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Her Heart Lives On
At this time, I am dealing with my mother’s increasing dementia. We are no longer able to have back and forth conversations. She rarely speaks anymore. As I process all that goes with her illness, I am drawn back into thinking about my mother that was and what she has meant to me. One particular area that strikes me is my mother believing that she really didn’t have much impact in this world. She led a quiet life – focused on her children and grandchildren mostly. She cared for others in her quiet way. My mother raised us with the knowledge of Jesus’ saving grace. Mom made many sacrifices so…
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Something Beautiful
My heart is breaking. As I sit in the depths of the night and watch my dear daughter suffer, my whole being is wracked with a mixture of fear, sadness, and uncertainty. As the hours trickle by and we still have no definitive answer as to the cause of my daughter’s intense pain, I cry and I pray. All I can do is lay my hurts and those of my daughter at the foot of the only One who can get us through this. In the wee hours of the morning the answer comes – a life-threatening condition, but with solid treatment options. We are grateful for a plan but…
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No More Hunger or Thirst
In this post Halloween week, I have witnessed the effects of too much candy on a number of my students. I have seen kids with lunch kits filled with large amounts of sweets and kids comments about how they ate candy for breakfast. All of this leads to students who function at less than their full capacity. What we fuel our bodies with is critical for our well-being. Our bodies are so intricately created by our Heavenly Father. It amazes me how each part intertwines with another and works in seamless function to keep our bodies going. This can go awry though when we do not nourish our bodies properly.…
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The Effects of Dehydration
In a typical week, my days move swiftly. The pace in my classroom is always fast, often hectic. Keeping my little people engaged and on task is a primary focus in my day. I expend a great deal of energy to keep things moving and I am on my feet a great deal of the day. I adore what I do. Working with children enlivens me – but it definitely causes me issues when it comes to my physical well-being. The biggest issue I have in the classroom is I get dehydrated. In my fast-moving day, drinking water gets forgotten. As I gather my things at the end of the…
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Conquering Obstacles
In times of difficulty the following Scripture verse is often tossed our way: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV) Okay, so God works things for my good. Then why do I feel so lousy? Why is my life so messed up? Why do I hurt so much? The disconnect occurs when we think that God is going to make everything work out for us the way we want. That is not what this Scripture verse says. What this verse does say is that God is working for our…
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When Our Boat is Overloaded
As I work through my planner, I am overwhelmed with the number of things to do in a short space of time. Teaching is always busy, but these few weeks are extraordinarily so with extra parent meetings, student led conferences, report cards, and additional school events. Basically, if my life was a boat right now it would definitely be loaded to the hilt and slowly sinking with all the weight. Add to that some other life events that have occurred and I feel like my ship is being pummelled with fierce waves. It is easy to feel set adrift in times like these. Life gets crazy for a variety of…
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Being Connected to the Right Power Source
Yesterday I was cleaning up my garden. In one spot I had planted morning glory flowers. I had not tried to grow these flowers for years but found some seed and tried them out. I find morning glory flowers attractive as they climb up their support and are arrayed with brilliant blue colours. The only problem I have is that I didn’t get any burst of colour this year. Oh yes, the plants grew. They actually grew immensely tall with vines intertwining the mesh support, wound up tight. The vines of the plant stretched out over and beyond the support. Yet, not one flower appeared. For whatever reason, what was…
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Getting Your Racing Shoes On
The runner is breathless at the end of the race, but very satisfied to have made the grade and completed the run to the end of the course. There is a great sense of accomplishment to take on a task and see it to the end, no matter what the obstacles. Hebrews talks about our lives being a race: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV) Typically, running a race requires preparation. It…
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Make Time
Would you like to have more energy? Would you like to improve your overall well-being? Would you like to prevent burnout and increase your productivity? Would you like to reduce your levels of stress and anxiety? I’m sure the answer is yes! So how do we go about it? Personally, more energy would be a blessing these days with my busy classroom. Each day I am run off my feet with little chance to recharge. I am definitely open to ideas to make my situation better and I am sure you are as well. The solution is a relatively simple one – make time for what you love. I know,…
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In my Father’s Arms
It was a joyous day yesterday as my children and grandchildren took me on an excursion to a heritage village museum. It was a place we had toured together when my children were young and it was restorative to spend time together there again. Our day took us through many old buildings and farm sites and we had great fun rambling through the extensive site. One of the members of our party was my three-year-old granddaughter. She did really well throughout most of the day, but as the heat increased and the steps taken were many, my granddaughter began to wear out. In her grumpy state her mother picked up…
