Hope and Encouragement
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The Ripple Effect
My students are enjoying a scientific study of liquids this month. We have liquid races to determine viscosity. We take water and see how it changes between steam and ice. They love exploring all the properties of different kinds of liquids. One thing that intrigues my students is the pattern of water when you drop a single stone into it. This ripple effect is beautiful to watch and the students marvel as the circular ripples fan out from the initial impact point. When we went to speak to our pastor about funeral arrangements recently, one thing he spoke about was the ripple effect that my in-laws have created. It is…
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The Call to Grief
It’s the middle of the night. We awake from a solid sleep to the sound of the loud ringtone of our cell phone. Phone calls in the night are rarely a good thing. This call is no different. A family member is dead and life will never be the same. The phone message starts the spiral of grief. As we mechanically move to get ourselves dressed and out the door, our brains are in a fog. We put the car in drive and speed through the night on autopilot to get to our dear ones. The scene we encounter at the care home is both heart wrenching and peaceful. Our…
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When Danger Beckons
I drive along and all is quiet. It is pitch black outside with snowflakes hanging tenuously on the spruce trees I pass by. Pristine countryside surrounds me and the radiating light of the stars is refreshing. The beautiful scenery and calm are deceiving, however. As I continue my journey, not much is visible ahead even though my high beams are on. As I move ahead, I pray for a safe journey. Then I see it. Just a whisp of light reflected in something. It moves and turns. I slow to a creeping pace, feeling that something is out of place. There it is again – that ever so subtle reflection…
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Reaching Out to Those Who Need Us
Some days I really wonder what God is doing in my life. As I trudge through my day, I question why life has to be so hard at times. How am I supposed to move forward with so many obstacles? If I constantly focus on the obstacles themselves, I get weary and downtrodden. This kind of attitude really doesn’t get me anywhere. It helps to have a change of perspective. God is working in our lives each and every day, through both good and bad circumstances. While we may question His purpose and plan when things are tough, He does have a reason when He allows us to traverse through…
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Surrendering Instead of Striving
I see it in my classroom every day. It’s that streak of independence that drives my students to find their own way, despite the instruction I give them. It can lead to all kinds of trouble as my little people get off track and miss the mark of the lesson or task. Sometimes it can manifest itself in relationship issues when they barrel ahead without thinking of the appropriate steps to resolve a conflict. It is challenging for us humans to submit to authority and do things someone else’s way. We want to assert our independence and we prefer to direct our own paths. What do we do, then, when God asks us…
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I’ll Get to It
As I sit at my desk, I am overwhelmed by all the piles around me. I have a habit of placing files or books on my desk when I think they are important and I don’t want to forget them. In teaching, however, there are a number of things that are priority, and so I often end up with a perpetual mess. Let’s face it – we have all done it. We pile stuff, collect things, leave messes, and so on, usually with the mindset that we will get to it later. Or perhaps it is the emails unread and unanswered or financial matters that need our attention that are…
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What Are You Looking for in This New Year?
I am definitely a bargain shopper. It started back in university days when I had to put myself through school and every penny mattered. As a young stay-at-home mom, my bargain hunting skills increased to help meet the needs of my growing family and work within our limited resources. It is still an adventure to scout out and seek a good deal. While fun and productive, it is time consuming. Yet the benefits are great as I find ways to stretch our finite dollars. Because saving money matters to me, I find it worth my time and beneficial for my well-being to find opportunities to be more cost effective. Time…
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Grow in Grace
The tree is up. Presents abound under his branches – those gifts of love to those who matter the most to us. Perhaps there are duty gifts there as well, for those to whom we feel obligated. It takes time to prepare gifts or search for those that suit the needs and wants of others. It is worth the effort to bring joy and happiness to those around us. Some people go to great extremes trying to show their care to others by extensive gift giving. Our Heavenly Father lavishes us with gifts also. His gifts are ones that don’t tarnish or break. God’s gifts are good and perfect. The…
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Turning the Agony of Waiting into a Positive Thing
Outside the sun rays waft their way through the trees. Morning arrives with all the hope and promise of a new day. Yet, that is not the way I feel. Sidelined with a cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgical recovery, I am sitting in my rocking chair, bundled in blankets…waiting and wondering – what does my future hold? I feel powerless and frustrated. Rewind back a number of years and again I sit and wait – wondering when God will provide me with a job. Questions arise – why is employment so hard to find? Why does there have to be a recession now? Let’s face it – if I think…
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Looking Heavenward
Are you slugging through another day? Do you ever feel that you are on a perpetual treadmill – expending lots of effort, but not moving forward? As I sit here on my couch this weekend I ponder where my week went. How do the days just seem to disappear into one another? While I am happily busy doing the teaching work that God has called me to, I don’t like how one day seems to run into the next. I feel like I haven’t had time to breathe, let alone do something fun for myself. It was no different when my children were young and I was at home. Diapers…
