Summed up thoughts on a Sunday

We went to The Mystery Castle in Phoenix today.  Take 7th street as far south as you can go, take a right and you're there.  There's a fee to get in, but I think its worth it.  The man who built that place must have been a bit odd, but definitely interesting and innovative.  I wouldn't want to live there, but it was a really intriguing place.  My dad and grandfather would LOVE it!  They too are self-made masons.

I made homemade meatballs this afternoon. A top pick among the homemade foods in this house. Served over spaghetti squash "noodles" in a simple tomato and basil pasta sauce. Buon Appetito.

I need to delete my food blog.  It's just not going to happen.  To many things I want to do, not enough time- scratch that- not a priority right now.

I have been wanting to post over at My 145:4.   Next post should be: The 6 Days of Creation, but I have an answer to the child-asked-question, "What's a Christ?" in mind.   The blog is turning more into a journal /commentary on the Bible for my boys.  That's fine too.  Not exactly what the title implies.  Maybe I should re-title the blog: A Journal Thru the Bible for My Boys.

I am not a very educated person.  I have an A.A.S.N (associate of applied science in nursing).  The people of Pathway are very educated people.  I love them and I feel very...elementary compared to them when it comes to knowledge in any arena.   I would love to go back to school to get a higher degree in nursing (or a culinary degree) but that too is just not a priority right now.  Maybe one day I can be smarter.  

A lesson or 10 in pedagogy is a priority though.  I don't have a higher education, but I am a student of the Bible and enjoy teaching it to my children, the children at Pathway, anyone who will listen, and most recently in a women's Bible study.  I would like to know better how to teach.  As I'm approaching 40 I think I've figured out what I want to do when I grow up: teach.  Even as a nurse, one of my favorite aspects of nursing is teaching.  I love helping kids, parents and school staff learn health-related things.  But when my knowledge is limited, its hard to teach.  You can't teach what you don't know.  As a nurse, my teaching realm is pretty small.  When it comes to the Bible I may have an opportunity:

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong... -1 Corinthians 1:27

I think teaching and cooking are similar.  I like to do both very much.  Neither do I have a formal education in.  When I'm researching something, be it the Bible or a health-related topic, I pull out the ingredients.  When I prepare to teach it to someone else I mix, bake (pray), wait and taste-test. When I deliver a teaching I feel like I'm serving up something good, something palatable though taken from raw ingredients.  Something that will help another grow.

I decided this weekend at practice I'm going to have to become a baseball savvy woman.  I saw Trouble With The Curve a couple weekends ago with my husband.  I'm 100% confident I will never be as savvy as Clint Eastwood's screen daughter in that movie.  But I'm going to have to learn to keep score (which in baseball involves a lot more than just how many runs there are), how to run a line up, how to read where the players go on the field and how to do some basic hitting, fielding and throwing.  I want to be a good backup for the head coach.

Quieted,

Sheila

You never know

In the district I work, nurses have to work late on the Thursday of parent/teacher conference night. So last night I was there until eight, hence no blog post.

You never know what can happen in a day.  Your house could catch fire.  Your grandchild could drown in your pool while you're watching T.V.   You could have a stroke.  You could get hit by a car while riding your bike on the way to school.  I'm not just being a doomsayer here.  Between yesterday afternoon and this morning I found out all of these things happened to people I know. My heart aches for the people involved in all of these situations.  People to pray for.

It's the beginning of fall break for me and the boys.  They get one week, I get two.  Tomorrow is baseball.  Sunday I'm really looking forward to.  And then a week of... He knows.  And I trust Him with it.  I know not what can happen in a day.  I do know the One who will use all that happens in my days to mold me more and more into the image of His Son.  So be it!

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.- James 4:13-14

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.- Romans 8:28-29

 
Connor's teacher wrote a few things about him that made me glad despite his struggling grades.  She wrote that he asks good questions and that he accepts responsibility and learns from his mistakes.  Those two statements hold a lot more credit than A's in my book!

My two boys are the odd couple for sure.  One is always moving, one I am always trying to get moving. One is very academic, a good puzzle solver...a thinker.  The other will chase any fast moving object, be quick to hurry through eating or any assignment so he can go chase a fast moving object.  One could easily excel in school. The other will probably always struggle in school.

I obviously want my kids to get good grades, but I don't place the emphasis of my approval on the grade.  I do place it on their willingness to work hard, listen and learn and take responsibility for their choices.  To hear Connor's teacher point out these characteristics in him thrilled me, despite my concern for his grades. I know as long as he keeps asking good questions and is willing to learn from his mistakes, take responsibility and work hard, he'll do just fine.

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.- Proverbs 13:18

Quieted,

Sheila

Politics, prayer and predictions

I shy away from confrontation. I therefore don't really enjoy politics or debates. I don't say this as an indication of my good character. It's more an indication of my cowardliness and people-approving tendencies. In me is a desire to live, more than speak, my convictions, but I know I need to have the courage of my convictions and speak them when appropriate also. 

I don't put any confidence in politics or politicians. I believe my voice before the King of all kings has much more influence than my voice at the polls.  Not because I'm great, but because He's great.  I can, and do, cast my vote, but when I cast my cares concerning the decisions of those in government on the Lord,  I'm appealing to the only one who can do something about it.

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. -Proverbs 21:1

I believe the Lord is the only one who can change the hearts of men. So I pray more, and vote also.  I vote because I believe God works in me to live out the righteousness He gives me.  He wants what's right.  He created all things good and right in the beginning.  We ruined it.  He redeems it by Christ.  I am compelled to live out the right ways He desires to see in the world.  So I pray and I vote my conscience.  But I put my hope in the One I appeal to not the one I vote for.

I don't get all wound up in who's saying what and what terrible decision politician A is making. I don't even get overly worried about where we as a country are heading.  I do grieve the tearing down of the foundations of what's right and good. I am sad when I go through my day and hear the breakdown of families, the self-seeking entitlement attitudes that prevail, the violence and the dishonor of human life. I know none of those society-destroying ways will be made right by the next President of the United States.  If one is hoping our society will be rescued by the government or a political ideology one has put their hope in a false Savior. 

There's a Psalm that describes how I feel.

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?  - Psalm 11:3

If a seven and nine year old's vote after watching a presidential debate and living in a house with a mom who rarely speaks of politics are any predictor, Mitt Romney will be the next President of the United States.  One child reasons: It's only fair for someone else to have a turn.  The other reasons, but God bless him, I can't understand his reasoning.  While trying to discern my trying-to-sound-like-a-grown-up child, I got: He thinks Mr. Romney wants to help people more than Mr. Obama from what he saw on the debate tonight. 

I'm privileged to pray for both men and thankful to know the One who saves.

Quieted,

Sheila

Just because I'm trying to stay in the habit...

Being so tired you don't even want to brush your teeth is probably a good indicator not to write anything publicly. But since I'm trying to stay in the habit of writing, I'm writing.

It was a go from my school, to my kids' school to the asthma and allergy doctor, to the Chic-fil-A drive thru, to the house to change into baseball gear, to the baseball field for back to back baseball practices day. Whew. I'm pooped.

Not a surprise, I managed to forget the picture envelopes for the parent's on my oldest's team. Our pictures are Saturday and since the head coach (my other half) won't be there, I'll be expected to be directing the show. Well not really. The assistant coach will be there and he's been doing a pretty good job of fill-in head coach. Nevertheless I feel responsible as a representative of the head coach to have my stuff together. Tonight I didn't. I did get the snack schedule out though.

This is not the way I like to do life. I like life on a long-walk pace. When the day is jam packed and I find myself irritated at any extra noise I just look up. And thank God for treasures like sleep. I'm glad we get to rest. I read somewhere that sleeping is like a daily dying. We die to today. We wake up to new mercies.

Ryland got poked 72 times on his back today at the asthma and allergy doctor. He took it like a champ even with tears streaming down his face. Turns out he's allergic to the cat he loves, the molds that (according to the doctor) blow into our valley with every monsoon season, palo verde trees, and every grass imaginable. Starting tonight he has a nasal inhaler, a twice daily asthma preventative inhaler, a daily antihistamine, eye drops and a daily nasal wash.

That's all I've got. Oh, and this:

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!- Psalm 40:17

Quieted,

Sheila

Monday

It makes me smile hearing my 7 and 9 year old sons converse.

They talk about who's doing what with their toy riffles. What ship their building with Legos.  What Montero's batting average is.  How Chris Young swings a bat.  Makes me smile.

Finished up all but one vision and hearing screening today.  Whew.  On tomorrow's list is an audit of my entire school population's immunization records.  We have a new system feature to run mandatory state reports that we've, in the past, had to manually gather data and put together.  Only problem is, the report is only as good as the information entered in the system.  And with no secretary entering immunization records in the system for me, that means I'll be getting very comfortable with my ten key pad and squeezing in as many of those numbers into the system as I can between bug bites (which there have been a lot of lately), nosebleeds, asthma attacks, fevers, sore throats, I-want-to-get-out-of-class stomach aches, daily medications, blood sugar checks, carbohydrate and insulin calculations, calls to parents, calls from parents, calls to teachers, etc.   Should be a full day.

Tomorrow is the last full school day for the kids at my school.  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are half days.  Someone I work with today mentioned we only have one more full day and three half days left!  Someone else responded that didn't count since only the kids get to go home early, not us.  To which I responded, it does count because you can get a lot more done without the kids.  All those numbers will get entered when no one's coming in my office every 5 minutes with a nurse-need.  I prefer the kids to the numbers and papers hands-down any day!  But when the no-fun work has to get done, it can get done much more efficiently with just me, itunes and the 10 key pad.

The boys asked me tonight if I get scared when dad's not around.  What if someone breaks into the house? What should we do?  They definitely feel protected when dad is here.  I told them a verse from the Bible that always brings me comfort:

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.- Psalm 4:8

It feels more safe with a man in the house.  But the truth is, the LORD alone is the one who makes me dwell in safety.  Man or no man.

I also told them a trick I use when I'm scared: sing!  Sing a song like this:

Quieted,

Sheila