five on friday.

1.  Mason had school pictures this week. Early that morning I got an email from Jenny.  An email that absolutely made my day.  The best parts of the note were these lines:

What a wonderful son you have raised ... Mason pushing Easton in his wheel chair ...looking so grown up and a “catch” ... He truly is one polite and confident little boy.

Mason, you are a {catch} indeed.

2.  Yesterday I got an interesting delivery in my {mailbox} at school.  I'm still not sure how to describe it ... hate mail might be close. 

Today, a principal from another building (who was in charge at our building yesterday) came and found me ... just to make sure that I had gotten rid of the extra baggage I'd been handed ... and to remind me to keep my chin up.  It's moments and experiences like this that truly make or break you as a teacher.  I'm a bit broken ... but it's made me stronger & a lot more reflective about my interactions with the families I come in contact with every single day.

3.  I'm learning a lot about myself right now ... I think I say that every week ... but it's true.  Learning that {God loves me anyway} ... when I'm out of sorts, when I doubt, when I say hurtful things, when I raise my voice, and even when I forget that He is the reason I even have this life. 

Learning is hard ... and following Jesus is hard ... and loving unconditionally is even harder.

4.  I have some amazing families in my classroom this year.  The relationships I've built with them has been a blessing in so many different ways.  There is this thing about teaching though ... you get attached to kids and their families and then June rolls around and those kids and their families walk into summer and into a new chapter of their lives ... and suddenly it's August, and you have to build all new relationships with different kids and their families all over again.   

I'm already missing the kids and families from this year and it's not even May.

5.  I watched Grey's Anatomy last night for the first time in forever ... and if there is one thing that I love most about that show, it's the words that are spoken at the very beginning of the show as you watch the characters lives unfold in another chapter of their story. 

There is something so powerful and thought provoking about words and pictures  ... and when you put them together ... I'm hooked.

wordless wednesday.

insert.

to place, put or introduce someone or something into your body.

what have you placed or put into your body recently?

who have you introduced yourself to in the past week?

what have you read?

what have you heard?

what have you seen?

all that {stuff} that you insert ... sometimes without even knowing it ... it's that {stuff} that makes you who you are.

it changes things.

it shines through you.

and if you let it, it defines you.

..........................................

I've inserted eye drops to my red, itchy eyes this week.

I've inserted almost an entire bag of jelly beans into my mouth this week - and it's only Tuesday.

I've inserted Chris Tomlin's {I lift my hands} into my ears over and over today.

I've inserted more of the {one thousand gifts} into my heart.

and because of what I've inserted (well, most of it) ...

it's changing me.

changing me for the better.

and this one ... well, he is inserting a whole lot too ... but mostly snacks.

.........................

how about you?  what have you inserted lately that is changing you for the better?

living it.

721. hearing the rain … and choosing to listen to it.
722. rushing – only to be late.
723. compliments.
724. chickens and 1st graders that like to write.

728. an accountant that “cares.”
729. the love my boys have for me.
730. news of a new superintendent.

732. clear focus.
733. 2 Kings 6:16 - there are more on our side than on theirs.
734. the daily realization that I am not capable of solving my own problems.
735. lunch with Anne.

737. warm sheets.
738. a nice afternoon.
739. pictures worth framing.
740. trust.
741. sometimes the only thing we can do is encourage.
742. the opportunity to send home a note saying “HE’S READING!! “
743. Colossians 3:23 – Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
744. Colossians 4:2 – Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.
745. an umbrella borrowed.

750. mistaken identity and Junie B. Jones.
751. school bus rides.

754. bills to pay. it means we’re alive.
755. kind words.
756. dinner with friends.
757. the long jump … over and over again.
758. kindergarten crushes.

762. pizza for free.

764. allergy medication.
765. someone else to clean up poopy pants.
766. a pen to sign with.

769. Mariah and a bag with orange juice and Kleenex inside.
770. library check-out.
771. school lunches with fresh, soft cookies.
772. the A-team movie and Murdock.

775. falling asleep in a full bed … with a full heart.

777. a broom to sweep away the trail of dirt and so much more.

779. boys with imaginations.

781. Spiderman suits.
782. Easter eggs filled with fun.
783. Mason’s love of list making in his journal.

785. a view.
786. basil, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
787. a clean house – at least for a few minutes.
788. Mack’s ability to “rest” on demand.

790. my “mystic maid” rag and clean windows.

792. empty isles at the store.
793. time to browse through cards.

795. the new bottle return system at Safeway.
796. daffodils.

797. you are treasured, you are sacred, you are His.
798. thunder and lightning – the storm isn’t just inside of me.
799. a hot bath.
800. my mother’s words of prayer covering my sleep – giving me rest.
801. darkness transformed with the switch of a light.
802. $ to spend on the boys.

804. Mason’s spirit. {even if it is hard-willed}

807. sunshine and a new, fresh start.
808. the wedding band on my finger.
809. the peace chair and the calm it brought.
810. worship.
811. the right shoes, the right pants and even a few shirts.
812. Red Lobster for lunch.
813. excitement over root beer in a bottle, and popcorn shrimp.
814. no fit-throwing in the toy aisle.
815. an escalator ride.

820. “if what I read doesn’t make me different – I’m fooling myself.” - Pastor Dave.

......................

{wisdom} comes from so many different sources in our lives.

and you know what?

I can hear it, I can read it, I can preach it, I can write it, I can shout it from the depths of my soul ... but really ...

 it's up to me to live it.

living it ... with the hopes that the {everyday stuff} doesn't suffocate the {blessings} that are there.

always there.

present, alive, growing ... and blooming ... in the midst of the the struggle of the {everyday stuff}.

five on Friday

{1} another week of track ... which equals dinner with friends on Wednesday in Echo and dinner in the car on Thursday in Hermiston ... but it also equals lots of smiles and a ton of energy used up!

We're so proud of you Mason - each and every jump, throw and stride of the way!

{2} Ian bought a {jersey} a couple weeks back.  I've named her Bessy.  She's a favorite around here because her mothering instincts are awesome and no milk-replacer has been purchased since her arrival.

{3} The view looking out and in always pushes, nudges and forces me reflect.  Right now the reflection looks a little tattered and rough around the edges, but things are definitely alive ... and growing well.

{4}  Mack (a.k.a {LG} ... Little George) has the funniest personality.  He makes the silliest expressions and then two seconds later his lip is out and he's only wanting his {mama}.  Watch out when you say no to something though.  He'll tell you he doesn't like you or to stay away from him ... which is somewhat funny because of his way of saying it and the pathetic expression, but it's definitely a habit I hope doesn't stick around.

{5}  Mason needs new jeans, new tennis shoes, new headphones for school, a Hawaiian shirt {and maybe  some cool shorts too} for his school's spring musical  ... and about thirty-five other things that are more on the {want} side of the spectrum.  Looks like I {need} to do some shopping ... and he {needs} to return some of Clint and Darcy's cans.

happy weekend all ~

my dream.

If you are successful, it becomes possible for you to leave an inheritance for others.  But if you desire to do more, to create a legacy, then you need to leave that in others.  When you think unselfishly and invest in others, you gain the opportunity to create a legacy that will outlive you. - John Maxwell

To be outlived by a legacy.

And not just any legacy, but the legacy God has my living right now .

That's my dream.

wordless Wednesday ... the Roy Rogers way.

and the little blue dot in the pasture below ... {the target}...

that's his brother ...

{the bad guy} ... coming up the draw to steal our cows.

go figure.