Somewhere...

Somewhere out there...remember that old song Feivel the mouse sang in An American Tail? That song is on my mind tonight as I'm thinking of a woman...somewhere out there. A woman who is remembering a night seven years ago when she was laboring over a small baby. A baby who was born helpless. Unable to eat. Unable to get the proper nourishment to survive. Somewhere there is a woman who cared for nine months to nurture her unborn child...a beautiful girl she would not be able to raise. Somewhere out there...whoever you are...I thank you tonight. Your baby girl is beautiful. She is smart. She is kind. She is compassionate. She is a tribute to the courageous woman you must be. I wish you could see her as she dances and twirls everywhere she goes. I wish you could hear her giggle as her daddy tucks her in at night. I wish you could feel the sweet press of her now-repaired lip as she kisses and smooches everything she loves. I wish you could smell the scent of her long beautiful hair after it dries from her bath. I hope you know that somewhere out there...I'm praying for you tonight.

Dayna's Top Six

I asked Dayna what the six best things were about being six. Here are her responses.

1. Meeting my new friends Katherine and Makaylee. (Sorry...no picture of Makaylee.)

2. Being a first grader.

3. Getting to see the places where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived.

4. Going on an airplane to Oregon for Christmas and seeing Papa and Nana.

5. Getting to be a Girl Scout.

6. Just being six.

Farewell, sweet six-year-old. I'm looking forward to seven!

1:19

I've been convicted right and left lately about my tongue. Those biting, sarcastic words I say. The temper that always seems to get the best of me...

I have also seen those same negative habits in my new students. One class in particular has been quite cruel to each other with their words and attitudes. I confess...I got pretty upset with them before spring break.

When I came back, I shared with them a principle I try to live my life by. You know...the one that says to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. I confessed that I had become quick to anger with their class and asked their forgiveness.

I don't think that's what they expected from me. Fortunately, they were quick to offer forgiveness. Then a girl raised her hand and said, "That's okay, Mrs. Wilson...I think we were pretty quick to speak."

From that point on, the class mantra has been "let's be slow to speak and that will help Mrs. Wilson be slow to anger." (Now...I have made a point of letting them know that we are only responsible for ourselves...I should restrain my own tongue no matter what another person says or does to me.)

I think it's starting to sink in. This week, I had to have 4 students removed. I asked them to take some time and write my expectations for music class while they were in another room. Each student came back to me with these words:

1. Be quick to listen.
2. Be slow to speak.
3. Be slow to anger.

I hope I never stop learning from them.

Ice Cream

I got a new ice cream maker for my birthday. It took a few months to get it out and running, but I think it's been running ever since. Here are a few new favorites in order: Good, Better, Best.

Chocolate Chip Mint

 

Cake Batter

Red Velvet Cake Batter

Easter Pictures

Beautiful girl

With her friend Katherine. Katherine started coming to Sunday School last fall. Her family is here from Harbin, China for one year. We've had a wonderful time getting to know them.

They were quite competitive when it came to looking for eggs.

It all worked out in the end.

On the hunt.

Our friends Richard and Teresa Ferguson hosted our families for Easter lunch. After the hunt, Teresa and Dayna shared the Easter story with Katherine from the Resurrection Eggs.

Be Strong and Courageous

Today I faced my fears. I have been putting off an appointment to look at some personal information. I didn't want to see what may have been said. After the crazy year I've had, I just kept putting it off.

But God has kept whispering "Be strong and courageous. The Lord your God goes with you" for the last week. So I bit the proverbial bullet and made the appointment, knowing that not knowing was probably worse than what I was actually going to discover.

And, as always, God was good. The only surprise was that there were no surprises. I guess I shouldn't be surprised!

Thanks, God!

Look Before You Leap

...to conclusions.

I learned a few good lessons today. While looking out the window before school, I spot my car in the parking lot with the back doors open. I look closer and see two young bodies going through the backseat.

I yelled out, "SOMEBODY'S IN MY CAR!!!!" and took off running, down a long flight of stairs, with the principal hot on my heels calling for security on his radio. I get to my car and see those two young men standing behind my car, holding the leather bag that straps onto the back of the driver's seat and holds Dayna's busy activities. I said, not so nicely, "What are you doing in my car!?!?!" followed by "and what are you doing with my things!?!?"

My principal...who is much more level headed than I am (does that take much?) asked the boys what they were doing. He noticed the lanyard with a keyring at the end. Apparently, they were running an errand for their teacher, and were asked to get some things from behind the driver's seat of her car before a field trip today. She drives a blue SUV. I drive a blue SUV. So, either my car was unlocked (which I can't imagine...my dad trained me to lock everything when we lived in Boring, Oregon...so of course, I lock everything as second nature in Omaha, Nebraska) or the other teacher's remote unlocked my car. The boys just saw a leather bag behind the driver's seat and assumed it was what they were looking for.

Once calmer heads prevailed (mostly mine), I apologized to the boys for scaring them and jumping to conclusions. They felt bad for their honest mistake. And everyone lived happily ever after.

Once my heart stopped pounding and I stopped sweating from my impromptu workout this morning, I was able to take better stock of the situation. I'm so thankful for the calmness of my principal and knowing there are still great honest kiddos out there.

...but I still double checked to make sure my car was locked.

(Not so) Tender Moments

It's been awhile, but I've recently started singing Dayna's favorite lullaby at bedtime again. "Baby Mine" has always been special to us. That's the song I sang on a CD we sent to the orphanage before we met her, and has been a favorite ever since.

Tonight, shortly after tucking her in, I could hear her sweet, pure voice singing "Baby Mine" to her dolls and animals.

But before I knew it, the tender moment was over. She's now singing "I Want Candy" in a not-so-sweet and pure voice. Complete with hand jive.

Oy vey!

Growing Up

Dayna's reached the age where she has made friends in the neighborhood and spends hours outside playing with them. It's been fun watching her play and explore and pretend with her friends.

But with this territory comes some lessons. I think more of the lessons are for Mom and Dad. Like letting Dayna work out conflicts with her friends on her own. Helping her establish her own boundaries (i.e. if she doesn't want friends playing with certain toys, they should be put away when her friends come over.) Allowing Dayna to say "no" when she really doesn't feel like playing. We're teaching Dayna how to be a good host, and when her friends aren't the sweetest of guests, we hope we're taking some teachable moments to show Dayna how she can be a welcome guest in her friends' homes.

Her friends may not always be the ones we would choose, but when we can supervise their play time from a safe distance, hopefully we can help equip Dayna to make wise friends as she grows older.

Growing up is fun...but certainly hard work for parents, isn't it?

He Is Risen

We have a tradition we try to keep every year for Easter. Early Sunday morning, while it's still dark, we get up and don our Easter garb. Mugs of hot cocoa are filled, and we pile in the car. Four miles down the road is Mahoney State Park. At the bottom end of the park is a tower that overlooks the Platte River.

In the cold, pre-dawn air, we climb the 70 foot tower; armed with blankets, cocoa, and our Bible. From this vantage point, we read the account of Christ's resurrection, trying to time "He is not here, He is risen!" with the rising of the sun.

(Unfortunately, this year, we were so busy getting out the door in time that we forgot our camera.)

The chill in the air is real, but the thrill in our souls as we celebrate Christ's resurrection is something that just can't be described.

Luke 24

The Resurrection

 ¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.