We all know that words have power. Even one word, when chosen wisely, can be a powerful thing.
I've posted before about not ever really being big on New Year's Resolutions. I just feel that they really set people up for failure. But maybe that's just because I'm weak and lazy. Oh well. With that being said, I do believe in goal setting. I've had one word goals at school to guide my year before, but this year I'm following the example of others that I've seen on facebook and choosing a word to guide my year both personally and professionally. My word for 2020 is: INTENTIONAL. I want to be more intentional with a lot of things; including, but not limited to: keeping my faith, keeping in touch, parenting, relationship building, differentiating instruction, etc.
And on another note (because who doesn't love a good get-to-know-you questionnaire)... Answer these questions with just one word:
1. What’s the first thing you grab for in the morning? phone
2. Who do you hope people notice most about you? kindness
3. What is your biggest weakness? laziness
4. What is your biggest strength? positivity
5. High school? awesome
6. Adjective that best describes you when you’re drunk. loud
7. A place you want to go? NewEngland
8. Beaches or snow? Beaches
9. Pet peeve? entitlement
10. What is one personality trait you simply have no time for? pretentiousness
11. Do you believe in something after death? definitely
12. How does someone instantaneously get on your good side? humor
13. How about your bad side? rudeness
14. Coffee or tea? coffee
15. What is your love language? acts
16. Do you believe in ghosts? yes
17. Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram? facebook
18. Odd numbers or even numbers? even
19. Are you more right brained or left brained? right
20. Do you think opposites truly attract? sometimes
21. What is your Hogwarts house? Hufflepuff
22. Do you think chemistry is instant or grows with time? both
23. Describe your relationship with your significant other. delightful
Some people (wrongly) think that Grease 2 is better than the original. While I could write an entire blog post to help them see the error of their ways, that is not what this post is about. This time I'm focusing on God's never failing devotion to us and our all-to-often failing devotion to Him.
In high school, I was part of a weekly Bible study with our Life Teen youth group. I loved it! I loved learning scripture, learning more about God, and growing closer to others who were in the same place as me. As I've gotten older, I've gotten more introverted and both busier & lazier at the same time. But a few months ago, a dear friend of mine asked me to do a devotional with her. While I was excited (because I had been looking for exactly that...a devotional and an opportunity to grow in my faith), I was hesitant because I hadn't been vocal in sharing my faith with others (besides my family) since High School. I followed God's nudge and accepted my friend's sweet offer, and I'm so glad I did. It was exactly what I needed. It is an app called You Version Bible, and I know a lot of you have probably been hip to this jive for a long time. But if you're like me and you weren't in the know, now you are. I highly recommend it. You can customize it for which version of the Bible you want, it has a verse of the day, and you can search for devotionals on a variety of topics: parenting, work, faith, illness, hope, humor, hearing God's voice, etc. You can do the devotionals by yourself (which is what I do most of the time), but you can also do them with others that are "friends" in the app (which is a great way to grow closer to others as you grow closer to God).
I'm done with plugging the app. There's more than one way to crack an egg, after all. But I am going to share some pieces that have spoken to me over the last month:
"Is the Holy Spirit working in your life today?
We have learned that the Holy Spirit is God indwelling us. He affects and empowers every dimension of our lives. He directs every step and decision of our days. He is the Lord who gives us significance and purpose, life and a future.
We discussed what it means to be “filled with the Spirit,” which leads us to the end of this devotional series and a key question you need to ask yourself: Would those who know you best say they see the Spirit at work in your life today?
We can measure the degree to which we are surrendered to the Spirit by the "fruit," or results, that manifest themselves in our lives: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22).
In other words, ask yourself: “Would my friends say that I am loving? Do they think I exercise patience? Do they experience kindness and gentleness from me?”
"If Jesus is your Lord
One of my favorite stories concerns a father arriving home from work one day. His two little girls ran to meet him.
The five-year-old got to him first, throwing her arms around his legs.
Hedges on either side of the sidewalk kept the three-year-old from going around her big sister to her father. Standing on the sidewalk, she began to cry.
So her father reached down and picked her up.
The big sister then taunted her little sister, "Ha, ha, ha—I've got all of Daddy there is."
The little sister replied, "Ha, ha, ha—Daddy's got all of me there is."
If Jesus is your Lord, you have all of God there is.
Does he have all of you?"
"Dear Christians, Please Stop Being Lame
We are part of a largely unchurched community that I love. Our community is so secular, I am detached from the homogeneous Christian pack and attuned to the outsiders’ perspective. (Outsiders is a misleading term, as our country is roughly 65 percent unchurched. A better phrase is “most people.”) We are in urgent times here.
The way of Jesus is not holding, and to assume otherwise is a dangerous lullaby that will rock us to sleep while our communities flounder and struggle. Only determined denial could assess our Christian subculture as healthy.
Because allis not actually well, it is time to become humble—loving neighbors and the world that fears and rejects us. This is not about being liked or popular, nor is it some soft gospel that prefers harmony over redemption. Here is the truth: If we are inhibiting others from finding Jesus, this constitutes a full-blown crisis. Ultimately, the rejection of Christians predicates the rejection of Jesus, and if that doesn’t grieve us, we have missed the whole point. Jesus tried to impress this upon us. I mean, He was obsessed.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23, emphasis added).
The woman at the well. The Good Samaritan. Blind Bartimaeus. The poor widow. Zacchaeus.
There is a clear correlation between how we treat each other and how a watching world will feel about Jesus. What should our neighbors deduce from our loving-kindness toward one another? One, that we obviously belong to Jesus, because what other explanation exists for such beautiful community?
It should be so compelling that others interpret it as otherworldly—these people must belong to God. And according to Jesus, God’s calling card is love. If folks don’t recognize God is good by watching His people, then we have tragically derailed.
May the world see a thankful, committed family who loves their God, adores their Savior, and can’t get enough of one another. This is a story that saves, a story that heals, and the right story to tell."
A couple of days ago, another friend on facebook shared that the struggles she has parenting her children are the same struggles that God has with her. I thought that was so poignant. As we are all children of God, I pray that we all: hear His voice, heed His words, walk in His path, and shine His light to the world around us.
I'm always a sucker for those surveys that pop up on facebook. In fact, I'll usually participate whether I was invited to or not...and whether I've already done that one or not (which I probably already have). And I know I've done similar posts before (about 20 questions, favorite things, etc.), but what's one more going to hurt? I tried to include some things that I haven't seen on other surveys, along with some oldies but goodies. So this post is like a facebook survey on steroids. And since it's all about favorite things, it got me thinking about my favorite annoying kids tv show song (no one ever seems to know what I'm talking about when I bring it up, so I found the video). And my favorite part of my favorite annoying kids tv show song is the part about peanut butter crackers...and the chorus, of course...you'll see:
Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mr. Gibson and Mr. Coffey
What was your favorite toy growing up? my Cabbage Patch Premie doll, named Stacy
Who is/are your favorite historical figures (s)? Off the top of my head, I'm going to go with Mother Teresa. She has so many wonderful quotes about love and kindness.
What's your favorite memory from Kindergarten? the way my teacher bragged on my sailboat picture
Favorite TV shows? LOST, Friends, The Office...and many others
What's your favorite chore? vacuuming
What was your favorite thing about High School? definitely being part of the Awesome Cooper Band
Favorite book(s)? Harry Potter, Hunger Games, The Notebook...recently Scythe (a new series) and Lisa Scottoline books
What's your favorite holiday? Christmas and Thanksgiving
Favorite foods? appetizers
Who's our favorite super hero? Wolverine
Favorite movie soundtrack? Forest Gump, A Star is Born, Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, Rocky 4, The Greatest Showman, Blown Away, Dances with Wolves, Harry Potter...
What was your favorite family vacation from childhood? All of our road trips to South Dakota
What's your favorite vacation as an adult? Honeymoon, Florida with the kids, and California with the kids
Favorite comedian and/or stand up act? Dave Chappelle, Ellen Degeneres: Here and Now, Bill Cosby: Himself, Jim Gaffigan, Eddie Murphy: Delirious
What's your favorite thing about one of your grandparents? the only one I remember is Grandma Elaine...I loved her faith most of all, but I also loved her root beer floats, her scalding hot water, her cramped and cluttered house, and her frog rock
What's your favorite smell in the whole world? babies (Kevin wearing cologne is a close second)
What's your favorite invention? probably electricity and all of the comforts that it provides
What's your favorite time of day? the quiet morning hours anywhere, or sunset on the water
What's your favorite season? Fall
Favorite sound? laughter and music
What is your favorite movie quote? Oh, gosh...if you know my family there are just way too many. But the first one to pop into my head was, "Raspberry. Only one man would dare give me the raspberry. Lonestar!"
What's your favorite kind of sandwich? grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly
Favorite dessert/sweet? again...way too many for my sweet tooth, but I'll have to go with cake
Favorite TV theme song? While there are a lot of good ones that I sing/hum along with (Cheers, Friends, The Office, Fresh Prince, etc.) the one that I can belt it out the best to is Golden Girls. :)
Favorite thing about having siblings? laughter...and nieces & nephews
What's your favorite piece of advice you've received? be humble and kind
What is your favorite Disney movie? So many great ones, but I'll go with Little Mermaid from my childhood and Up from my adulthood
What's your favorite concert you've ever been to? Garth Brooks in Vegas and Tenacious D
Favorite Bible verse? Once again, there are oh-so-many. But the one that is speaking to me today is: Psalm 136: 1
I've been thinking a lot about light lately. It started a couple of weeks ago at church. Our deacon was giving his homily. He was talking about Lent being a time of penance, and sometimes we need God's help to really repent fully. Then he told a story that I as a lazy half-a$$ not-super-detailed homemaker could really identify with:
You know how (or maybe you don't know, if you're one of those people who actually cleans thoroughly and regularly) you can be sitting in your living room thinking, "OK. This place looks pretty good.", and then someone opens the blinds to let in the natural light and all of a sudden it looks like you haven't cleaned or dusted in years! Well through prayer and reflection during Lent (and all throughout the year), Christ's love and guidance is the natural light that shines on our lives. We go from thinking, "OK. I'm doing pretty good." to "Oh wow...I didn't really think of it that way...I need to reexamine/reevaluate some things."
From here, I started thinking about one of my favorite church songs, Christ Be Our Light:
None of this, though, is literal of course. We're not visibly seeing our sins like you can visibly see the dust in the light...we're letting God guide our hearts. This is what made me think of one of the songs we used to sing in youth group, Open the Eyes of My Heart:
These last couple of weeks have been a bit challenging at work. And it's just that time of year: spring fever, the last grading period, standardized testing season, graduation (for many) is almost here, summer on the horizon, etc. I have heard numerous teachers, for numerous reasons talk about the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I have said it myself. But I know that while it is a stressful/difficult time of year for us teachers, it is also a stressful/difficult time of year for our students. We will be having a class meeting soon about the Power of Positivity...how to put a positive spin on our negative thoughts/stresses/worries...how to be less of a Negative Nelly and more of a Positive Polly...how to look for that silver lining or that light at the end of the tunnel. Planning this class meeting kept me thinking about light and looking for quotes about light. Naturally, with my teacher hat on (and OK, my true nerd-self hat on), I started with Harry Potter:
Then I started looking for others:
All this being said, let's all go out there and BE THE LIGHT. Let God's light shine within us so that we can be a light to others!
I spent far too long looking for a video for the top of this post. Not that I didn't enjoy the time watching videos of songs like: Is This Love, I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Know What Love Is, etc. But it was still far too long. Then, I remembered that since God IS love, that this video (while an awesome compilation in it's own right) would work just fine. :) Hopefully it made you smile (and maybe tear up) as much as it did me.
Kathy Najimy, in these movies, might be my spirit animal.
Somehow, we tend to get dogs with under bites. The two we have now both have them, while one is much more severe than the other. And while they could be the spokes-dogs for doggie braces, we think it gives them character.
While we seem to be inundated with images of hate and anger everywhere we look, from the news to social media, I try to make a conscious effort to only take part in and share love and positivity.
I've been wanting to maybe start listening to podcasts. Does anyone have any recommendations? I have NO IDEA where to start.
I've been finding myself getting lost on a rabbit trail of recommended videos on Facebook lately. I'll click on one of the recommended videos, it will usually make me laugh and immediately start another video, and the cycle continues until I snap out of it and realize that 30 minutes have gone by.
I take comfort in the John Lennon quote, "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted."
When I was in high school, one of my youth group leaders told me that I would be a great counselor some day. I knew then, and I still know now, that I would be a terrible counselor. My intentions would be pure, but I am far too emotional to be any good for anyone in need of actual counseling. However, if you are ever looking for someone to cry WITH you or maybe even more than you to make you feel like you're actually not doing so bad after all, I'm your guy.
I do think, though, that I would be a good academic or career counselor. Or maybe someone who works behind the scenes at a charity. I have a huge desire to help people, but due to the fact that my heart is on my sleeve...and pant leg...and shoe...and everywhere else, I don't think I would be the best at providing strength and comfort in trying times.
My brother-in-law shared this song/video with some of us yesterday. It is long, but so worth the listen/watch. I'm sure each time you do a different part will resonate with you, but this is the part that stuck with me yesterday: “Every precious one, a child you died to save. If you gave your life to love them, so will I.”
We are called to love one another. Fundamentally, that's it. Love one another. As the Beatles said, "All you need is love".
Yesterday Hannah and Mason discovered, after almost 3 years in this house and at the ages of almost 14 and 16, that our entirely tile-floored downstairs is perfect for scooter-riding. They dug their old Razor Scooters out of the garage and have been riding all over the place. OK, maybe Kevin and I rode a little, too. OK, maybe I've also been thinking about digging out my roller-blades and giving that a go, too.
Mondays off during the school year are one of my favorite things.
I never really realized how bad I felt for the last 12 years until I realized how good I've been feeling lately. This being the first time I have not been taking any medications (for Leukemia, Pulmonary Hypertension, or anything else) and have not had to deal with their side-effects or the illnesses themselves. I have much more energy and am so much more comfortable than I have been in a long time. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good. Must be why I find myself dancing so much at home (Kevin has some super embarrassing videos to prove it). God is good!
I love decorating birthday parties for the kids. But sadly, I think those times are over. They're growing up, and let's be honest: it's going to be hard to top The Office theme Mason had last year.
Some of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”, "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.", "Let us always meet each other with a smile, for a smile is the beginning of love.", "If you judge people, you have no time to love them.", "Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.", "It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.", and "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."
I love blogging. I have missed blogging. I've been wanting to do another post for quite a while, but I haven't been able to think of something I wanted to blog about. Thus, this blog about a lot of little things. Maybe I'll do a regular post about one thing some time soon. Or maybe I won't. We'll see.
I still can't believe I will be the mother of 2 high-schoolers in a few months! Where did the time go?!
You know how I mentioned getting lost down a rabbit hole earlier? Well, I just did it again. I was looking for a good video to go with #11's All You Need is Love, YouTube had a suggested video for Mad Lib Theater on Jimmy Fallon that I just had to watch. And oh, the silly nonsense! I laughed and laughed as I watched one after the other. Go ahead...you know you want to watch: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Kristen Wiig and many more. In fact, just go here, if you're a fan of silliness.
I've seen a lot of posts on Facebook lately about bosses and workplaces that are rude, disrespectful, and completely rigid and/or not understanding. I am so thankful that I work in a place full of understanding and flexible people with a boss that leads with love, has my back, and truly believes that family comes first.
Hannah has instructed me to say that I have the cutest dogs in the world. But seriously, they are pretty cute. Cute enough to put on socks. And if you're interested in doing the same, www.divvyupsocks.com does a great job.
Although I am a pretty achievement-oriented person, I am also pretty lazy. I love not doing anything. Nothing is one of my favorite things to do.
You know we are huge fans of The Office. Kevin and I saw the movie, Dan in Real Life, years ago...before we ever started watching The Office. We really enjoyed it. We recently watched it again, with the kids this time, and we loved it even more. It's a truly enjoyable movie about love, but it's made even better by being fans of The Office. Steve Carell's character in the movie has some Michael Scott-esque scenes. You should check it out.
Speaking of movies about love, I've always been a huge fan of rom-coms and just love stories in general. Hannah isn't so much, and it kind of drives me nuts.
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, here are some of my favorite quotes from him: "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.", "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.", "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend."
I grew up with a family that loved movies and music. Some of my favorite memories of home involve movie nights, movie games, singing in the car on road trips, choreographing and performing some pretty amazing dance routines, etc. We loved going to movies as a family and with friends. We loved listening to records, tapes, and CD's. When I started dating Kevin, he had a shared love of movies and music. Some of my favorite memories of these dating years are wrapped up in the movies we went to see on dates, and the music we would listen to while driving back and forth from San Angelo and Cisco to Abilene.
I have always loved movie soundtracks and scores. I love that they have a variety of artists all on the same album. I love that the music can tell just as much of a story as the actual movie. Recently, two movies have stood out: The Greatest Showman and A Star is Born. Hopefully we are passing this love onto Hannah and Mason. We must be doing an OK job, if they are as excited about the upcoming Bohemian Rhapsody movie as we are! That being said, I'm going to list some of my favorite music movies...or just movies whose music I love. And I just know I'll miss some great ones, so feel free to add some of your favorites! Here you go, in no particular order:
A couple of days ago, a note called "Getting to Know You" popped up in my Facebook feed. It was just one of the surveys that circulates through social media. I've always kind of enjoyed them (both doing them myself and reading them from others), as silly as they may be. Although I seem to get more anti-social the older I get, I do enjoy getting to know the people I already know even better. Well anyway, it got me thinking about a few questions that Kevin, the kids, and I have been talking about lately. I'll share them, along with our answers, but I'd love to know your answers as well!
If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be:
Kevin and I both chose Rock. I might have been a bit loose with my definition of Rock: I figured it could be as all-encompassing as including everything from 50's oldies, to 70's classic rock, to 80's hair bands, to 90's alternative. I think Kevin has a more narrow definition of rock, but whatever.
Hannah also chose Rock, but it took her a minute to articulate it. She said, "I don't know. Maybe country? No. But definitely not pop...that would get annoying. Probably the music you listen to all the time. Yeah, I like that...it never gets old."
Mason chose rap. Now, I love me some rap, but I think a lifetime of nothing but rap could be a bit much. But oh, well.
If you go be a teenager/high-schooler in any decade other than the one you are/were in, what would it be?
Kevin and I both chose the 70's. We both figured it was the coolest and had the best music (classic rock, not disco...although disco is pretty fun, too). My second choice was the 50's (also largely due to the music).
Hannah chose the 50's.
Mason chose the 90's.
If you could retire anywhere with money (and proximity/ease of travel to family) was no object, where would it be?
Kevin chose a house on Pensacola Beach.
I chose a lake house somewhere in the mountains of Tennessee. I was figuring it would be far enough north that it wouldn't be ridiculously hot, it would have a snowy winter (but not ridiculously snowy), and it would be gorgeous in the fall. (This is a totally un-researched choice, by the way...it's just what came to mind.)
Hannah chose London, because it's classy and old British people would be fun to be around.
Mason chose a beach house somewhere on the California coast, because: he loves the beach, he wants to be near LA for his movie making purposes, and he'd also be close to some skiing action.
Then I started looking for some other surveys online. I came across this one (I took some of the questions from it to answer, below...you should, too):
What are you currently reading? Ancient Origins: The Tenth Protocol
What's the first concert you attended? I think it was Alan Jackson and Lorrie Morgan
Where do you most hope to visit? New England (DC, New York, Boston, Philly, etc.)
What is your favorite book? the Harry Potter series
What's your favorite 90's TV show? Friends
What's the best Halloween costume you've ever had? I loved the witch costume my mom made me in 2nd grade. But the French maid costume she helped me put together my senior year is probably my favorite.
What's your favorite word? I don't really know. I love words that are fun to say, like: plethora, tom-foolery, shenanigans, etc.
What was your first job? I was a customer service rep (I answered phones) at Pizza Hut before quickly moving up to waitress.
What's the worst job you've ever had? Well, I've only ever had 3 jobs (Pizza Hut, JC Penney Optical, and a teacher). None of them were bad, but I guess selling eye-glasses was my least favorite. I hated having to try to up-sell people to meet quotas and make commissions.
What's your most-used emoji? the crying/laughing face
If you could win an Olympic medal for any sport, real or fake, what would it be? maybe chore-dancing...I know you know what I mean...
What movie or TV show title best describes your week? I don't know...Little Rascals?
What was your favorite subject in school? I loved math until Geometry (proofs ruined it for me), but I always enjoyed my History classes.
Do you have a hidden talent? not really...unless you count car singing
If someone were to play you in a movie, who would you want it to be? Either Jessica Biel or Blake Lively...but only because we look so alike. (Ha!)
What's been on your mind lately? How fortunate I am. Wondering why I get to have a clean bill of health when so many others don't? How can I best use the gift I've been given? I had to articulate my passion at work, and part of what I decided on was kindness and laughter. So I've been thinking about how to spread kindness and laughter each day. I could go on and on...
What's the last text you sent? a message to Hannah about laundry
What's one thing about you that surprises people? I can't think of a thing. I'm about as unsurprising as they come.
What does success mean to you? having a happy marriage and raising good human beings
Where is your happy place? home
What qualities do you value in the people with whom you spend time? a sense of humor, among other things
What's your guilty pleasure? I don't know if I have one
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? I hate questions like these. I guess I'll go with: funny, frugal, and fortunate
I have been "Cakes" for 22 years. Kevin and I have been married for 19 of those years. Hannah is a Freshman in college and Mason is a Junior in high school! I taught 2nd grade for 8 years. This will be my 10th year teaching 3rd. I was diagnosed with Leukemia 15 years ago and have been in and out of remission several times. Right now, I'm stable with medication, but always I am blessed. My life is busy, fun, chaotic, boring, stressful, simple, tiring, and exciting...but whatever it is, it's always SO full of joy!
