equality

I went bowling the other day. Actually, Mom and I took the 2 nephews bowling.

We had a great time. But the thing that struck me while I was sitting waiting for my turn to bowl: the bowling alley is a great playing-field-leveler. Unless you put a lot of time and effort into practicing, bowling is a pretty even sport.

In fact, there were several people on either side of us that were developmentally disabled, or special needs of some kind. And they were having a blast! When the guy on my right got a strike, I wanted to stand up and cheer! It made me smile, and I realized that he probably had a better bowling score than me.

The 4-year-old beat the 8-year-old, I beat everyone in our group, and the group next to us had the best score in the place. But we all had fun, and the 8-year-old learned the lesson that it's OK to not be the winner all the time in everything.

The bowling alley = an equal playing field. It made me feel good about being there.
K

friendship

I am SUCH a music nerd. As I typed that title, I started singing a little: Friendship, Friendship...

Anyway, today I had lunch. With 2 friends.

The value of a good friend is immeasurable.

I have worked with these 2 ladies for the past 8 and a half years, but I consider them friends. Not co-workers.

OK, it was just lunch. But the company was outstanding. :)

Thanks, you two, for your friendship. And everything else.
K

job love

This was a little gift outside my classroom this morning.

There are a lot of chalk drawings out there, but this particular one I took as a little love gift from one of my music students. I don't know who, but I still love it nonetheless.

I *heart* being a music teacher.

K :)

art

Today in second grade we are talking about Bach. How he played the organ, and how he wrote all this beautiful music. We are listening to Bach's Toccata and Fugue in G Minor. The whole thing.

So all my second graders are busily working on drawing organs, Bach playing the organ, halloween pumpkins sitting on top of organs, etc. I am sitting at my desk watching them work, and listening to Bach.

I get to sit here at listen to Bach. I get to bathe in the art of Bach's work. Bach put his life into creating beautiful music, and I get to enjoy it. I get to appreciate his art. I get to lead second graders in appreciating his art. I get to reveal to them to intricacies of Bach's works, and what a genius he was.

We are appreciating art. Together.

And in them, I see a hopeful glimpse of people who will be art appreciators  for the rest of the lives.
I can only hope.

But today, I get to listen to Bach.
I am so lucky.
K

rich

I am rich.

I realized this as I was writing thank you cards yesterday. I wrote a thank you card to each person that came to my birthday party. I really had a great time, and wanted to write thank yous to the people that threw the party, and the people that gave me gifts, so I thought, "What's a few more cards?"

As I was sitting there writing, I realized that I am so very rich.

Not in the conventional sense of the word - in fact in THAT sense I am pretty dang poor. As evidenced my my 11 year old beater-car. And several other things I can name that I occasionally am not happy with around my life. But in the "life" sense: I have a great life, and more specifically, I have great people in my life.

Today I went Glow Golfing. Not by myself, but with the 2 nephews. We glow golfed, and then played at the mall "playground", and then went out to lunch. And can I just say that it is amazing that I even got any food down in the midst of helping the little one with his burger, cleaning up the mess, and making repeated trips to the front for mustard and ketchup. But I realized, as I shuffled them off to the car to go home, that they make my life rich.

Last night I went to a hockey game. Now, really, I could care less about this hockey team. But it is the college here in town, they have a fairly good hockey program, and my parents have season tickets. They said they were going to take the boys, and I asked to go along. It was tons of fun - not so much for the hockey, but for having dinner and spending time with the 2 nephews and my parents. Things like this make my life rich.

Yesterday afternoon I met with a girl from Youth Group. She asked if I would "mentor" her. I said yes, but I have to confess that I feel pretty inadequate to be a good mentor. But I DO care about her a ton, and so we get together and talk about things in our life. Sometimes spiritual stuff, sometimes family stuff, sometimes other stuff. But even though I am only a so-so mentor, her friendship makes my life rich.

And I could go on and on. But I am thankful for the depth and richness that my life has because of who He has put in it. I only hope that I can honor that, and make the most of the life that I've been given.
K

I use my grandmother's dishes

I have often thought about writing a book with this title.

I look around my home, and I see the afghan she crocheted for me. I look at pictures of my Grandma Annie and Grandpa Glen and I miss them. And then I look at my dishes.

Now, really I am taking a little poetic license, because the dishes I have now are from Target. But for years, the set of Corelle dishes that I used everyday were ones that used to belong to Grandma and Grandpa. Now they are up at the cabin, so I still see them from time to time.

But when I think about any "things" that I own, the ones that are important to me are ones that came from people in my family. And not like the kindle that my sister got me for my birthday.

No, the important things are those that meant something to them. Like the doughnut cutter.

Grandpa Glen and Grandma Annie owned a coffee and doughnut shop for a long time, like maybe 30-some years. A few times, during a summer when we were visiting them, Grandpa would get me up at 4:30am and we would go in together and make the doughnuts. By the time Grandma came in at 6am, I felt like I had already worked an entire day. But it was fun, even though it was a lot of work, and I still remember it to this day.

I have that doughnut cutter.

When Mom and Dad were going through Grandma and Grandpa's stuff after they had passed away, they called me and asked what I wanted.

I asked for the doughnut cutter.

Last week, for my birthday, mom gave me a pair of diamond earrings.

Now that is lovely, and I was thrilled to get them. They truly are beautiful.

But then she told me: they were Grandma's.

At that point, they became infinitely more important to me, because they were hers. They were in her ears, and now they are in mine.

So now maybe I'll have to change the book title: I Wear My Grandmother's Earrings.
Thank you Mom.
K :)

surprise

So my milestone birthday has come and gone. I was told by my family that we were going out to dinner tonight, you know, in celebration.

Boy oh boy, did we celebrate.

Turns out, they had planned a surprise party. I went over to my sister's house, so we could go to dinner, and when the door opened and everyone yelled "Surprise!" you could have knocked me over with a feather. I was shocked, and had NO idea. This is pretty amazing, because there were several friends from school there, and we had eaten lunch together for the past few weeks without anyone saying a word.

I am impressed.

There were friends from church, and even friends that I went on the women's retreat last weekend that didn't say anything at all. My 2 nephews were there, and they hadn't said anything either. But to be fair, sister didn't tell them until last night so they didn't know until the last minute.

My mom and dad and sister and brother-in-law all collaborated on this big party, and it was a blast. If they had asked me exactly what I wanted, it would have been this very party.

My sister put up a bunch of pictures of me and the family - school pictures from 1st grade, 5th grade, 8th grade, high school and college graduation pictures, family pictures, and even a picture of me waterskiing. I called it the wall of shame. :) Mostly because of the questionable hairstyle choices...

People hung out and talked, and there was food - holy cow was there food. We ate well, I tell you.

My sister took pictures of everyone there, and had them write a note which she is collecting into an album for me. And she gave a little speech which made me cry.

But the great thing about tonight was not the speech, or the food, or the carrot cake (though it was DELISH!) but the fellowship. It was the fun - the hanging out and being with friends all night. It was the laughter of them recalling how shocked I was, and their surprise that I really didn't have a clue. It was the gathering of people, and I am honored that it was for me.

Surprised, but honored.
Huge thanks to my family for putting all of this effort into a fun party just for me.
I feel not only honored, but loved.

And very blessed to be so loved.
K

on being a certain age

Well, today is my birthday.

And currently I am wearing a hot pink headband/tiara that says "happy birthday".
It has been a very happy day. :)

And my birthday today is a big one - for I am turning a milestone age. One of my co-workers gave me a card that says "Happy ___th Birthday! Welcome to my side of the hill. The grass is pretty green here!"

So on this, the celebration of my birth so, so many days ago, I reflect on the life I have now.

I am so grateful for my family. This morning my sister and 2 nephews and the girl that carpools with them brought me balloons and presents and cards and sang Happy Birthday in the hall at school. It was a happy way to start the day!

I am grateful for my parents. My mom texted me "Happy Birthday" today. A nice message, but also nice that she actually texted! :)

I am grateful for my job. I work with awesome people and am so lucky to love my job so much. The Spanish teacher has kids right before me, and has told them all day that today is my birthday and that they should sing.

I am grateful for my ministry. Sunday night at Youth Group, Hannah and I stood up to be sung to. The boy's rendition of Happy Birthday was SO awful that it was fun, and made me smile much.

I am grateful for my life. Yes, it might not be EXACTLY as I would choose, but I am the most blessed person ever. I hope I have this many years again.
K

joy

Today in 3rd grade music, we listened to Rhapsody in Blue. Previously I read the story of George Gershwin, and how he wrote Rhapsody in Blue.

But today we listened. To the WHOLE thing.

Boy oh boy, do I LOVE that music! It makes me simply happy inside.

After class was over, I walked down to the office, and I was singing the tune the whole length of the hallway. I said to my classes that this song makes me want to sing along. But there's no words!

One of them said, "well, make up some words!"

I just love how after listening to 15 minutes of music, I was happy. Light, refreshed, and joyful. Full of joy.

Isn't it amazing how a piece of music can do that?
Shouldn't we take advantage of that more often? Pop a CD into the player and become joyful!
What a gift...
K

new-ness

This is the end of the first week of school.

I LOVE this time of year.

There is a newness that is absolutely delicious. Everybody is excited to see each other, as opposed to the mid-year doldrums when everybody is getting on each other's nerves. Everybody has new teachers, new school supplies, new classrooms. There are new friends to play with, and new things to learn. I can't resist the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil.

I think there is a reason that I have worked in schools of some sort for my whole career.

As the weather cools off and we all settle in to the school routine, I just can't help but think about the new beginnings. The fresh start. The new opportunities.

It reminds me to take advantage of the new beginnings in my life. To revel in the fresh starts. To embrace the new opportunities. And most of all as a teacher, to GIVE everyone a fresh start. To leave behind the aggravations of last year, and to see everyone with new eyes.

Because, after all, don't we get that fresh start too? God doesn't keep track of our past sins and hold those against us in a supernatural tally sheet. He doesn't remember those things we did last year to grieve Him. He gives us a fresh start, and so we should do the same for others.

I LOVE this time of year.
K :)