"I have some weapons in my bedroom, and they're not legal" - Jennifer's 74 year old grandmother (a.k.a. "Sittie"). When I heard that, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Not only did it hurt, but it felt like I had just been doing crunches for an hour. Of course Sittie wasn't referring to guns or anything of the sort. When she said "weapons," she really meant two loud whistles, a siren thing (that needed new batteries), and a little knife-thing resembling a small sword. She blew the whistle really loudly in the kitchen and said, "That's enough to scare the sh** out of anyone!" Haha...what a crazy woman she is. :)
I went to Dearborn after work tonight to spend some time with my good friend Jennifer and her grandmother Sittie. Jennifer and I painted our nails and toenails while Sittie made us fruit salad. She's pretty much the cutest, most caring grandmother I've ever met. And she's hilarious, too, if you didn't get that already. The three of us just talked and laughed and talked and laughed for a couple of hours. When it was time for me to head out, Sittie didn't like the fact that I'd be driving back to Novi by myself in the dark, so she got in the car with Jennifer and made her follow me all the way home...and then they drove all the way back to Dearborn. Ohhhhh Sittie. She just really loves me I think. Can't complain about that.
Lord, I thank You for the blessing that Jennifer and Sittie are to my life. They add laughter, love, and friendship, and I really treasure that. Thank You for showing me a little bit of who You are through them.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Peace
This morning was glorious. I woke up, went out into the living area of my apartment, and opened the blinds. Sunlight just poured into the living room, making the room about three times brighter. I then slid open the screen door to our little deck and stepped outside. The air was chilly, but the sun beamed down its warmth just perfectly. I sat outside on one of our little camping chairs and put my feet up on the other one. Ahhh...yes. I closed my eyes for a minute and just took in that moment. The soft wind blowing, the warm sun on my face, the birds chirping, and yes, the cars driving past. Although I was just sitting on the small deck outside my apartment, I felt very peaceful. While cars were whizzing by down below on the street and people were rushing to get wherever they were going, I was just relaxing there. :)
Work went by very very slowly today, and it put me in kind of a down mood. I just kept waiting on 8:30 (when Costco closes)...and then waiting on my last break (around 8:45)...and then painfully waiting on 10:00, when I would finally get to go home. That last hour and a half just seemed to drag on and on, and I had a hard time being patient. I just wanted to go home. I think the devil was messing with me a little bit this evening. I just finished reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind last night, and in it she talks about the meaning of patience. She says that patience does not mean being able to wait. Patience means being able to keep a positive attitude while waiting. The devil was taking away my positive attitude at work tonight, and I wasn't doing much to stop him. In fact, I think I was listening to him. I was complaining about being tired and about how the night was going sooooo slowly. Yeah...not exactly a positive attitude.
God, grant me a peaceful sleep tonight. Help me to rest in You and wake up refreshed in the morning. I pray that You would keep in my mind that image of being totally relaxed in You...with the cool breeze and the warm sunshine. I ask You to rebuke satan in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son. Keep him far far away from my thoughts and from my heart.
Work went by very very slowly today, and it put me in kind of a down mood. I just kept waiting on 8:30 (when Costco closes)...and then waiting on my last break (around 8:45)...and then painfully waiting on 10:00, when I would finally get to go home. That last hour and a half just seemed to drag on and on, and I had a hard time being patient. I just wanted to go home. I think the devil was messing with me a little bit this evening. I just finished reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind last night, and in it she talks about the meaning of patience. She says that patience does not mean being able to wait. Patience means being able to keep a positive attitude while waiting. The devil was taking away my positive attitude at work tonight, and I wasn't doing much to stop him. In fact, I think I was listening to him. I was complaining about being tired and about how the night was going sooooo slowly. Yeah...not exactly a positive attitude.
God, grant me a peaceful sleep tonight. Help me to rest in You and wake up refreshed in the morning. I pray that You would keep in my mind that image of being totally relaxed in You...with the cool breeze and the warm sunshine. I ask You to rebuke satan in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son. Keep him far far away from my thoughts and from my heart.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Short and Sweet
68 degrees.
Sunshine and a cool breeze.
Thank.the.Lord.
I got to spend part of this lovely St. Patrick's Day with some really special people. Patti, someone from the church I used to go to near Eastern, invited Lina and I over for dinner tonight for St. Patrick's day. Lina couldn't come, so I ended up going by myself. Patti's daughter Mary and her husband and kids were there, and we all ended up having a great time. The dinner was delicious, and I enjoyed playing with the kids and reading to them. Patti's family has been such a blessing to my life. Lina and I have been having dinner at their house for four years now, and we've enjoyed every moment. We feel like we're just a part of their family now. :) I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and be part of such a loving family.
There's nothing else to report tonight, just a short and sweet one. I hope you all had a wonderful week!
Sunshine and a cool breeze.
Thank.the.Lord.
I got to spend part of this lovely St. Patrick's Day with some really special people. Patti, someone from the church I used to go to near Eastern, invited Lina and I over for dinner tonight for St. Patrick's day. Lina couldn't come, so I ended up going by myself. Patti's daughter Mary and her husband and kids were there, and we all ended up having a great time. The dinner was delicious, and I enjoyed playing with the kids and reading to them. Patti's family has been such a blessing to my life. Lina and I have been having dinner at their house for four years now, and we've enjoyed every moment. We feel like we're just a part of their family now. :) I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and be part of such a loving family.
There's nothing else to report tonight, just a short and sweet one. I hope you all had a wonderful week!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Just What I Needed
Thanks, Lord, for the sunshine today. What a wonderful way to put us all in a good mood. :)
I rode my bike to class again today and just soaked up that sunshine. Please God, let this be the end of the snow. I'm ready for Spring! Class went well today, and I observed at the Children's Institute (the daycare on campus) between classes. For one of my classes we have to observe a child with some kind of behavioral issue for 10-12 hours and then write a report on it including some kind of positive behavior support. I've been observing a little 3 1/2 year old boy once a week for the past month or so, and he's just adorable. He's a little rowdy and he likes to hoard toys, but overall he's a sweet kid. Usually he sort of ignores me and the girl in my class that is observing with me, but today he was being extra sweet. He kept sharing his toys with me, which is something he never does. I made sure to praise him for that. He also asked if he could hold my hand when we walked down to the gym. Of course I told him he could, and his tiny little hand grasped my hand and held it all the way down the stairs and down the hallway to the gym. :) Then once we got inside the gym I sat down on the mats to observe, and he asked if he could sit on my lap! I let him, and he just sat there nicely for a while. At one point he got up, ran around, and then came back and sat on my shins. After a second he scooched his little bottom further and further back until he was sitting on my lap again. It was really cute. :) He behaved a lot nicer today...not only with me, but with the other teachers and even with the other students. I'm excited to report his progress in class. :)
Tonight my friend Eva came over for a second to borrow some cupcake liners and she surprised me with a hot chocolate from Starbucks. How nice! It's the little things that count. Thanks, Eva!
Thank You Lord for providing sunshine today. I know I was in a better mood today, and I think those around me were as well. It was refreshing. Just what I needed.
I rode my bike to class again today and just soaked up that sunshine. Please God, let this be the end of the snow. I'm ready for Spring! Class went well today, and I observed at the Children's Institute (the daycare on campus) between classes. For one of my classes we have to observe a child with some kind of behavioral issue for 10-12 hours and then write a report on it including some kind of positive behavior support. I've been observing a little 3 1/2 year old boy once a week for the past month or so, and he's just adorable. He's a little rowdy and he likes to hoard toys, but overall he's a sweet kid. Usually he sort of ignores me and the girl in my class that is observing with me, but today he was being extra sweet. He kept sharing his toys with me, which is something he never does. I made sure to praise him for that. He also asked if he could hold my hand when we walked down to the gym. Of course I told him he could, and his tiny little hand grasped my hand and held it all the way down the stairs and down the hallway to the gym. :) Then once we got inside the gym I sat down on the mats to observe, and he asked if he could sit on my lap! I let him, and he just sat there nicely for a while. At one point he got up, ran around, and then came back and sat on my shins. After a second he scooched his little bottom further and further back until he was sitting on my lap again. It was really cute. :) He behaved a lot nicer today...not only with me, but with the other teachers and even with the other students. I'm excited to report his progress in class. :)
Tonight my friend Eva came over for a second to borrow some cupcake liners and she surprised me with a hot chocolate from Starbucks. How nice! It's the little things that count. Thanks, Eva!
Thank You Lord for providing sunshine today. I know I was in a better mood today, and I think those around me were as well. It was refreshing. Just what I needed.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
There You Go
Today I was inspired by something my professor said during class. We're doing a lit review as our final assignment in the class, and my professor sensed that some of us were worrying about writing it. She was probably right. In any case, this is what she said: "Don't worry about something you can do something about. Just do something about it and stop worrying. Like this paper...just write it! Stop worrying about it. And don't worry about something you can't do anything about. For example, if you want to have a picnic on Saturday but you're worried it's going to rain, your worrying isn't going to change anything. It's either going to rain or its not going to rain, and you worrying about it is not going to change anything. So what does that leave you to worry about? Nothing. There you go."
I immediately thought of Matthew 6:27, which says, "Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?" ...if you answered "yes" to that, you may want to go talk to someone about that. Because I know for me the answer is definitely "no." Worrying about something does NOT make anything better. In fact, we're wasting more time worrying about doing something when it would have taken less time to just do it.
Hakuna matata.
God, I thank you for revealing Yourself to me today through my professor. Thank You for giving me peace of mind and helping me to stay focused on You. Help me not to worry and to just lay everything at Your feet.
I immediately thought of Matthew 6:27, which says, "Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?" ...if you answered "yes" to that, you may want to go talk to someone about that. Because I know for me the answer is definitely "no." Worrying about something does NOT make anything better. In fact, we're wasting more time worrying about doing something when it would have taken less time to just do it.
Hakuna matata.
God, I thank you for revealing Yourself to me today through my professor. Thank You for giving me peace of mind and helping me to stay focused on You. Help me not to worry and to just lay everything at Your feet.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Almost There
The Lord blessed us with a beautiful sunny day today. Yeah, it was still a little chilly outside, but the sun was wonderful. I was pretty excited to get my bike back out and ride to class. Much faster, and much more enjoyable than walking. :)
My first class was cancelled, so the only class I had for the day was biology at 5:30. Yay for having the morning and afternoon off! I was pretty productive all afternoon, and I thank God for that. Sometimes it's hard for me to be productive when classes are cancelled because I'm just too excited and I'd rather be doing something else. I began my study time with praise and prayer. I got out my guitar, sang a couple good songs, and then prayed that God would help me to stay awake and motivated to finish my homework. What a great sense of focus that gave me! I love how God's word and prayer has the ability to do that.
I taught a guitar lesson tonight to my friend Alexis. I've been teaching her on some Monday nights this semester, and although we haven't been able to get together every week, I've enjoyed the time we've had together. It's a good experience for me to learn how to teach. I'm practicing my patience, for sure. Plus I've been able to talk to Alexis more and get to know her a little bit. We had a class together last semester, but we didn't get a whole lot of opportunities to talk. This way, with me teaching her to play the guitar, we're building a bit of a friendship. She's also being so kind as to support me financially for my GAP Year. Even though I don't know where I'm going yet (I'll find out soon!), I know that I'm going somewhere...and that I need to raise $9-10,000 by the end of this August. In exchange for guitar lessons, Alexis is helping me raise support for my GAP Year and that is such a blessing to me. I thank you, Alexis, and I thank God for providing me with this awesome opportunity. :)
In other news, I got an email this weekend with a bunch of information about graduation! I'll be graduating on April 16th, and you better believe I'm excited about it. These four years have really flown by, and they've been enjoyable, but I am really ready to get the heck out of here and take a year off. I just need the motivation to make it through this last month of classes. I'm almost there! Come Holy Spirit, grant me peace and clarity of mind.
My first class was cancelled, so the only class I had for the day was biology at 5:30. Yay for having the morning and afternoon off! I was pretty productive all afternoon, and I thank God for that. Sometimes it's hard for me to be productive when classes are cancelled because I'm just too excited and I'd rather be doing something else. I began my study time with praise and prayer. I got out my guitar, sang a couple good songs, and then prayed that God would help me to stay awake and motivated to finish my homework. What a great sense of focus that gave me! I love how God's word and prayer has the ability to do that.
I taught a guitar lesson tonight to my friend Alexis. I've been teaching her on some Monday nights this semester, and although we haven't been able to get together every week, I've enjoyed the time we've had together. It's a good experience for me to learn how to teach. I'm practicing my patience, for sure. Plus I've been able to talk to Alexis more and get to know her a little bit. We had a class together last semester, but we didn't get a whole lot of opportunities to talk. This way, with me teaching her to play the guitar, we're building a bit of a friendship. She's also being so kind as to support me financially for my GAP Year. Even though I don't know where I'm going yet (I'll find out soon!), I know that I'm going somewhere...and that I need to raise $9-10,000 by the end of this August. In exchange for guitar lessons, Alexis is helping me raise support for my GAP Year and that is such a blessing to me. I thank you, Alexis, and I thank God for providing me with this awesome opportunity. :)
In other news, I got an email this weekend with a bunch of information about graduation! I'll be graduating on April 16th, and you better believe I'm excited about it. These four years have really flown by, and they've been enjoyable, but I am really ready to get the heck out of here and take a year off. I just need the motivation to make it through this last month of classes. I'm almost there! Come Holy Spirit, grant me peace and clarity of mind.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Like a Shield
I went to mass at St. James church in Novi this morning, and I actually really liked it. I really love going to Christ the King for mass, but it doesn't always work out with my work schedule. So I've just been asking God to bless me at St. James instead. It's harder for me to focus there and get into the Spirit. The style of music is a bit "hymn-ish", and there are no kneelers, which is very odd for a Catholic church. I also feel out of place there in regards to singing the songs. I feel like I'm the only one singing (or holding the book, for that matter), and it just feels really odd.
Anyway, I got quite a bit out of mass today. The first reading was from Genesis...the story of Adam and Eve. Although I've heard the story countless times, I heard a different take on it today. Fr. George talked about how Adam and Eve were kind of "set up" to sin. There they were in that beautiful garden with a beautiful tree and beautiful fruit, and they were told not to eat it. Of course they were going to! Fr. George explained it by saying, "It's like when someone tells you, 'Don't go into that room!' ...Well of course you're gonna go into that room!" This kind of made me laugh.
I also liked the Gospel reading today from Matthew (Matthew 4:1-11). This is the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days by the devil. Each time Jesus was tempted, He quoted scripture. That was his strong foundation that helped Him to not be tempted. Fr. George explained that we are to also have a foundation. When we are in tempting situations, we should be able to say (as Jesus said), "It is written: ..." and just spout out scriptures to fight off the devil. If we don't have that strong foundation, we're letting the devil have power over us...and that's exactly what he wants! I was so inspired by this to memorize more scripture so that I am fully prepared for temptation by the devil. Lord, help me to read and memorize more of Your word. Let Your words be like a sword and a shield for me in the battle against the enemy.
I got to see my friend/little sister Ashley tonight after work, and that made me pretty darn happy. As some of you know, we went through a bit of a rough patch this past year, but things are getting better. She was babysitting her half sister tonight, so I came over to just hang out and keep her company. I fell in love with baby Jamie I think. She was so cute and cuddly and beautiful...I just couldn't get over how adorable she was. Ashley and I visited for a while and then I got the pleasure of helping put Jamie to bed. After the first attempt, Jamie cried in her crib for what I thought was too long (I hated hearing her cry!), so I went to rescue her. I rocked her and rubbed her back for a while and she ended up falling asleep (and snoring...and drooling) in my arms. How precious. :) Lord, thank you for the wonderful gift of babies. Thank you for their carefree smiles, their soft and sweet smelling skin, and their beauty.
I hope you all had a great weekend. Let's stand strong in Christ this week!
Anyway, I got quite a bit out of mass today. The first reading was from Genesis...the story of Adam and Eve. Although I've heard the story countless times, I heard a different take on it today. Fr. George talked about how Adam and Eve were kind of "set up" to sin. There they were in that beautiful garden with a beautiful tree and beautiful fruit, and they were told not to eat it. Of course they were going to! Fr. George explained it by saying, "It's like when someone tells you, 'Don't go into that room!' ...Well of course you're gonna go into that room!" This kind of made me laugh.
I also liked the Gospel reading today from Matthew (Matthew 4:1-11). This is the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days by the devil. Each time Jesus was tempted, He quoted scripture. That was his strong foundation that helped Him to not be tempted. Fr. George explained that we are to also have a foundation. When we are in tempting situations, we should be able to say (as Jesus said), "It is written: ..." and just spout out scriptures to fight off the devil. If we don't have that strong foundation, we're letting the devil have power over us...and that's exactly what he wants! I was so inspired by this to memorize more scripture so that I am fully prepared for temptation by the devil. Lord, help me to read and memorize more of Your word. Let Your words be like a sword and a shield for me in the battle against the enemy.
I got to see my friend/little sister Ashley tonight after work, and that made me pretty darn happy. As some of you know, we went through a bit of a rough patch this past year, but things are getting better. She was babysitting her half sister tonight, so I came over to just hang out and keep her company. I fell in love with baby Jamie I think. She was so cute and cuddly and beautiful...I just couldn't get over how adorable she was. Ashley and I visited for a while and then I got the pleasure of helping put Jamie to bed. After the first attempt, Jamie cried in her crib for what I thought was too long (I hated hearing her cry!), so I went to rescue her. I rocked her and rubbed her back for a while and she ended up falling asleep (and snoring...and drooling) in my arms. How precious. :) Lord, thank you for the wonderful gift of babies. Thank you for their carefree smiles, their soft and sweet smelling skin, and their beauty.
I hope you all had a great weekend. Let's stand strong in Christ this week!
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