waited, prayed and longed for and who blessed our lives with their arrivals in December 1998 and October 2003. They are the light of our lives. Each unique in their own ways and both beautifully and wonderfully made by God.
Then in November 2005 we added "Player" (left), followed by "Max" (right) in June of 2007. These two guys are beyond spoiled and loved by their humans. Our favorite pets...but don't tell our other pets this...we don't want any hurt feelings.
In 2010 we added a parakeet named "Hiccup" and shortly there-after another parakeet named "Rainbow" (because parakeets are social birds and certainly must have friends of their own-kind to grow with). I don't have a photo of these two because they just don't photograph well through their cage. But just so you know..."Hiccup" is green and "Rainbow" is blue.
If that wasn't enough, this weekend we added two more to the Johnson household. Two female Betta fish (again...too difficult to photograph)...one named "Bubbles" and the other named "Sparkle". We were told that two female Bettas can share a bowl but got them home and feared that might not be true when "Bubbles" looked as though she was going to take the sparkle out of "Sparkle". Apparently it was just a showing of who was going to be "queen of the bowl" and this morning we woke to both of them swimming happily together.
So what does this have to do with my life-theme of "peace" and "simplicity"?
Absolutely NOTHING...because adding these two more pets to our family defies any peace or simplicity that I strive for!
The humans are not my problem. They clean up well after themselves...for the most part, anyway...and my heart is beyond bursting with love for all of them!
But the non-humans...(other than the dogs)...not so much bursting with love going on there. By adding two more pets I have created two more...well, I'll just say it...poop-cleaning jobs...to my already fairly hefty list of tasks. It's not really anything that falls into my categories of "peace" or "simplicity".
However, my life-theme is not only about me. I KNOW...go figure! Life is not all about ME?
Nope...it's not.
My life is about peace and simplicity for those humans pictured above that I love so very, very much. Each of these pets adds joy and happiness to the lives of my family...mostly the kids because Scott could really do without the birds and the fish (and he's put the ka-bosh to adding a kitty and has held strong against Faith's pleading and tears that she NEEDS a kitty).
So yes...every pet added to our household is just basically another task added to my list...which does not bring me a whole lot of peace or simplicity...but it's worth it to see the smiles on my kid's faces and the joy in their hearts for the animals that God created especially for our pet-loving family.
And just so you know...Scott may have nixed the kitty that Faith wants...but I have hands-down nixed the snake that Parker has requested!
Here's wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day...and all the joys that accompany it!
Jeanine
Monday, May 23, 2011
NEW NEIGHBORS
UNTANGLED
This weekend I attend my first ever Beth Moore conference. It.was.AWESOME! I laughed. I cried. I prayed. I worshiped. I sang. I left a far different person than when I first walked through those doors!
Beth's "words" for the weekend were "tangled" and "untangled". Every scripture message we talked about throughout this event described these words.
She talked about how our lives can become so tangled and knotted up. Each challenge or difficulty is a rope or chain that is bound around us, tightening it's grip on us. Soon, many challenges can intertwine themselves and we get so knotted up we feel as though there is no way to escape. But there is. And she gave us nine points to prove it.
1. God can untangle us when life's about to kill us.
2. God can untangle us when we're tangled up inside.
3. God can untangle us when our motives are in tangles.
I liked this one. Mixed motives can twist life into tangles while pure motives take you straight down the road. I've learned this the hard way. Convincing myself that I'm doing something with pure motives, trusting God all the way, when really, I'm following my own path and justifying it to suit me and what I want...not what God wants. Sometimes things in life get mixed up because our motives get mixed up. We wonder, "How in the world did this happen?" The answer: We started out doing something in the Spirit...but we ended up in the flesh. But my "mess-ups" cannot mess up God.
4. The Cross already cut the ropes of entangling sin.
Jesus. Jesus on the Cross. That untangles anything...but I have to be willing to accept it.
5. Those untangled once can be well entangled again.
Whoa! This one snapped me into focus. I can finally become untangled from something, and easily get tangled up in it again...and the consequences the second time around are more significant than the first. I can't just clean up my life, I need to FILL up my life. When I'm untangled...free...from something that has had me held so tightly and confined, I need to fill up that free space with something good...something solid...something healthy. Because if I don't, the enemy will come to claim that space again...and he'll bring friends this time...and the consequences will be far worse than the first time I was held captive.
6. A grudge can entangle us where we need untangled most.
As long as we hold a grudge against someone, we are subject to them. They are tied to us and us to them. It takes a lot of energy and time to hold a grudge. By holding a grudge against someone, we are forever tied to that person because we need to maintain that grudge. If we decide that we are going to let go of that grudge...stop nursing it...we'll be free of it. Untangled from it.
7. If destruction fails to entangle us, distraction will do its best.
Distraction = entangled. Pure distraction can entangle us. If I decide that I'm going to distract myself with something so as not to have to do what really needs to be done, I'm entangled. I say, "I'm SO busy." I say, "I just don't have time for that because I have to do X, Y, or Z." Yes...sometimes that's true. Things need to get done. But if I find that I'm using something to keep me busy...to distract me...from what NEEDS to be done, then something has to change. There is a difference between "doing" something and becoming "entangled" in something. Beth used the acronym S.A.D.D. - "Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder". When we find that we have quiet time...unaccounted for time...we fill it up with distraction so we don't have to be alone with our own, broken selves.
8. God can make a mighty soldier out of ANYONE willing to get untangled.
A.N.Y.O.N.E. Even me. Who knew?! A soldier does not live a civilian life. He lives his life serving his Commander. I am God's soldier...He is my Commander. Beth gave an example of this point by asking two women with long hair to volunteer. Beth then braided the hair of the first woman. She explained that oftentimes we separat out our spiritual life, our work life, our home life, etc...and attempt to intertwine them with each other. Try as we might to do this...it all gets tangled (or braided) together. Trying to entangle our world and our spiritual world, however, creates zero effectiveness. The second woman, Beth gave her a pony tail. Then she explained that we need to take everything in our life...spiritual, work, home, etc., and bring it all together in one place. We need to "pull it all together into one rubber band!" We need to pull it ALL up and and hold it ALL together with God.
9. Whatever tries to tangle with us, tangles with God.
This might be summed up best by saying, "You mess with my kid, you mess with me!"
Prior to this event, I had been entangled. Not just by one thing, but many things. One rope wrapped around and through another rope, wrapped around and through another rope...all binding me to sometimes near immobility. One rope was fear. One rope pride. Another, self-doubt. Yet another, guilt. Another greed. Then there's always the cancer chain that has tried to strangle my husband and children. There are too many ropes and chains to name. For the last several weeks, fear and doubt had me in a stronghold. I was fine during the day because I was busy. Busy with "have to" things and busy with stuff to "distract" me from the "have to" things. But at night, when my head hit the pillow...my mind would spin and swirl and fear and doubt would rear their ugly heads and keep me awake. I was needing to take Excedrin PM pretty much every night to fall asleep. If at the end of the day I was so tired that I thought there was no way I wouldn't hit the pillow and fall straight to sleep, I would skip an Excedrin PM only to lay there for hours before finally falling asleep, and then only restless sleep.
But on Friday night, I came home after the first session of the conference, visited with Scott a little, checked on each of the the kids (because it was pulling on my heart that I had not tucked them into bed...very rare for me not to do this) and I went to bed. No Excedrin PM. And I fell asleep. Almost immediately. And I slept all night. On Saturday afternoon I returned home at the end of the conference and we enjoyed a relaxing rest of the day. The kids were playing with friends. I was happy to have gone to the conference but very happy to be back home with my family, too. We decided that we would have a camp out in our room that night. Faithy on the loveseat, Parker on the air mattress, the dogs snuggled up next to their human of choice. My head hit the pillow and again I fell right to sleep....with no sleep aid necessary. Sunday night, was the same...minus the camp out...but right to sleep with no assistance in the form of a little pill was necessary. Could it be that understanding my tangles and what God wants to do with my tangles...and allowing Him to do it...that I was becoming untangled from the chains and ropes that bind? Yep. I'm pretty sure that's it. I'm sure that I will still have my moments...my Excedrin PM times....but for three nights in a row, after many, many, many nights and weeks otherwise...I felt free. Less burdened. Less fearful. Less doubtful. Less guilty.
Less tangled.
Here's wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple...and untangled...day!
Jeanine
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