First Time

There have been a few of things that I have done for the first time over the last couple of weeks...

1. I did a Bible study with someone I didn't know very well. I have done many Bible studies with friends and girls I have things in common with. However, this time was very different. The two of us are different in many ways: she is full blooded Indian, she has experienced prison, her husband is working on his citizenship,...the list could go on. I have met the girl along with her husband and children at church, but I have just smiled and said "Hi"...no real conversation. Well, I decided, when asked, to participate in a Bible study with her.

The study was wonderful (of course it was!!!) and my heart exploded with love for this woman and her "giving it all" to God. She has a a lot to loose deciding to let God be her guide. Her hunger for the Word was so humbling...so humbling!

B-Boy went with me and played with her little boy. Comments he whispered in my ear, "Momma...their house is short; they don't have carpet; where are their closets?; they have only three boxes of toys; I want to keep my coat on...I'm kinda cold; Did their house burn-it looks different." I'm not sure what picture this paints, but the picture is painted on my heart and on B-Boys too.

Though they had little, she was so proud of her home. The mattresses on the floor were made, the house spotless and there was a candle lit. I was humbled by her contentment and the way she took pride in what she did have. Her home was warm and I felt very welcomed.

God was present and working in all of hearts that day. May God continue to bless her richly.


2. Had two families/couples over for supper/lunch in less then 3 weeks! My adorable husband and I desire to have people in our home... To make our home open to everyone in our church family and to build lasting relationships and memories. The later couple that we invited over were an older couple that we respect and we believe are very wise. It was wonderful!...After the meal I was showing them the boys room. As I opened the door there were strings hung from the ceiling fan and things were tied to the bottom of them (including a sword!) flying around the room! I was so relieved that they had raised THREE boys and didn't think I had monkeys for children :)

3. I baked a Chocolate Buttermilk Pie...enough said!

Opening Weekend

K-man's first basketball game ever was last weekend!

After a stomach ache and "This is the worst day ever!"...

He did GREAT!

K-man loves basketball, but he does not like to mess up or stand out. So, the first practice and the first game of any sport are often challenging getting there. However 5 minutes into it, he's good to go!

From this picture, you would think we won the game. Nope...40 to 2!
He did great and had fun.


What I am going to try to do better at the game this weekend:

• not yell as much...it was encouraging stuff, just too much ;)
• Not constantly thinking "GIVE K-MAN the BALL!"...all kids deserve to touch the ball.
• Try to film more...between trying to take pictures and yell, I didn't get much on film.
• Maybe not sit by my adorable husband...hmmm. We just need space during sporting events :)
  
  
  

"Out of the Mouths of"... my boys

There has been snow all around us, however we haven't seen a bit of here on the home front. K-Man decided to take matters up with the "Man Up Stairs" last night:

" ...oh, and dear God, could you please increase the percentage of snow..."

This year the boys have been deer hunting with my adorable husband on various occasions, however no deer has even been seen. This weekend B-Boy had a plan.

"Dear God, could you please let us see a deer and keep it still so we can shoot it..."

Yep, there have been some heart pats this weekend.

Happiness!

Somebody Said...

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,

But he with a chuckle replied,

That maybe it couldn't,

But he wouldn't be one,

to say so until he tried.

I absolutely love what I do. I feel blessed to be able to work outside my home two days a week at a nursing home as an Occupational Therapist. I feel I have learned more from my patients than they have learned from me...well, maybe we have each taken something from our relationships.

One of the things I have had to learn over the years is how to find a connection with my dementia patients in order to help them. One of the women that we bought Christmas gifts for happens to be one of the dementia residents that I was able to develop a relationship with.

She often became very anxious and would holler out. She also had low vision which also made it very difficult for her. When I would find her in her room anxious or tearful, I would walk in singing..."Clara, Clara, Bo Bara, Banana Fanna Fo Fara...(something to that effect.) Her face would light up and just like that we were long lost friends in a world of singing, sayings and rhymes. From there, we would be able to dress, groom, and complete other things to get ready for her day.

I went to work only to find out that my "Clara Bo Bara" had passed away.

I was honored to have learned many wonderful songs, stories and sayings from her. While we were delivering Christmas presents to her, after a couple of songs, I introduced her to B-Boy. She started telling him the saying that I typed above. He laughed so hard. So, we all said it over and over again. Even on the way home B-boy wanted to say it over and over...so catching and very wise.

My Clara had so much to share and was able to do that with me and my little boy. Clara wanted friends and she found a simple friendship with me through songs... Isn't that what many of us want. To share a bit of ourselves with others and feel needed. To have simple friendships that are not exhausting, but joyful and fulfilling.

Clara, Clara, Bo Bara... Thanks for the frienship I also needed.

The Smallness of Happiness in 2011

I read an article in the magazine Real Simple on the way home from our family Christmas celebrations down south. The article was about happiness. It really has gotten me thinking about my motivation for myself in 2011. There are many...many things that I could "name" as my new year resolution, however I'm thinking about just keeping in simple...I'm going to work on changing the way I view happiness. Simple, right?

Well, I'm not sure how simple it really is, but this is my plan. I don't think happiness is something to be achieved or gained (stay with me!). I think happiness is moments, maybe even a split second emotion from an experience, a comment, or even an achievement (big or small). Happiness is not static. The adventure of life is to savor the feeling of happiness before allowing yourself to move on to the next experience. So, I want to focus my energy on savoring the smallness of happiness and not chasing the "worldly BIG happiness" or the achievement of the "happily ever after" life.

I have the tendency to see the downer points of the day or I find feeling "less than" because of the things I have not finished or accomplished. Or in other terms- I missed the happiness of the day and may even have said," I had a bad day". Really, was the whole day bad or were there moments of tingling happiness that I chose to breeze over! I have decided to savor happiness this year...celebrate the true emotion of happiness. I have a journal I haven't written in for the last year and I am simply going to attempt to right one small "happy feeling" moment in it each day (even if that is the only thing I write). At this point if I don't complete the goal of writing in it everyday, I'm savoring THIS moment of happy excitement of the idea and actually blogging about it! YES!!!!! (I'm also a heart patter for various reasons...so, if you see me pat my heart, I'm may just be having a small bit if happiness!)

HAPPY New Year!

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

I always feel that the time from Thanksgiving until New Year is a complete whirlwind! I even find myself at times grrrrring about the holiday season. I feel like I have a hard time Enjoying Anything between Everything that needs to be done and the things I want to do. SO.... New approach! Instead of keeping the whirlwind feeling lingering inside me, I'm going to look back and savor the moments that brought "goosebump" moments to my arms and heart. Even if the moment only occurred for a split second.

• DVRing all the Christmas movies from the Hallmark Channel. I only watched a few, but it was wonderful to watch them anytime. I always feel warm and fuzzy inside after watching them.
• Fudge all over the boys faces after licking the beaters.
• K- Man making a list of the goodies he wanted me to bake (fudge, puppy chow, candy covered pretzels, sausage balls, and candy covered popcorn).
• B-boy seeing Santa for the first time at the mall..."I see Him! I see Him! He's over there!"
• Watching the boys write their Christmas lists...adding to it all month long. I love the way K-man spells his words and how B-boy forms his letters.
• Shopping for clothes (with my boys in tow) for a couple of ladies living at the nursing home I work at. The boys were so proud when they picked out a blouse that I actually bought for the ladies.Wrapping the gift while I thought about what each of the ladies meant to me.Watching them open each present and feel and touch each piece of clothing. Seeing the boys' big eyes as the ladies were so excited about the gifts.
• Seeing the boys look in awe at the Christmas tree ornaments and gifts.
• Driving up to the outside of our house being decorated with Christmas lights for the first time.
• Finding the perfect place to put our Department 56 Snow Village.
• Looking at all the past ornaments made by the boys over the years.
• Having a marshmallow fight following opening the marshmallow shooters Christmas morning.
• Listening to B-boy see Christmas lights on the way to church. He would see the same lights every time we went, but listening to him you would have thought he had never seen them before!
• Singing at the nursing home with friends from church.
• Looking at Christmas lights with Paw Paw and Gramzie singing Christmas Carols at the top of our lungs!
• Watching B-boy in his Christmas program. He was a very ADORABLE wise man.
• Listening to B-boy practicing singing all the songs that he would be singing in the program. I can still hear him singing ...."Si--lent Night..." all over the house.
• Going with K-man on his field trip to an Opera House for a Christmas show/play. Yep, I teared up...always do! There is nothing better then seeing your child's bright eyes experiencing Christmas.
• Going with friends to see the play Rodolph. B-Boy was scared out of his mind of the Abominable Snow Monster! Watching the boys get autographs from all the characters after the show. Yep, I teared up at the end...always do!
• Getting 10 Christmas cards on one day!
• Hearing the boys excitement as they looked at what Santa brought before they "woke us up".
• A couple of days before Christmas- Listening through the boy's door as K-man explained what Santa does on Christmas Eve.
• Seeing my adorable husband in his new house shoes, shooting the boys with his new Nerf Gun!
• Listening to all the Christmas music being played EVERYWHERE.
• Seeing our nieces that we haven't seen since this past summer.
• Sitting on my Parents front porch for two hours on my Mom's new porch swing watching the boys play outside

Sigh...

Yes, once again, in the mist of the CRAZINESS of the holiday season there were memorable moments that deserve their time to be savored.

Sigh...

Little One, Little Two...Little Indians

I'm Thankful for My Two Little Indian Boys!