Thanksgiving List 2011

I still rate last year’s list as the “Top Ten” things I’m thankful for, but here’s a few additions.

1. Variety in Creation – I love the fact that God created so many different kinds of plants and animals.  Large and small, striped and solid colors, wild and tame, vibrant and more restrained. Seeing the diversity in creation reminds me of God’s vast imagination and creativity.

2. Emotions – The joyful sound of laughter as well as the release that tears can bring are gifts from God to help us navigate through the joys and sorrows of life. I’m thankful for a sense of humor that I can share with my students and the times we can just laugh and enjoy life together. But I’m also thankful for the sense of community when I shed tears along with friends and family as we struggle to make sense amid difficult situations.

3. Sun – Besides the fact that the sun is necessary for life here on Earth, I just feel happier on days that I can see the sun shine. I love the feeling of warmth on a sunny spring day and the beauty of snow and ice-covered branches on a sunny winter morning.

4. Books – Reading is probably my favorite free-time activity. I love escaping into worlds of fiction where characters seem so real. I’m also thankful for the way my thinking can be stretched through the thought-provoking questions and differing viewpoints a good book (both fiction and nonfiction) addresses.

5. Time with God – My life, especially during the school year, tends to be so busy, constantly trying to stay one step ahead of each deadline. I’m thankful for times of quiet – both on walks through nature trails and when I’m just sitting quietly on my comfy couch – time spent praying or meditating.  I need these times, and I’m thankful for God’s love and presence in my life.

“Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”

1 Chronicles 29:13

Racing

I tend to live my life the way my dog takes a walk. One of my goals this fall is to take advantage of the various local county parks each weekend and walk the hiking trails with Tosca. It’s been wonderful to enjoy the autumn colors and simply revel in the beauty of creation. Tosca loves going for a walk and is always eager to get out of the car and set off on the trail.

We went to Hemlock Crossing this afternoon, just north of Holland off US 31. After being cooped up all week because of rainy, windy weather, Tosca was raring to go. She took off on the trail at a run; it’s a good thing I was holding her leash tightly! She’d occasionally stop here and there for a second to sniff and then dash off again, only to be frustrated by my attempts to slow her down to an actual walk. She paid little attention to the beauty surrounding us; she just wanted to go her own way. At times she tried to veer off the path toward her own shortcut before being pulled back to the path by me.

We finally stopped at a clearing overlooking the Pigeon River. At first glance there was nothing to see. But, as I stood watching quietly, I began to observe the life in the meadow surrounding the river. The gently swaying leaves, small birds flitting among the cattails, the river slowly meandering along, and a butterfly dancing in the air all brought a smile to my face. A rustle among the leaves finally revealed a little chipmunk making a leap onto a tree trunk as he explored the woods. A peace filled my soul as I stood watching the river and meadow. I loved the life found here in the stillness.

My dog, however, paced around, anxious to be on her way again. And I realized how often I act like her in my daily life. I’m usually hurrying along, wanting to go off on my own path and moving toward the next thing.  I seldom stop and just enjoy the moment, being still and trusting God to steer my path. I’ve purposely tried to relax at school this week and just enjoy the moments with my students instead of stressing out about everything that has to be done. It’s been a good week, and we actually accomplished a lot.  I guess that Bible passage about not worrying (Matthew 6) is really true.

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

A Time To Remember

Sometimes we forget. In the busy-ness of life and the efforts to complete all the to-do lists and just getting through each day, we can forget the original purpose for why we do what we do. I’ve been feeling the struggle of this lately. Working with a new writing curriculum, a new literacy management system, more technology tools/integration, extra committee work, as well as trying to find the time to fit in everything I’m supposed to teach has been overwhelming this fall. A lot of good stuff, but all at once. By last Sunday evening I was almost at the breaking point. I couldn’t do one more extra thing. I wondered if this was really where I was supposed to be. What I was supposed to be doing.  In the stress of all this “stuff,” I’d begun to forget the why. Why I became a teacher. Why God called me to this profession. 

Thankfully God, in His perfect timing, reminded me during these last two days at our Christian Educators Association convention in South Bend, Indiana. I am so thankful I was there to be reminded of the reason I became a teacher: to make a difference in the lives of children.  Building relationships with my students, helping them develop a Christian world and life view, living out the difference because of Christ, and showing grace and love – all of these are important life lessons that extend beyond literacy, math, science, and technology. I want my students to learn the academics, but most of all I want to show them Jesus. And when I return to my class next week, although all the extra “stuff” will still be there, it will not overwhelm me. Because I remember again. I remember why I am a teacher. I love my kids. 

Breaking an Addiction

My name is Melanie and I am addicted ...

to a game called Pathwords.

I've played this game on Facebook for a couple of years and justify the many hours time spent each week with the thought that I'm exercising my brain. I absolutely love this game. I begin and end each day with it; just a couple games (10-15 minutes max. - usually). At first it was fun just to see how many words I could find in the 5 minute time limit. But then I saw the scoreboard on the side and my competitive nature kicked in. I wanted to beat my friends in this game. I experimented with getting as many short words as possible (with fewer points per words) vs. searching for the longer (more points) words. The really long words are worth 130 points; get a few of those and you're doing really well. Anyway, ten minutes gradually turned into an hour (or two) and then I caught myself saying "Just one more game and then I'll stop" over and over each night. When I reached first place I was ecstatic! And also fearful that I would lose my top spot to someone else. I finally realized I had a problem but was powerless to stop it. I love my routine. And I need to keep working to remain in first place.

Until now.  I'm breaking my addiction tomorrow, but not by my choice. It's a harmless little habit that I really wish I could continue. But, alas, Zynga, the company who developed Pathwords, is shutting it down tomorrow. They sent a very nice note telling about their other games and inviting Pathwords players to join those. They apologized for shutting it down. But my beloved game will no longer be available after September 30. 

I'm sad.

I've been playing a lot this last week to try and reach a score of 2200.

But it's over.  I'm breaking this addiction, and I'll have to develop a new routine.

Great timing ... I just got an iPad. I'm sure there are some apps that could exercise my mind...

And it's all right as long as I go out still in first place!

Garden Observations

I often enjoy working in my garden during the summer mornings and evenings. The quietness in the yard gives me time to think and pray and just reflect on life and anything else that comes to mind.  There’s a feeling of satisfaction in seeing the colorful flowers surrounded by patches by dark black soil after the weeds are removed. I tend to avoid the warmer afternoons and hot days altogether, preferring to spend that time with a good book (in the air conditioning).  

Which brings me to the only explanation I can come up with for my yard this September: there were way too many hot days this past summer. I didn’t realize until I stepped into my narrow side yard how badly overgrown things had become. It’s amazing how quickly weeds can overtake a garden!  Well, actually, it wasn’t that quickly – I don’t think I weeded in almost two months.  But they can grow tall and thick and it’s only through perseverance and hard work that they were finally removed.

I spent most of Labor Day tackling the front and side yards, and finished the backyard up this afternoon. And as I stood (and sometimes crouched or sat), I was struck by the similarity between weeds and my sins.

Weeds tend to sneak in, at first unnoticed, until they almost look like they belong in the garden. Sin can be the same way, just one tiny little sin at first, but then it gradually feels acceptable and not a sin at all.  Pretty soon the weeds take over the garden, choking out the flowers. Sin can also take over my life if I’m not diligent in confession and staying close to Christ. 

As I worked to remove the weeds, I realized how different they could be. Some were short and thin and quite easy to remove. Others had thick stalks and towered over the other plants. A few had very deep roots, which required a shovel to totally eradicate. Again, sin can be the same way.  Some sins are easy to confess and get rid of while others continue to plague me and definitely require a lot of digging to get out. With all sin, though, as with the weeds in my garden, it’s the steady, consistent persistence in examining my life that will keep me in a right relationship with God.

Along with the weeding comes the pruning. I have a few bushes that look so much better now that I’ve pruned them. That too has spiritual implications (John 15:1-2).

The best part was when the trash guy came and took all the weeds away – they’re gone and my garden looks good. Unfortunately, (just like sin), I know they’ll be back and I’ll have to do it all again. With the garden, though, I have until next spring.

I love how God can use anything – even weeds – to teach me!

Movie Magic

My niece and nephew celebrated their 10th and 8th birthdays this summer. I took them shopping to pick out their presents and then we made short time-lapse videos using an app on my iphone.

Amanda chose a pottery wheel for her birthday present. It was fun to watch her as she learned how to guide the clay on the wheel; she picked it up quite quickly and remembered a lot from her school art class.

Joey bought a Lego kit - Alien Conquest - which he and I put together. For some reason, the time-lapse video didn't save correctly (at first it ran backwards and ended up only saving part of it). But we had fun, and it actually took less time to put the alien spaceship together than I thought it would.

Joey and I then experimented with the time-lapse feature. Watch carefully - this video is only 6 seconds, but look out for the alien space invasion in the farmyard!

And finally, my parents' gifts to the kids were special outings: Joey went to a NitroJam race at US131 MotorSports Park and Amanda had a horseback riding lesson at Karin's Horse Connection in Grandville, MI. Here's the video highlights of Amanda's horseback riding lesson.

Happy Birthday Amanda and Joey!

Summer Fling

With school beginning next week (teacher meetings all week; kids begin Aug. 29), my dog, Tosca, and I took off this morning on our second annual 2-day hiking getaway. Last year we went south to Indiana; this year we headed north to Ludington State Park. The day was perfect - blue sky, low humidity, comfortable temperatures in the upper 70s, with a slight breeze at times.

At first I wasn't sure we'd be able to go this summer as my dog has begun to show her 14 years of age. She's often stiff in the morning and we've cut our walks to 4-5 blocks, but she perked up a little during the last couple weeks, so I decided to go and just take it easy.

She was like a different dog when she got on the hiking trail. Bright eyes and prancing feet, she was so excited and couldn't wait to get started! She was always ready to keep going (even when I was ready to rest) and loved splashing in the water. We hiked for over 3 hours and she did great.

We began on the Sable River Trail, walking near the river and watching groups of people float on rafts. It looked like fun. Most of the afternoon was spent on the Island and Ridge Trails, beginning near Hamlin Lake and ending atop wooded dunes.

This is a view of the Big Sable Lighthouse from the Ridge Trail.

I watched a group of ducks swimming while we ate our picnic lunch. Later I saw a pair of swans with their cygnet. I also got a glimpse of a camouflaged toad near a tree. Tosca lunged at something in the bushes, but I pulled her away in time to save whatever it was. And once, when we came around a bend, I saw a mother deer eating in the woods quite near us. She looked at us but wasn't frightened and then went back to eating. I watched for a few minutes and then stepped forward to continue walking - and saw a spotted fawn! We watched each other a few minutes before Tosca and I resumed our walk. (I'm not sure Tosca ever noticed the deer; I think she would have charged if she had.)

After our hike, we checked out the Waterfront Park in downtown Ludington just in time to watch the S.S. Badger (car ferry) come in. That is a big boat! The park has several sculptures showcasing Ludington history in the park - pretty cool.

We also stopped at Stearns Park to see the North Breakwater Lighthouse.

After a busy day, Tosca was ready for bed in our hotel room!

I'm looking forward to a great morning of hiking tomorrow!

Then it's time to go home and think school.

What a great way to end summer vacation!