tower of blocks

When my oldest nephew was about 3, his favorite thing to do was to build a huge tower of building blocks (taller than him!) and then knock it down. Now, he could build the tower, or you could build the tower, but he was going to be the one knocking it down! For a few years I was his regular babysitter, so I built lots of these block towers, and then picked then up again. But this could go on forever. He never tired of knocking down that tower, and watching it fall all over the floor.

Recently I have felt like I was under that tower as it fell all over me. Like everything came crashing down. Now, don't get concerned. I'm no heading off to Nepal to find myself, nor am I going on the "eat, pray, love" tour. But I do feel like I've been toppled over.

I think that the end of school, and having more on my plate than usual at work, and then getting really sick, and feeling obliged to go to the graduation parties and graduation ceremonies of all my graduating seniors in Youth Group has put a little pressure on. But, I've missed a bunch of that because I got a nasty cold that almost immediately turned into bronchitis. On Friday I should have been at our school's graduation, but I was at the doctor. Today I have 2 grad parties that I really want to go to, but I'm home taking my inhaler.

Really, there's no happy ending here. I'm sick and have to deal with it. I have missed several obligations, and still have work to do at school, but life goes on. I guess the end of this story is that I have to crawl out from under these blocks and go on.

And I will.

Thanks for listening...
K

spider

Today in my class:
Student: (while I was speaking) There's a spider!
Me: Go get it! 
Student: (brave 6th grade boy) OK, what should I do with it?
Me: STEP ON IT!!! (much volume)
Him: OK, I've got it. Wait...it's still moving.
Me: STEP ON IT AGAIN!!!!! (more volume)
Him: OK, it's dead. Now what do I do?
Me: (Much less volume) Go get, like, 12 Kleenex and pick it up. Then throw it in the trash. But, please make sure it is dead first.

Oh if you could have been there... you would have laughed SO hard at me.

I'm just sayin'...
K

performances

Today I went to a concert. It was the spring concert of a youth orchestra here in town. Several of my students play in this group and had invited me to come  listen.

I really enjoyed it. The music was great, and the kids did a fantastic job playing. Now it was not perfect, and in fact, it was far from it. There were notes that were missed. There were people who played out of tune. There were wrong rhythms.

But, the important thing, the thing that made me smile was not the correct-ness of the notes, or the percentage of playing that was in tune. It was the fact that these kids were doing it! They had practiced, they had worked on the music, they had worked together, and now they were performing.

The thing that makes music special is that very thing - the doing of it that bring us together as people. It's the thing that leads us into a relationship with others. It's the working together. It's the cooperation we find in each measure that makes those performances special.

May you find, or continue in, something that gives you that same experience. The practice, the cooperation, the rehearsal, the performance.

Way to go PYO! Great job today!
K

the changing of the guard

Today is the big wedding. William and Kate got married this morning, with all the pomp and circumstance that an occasion like this requires. This morning I did not get up at 2am to watch said event, but I do remember getting up with my Mom 30 years ago to watch Diana and Charles get married. If it didn't involve that special 2am time, I probably would have gotten up to see at least some of it, but I am pooped. Just could not make it out of bed that early, and still work today.

I've seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and it is pretty impressive. Today marks a big change in the line of succession for the British monarchy. It also happens to mark that we only have 4 weeks of school left. This, I am celebrating! I feel the changing of the seasons, even though we are in the middle of Spring, and Summer is officially a long way off. We are starting to talk about the things we are going to do this summer, such as planning for trips, and making lists of supplies for VBX at church.

I love that feeling of having something to look forward to - something to anticipate. I love the eagerly waiting before a trip or vacation, of seeing if it meets or exceeds what I have been expecting. I also love anticipating summer vacation. But I am also acutely aware that this means that time is passing as well. Time is fleeting, and flying by faster than I can handle sometimes.

I'm not sure that I am taking advantage of the time that I have, or if I am using my time wisely. As I get older, it occurs to me that time really is precious, and if I'm not making the most of what I have then I'm not being a good steward. Good stewardship applies to time, and not just money. Just as we should carefully consider how we use our money, we should carefully consider how we use our time.

I sure wish I had known or realized this when I was younger, and had more time! As I get older, and hopefully wiser, I realize how valuable time really is, and how my decisions about time matter.

Here's to the changing of the guard, and the seasons, and life...
K

the end of an era

Yesterday, my Auntie Crystal died. Well, techincally, she is my mom's aunt, more accurately my mom's mom's sister.

This is me, Auntie Crystal, and my cousin Kasey, taken on a trip out to CA a couple years ago. We are standing in Shuberts (look them up!) in Chico, CA and it's the ice cream and candy store that Uncle Charles and Auntie Crystal ran for a bajillion years. Really, I don't know how many, but I do know that in 1938 it was started by Charles' Uncle Leonard Shubert, and then Charles and Crystal ran it forever, and now their son, my uncle Chuck owns it, and his son Nate actually runs it. My mom worked there when she was in college!

Anyway, Crystal's sister, Grandma Annie passed away a couple years ago, and Grandpa Glen passed away a couple years before that, so Crystal was the last of that generation who was still around. She was 92 when she died.

Even after Grandma Annie and Grandpa Glen passed away, I could still talk to Auntie Crystal. And she was SHARP! She remembered tons of things, and was very active, even up to a couple months before she passed away. This is not a great picture, but it's me and Auntie Crystal playing cards. And I recall that she beat me several times. I blame mom for the bad photography...

Auntie Crystal and Grandma Annie had a great relationship. They were friends, lived in the same town for, like 50 years, and raised their kids together. Now that they are gone, I realize what a blessing it is to have that kind of familiy relationships. My sister Angie and I have always had a good relationship, but now that we are adults, it really is great. This morning I got up at 3am to take Angie and Dan and the boys to the airport. Here they are all ready to go (at 4:30am!):

I am grateful for the richness of my family, and the deep history I have gotten from them. I am grateful for the experience growing up with Grandpas and Grandmas, and aunts and uncles, and the weighty respect I have for their generation.

I'll close today's family thoughts with a couple more pictures. This one was taken in the summer of 1926. Crystal is on the right, and Grandma Annie is in the middle (in the crib). Their sister Gracie is on the left.

This one is the same 3 sisters many, many years later. Crystal is on the left, and Grandma Annie is on the right.

Goodbye Auntie Crystal. Miss you already.
K

spelling

Today, I took a 3rd grade spelling test.

I was going down to third grade to talk to one of the teachers, and she announced that it was time for the weekly spelling test. I was feeling silly, so I  jumped up and down excited for spelling test. Maybe I should have thought before being silly (story of my life) because she invited me to take the test with them. In CURSIVE.

I have to say, I think I did pretty well. In fact, I think I got 100%.

And I had a little flashback to when I was in elementary school, and taking those kind of tests on a regular basis. Gave me a little warm memory.

This makes me grateful for all the education I have received in my life. I finished High School, have a bachelor's degree, as well as a Master's Degree. And then I think about all the people in the world that don't even have the opportunity to go to school past a certain level, or even at all. Education is a great gift, and privilege.

When's the last time you took a test?
K

little things

Today is a gratefulness post about the little things in life. It's kind of funny that I realized this in a bathroom yesterday, because I am mightily grateful for indoor plumbing. I watched Slumdog Millionaire with some friends a bit ago, and thought about the fact that many people do NOT live with indoor plumbing. I don't know if this comes out of my mom's porta-potty phobia, but that's neither here nor there.

My first little thing comes from that bathroom trip yesterday. I was at Starbucks, because someone had given me a gift card (thanks Ang!) and went to the bathroom. I am grateful that Starbucks always has nice bathrooms. I've been to Starbucks in several places, in lots of cities, and they always have nice bathrooms. And God bless whoever invented the hook on the back of the door to hang your purse on. I just can't stomach putting my purse on the floor of a public bathroom. Who KNOWS what has been on that floor???

My second little thing is for fabric softener. I like soft towels, and when I dried off from today's shower, I thought about how nice it is to have soft, fluffy towels to dry off. While we are on the subject of fluffy towels, I am thankful for my washer and dryer IN MY HOUSE. For many years, like a lot of people, I did not have a washer and dryer, so I hauled my laundry to the laundromat each week to get it clean. I got pretty efficient at it, but I'm just as happy to have a washer and dryer. And that I don't have to do laundry in a river...

My third little thing is for books. I just finished reading a book, and it was really good. I was engrossed for the whole last third of the book. I'm grateful for the access we have to books and information. Because as we all know from schoolhouse rock, "it's great to read because knowledge is power".

I guess I could do this all day, but I really am thankful for that purse hook that started all this. I'm going to end with this thought: It doesn't matter where or how you live, but that you are grateful for the good things that make up your life.

It really is the little things.
K

spring break

This week has been Spring Break for the school in which I teach, and I have decided that Spring Break (as it shall be known from here on out) is so important that it deserves capitals.

To say that I have been pretty quiet this week could be an understatement. I would characterize this week as "sheer laziness". It has been lovely...

Now, in my defense, I have had at least one thing planned each day, and this required me to get out of bed (albeit NOT in a timely manner) and shower and get dressed and presentable to go out in public. Tuesday I went bowling with my 2 nephews and my mom, and then we went out to lunch. Great fun, if I do say so myself. Nana was the big winner, with a 133, and I just cracked 100, and the boys didn't quite make it that far. But we all still had a great time. Wednesday was Chorale rehearsal, and I signed up to make snacks, so I went to the store and then came home to prepare chicken salad sandwiches before going to rehearsal that night.

The main thing, the big thing, the thing to focus on about this week was not necessarily the "spring" part, but the "break" part. Don't misunderstand me - I RELISH the springing of spring. I love spring colors, I love to look for the blooming of flowers and budding of trees. I love the nice weather. Spring is in a tie for my favorite season, right up there with fall.

But the thing I have enjoyed most this week is the break. The rest. The margin. The setting aside of the schedule. The living without an alarm clock. No needing to keep a list to make sure I get all of my list done for today.

I have relished the break this week, and am so grateful.
K

jacket

On Wednesday, my classroom was SO HOT! I had both doors open all afternoon, and could not get cool no matter what I did. This often happens in the early part of the school year, August and September, as well as at the end, in May. But in the middle of March?!?!? I think the actual temperature outside was about 75, and with all the little bodies in my small room I'm sure it was MUCH warmer.

So, the memory of this mini heat-wave was fresh in my head as I got dressed yesterday morning, thus I was wearing appropriately summery attire - short sleeves and a skort, with my Chacos sandals. It felt great all day! Until...

As I left school, I walked out to the parking lot and noticed all the clouds and the overcast sky. And I thought... "Hmmmmm".

As soon as I stepped outside, I knew. I just KNEW.  I should have brought a jacket.

All those times my mom said "take a jacket" were ringing through my head, and I felt like I would never grow up. If I can't even manage to bring a jacket, how can I manage my life???

Fortunately, when I moved to Colorado, my mom gave me a lesson on weather preparedness, and the vast array of things that you must always keep in your car. Blanket, snow shovel, cat litter for traction, extra water, a candy bar for sustenance (is that snickers bar still back in my trunk? probably not...) and a JACKET!

So the ending of the story is a happy one. Today is is about 30 degrees colder than Wednesday, and I DID wear a jacket. Also, it snowed last night a little, so the grass is really pretty with the white blanket on it.

So the moral of today's story is to listen to your mother. And always bring a jacket.
K

the dentist

Today I am thankful for the dentist.

I know that might seem weird, but I really did go to the dentist today.  No x-rays, thank heaven, because that plastic thing they put in my mouth to hold the film for teeth pictures always makes me gag. But I got my teeth cleaned, and the dentist poked around in there, and said I look good. He should say that, because he fixed a broken tooth of mine a couple years back.

The hygienist that cleans my teeth is the mom of 2 students at school, so we always get to talking about school, and friends in common, and other stuff. But while she was really in there cleaning, we couldn't talk very much. And I just laid there, thinking about...lots of stuff. Like, why that weird wallpaper border is up there? And, about the gap in between two of the ceiling tiles. But then I got to thinking about how lucky I am to get to go to the dentist. So many people don't have regular access to dental care, or even regular access to health care for that matter. So in spite of the poking, and flossing (blleeecch), and the gritty-minty tooth polish, I am grateful.

I just wanted to say that I realize how lucky I am, and that I appreciate my dentist.
K