Christmas Disappointment

Hope turned into eager anticipation this past Wednesday as my brother texted that they had checked in at the airport and were waiting to board their plane. He and his wife had made plans last summer to come to the US for Christmas this year. Our entire family was looking forward to meeting my sister-in-law, Olya, and seeing Peter again. His last trip home had been over two years ago just before his wedding to Olya, which took place in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. My mom and I were the only ones who had been able to make the long trip for the wedding, and we looked forward to introducing her to the rest of our family at Christmas time.

Their US trip plans, however, continued to go back and forth with Olya’s spinal surgery and subsequent recovery this fall. And just after they received the doctor’s okay to travel abroad, Olya came down with pneumonia and Peter got the flu. As of last Monday, we still weren’t sure if they’d be coming. But on Tuesday they made the decision to come and Wednesday afternoon we got the message that they were checked in at the airport in Krasnoyarsk waiting to board their plane for Moscow. From there they would travel to New York and then to Grand Rapids via Cincinnati, arriving around 9:30 pm on Christmas Eve. What a wonderful Christmas present!

I went to bed Wednesday night full of plans for last-minute shopping the next morning and excited for our family Christmas get-together. But when I awoke on Thursday morning and checked my email, I found a note from my mom written around 2:30 in the morning. Peter had called from the Moscow airport with the news that there was a problem. We found out later that they’d been given conflicting information and even a call to the US embassy didn’t help. They eventually got a plane back to Krasnoyarsk and returned safely in time for a quiet Christmas at home.

Beginning in the summer and continuing all fall, Peter kept thinking about the song “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” We didn’t think about the last line of the song: “if only in my dreams.” That’s how it turned out this year. But, in another sense, his home is with his wife and their home together right now is Krasnoyarsk.

Our family was deeply disappointed. I had planned to go to my parents’ on Christmas Day and spend the weekend with them and Peter and Olya. We’d then meet my sister and her family in Florida next week for a family reunion at Disney World.

I sat at the kitchen table early Thursday morning, trying to absorb the fact that, after coming so close, Peter and Olya wouldn’t be spending Christmas with us. Suddenly my crowded “to do” list was meaningless. No last minute little gifts to purchase, no quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some tea for Olya and sea foam candy for Peter, and now I really didn’t need to clean my house (at least not thoroughly) because no one would be coming to visit. I cried at the kitchen table as I asked God why, although I fully trust that He is in control and that this was His will. For whatever reason, it was not in God’s plan for Peter and Olya to spend Christmas 2009 in the United States. Later I cried with my mom on the phone as we adjusted our Christmas plans.

Christmas Eve turned into a dismal, drab day. My mood totally matched the weather outside. I had no motivation and the thought of going to church to celebrate anything was too much. I ended up going to my parents in the afternoon (just as the freezing rain began) and found they felt the same way. For the first time that I can remember, we didn’t go to church on Christmas Eve. We just spent the evening together, talking, playing Rumicub, and trying to cheer each other up. Christmas and its message of rejoicing seemed so far away.

I felt guilty for taking the news so hard. After all, many people are dealing with much bigger disappointments and heartaches. But I think we just needed time to grieve the loss of our anticipated time together, especially since it had been so up and down whether they were coming. My parents and I began to feel better by Christmas morning and we had a nice, quiet day together. We even talked with Peter and Olya via Skype. I also spent time online reviewing some of the activities at Disney World, which was therapeutic for me. After a day of not even wanting to go to Florida, I’m again looking forward to spending time with my sister and brother-in-law and their kids next week.

I’m so thankful that God’s gift of salvation doesn’t depend on our ever-changing moods. Although I couldn’t rejoice on Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day this year, deep in my heart I’m so thankful for the gift of Jesus. I’m also extremely thankful that God understands my feelings and loves me. This morning as I was taking Tosca for a walk, I briefly saw the bright orange sun poke out from behind the clouds and thanked God for the glimpse of sun after a dull cloudy day. I told Him I needed to see the sun, even for just a moment. And then I recalled the other spelling of sun - and thanked God for sending His Son, whose coming did not depend on my feelings but His grace.

I’m hopeful that Peter and Olya will be able to come to the US to visit sometime in 2010. If possible, summer would be a great time to showcase Michigan and we could have a great family reunion on Mackinac Island. And, we still need a family picture! But I’m leaving that in God’s hands. He is in control of all our plans.

Birthday Weekend in Chicago

I love musical theatre. Sometimes the storylines make me think (Miss Saigon) or learn about history (Les Miserables). Other times it’s just fun to escape into another world (Wicked and Mamma Mia). Anyway, when I heard that two musical theatre legends - Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth - were coming to Chicago in December with a new musical that’s heading to Broadway next spring, I had to get tickets. And downtown Chicago during the holiday season is filled with activity, so my friend and I decided to splurge and stay overnight. The weekend we chose also happened to include my birthday. Great idea!

We left around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, driving to Michigan City and picking up the commuter train there. What a perfect way to travel. After arriving downtown we walked a few blocks to our hotel and then had lunch at one of my favorite Chicago restaurants, The Corner Bakery. Although it was chilly, the day was actually sunny and it was nice to walk.

We arrived at the Ford Center Oriental Theatre for the afternoon matinee performance of The Adams Family and enjoyed the show. It was so incredible to see Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth right there! The actors all did a wonderful job and the story was fun. We had awesome seats fairly close to the front (of course we had ordered them almost six months earlier).

Because it was my birthday, I was convinced I was going to get my picture taken with the two stars of the show. That was going to be the headline for my blog - a photo of me with Nathan and Bebe. After the show we found the door that the actors use to leave the theatre (leading into an alley) and waited with about ten other people. We saw a number of people leave, but neither Nathan nor Bebe came out. After waiting about 45 minutes (and outlasting the others who were also waiting), we realized they either had an alternate exit or were staying at the theatre until the evening show. So, instead of a photo of me with the two stars of the show, I have a photo of me waiting for the two stars. Oh well.

After the show, we wandered the streets of downtown Chicago and enjoyed Macy’s Christmas windows, the German Kristkindlmarkt, the downtown ice-skating rink, and Giordanos deep-dish pizza before heading back to our hotel for chocolate desserts.

We stayed at the Palmer House Hilton, which is one of the oldest hotels in downtown Chicago. The lobby is very elegant with a beautifully painted ceiling and the Christmas decorations were lovely. The hotel also contains several elaborate ballrooms; it was fun to explore the different areas. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and the location was perfect for us. I would definitely recommend it.

After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we headed back to the train station and made our way back to Holland. What a fun time. I’m looking forward to going again … maybe next summer?

Life and Death and Life

This afternoon I attended a funeral.
A week before Christmas.
The father of one of my second graders.
A precious little seven-year-old girl whose father died last Saturday afternoon from pancreatic cancer.

This has been a difficult week, balancing grief and sympathy for this child and her mother along with the excitement of Christmas that the other children have. Struggling to maintain composure while reading a heartbreaking email while dealing with the everyday business of school and life. It has also been the kind of week that I am especially thankful that I teach in a Christian school. I cannot imagine dealing with this kind of situation without being able to pray and talk with my students about our hope for the future because of Christ. I love being able to center all of my teaching on God's Word and world, but when real-life hits, this spiritual foundation is especially vital.

Every year, in December, we light four candles in my class as we prepare for Christmas. These candles each have special names to help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. The message of these candles has affected me deeply this year as I think about this student and her family. The concepts these candles represent have been such a great comfort to me.

God supplies us with hope and peace in all circumstances because of His love. Even through our grief we can have a deep joy because there is hope for a future with God and our loved ones in heaven someday because of the gift of Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation.

This father died on my birthday, December 12. I will never forget him or his special little girl. Every year from now on, I will say a prayer for her on my birthday. But the day he died is also the day he was brought to a new life with Christ. So, in a way, we now share a birthday - my earthly one and his heavenly one.

Our class gave this little girl a special teddy bear with a scarf that we all signed. I also wrote part of our school theme for this year on the scarf: “Love one another.” My second graders and their parents have already been showing love to this family; again, I’m so thankful for our Christian school community. I pray that when she hugs the bear, she will feel God’s presence and comfort in a special way and remember how much she is loved. I also pray that all my students and their families will remember how much God loves all of us.



As I look at the picture of the teddy bear,
I see the love of children,
a teacher,
a family,
a school community,
and, most of all,
the love of God.

Snow Day ?

This was the view from my front yard late this afternoon during our "blizzard."

The weather reports have been forecasting a huge winter weather storm for today through tomorrow. Last night and early this morning we had some freezing rain, but a major blizzard was scheduled to arrive early this afternoon. So most area schools closed today in anticipation. We all waited ... and waited ... but as of 9:00 tonight we've seen maybe half an inch of snow in Holland. Maybe it's still coming.

I did enjoy the snow day:

* slept in
* enjoyed a muffin and hot chocolate by the Christmas tree
* read a "teacher" book on "Love and Logic"
* caught up on laundry
* baked a chicken and rice casserole
* started working on the yearbook for school
* enjoyed an old movie on TV
* thought about grading papers
* enjoyed sitting on the couch next to Tosca
* played a lot of Pathwords (word game on Facebook)

Ya gotta love all the hype from meteorologists!

Christmas Decorations

When I was a little girl I loved putting up our family Christmas tree. I eagerly looked forward to the first Saturday in December when we would go to choose a tree at a nearby tree lot. It was always fun trying to find the “perfect” tree and then decorating it together as a family at home.

Our Christmas tree decorations were a mixed group of round, glass ornaments along with various collectables. My mom and dad would have to compromise on the lights (dad wanted blue while mom preferred white). I recently found out that some of our ornaments had belonged to my dad when he was little. One of my favorite Christmas ornaments was a little “candy man” - a creature made from yarn with a Styrofoam ball for a head. But the most fascinating part of the candy man was his body which consisted of an entire roll of life-savers candy. A whole roll of life-savers - how extravagant!! As a little girl I thought the candy man was so cool and always begged to open the roll of candy, but he remained intact all throughout my childhood.



Because I am deeply (overly?) sentimental and can’t bear to part with anything, when my parents were updating their Christmas decorations a number of years ago, I confiscated a number of their old ones rather than see them thrown out. Of course I can’t put them on my own tree; after all, they are pretty cheap and tacky looking. So they sit in a bag in the basement amongst my other Christmas stuff.



As I was digging through all my Christmas boxes last week, I discovered the bag of old ornaments. And inside was my candy man! As I held the candy man, I remembered the excitement of my childhood and the anticipation of each Christmas. I also again resisted the temptation to open the roll of life-savers (now almost 50 years old!).

Now I have a store-bought, pre-lit tree (what a wonderful invention). The ornaments on my tree are also varied - gifts from past students as well as children I babysat long ago, ornaments purchased from special places, a mixture of religious and “just for fun,” along with a handcrafted tree-topper angel. I still enjoy decorating the tree and reminiscing as I hang the ornaments. There’s something peaceful about sitting near the tree on a dark winter evening with only the tree lights sparkling in the night.



I love the wonderful memories of my childhood Christmas trees. And I’m thankful for the tacky ornaments of my childhood; they remind me that life doesn’t usually look beautiful and all put-together. The importance of family and times spent together are what I see when I look at the old ornaments. They also remind me that Jesus came to a world that wasn’t all put-together; it was pretty tacky and tawdry. That’s why He came. To make things right. To redecorate our lives.

I still love my candy man. With his yarn and styrofoam and old candy, he points me to my true Life Savior.

Crazy Love

I recently read a book intended to challenge and stimulate discussion on the Christian faith, especially as it pertains to American society. It’s called “Crazy Love” and is written by Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Community church in Simi Valley, California. It is definitely a thought-provoking book and has made me re-think about my relationship with God.

The first three chapters describe God - His attributes of holiness, power, omniscience, and immortality, as well as His magnificent creation. Chan talks about the “craziness” of God’s love for us - He knows us and desires an intimate relationship with us even though we continually sin. He ends chapter three with these words: “The greatest good on earth is God…The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God or just His stuff?...Our love for Him always comes out of His love for us. Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?” (p. 62-63)

Chapters 4-8 deal with our response to God’s love. Chan’s goal is to make us think about how we live our lives - do we “just let life happen, which is tantamount to serving God your leftovers, or actively run toward Christ.” (p. 113) In discussing Jesus’ parable of the sower, he cautions us: Don’t assume you are the good soil. And then he goes on to talk about “lukewarm” Christians, asking if you can be a Christian and be lukewarm, reminding readers that God said He would spit the lukewarm churches out of his mouth. Wow - talk about convicting! These chapters go into much greater detail, showing the difference between living a typical American life and actively living like Jesus, loving both God and other people sacrificially.

As I read through the middle of the book, I began to question how I really live my day-to-day life. Feelings of guilt ran through my mind. By the end of the book I renewed my desire to live more completely following Christ. He talks about true faith as holding nothing back; totally trusting in God to keep His promises. I think it’s very difficult in our affluent American society (compared to the rest of the world) to live this way. After all, money is king here and independence and self-reliance are the American way. In some ways, maybe it’s more difficult to be an authentic Christian here where we don’t have to depend on God for survival.

In the final chapter, Chan talks about what will happen at the end of our lives. “What will people say about your life in heaven? Will people speak of God’s work and glory through you? And even more important, how will you answer the King when He says, “What did you do with what I gave you?” (p. 174) I tell my second graders that my hope is that when I die people will say, “she did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” but do I really live my life that way?

Although it was a difficult (challenging and convicting) read, I do recommend this book as it brings an important reminder that Christians need to live differently than typical Americans. It would be a great book for a book club; at times I wished I could discuss some of the chapters with others. Chan also has several short videos dealing with each chapter online at www.crazylovebook.com. Reading this book has renewed my thankfulness for God’s “crazy love” for us, and my desire to live for Him.

Thankful

Although I have so much to be thankful for, this year my heart has been heavy with thoughts of so many who are suffering and I’ve found it hard to get in the thankful mood. Families who are struggling with severe and/or terminal illnesses by either a parent or young child, premature babies dealing with health issues, and others recovering from surgery remind me that we can’t always be thankful for good health.

But after reading a blog by a mother whose 5 year old daughter is fighting brain cancer, I was struck by something she wrote: “I am reminded that some times, some seasons of life, we must be thankful simply for who God is.” And I remembered we can also be thankful for our salvation through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Almost everything can be taken away: our health, family, job, money, etc. But once we are part of God’s family that can never be taken away. And God - and His power and love - will never change.

So I will give thanks - for the many blessings I still have, but also for who God is and the salvation He has given me.

Autumn Afternoon

Yesterday was beautiful and sunny - a perfect autumn day. Since report cards and conferences are finished, I decided to put off my normal weekend schoolwork and go for an afternoon hike with Tosca. We went to Hemlock Crossing, one of the county parks in Port Sheldon Township along the Pigeon River. It was my first visit to this park, which has over seven miles of hiking trails through pine forests, meadows, marsh/swamp areas, and along the river.

Growing up, I was not an “outdoorsy” person; in fact, my first choice was always sitting on the couch with a book in my hands. You would never find me participating in any outdoors activity unless it was required. While I still love to read, I’ve grown to appreciate the experience of hiking and enjoying God’s creation. It also provides the quiet opportunity to pray and just reflect on God and life.



Hemlock Crossing is a great place to hike. As we started down the trail, the first thing I noticed was the bright blue of the sky above. Then, as we walked a ways, I became aware of the lack of color everywhere else. Piles of leaves, all various shades of brown, blanketed the ground and all around were empty tree branches. As I thought about the coming winter season, the surrounding scenery reminded me of the fall and winter seasons in our lives. I thought about the difficult times both in my own life and in the lives of people I know and have been praying for recently. As I started silently praying for these family members, friends, and acquaintances again, “why” questions came to my mind: Why, God, do parents of young children need to deal with a terminal illness? Why do children struggle with cancer? Why do tumors exist? Why does the AIDS crisis and poverty affect so many innocent children in African countries? Why does life have to be so difficult?



I know it’s through the difficult (“fall and winter”) times in our lives that we often grow the closest to God, but I wish it were easier. I thought about how I want to grow ever closer to God, but I’m also afraid to go through the difficult experiences that will bring me closer. I don’t want to pray the prayer that says “use me” because I know He will but in a way I don’t expect and that will probably stretch me in a way I don’t want to be stretched.

As I kept thinking, my mood became more gloomy, and I suddenly realized how quiet it was. When I go hiking in the summer or early fall, the air is usually filled with the sounds of birds and insects are buzzing around. But I hadn’t heard or seen any birds in the park. I stopped to listen, and only heard silence.

And then, as if in answer to my questions of why, I heard a birdcall…and then another answer. I watched two tiny chickadees flit from tree to tree; calling out an answer that God is indeed present and does care. I also caught a glimpse of a woodpecker. Although it seemed as if the birds were all gone, they were still there, waiting for the proper time to show their presence. It reminded me that even though we go through difficult times, God is still here and will use those times to bring us closer to Him if we let him. It truly was a holy moment for me and brightened my mood. God won’t always answer our “why” questions, but I don’t need to be afraid. I can put my trust in Him.



I also gradually became aware of several bright green patches of moss peeking out from the drab, dead leaves. A sign of life and growth, amidst the decaying leaves. A bright reminder of spring and the colors it brings and another visual aid that God is indeed with us in our difficult (“brown”) times.



The final gift God gave me was the beautiful sunlight - a reminder of the presence of God’s Son in my life. I even strayed off the trail and climbed on a fallen tree trunk leaning over the river to get a picture of the sun before it set.



What a wonderful way to spend time with God … and exercise the dog at the same time!

P.S. Tosca slept really good last night! And no, I didn't take the photo of the chickadee. My phone doesn't have that good of a camera - I don't think my camera is even that good of a camera.

Jeans

I love wearing jeans! They are so comfortable and relaxing. I just feel happy wearing my jeans. They are definitely my apparel-of-choice on Saturdays and any school days that I attend workshops or staff development activities. And I love the last Friday of the month when teachers can wear jeans to school. All the teachers know I'll try almost anything to get another "jean day," so at our parent-teacher conference dinner this past Tuesday I asked our principal if we could wear jeans the day after conferences. Although the answer was no, she did give the okay to a jean day next Friday (the last Friday of November that we'll be at school).

So I was a little surprised when a couple teachers whispered to me on Thursday that they were going to wear jeans Friday and encouraged me to do so as well. The thought was "if everyone wears them, our principal can't say anything." After all, we couldn't all get in trouble. Besides, it's been an extremely busy couple of weeks dealing with report cards, conferences, and extra curriculum meetings. It sounded like a great idea to me, except I had specifically asked about jeans and was told no.

Thursday night I even had a phone message from a teacher, reminding me about jean day because she knew how much I love wearing jeans and she didn't want me to feel left out. I was torn about what to wear: do I wear the jeans along with other teachers, wear regular "school" clothes and bring jeans along (just in case it's really all right), or disregard the message.

The other issue involved laundry. Since I'd been gone every night the last couple of weeks I actually was caught up on laundry but all the clean clothes were sitting in laundry baskets in the basement after coming out of the dryer and most everything needed to be ironed. I really wasn't in the mood to do any ironing on Thursday night.

So, I wore regular school clothes to work yesterday, thinking that maybe a few brave teachers would be wearing jeans. I was actually quite surprised to find all the other teachers in jeans. I wondered if our principal would notice and, if so, would she be upset. Some teachers were surprised to find me not wearing jeans, but I explained I didn't feel right about it since we hadn't had permission.

But then, at our morning break time, the principal asked to see all teachers for a brief meeting. For a few seconds I wondered if it was about jeans and was glad I hadn't caved in (although I was the only one). I didn't really want the other teachers to get in trouble, but I was glad I wasn't wearing them. When all the teachers were assembled, our principal came in and began talking about how disappointed she was that all the teachers were breaking the school dress code by wearing jeans. She sounded really upset and mentioned that she should send them all home, but instead she was going to ... reward Melanie for not wearing the jeans. Huh???

It turns out the whole thing was a joke on me that they all concocted the day before at staff devotions while I was outside on recess duty. They wanted to see if they could get me to wear jeans - most were convinced I would wear them and the plan was for the principal to call only me in her office for breaking the dress code. The principal was in on the whole thing! In fact, she was trying to figure out a Plan B that morning when she saw I wasn't wearing them. In the end, she gave me a certificate for my own Jean Day sometime in the year and I can also choose an extra Jean Day! So I guess it paid to obey the rule!

I'm definitely looking forward to Jean Day next Friday! (Now, if I could just get pizza and chocolate for lunch, the day would be perfect.)

Update

Thanks so much for your prayers for my sister-in-law. She had surgery to remove the tumor in her spine last Friday. Thankfully the surgery went well and they were able to remove the tumor. She is able to walk, so there is no paralysis - praise God! She has a long recovery ahead of her and is still suffering from headaches and other pain, although she hopes to be released from the hospital soon. They haven't received word yet if the tumor was benign, so we're still waiting on that. Some of the other questions we had are also still unanswered as of yet. It definitely makes me appreciate our health care here in the United States. The H1N1 virus is also affecting the city of Krasnoyarsk as almost every school system in the city has been closed for several weeks. So hopefully both Peter and Olya can stay clear of that. They are very appreciative of all the prayers from the States. We continue to pray for both of them - for continued healing for Olya and that they'll feel God's love and presence in a new way.

Prayer Request

I am so thankful for the power of prayer and the fact that Christians can support and uphold one another in prayer. I'm so grateful that God listens to and answers our prayers, although it's not always the way we want Him to. Blogs and care pages are wonderful uses of technology that can be used to share information regarding special prayer needs for people we love and care about.

And so, this morning, I'm sharing a prayer request from our family. My sister-in-law, Olya, has a tumor in her spine. It is a fast growing tumor and there is also a possibility that there is an additional tumor in her abdomen. She and my brother, Peter, live in Krasnoyarsk, a large city in Siberia (Russia). The health care standards there are not quite the same as those in the United States, but we're grateful that she was admitted to a hospital and they're hoping to do surgery tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 6). Please pray that they can remove the tumor, that it is benign, that there will be no complications (including no paralysis), and that no other tumors are present.

It's difficult having them so far away. In addition, Peter and Olya were planning to come to the US for Christmas next month. We're hoping that if everything goes well, they will still be able to come.

Thanks so much for your prayers. Here is a photo of Olya and Peter.

Pencil Sculptures

After the recent Art Prize event in Grand Rapids, I've been intrigued by the concept of art - what is art, what materials can be used to create art, how do we view art. I've also been reminded of the gift of creativity given by God to people. I recently received one of those forwarded emails we all get occasionally, but this one showed a variety of sculptures all made by colored pencils. It was so interesting that I showed it to my second graders, and we tried to figure out how the sculptures were made. So I googled "Pencil Sculptures" and found this website by artist Jennifer Maestre.

Jennifer creates these amazing sculptures by cutting hundreds of pencils into 1 inch sections. She then drills a hole in the center of each pencil section to make a bead and sews them all together. (Silly me thought they were glued and wondered how the glue could be strong enough.) What a lot of thought, time, and energy is involved, but the result is amazing.

Here are a few pictures of some of her pencil sculptures.









The email I received also included a few of those "lessons" or reminders about life. These life lessons can be applied to pencils, but more importantly, they are great reminders for us as we go through life.

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS:

1.) Everything you do will always leave a mark.

2.) You can always correct the mistakes you make.

3.) What is important is what is inside of you.

4.) In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings, which will make you a better person.

5.) To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

Steve Green

I just returned from a wonderful evening of worship. Christian recording artist Steve Green had a concert at my church tonight and it was fabulous! He sang some new songs as well as some old favorites. I bought his newest CD since the one I have is from a while back. One of the highlights for me was when he sang "A Mighty Fortress is our God" acapella, moving up a step for each verse. It was so powerful. The concert also fit in so well with our morning worship - what an awesome day!

Recipes

One of my kitchen cupboards is filled with cookbooks. I have all kinds: cookbooks from churches, schools, Quick Cooking magazine, a family reunion cookbook, and even a complete set of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery (published in 1966!). My cookbook cupboard also contains a file folder stuffed full of recipes from the newspaper and various magazines; some carefully cut out and others ripped from pages and in no particular order. And finally, right in the front of the cupboard, sits a little brown recipe box containing handwritten recipes gathered years ago when I first moved out on my own.

You would think that I would be a wonderful cook with all these cookbooks. Unfortunately, I enjoy reading the recipes more than actually making them. And lately I'm realizing that when I do want to cook or bake, I'm no longer turning to any of the cookbooks in my cupboard. Instead I turn to my computer and the wonderful "google" search button.

Last weekend I had a pile of soft, mushy bananas and decided to make banana bread and muffins. I found this wonderful recipe for Banana Oat Muffins from the allrecipes.com website. They are actually the best banana muffins I've ever tasted; I can't believe I made them! And they have oatmeal in them, so they're healthy. I also added a little cinnamon and some pecan pieces. Anyway, I thought I'd share the recipe.

Maybe I'll go through some of the cookbooks in my cupboard on our next snow day.

Banana Oat Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas

Directions:
1. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

Art Prize

I spent a wonderful afternoon with my mom yesterday walking around downtown Grand Rapids. There is a huge art contest going on for the next two weeks - over 1200 artists are displaying their work and vying for a $250,000 top prize awarded by popular vote. It's spread out within a 3-mile radius with almost 160 venues hosting artwork (some inside and others outside). Anyone can register to vote for their favorite works, but I just wanted to see the artwork. The weather was perfect and the downtown area was crowded with people walking, talking, eating, and looking at all the artwork.

The artwork is quite varied: from paintings to sculptures, photographs, balloon creations; and a wide range of media is used. Some take very little space while other works take an entire wall. One is even on a scaffold 72 feet in the air. I have never been a strong follower of art, probably because I'm not very artistic (just ask my students - I can't draw anything!). I tend to be quite conservative in my taste for art; it needs to look like something as opposed to abstract or modern art. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I went downtown. But it was a really neat experience seeing all the different perspectives from the artists and sharing the whole ArtPrize experience with the West Michigan community.

Some of the pieces we saw really moved me. There was a series of paintings done by a woman as she recovered from an addiction showing the different stages in her recovery process and the stages of her self-discovery. I was fascinated by a piece taking up two walls inside the UICA building that looks 3-D from a distance but looks quite different up close. A life-size moose made entirely of nails was intriguing (this really looks more impressive than it sounds); I'm still curious how it was put together. And a sculpture made of plastic army men glued together in the form of a woman and painted orange (the international color of peace) with the title PEACEISNOWHERE made a statement on the futility of war. Look at the title carefully: it can be read two ways. An artist also painted a block-long fence with a beautiful garden and meadow scene complete with a little door and pathway. I hope it remains when the contest is over.

On the other hand, some of the displays didn't seem like art to me. The artist spending several days on top of his scaffolding seemed more of a publicity stunt to me, although he had painted some things on his easel. And the balloon sculptures, although colorful and elaborate, seemed on a different level than some of the other things I saw. A local event planner's entry consisted of a series of 100,000 different colored paper airplanes tossed off the roofs of several buildings in a rainbow of color. It's a great event and thousands of people came to see it, but is it really art? There was also performance art and interactive art.

As we walked and talked about the artwork, the question came up: What is art? After talking with several people I'm realizing there are different interpretations as to what comprises art. Is it something involving effort, following a specific form, something that viewers can understand or interpret, or something else? I looked up several definitions and came up with these concepts: Art is "the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions" (Wikipedia), "the products of human creativity" (Princeton), and "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form" (Oxford American Dictionary).

All of these definitions deal with the concept of creativity. Although I don't understand each piece of artwork I saw, I can see that it was born from the artist's need to create. To make something that conveys some emotions or shows something in a new way. I think art involves the investing of one's self. And we have the best example of that in God. When I look at God's creation I see a master artist. Through the waves rolling up to shore, to the beautiful budding flowers, and the colorful fall leaves. I see colors, shapes, and textures throughout nature and am reminded of the artistry of God. How remarkable that He has given people the innate desire to create as well. Hopefully the artwork that doesn't speak to me will speak to someone else. I know it spoke to the artist as he/she created it. I'm glad that ArtPrize is taking place. I think it's great for the city of Grand Rapids and West Michigan, it's a great opportunity for the artists to showcase their work (even if they don't win a cash prize), and it's a great opportunity for everyone to look at, study, and discuss the various entries as well as the concept of art.

How would you define art?

An Unexpected Gift

This morning I received an unexpected gift. We had a two-hour fog delay at school and no, that's not really the gift I'm referring to! Instead of sleeping in, I got up at my normal time with plans to go and get some extra work done at school. As I was getting ready to leave the house I noticed something outside the front window. When I moved closer to the window I saw that it was a large, ugly spider making a web.

If you know me well, you know I hate spiders and am actually a little afraid of them. Normally I would ignore it and hope it would be gone when I returned. But as I looked at it I could see the silk coming from the abdomen, and I saw how it's legs moved to connect the silk with the web; I became fascinated with the spider. And then I realized my unexpected gift from God. The gift of time. This morning I could take the time to stay and watch the spider. I stood there at the front window for 10 minutes just watching it spin it's web, becoming more and more amazed as I watched. The skill, the symmetry, the constant motion. After a few minutes I could actually appreciate the beauty of the spider. Having the spider outside and me inside also helped. Of course, anyone passing by the front of my house would have wondered what I was doing, staring intently out the window!

As I watched I began to wonder about spiders and this spider in particular. So I brought my laptop to the living room window and did a little quick research. I found out that this is an Orb Weaver Spider who actually eats the web every evening and then makes a new one in the morning. They have three claws on their legs; one more than most spiders. The third claw is used to walk on the non-sticky part of the web. Once the web is finished the spider either waits in the middle or moves nearby, still attached to a web thread so it can feel the vibration when an insect is trapped. Then it bites the insect and wraps it in silk before eating it. There are actually over 2800 species of Orb Spiders!

The spider finally finished the web and then crawled over several areas, lifting various threads to check them. It then climbed up a slender thread that led up from the web and attached to the roof ledge. The spider curled it's legs up and rested on the edge of the ledge and I headed off to school.

When I returned home this afternoon, I hurried to the living room to check on the spider. It was hanging upside down in the middle of the web, and there were about a dozen tiny flies stuck in the web. A couple were moving, still trying to escape. And two were already wrapped.

I have never taken the time to really look at spiders (and still prefer them to stay outside and away from me), but the fact that God showed me this one and then gave me the time and desire to just sit quietly and study it was a wonderful gift this morning. It was also a wonderful time to meditate on God's magnificent creativity.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10


(image from www.biology-blog.com/.../ orb-weaver-spider.html)

Happy

These are some of the things that made me happy this week:

1. African Children's Choir
I've seen this choir several times and am always awed by their energy and enthusiasm. Last Sunday evening was no exception. They sang and danced joyfully. We also heard stories of past choir members and how, because of this program (Music For Life), they have completed college and are working in their home countries to make this world a better place. It's a good reminder for me to think about how I can impact my part of the world for God.
(African Children's Choir)

2. Weather
The weather in west Michigan this past week has been absolutely beautiful. It seems more like summer than fall except for the beginning color changes in some of the trees. But it's been so nice to have sunny days, cool mornings, and warm afternoons.

3. Medication
Along with the beautiful weather comes fall allergy season. Since I stopped getting allergy shots last March it's been fine until the last month. I finally gave in and was retested for allergies this week and will begin getting shots again next week. I also have several prescriptions which help.

4. Surprising My Parents
My dad turned 70 this past Tuesday and I surprised him and my mom by dropping by with a card and gift from my sister (and her family) and me. It was fun to surprise them and then celebrate with a birthday dinner at a local restaurant. (It did help that I arrived at dinner time!)

5. Church Choir Rehearsal
We had a guest clinician, Pearl Shangkuan from Calvin College, conduct our choir rehearsal last Wednesday evening. She gave us some great suggestions to help with our sound.

6. Second Graders
I have really been enjoying getting to know my new class. They are a great group of kids and make going to work fun each morning.

6. Walking
While walking with my dog, Tosca, this week I saw a young father playing baseball with his child. It was also fun to see houses and lawns being prepared for the new season. And Tosca's joy when I take her leash down is the kind of joy I want when I think of spending time with God. (Unfortunately I don't always have that joy yet ... that's my goal for this year.)

7. Church
I was so blessed by our worship service at church this morning. The whole service was based on Psalm 1. We had a guest artist from Hope College who painted a tree during the service; it was beautiful. Our songs and scripture were filled with images of trees rooted deep; our roots must be deep in God's word. We'll be memorizing a verse from each book of the Bible during the next 66 weeks dealing with trees and growing strong in Christ - each week we'll receive a new verse to learn based on that week's sermon topic.

8. Anticipation
The Wizard of Oz movie will celebrate it's 70th anniversary this week as movie theaters across the nation will show the film on wednesday evening. I've seen it once before on a big screen and it's like a new movie; there are so many little details that you miss on television. I'm excited to see it again with my cousin! (although I will be skipping church choir just this once).

S'Mores Anyone?

School is back in session, and I've been enjoying getting to know my new group of second graders. While we were discussing our summer vacations last week, several students mentioned campfires and making s'mores as one of their favorite summer activities. As we were talking I realized I haven't had a s'more all summer. And the more I started thinking about s'mores, the more I really wanted one. But I don't have any camping plans, and I don't have a fire pit (or a gas stove), so I put the thought out of my mind.

Until...I went grocery shopping over the weekend. Guess what was on sale - right on the aisle - calling to me???

So I went home with all the ingredients to make s'mores ... except the campfire.

That's O.K. I can improvise!





Didn't taste nearly as good as a true, campfire s'more, but it was better than nothing.



P.S. I tried the microwave for the second one. Still doesn't have the full, roasted marshmallow effect, but it was nice and gooey! Maybe I'll have to get a firepit.

Holding Hands

This video was in an email I received recently. It is so cute, but also reminds me how important it is for us to hold each other's hands figuratively and encourage each other as we go through life.