First Day of School

Well, it has happened. 7 sleeps have passed, much too quickly.

This morning saw the hustle and bustle of two eager boy beavers excitedly getting ready and waiting for their bus. Lots of chattering, lots of giggles, lots of "WHEN is the bus going to get here??!!" A family huddle and prayer followed by the Family Cheer led us out to the driveway to wait for the bus. The boys happily boarded, each to be dropped off at a different school, both excited that they found out chicken burgers were the order of the day today in both cafeterias.

And then the waiting began...you see, Grace's first semester of Pre-K has her in the afternoon session, which means there's a LONG wait after the boys go before she gets to go. So we waited...we played the piano, we checked the lunch bag and bookbag each about 14 times, I gave her a multi-colored-first-day-of-school-ever manicure and pedicure, and she got dressed in a favorite dress and new pair of school shoes. We had lunch, and she asked about 78 times when the bus was going to arrive. I also got some very specific instructions from my Pre-K girl: "When the bus comes, you and Daddy don't have to cry because I'm just going to be right back. OK?"

I told her if I didn't cry, then she couldn't cry, and we struck a bargain.

We waited on the front step for almost 45 minutes with backpack in place on shoulders that appear too small for a backpack. We found a ladybug. Then Daddy arrived, we celebrated, and waited some more.

And then we saw it: a yellow bus...coming in the direction of our house. We had camera ready, and Mommy and Grace walked to the end of the driveway. Daddy caught it on video. Then my little girl....my baby girl...calmly climbed aboard the foreign vehicle, walked back about 4 rows and promptly sat down next to a child she's never met. I saw her little hand shoot in the air forming the "I love you" sign...and she was gone.

It was very fast. Scott and I looked at each other and chuckled in amazement. And I kept up my end of the bargain...mostly.

For more pictures see our Photo Blog

Is She Cute or What??

I'm not even going to mention the fact that she...my baby...starts school in 7 sleeps. (sigh)

Can You Read This?

I need to conduct a quick survey, if you don't mind. You may have noticed my new template. I like it. On my 17" screen it is very easy to read. However, I understand that on some other computers it is not so easy.

Do you have trouble reading it? Or has my change of font size and color made it easier?

I have another template I may try if the consensus on this one is negative. After all, why blog if no one can read what you write?

Thanks for the feedback!

Have you seen my extra hand?

It's all I would need, really, to get on top of the mound of "to-do" stuff before me...just one extra hand. Well.....maybe two....and one extra day in the week.

My husband said the other day that if I need an extra day in the week to get everything accomplished that I'm commited to each week, then I most likely doing things that the Lord hasn't exactly called me to be doing. Hmmmmm......

So what is "called"? Is it the thing that, if I could afford not to work at all, I would dive passionately into full-time? (Namely songwriting, arranging, singing, leading teen Ministry Teams).

Or is it the thing that I do that I am paid to do, for which I am gifted, and for which I am also needed in this community? (Namely teaching music).

My heart says one thing and my head says another. Is my "call" described by the passionate burn of my heart? Or is it described by the way the Lord puts me into the lives of others to mentor them in their gifts?

I don't know. One thing I know for sure...I can not, and will not ever settle for a job that's just a job. I will only and always find ways to work which line up with the gifts and passions that the Lord has given me. I do not know how people can go to work each day doing something they don't enjoy, or for which their heart is not wrecked. I thank the Lord that He is big enough to provide opportunities for His children to find satisfaction and meaning in their everyday activities. ( After all, His promise for abundant life in Him means even abundant life on this earth!) I just pray I will always recognize those opportunities he gives.

So...I have lots to do if I want to get the Creative Arts Mentoring Program up and running, speak into the lives of the teens, get my lesson plans done, write some songs and get some more recording done...(oh, and love my husband and play with my kids and get their school supplies!)

Have you seen my extra hand?

Gratitude

All week I have been contemplating gratitude. I have been examining my heart for its measure of thankfulness. I have been meditating on how to cultivate hearts if gratitude in my children. I have been conscious of how much I have, yet how little I deserve. Then I came upon this great quote:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Melodie Beattie

Oh Lord, You have given me more than I could ever measure, because You've given me Yourself. You've given me hands to serve, feet to follow You, and the privilege of a voice to utter the magnificence of Your name. You've placed love all around me and people in my care. You've warmed my cold fingers and clothed my body. You've fed my mouth and my soul with the sustenance that strengthens me to turn and praise You again. You've Been...again and again and again. You are more than all I need. You've given me laughter to share in, music to dance, the love of my life to delight in. Your promises never fail and your provision never ends. Help me, dear Lord, to thank you. Help me to seek you in all things that I might begin to have a heart of gratitude. Help me to first bless Your name, even before I consider my own needs. Help me to set an example of thankfulness before my children that they will grow to be selfless, gracious and full of praise for Who You are. You are the meaning of Abundant Life. You are Fullness of Joy. Thank You, my Good Lord.

I like that things don't always stay the same

It's hard to fathom that I could be just finishing vacation, but my mind is still spinning! I have not experienced a busy summer like this one before, let me tell you!

Our trip to Eagle Lake was great!! We enjoyed beautiful weather, in the 90's most days, and lots of fun on the water. Auntie Jane, the power Aunt, was with us, so of course we all had a blast. Wes and Melinda McNeil visited for a day with their adorable kiddos as well. We had the party boat out on the lake usually twice a day, swam LOTS, picnicked in the middle of the lake, kayaked, fished, and put on skits by the bonfire one night. It was a blast!

Just prior to our Eagle Lake trip, my sister Sara and her family came for a visit from Manitoba. It was very hot, so we swam both days in friends' pools. We had a great time with neice, Emma, and nephew, Heath. It's very hard to live so far from family that you only see them once each year! :( But we try to make the most of our yearly visits. I love those kids to pieces.

Click here to see photos.

And now, we are gearing up for what promises to be the busiest but most exciting year yet. This is our family's first year with all 3 kids in school! Aaaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhhh! Now that I've written it, it seems much more official! Grace begins Pre-K this Fall! Though it's only half-days, it will still be quite an adjustment for us to have her gone 5 days a week! She's excited, we're NOT! But she's definitely ready, and we think it will be great for her.

I'm adding on several new Music Classes this year under our W.A.M. (Worship Arts Mentoring) Program that we launched last winter. There's an incredible lack of good music theory and appreciation teaching here in our community, so I am adding several classes, from toddlerhood right on up to adulthood, for people to take as supplement to their private instrument lessons.

But, the most exciting change for us is the new focus we are adding to our responsibilities at the church. Scott and I are thrilled to be taking on the Senior High Youth, in addition to the Worship Arts. We have felt the Lord calling us toward Youth for quite some time (Scott for years, me for over a year), but couldn't fathom how that would ever come about, at least here. We already had a youth Pastor, and Scott already has his hands more than full with the Worship Arts Dept. More than a year ago, Scott had shared about his growing desire to minister to youth with our Sr. Pastor, but neither of them could understand what the Lord might do with that.

Over the last three years, as we have begun to mature the Worship Arts Dept., we have been raising up lay-leaders within it, so that early this summer we finally felt it had gotten to a place of semi-self-sufficiency, were Scott ever to take a small step back. Little did we know that, at the same time, the Lord was stirring the heart of our Youth Pastor to leave to take a position as a Senior Pastor.

When we heard that our Youth Pastor was leaving, our hearts leapt and together, privately, we very excitedly wondered if the Lord was opening up this opportunity for us. However, we knew we needed to rely on the Lord, and not make any effort to cause it to happen, because we did not want to manipulate circumstances to satisfy ourselves. So we just waited. And prayed.

We had a very stressful season of waiting, because we really felt called to these teens, but it seemed as though this opportunity was not going to be for us after all. We prayed a lot, cried a lot, and cried out to the Lord a lot for clarity. (These are the times when it's really hard to be a Pastor's family, because you just can't share this stuff with anyone!) We prayed that if the Lord wasn't going to give us the Youth Ministry now, that He would help our hearts to be OK with that.

Anyway, the Lord was faithful to provide clarity. When the circumstances seemed impossible and we just couldn't see why the Lord would give us a burden for these particular teens if He didn't mean to call us to shepherd them, all of a sudden the Lord gave them to us. Praise Him! We saw Him move when we simply waited, and when we didn't just trust circumstances that "seemed" to look a certain way. He is so much bigger than our circumstances...we have to trust that.

And so, the busiest and most exciting year yet lays ahead of us, God willing. We are so much looking forward to investing in the lives of the teens in our church. We have a small core group whose love for the Lord is solid, and whose hearts are burdened for their friends. What greater way to start is there than that?

Pray for us!