Green.

There is something about the color green that I truly love.

I always have, and probably always will.

Green means growth to me.

It means things are alive & well.

It's {energetic}.

It's {fresh}.

and more than anything else ... green is our livelihood.

Oh hey ... did I mention I'm starting pre-school today?!

Yep - I am. It's official. Life is about to change again.

The Camera Went With Them...

and this is what they saw...

We're almost done ...

yep...

we're ....

almost ...

done.

** pictures provided by Ian (aka KASA) and Mason (aka KASA Jr.)

KASA -- Knows All Sees All

Persistence.

Again, I'm encouraged by this book : Lord, Bless My Child.

It is not only guiding me as I pray for my boys, but it's showing me so very much about myself.

Key points that have spoken to me this week are:

{Be persistent in your pursuit of God. There is no greater challenge, no higher calling than to persist in the things of God.}

{Pressing through may require struggle - trying and failing, then trying again - but with the goal in mind, we can keep going.}

{We are not at our best perched at the summit; we are climbers, at our best when the way is steep.}

Mack started "climbing" this past week. Today, as I was putting some clothes in the closet I could hear him behind me. He was jabbering away and I assumed he was playing on the floor. I turned around and saw him sitting on the top shelf of my small bookcase with the biggest grin on his face that said, "Look at me mom!" He had climbed his way from a Rubbermaid tub to the shelf and managed to turn himself around. He was so very proud and beaming from ear to ear.

He was persistent and instead of just sitting there knowing he had done it, he wanted to get down and do it again and again.

Persistence.

It solves problems.

It formulates answers.

It makes the best better.

My prayer for my boys ... well ...

It's that the persistence I saw today in my sweet Mack and his desire to attempt the challenge again and again will be evident with each and every situation both he and Mason encounter.
It's {living} Hebrews 12:1-3 to the fullest extent.

from The Message:
"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

Mack ...

Mason ...

You have both been born with persistence in your blood. May God use this important trait to make you more like Him.

Prayers, Pencils & Purpose

I've seen some pencils today {up close and personal}.

I've said some prayers today {on more than one occasion in a span of several minutes}.

I've opened the book my dear friend Amy sent to me at the beginning of the school year...

and I found this:

Dear Jesus,

Help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me and be so in me,
that every soul I come in contact with
may feel Your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see
no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me
and I shall begin to shine as You shine;
so to shine as to be a light to others;
the light, O Jesus, will be all from You.

None of it will be mine;
it will be You shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You in the way You love best,
by shining on those around me.

Let me preach You without preaching,
not by words but example,
by the catching force,
the sympathetic influence
of what I do,
the evident fullness of the love
my heart bears to You.

Amen.

~ Mother Teresa

God is in the tough stuff.

He is.

And He uses it to make us better.

He does.

He will.

He has to.

an apple.

starts as a seed.

finds a home in the soil.

grows into a beautiful tree.

blossoms.

produces fruit.

is picked clean.

looses its leaves.

fights hard to stay warm all winter.

finds food and energy deep within.

and then ... the "circle" starts again & life continues.

I'm finding that my life is a lot like these apples right now, and not just because I'm a teacher. {although I really, truly do love apples} *grin*

I'm getting picked clean.
I'm watching those around me enjoy the fruit that I offer.
I'm seeing the leaves change and I know another season is on its way.
I'm trying hard to soak in the warm fall days.
I'm offering shade and rest as often as I can.
I'm ready to dig deep within my core to find that strength that will allow me to survive season after season.

I'm a lot like an apple right now. {and it's good}

I'm pressing forward ... I'm tackling the issues, assignments, challenges I face every day ... I'm offering fruit ... I'm seeing it picked & enjoyed.

and ... as I look UP and IN ... I know that God is here. Right here.

Enjoy the {fruit} in your life ~
trust, believe & KNOW that it's "sweetness" will carry you through the seasons to come.

Feliz Cumpleanos {little} Fernando

On a scale from 1 to 10 ... my love for {birthdays} and everything that comes with them is a 10++.

I love that it's a day to celebrate life.

I truly enjoy being a part of another person's {special} day.

And someday... I WILL know as many versions of {Happy Birthday} as my mother!!

It's not about the party, or the gifts, or the fancy desserts - it's about being together, celebrating, laughing, living, and truly letting people know that their life is meaningful, important and special.

We celebrated Miguel's youngest son's 1st birthday this weekend. There was delicious carne asada, beans, rice, soda, {HOT} salsa, cake & JOY. Nothing fancy, no theme, no special invitation ... it was just us {Columbia River Straw & crew} ... celebrating life with each other!

As "Little Fernando" (his uncle is Big Fernando) sat wide-eyed in his mother's lap, watching all of us sing and clap for him I couldn't help but smile. Life for this sweet little boy is {good}.

Abraham Lincoln said it best ...

{It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.}

Feliz Cumpleanos little buddy - we love you!

Do you ever wonder...

what they think about??



if they're truly content?



if they know how much they're loved?



I look at my boys through the lens of my camera almost daily.

I watch them experience life. Real life.

I watch them soar. I watch them fall. I watch them smile. I catch their tears.

I know that I give them the very best I can & yet ... I wonder ...

what will their "tomorrow" hold?

I've caught myself "wondering" a lot the past few weeks.

Praying for the future of my boys.

Hoping that I truly am making a difference in the lives of the 23 + 10 children that I teach every day.

Wanting the very best for those around me.

and truly... tonight, as I look through the hundred + pictures I took yesterday afternoon I know that no matter what tomorrow brings, my boys ... my family ... we've got every reason to sing and dance because God is so very, very good!!

... & despite the craziness of day to day living, frustrating moments, exhausting issues that never seem to go away, and the schedule that is never followed ... we're blessed.

Mimzy's Birthday

We spent our Friday evening celebrating ...

Mimzy's wonderful life!

There was laughter, delicious food, candles and cake ...

COOL party hats - made by yours truly (and my mom)...

tasty MONKEY cookies...

and even some "moth catching" fun!!

Happy Birthday Mimzy - We LOVE you!!