A Round 100!

Just finished my 100th book for the Orchard In Bloom show! I love that feeling of accomplishment!

Teacher Appreciation a la PreK

Today, Hayes decided he could be brave and be dropped off at school. This involves me driving him up to the entrance, a random teacher helping him with the one tough car seat buckle (which can be embarrassing with a 5-point harness), and him running into the school. Usually he needs me (or daddy) to walk in with him and watch as he does his morning routine. Perhaps the fact that it was raining this morning helped him to be brave.

We pulled up to the entrance and his very own classroom teacher was there. Perfect! She helped him with the car seat buckle and apologized for it being a little uncomfortable. Hayes said, "That's ok, my GG is really out of shape." She looked at me as she said to Hayes, "Oh, is it?" I could barely control my laughter as I explained that GG is short for Great Grandma and she can't get the buckle undone either; it's too hard for her.

What must it be like to try and interpret these kids all day? God bless the teachers!

Passion Week

I am sad to say that the TV sacrifice, while probably the correct thing to sacrifice, was a bust. I am just too passionate about TV. And getting the DVR this week didn't help. Now I can watch what I want, when I want to. I can save up all my favorites and even my less favorites, and have my own mini-marathon. So my passion this week is still for the Christ and yet, my TV calls me too.

I don't see this as a bad thing, just unfortunate that my will power is not what I'd like it to be. It also helps me to remember that Christ too had his weak days, and only because He was fully man and fully God was He able to say no to His human passion and yes to His mission.

It's so helpful to participate in Lent -- my faith needs it.

Scenes from Ft. Myers

Overheard At Bedtime

momma: Here Hayes, put these on.

Hayes: (excited gasp) Are they new?

momma: Yeah; you're getting so big we had to get new ones!

Hayes: (inspecting the new boxers, looking crestfallen) Why to they always say "Hanes?"

momma: Well, that's just the kind we know fits. Should we look for a different kind next time?

Hayes: Yeah! Some that say "Hayes" instead!

The Big One

It's funny how having children leads us to more self discovery than anything. Today at church we began discussing what our purpose is in having a "children's program" and ended with a discussion about what the gospel really is. Not your typical church service, I admit; neither are we your typical church. Our goal is to come back next week with some specific needs that our children have, or things we would like to develop in our children and see how our church can and cannot meet them. I have no doubt that this will reveal much about what we, ourselves, believe about the gospel and it's effects in and on our lives.

This is scary to me.

Needless to say I am more liberal in my theology than even I ever would have predicted. I do not see eye-to-eye with most evangelical ideas and fundamentalist principles. I balk at the thought of teaching the children anything like what I was indoctrinated with. I am afraid that any attempt at this will fall short and our children will be worse off for it.

However, the thought has occurred to me just today, that although in the last several years I have decided that the church would not be a good place for spiritual formation (ironic, no?), that our church, in fact, is not your typical church. We have beliefs about God that run the gamut. We have about as diverse a group of people as I would believe possible. And yet, more importantly, we have this commitment to one another that surpasses anything I have ever encountered in the church at large. We have stayed together because of this, even though we do not all, praise the lord, think alike.

So although I am still as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof, I am willing to enter into this discussion -- the big one -- about what the gospel is and how we wish to see it played out in the lives of our children. I am willing to trust these people I love so dearly because they are committed to me too. We are not likely to run out on one another simply because we disagree. We are willing to be pushed a little in all directions, even when the stakes are as high as messing up with your own children. God help us all.

Faking It

There is a delightful little article in a recent New Yorker, the one with the delightful cover of Dick Cheney and Heath Ledger. It's about a man who woke up one morning on the subway in New York with absolutely no recollection of who he was or how he came to be on the train. The blurb goes on to discuss how excited he is about learning new things, even about himself, that he is delightfully childlike and pure.

And then there is the suggestion that, because there is no physical evidence to understand what happened to cause this sudden and complete loss of memory, he is faking it. It made me laugh out loud. And it made me wonder, what would be so awful that it would make you want to reinvent yourself like that? Especially in that way? And it made me wonder even further, if I could start all over, blank slate and all, who would I be? Or perhaps, how would I be? Intriguing little question...

Fat Tuesday

Lent begins tomorrow. I always try to make a meaningful sacrifice for Lent. It's not always easy. I feel that it needs to be something I will miss so that I will be reminded of Christ's sacrifice often during this period. And it should be something that I rejoice to have again at Easter. The typical sacrifices, red meat, chocolate, other food items, usually leave me feeling shallow, like it won't be enough for me.

But this year I find myself knowing that TV is the thing I have to give up for lent. I really don't want to, but it's been at the front of my mind for the past 2 weeks. Nothing else seems to compare. So for me, starting tomorrow, there will be no Boston Legal, no Project Runway (the agony! I'll miss the final episode), no Academy Awards (even though I've been in a mad dash to see as many nominated movies as I can), and no (big gulp here) What Not To Wear. I have run the gamut on the TV spectrum, from being to poor to have one, to banning the evil technology from the house, to falling in love with all it has to offer. As I am currently in the loving it phase, I am sure this sacrifice will hold it's weight this year. Pray for me folks. Tomorrow the ashes....