Christmas In July

My daughter received these peonies to celebrate the birth of her first-born.
No, you're not cross-eyed.  They are out of focus.

I played Bible roulette again this morning with my Women's Devotional Bible.  I pick it up from the side table and read whatever page it opens to.  Do you ever do that?

Today I happened upon this poem by Anne Ortland, a Christian musician and author.

Incarnation

"The Lord is in His holy house"-

Oh, grace beyond describing,

That Christ in me should please to dwell-

Immanuel residing!

"My soul doth magnify the Lord,"

I sing with lowly Mary,

That God should choose to enter in

This

      humble sanctuary!

I read it through a couple of times, marveling at her word pictures and the truths of which she spoke.  Her inspiration came from Luke 1, the story of the angel's announcement to Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Luke 1:35 & 37 jumped out at me:  

The angel answered...

"... no thing (word change and emphasis mine) is impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

A favorite daydream came to mind immediately.  For several years my Dear Husband and I have been mulling around the idea of moving closer to our children.  We want to experience life with them on a WAY more regular basis.  We want our visits to be unhurried, not sandwiched between two 3-hour drives.  

This dream is my impossible thing for these reasons:

We'd need to sell our home.  

In this market?

I would have to quit the job I love.  

Not work with my students?  

How could we afford to replace the health insurance benefits it provides?

DH would need to continue being self-employed.

In this economy?

We would need to forge new lives for ourselves, individually and as a couple.

This means a new support system of church and community friends-can't expect the kids to fill all of our time

This dream and the accompanying thoughts are never far from my conscious mind.   They often surface causing my heart and tummy to ache.  But this morning, as I read Anne's poem and the Truth from God's Word, I laid those cares at His throne of grace.  Because Jesus, the One that Mary bore, in Whom I "live and move and have" my being,* lives in me and with Him no thing is impossible.

What is your impossible thing?

May God give you grace to trust that He is living and moving in your life

with the knowledge that His plans for you are wonderful.

Love, 

Karen

*Paul is quoting the Cretan poet Epimenides in Acts 17:28.  I didn't know that.  Did you?

P.S.  I WILL BE ON VACATION FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AND DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.  I HAVE SCHEDULED ANOTHER POST FOR WEDNESDAY, SO Y'ALL COME BACK AND VISIT, 'KAY?  WHEN YOU VISIT AND, PRETTY PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT, KNOW THAT I WILL VISIT YOU TOO WHEN I GET IT TOGETHER RETURN.  

Playing along with 

Beverly for Pink Saturday

Charlotte & Ginger for Spiritual Sundays

I Get To Touch These Lives

Thought you might enjoy "meeting" some of the folks I hang with 

in my job as a speech language pathologist assistant

at 4 different public elementary schools in my area.

I call them my cookies and buddies.

When I began, 11 years ago this month,

I wanted to touch them for eternity,

for Jesus,

even though I couldn't speak His name.

I came up with this:

Tell them they are 

wonderful

at the end of our once a week

20 minute sessions.

I hang posters in each of my schools' small group rooms that say:

I am wonderful.

I can do it.

I ask them to say that before leaving.

Only a handful have resisted, and then only for a week or two.

After that, they remind ME that they need to say it.

I think it warms Jesus' heart to hear His little lambs say that!

Why do I get to work with these precious people?

Short answer:

They need to learn to articulate their sounds correctly 

and use language to express themselves better.

Some of them come to me pronouncing /k/ & /g/ 

like "t" & "d."

I love it when they say my last name which begins with a "G."

Others have lisps, or difficulty distinguishing /f/ and /th/.

Then there are those for whom the book

Hooway for Wodney Wat was witten,

I mean, written.

Without further ado, here are some of the reasons I get out of bed in the morning.

She made huge strides between kindergarten and 1st grade

learning to say /k/, /g/, and /r/.

And she has a fabulous wardrobe.

Wish they made red sparkly shoes in my size.

He gave me a quarter for Valentine's Day last year.

The Wodney Wat Fan Club.
I think they've grown 6 inches in 18 months.

Watched 'em lose 6-8 teeth each and then grow them back in.

Why don't I remember that with my own kids?

Worked with him from kindergarten to 6th grade.

He loved to beat me at Go Fish and board games.

Worked with her for several years at 2 different schools.

What a little lady!

And then there are the scores of devoted teachers and other assistants

who love on our students.

There has to be a special spot in heaven for them.

Yikes, this little crew keeps me hoppin'!

What a joy to hear them conquer their /r/ sound and 

learn to express themselves in grammatical sentences.

I keep data for each student in each session.

And then there's the lovely art work...

 

 which covers the walls and lifts our spirits.

Thank You, Jesus, for giving me this ministry.

Grace and peace to you!

Love,

  

Linking up with Java at

Never Growing Old 

for

My Weight Loss Journey-Day #9 of Thanksgiving

Today I'm thankful for the people and tools

the Lord

has given me to help me on

My Weight Loss Journey.

Believe me, folks,

I've spent/waisted/lost plenty of time

beating myself up for being over-weight. 

Do you recognize this conversation I keep having in my brain?

It's like an earworm.

You know, a song that you hear on the radio,

and for the rest of the day

you CAN'T get it out of your head!

One of the worst earworms I ever got

-apart from the one below-

was at Disneyland when we took the kids on the

"It's A Small World" ride.

Got off on an earworm rabbit trail. 

Hey! 

Rabbit trails lead NO WHERE

and that's where this earworm has gotten me:

Me:  "I need to lose weight 'cuz

I'm not proud of the way I look;

my clothes don't fit;

I've never weighed this much, not even 9 months pregnant;

my cholesterol is sky-high (335!);

I'm at risk for heart disease and diabetes;

I look and feel older than I am;

I feel achy and sluggish..."

You get the picture.

Ever have that conversation?

This fall, when it came time to renew my health insurance for my job,

I learned about a new benefit:

I could join a

Weight Watchers at Work group meeting

FOR FREE!

I know this program works for me.

I achieved Lifetime Member status 5 years ago.

I looked and felt great!

But I didn't maintain the lifestyle.

And the earworm/rabbit trail conversations began.

I'd considered joining again,

but due to our financial state

I didn't feel I could spend the money.

So over the summer, I actually had enough

self-discipline to

NOT BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

every time the thought came in my head.

That helped.

[Go figure!] 

Lost 5 pounds.

Well, thank You, Jesus!

You provided a way for me join with co-workers

for support, accountability, and fellowship on

My Weight Loss Journey!

Part of the benefit includes use of

Weight Watchers' etools on their website.

I joined 2 weeks ago and have lost 1.4# !

I love my leader and my group.

I feel empowered, confident, and hopeful.

Another tool the Lord has given me eyes to see is

on-line supporters such as

Jennifer at Living A Changed Life,

Donna at The Year of Living Healthfully,

Julie at The Going To Be New Me,
(especially the idea for the weight-loss ticker)

and Angie's Healty Living Blog.

Thank you, ladies, for posting your ups and downs

on your weight loss and maintenance journeys!

You inspire me to set goals and share them

with the wide world (as Forest Gump says).

Lord, I lift up all of us who are struggling with this issue.

Please turn our eyes and hearts to You, first,

for approval, strength, and guidance.

When we fail,

Lord, let us find our solace and shelter in You.

When we are successful,

Lord, let us rejoice in You,

our always-available Strength

and everlasting Lover.

God's abundant blessings on your day, friends!

Love, Karen

Today I'm inviting you to a blog hop with Java and friends over at
Never Growing Old

Personally, I plan to NEVER be old. 
Which is different than:  I never plan to be old.
How 'bout you?

They actually pay me to do this!-Day #5 of Thanksgiving

I love my job!
I've been doing it nearly 11 years and-most days-I can't believe they actually PAY me to do it!

I don't dread any day of my work week like some folks dread Mondays, for instance.

I get to work with some of the most interesting people I've ever known.

I get to smile, almost non-stop, all day.

Within certain parameters, I get to decide what I will do with my cookies & buddies.

I get to play roll & move games, bingo, and card games.

I get to read aloud to and with audiences that appreciate it and whose lives are enriched.

I get to hear personal stories, happy and sad.

I get to celebrate birthdays and holidays.
I get to enjoy the passing of time while watching people grow in knowledge and maturity.
I get to grow in knowledge and maturity.

I get to see their eyes light up when they "get it."

That's what gets me up in the morning!  

In case you haven't guessed yet, I am a teacher. 

I work as a Speech Language Pathologist Assistant in several local elementary schools.
I teach children how to say their sounds and use language to express themselves.

I don't have all of the "letters" behind my name,

so I'm supervised by Speech Language Pathologists.

Through the years, they've been great mentors,

always willing to help me learn new skills.

I believe God made this job just for me.

He knew I needed to learn better people skills

as evidenced in yesterday's post.

He wanted to bless me with a challenging, fun job

in which I can bless others

by being the hands, feet, and mouthpiece of Jesus.

He brings friendly, inspiring children and adults across my path every day.

He knew this season, with its financial challenges, was coming,

so He made sure I'm paid well and have health insurance.

God gave me the desire of my heart

and I didn't even know it when I accepted the job.

He gave me a new purpose, a new way to serve Him, when my kids left home.

I never dreamed I would love it.

Thank You, Lord, for providing my job!

By Your grace I will continue to work at it with all my heart!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, 

as working for the Lord, not men, 

since you know that you will receive an inheritance 

from the Lord as a reward.  

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

Are not 5 sparrows sold for 2 pennies?  

Yet not 1 of them is forgotten by God.

Indeed the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

Don't be afraid; 

you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

For we are God's fellow workers; 

you are God's field, God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:9

Delight yourself in the Lord 

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Do you feel like your job has meaning and purpose?

Do you feel like you're serving God each day?

If not, ask Him to give you the desire of your heart.

If you do, thank Him!

Grace to you, dear ones!

Love, Karen

Me and 3 of my "buddies"

May God give you the desires of your heart!

Love, Karen

Linking up with Cooperating4Boys' blog hop.

Join us and meet some new friends!

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