Just a little bit more......

I know that gas station "cappuccino" is probably far from the real thing, BUT it's on my way to work....and I have a refillable cup. So I stop sometimes before heading to work. Sometimes I run into people I know....and it is usually on days I didn't "plan" to stop....but I did....God appointments I think. :)  

Considering I never used to like hot drinks....cappuccino (I have to keep copying and pasting that word) is probably the closest I will ever come to coffee (yuck!). Unlike coffee which is in pots, cappuccino comes out of a machine. A machine that states to stop about 3/4 of the way full because the drink keeps flowing for a bit after the button is let go. I don't know about other people, but I like to mix flavors. So I push the button(s) to come up with the tastiest concoction. The last flavor I choose is the one I need to be careful to not overflow my cup. I press the button, I let go, I let the warm beverage flow a bit....and push the button again....just a little bit more....trying to get my moneys worth! I don't recall too many occasions where this has been a bad thing, but I don't understand the need to push it for just a little bit more.

I don't think it is just at cappuccino (last time, I promise) machines that we try to push the limit of what our cups can hold. It seems so often that I find myself saying, "When I just get a little bit more ____________, I'll _______ (fill in the blanks...I'm guessing you've done it at least once or twice too!) Depending on what is overflowing, filling our cups, being busy, etc. can be a good thing. However, sometimes I think we just need to get to the point of being content getting near the top. Satisfied and content are good feelings that we need to get used to in a world where we are constantly shown we should have more.

Philippians 4:11-12 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

1 Timothy 6:6-7  But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

A Breath of Fresh.....Prayer

We have too many cats (one less as of last Sat. R.I.P. Mouse) and a horse. Usually, at least once a day, somebody tracks in something that shouldn't be tracked in or the litter box isn't as fresh as it should be. At least once a month, I load up on air fresheners. The plug in kind, candles, sprays, etc. I have noticed that when I first use the air fresheners, I can smell the scent a lot. Most say they last at least 30 days. After a few hours though, I don't notice the scent as much....if at all. If I've been gone for awhile, sometimes I smell them again when I walk in....but not always. I'm kind of liking the automated sprayers that can be set at certain intervals. I can tell when they recently sprayed as I walk in a room.

Now that Spring is on the way I will be able to walk outside and get a breath of fresh air. It will be nice to be able to open the windows and feel the breeze and get the air moving around and in and out of here.

While thinking of Spring and breathing fresh air, it led me to rhyme air with prayer. As much as I need a breath of fresh air....my life needs a refreshing by way of prayer.

Prayer has been on my mind a lot lately for many reasons.

Some for guilt because as our kids have been growing up, I wish I would have prayed more and better for them. We used to pray together at night before bed and on the way to school. When did we stop? Why did we stop?

Some for the needs of others as I am made aware of the issues on various online prayer boards or requests. On a good day, I'll stop for a moment and say a prayer right then as I read it. Even then though the prayer is usually a quick sentence prayer.

Some because I have a group that gets together to pray and sometimes it feels like a task instead of the joy it should be.

Even though I know prayer should be my first line of defense against the struggles and sometimes dark days, it is not always. Like the air fresheners.....sometimes my prayers seem a little stale and in need of refreshing.

So....the first paragraph again written as it applies to prayers:

We have too many needs and issues. Usually, at least once a day, somebody complains about something that I can't or shouldn't fix. Life doesn't seem as fun as it should be. At least once a day, I am reminded that I should load up on prayer and bring our thanks and needs before God. Oh, if only there were a way to plug in and remember to be God's light. I have noticed that when I first pray, I can feel God's presence a lot. I'd think the prayer would last until at least the end of the day. After a few hours though, I don't notice His presence as much and the issues of life can seem overwhelming. Even when I have not prayed for awhile, I feel I am welcomed right back into peace. I'd kind of like an automated reminder to pray at certain intervals. I can tell when I've prayed.....life seems more peaceful.....even when there is no reason it should be.

Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 
¹² Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³ Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.
²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Philippians 4:5-7

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Being Noticed

Things stay too hectic....and my brain is fried from attending a conference on special ed for 3 days....but I learned a lot of good info....now, what to do with it?  ;)

I have had this thought for awhile now. Finally taking time to jot it down. It's something I noticed at the high school when I have been there for lunch. I've noticed it in grocery stores. I even noticed it at the conference.

You know the saying about feeling lonely even when you are surrounded by people? What I've noticed is that we have a tendancy to avoid eye contact when walking past people. I'm guilty of it too. I'll put my head down, look off into the distance or play around with something in my hands to avoid looking around.

What I have noticed though (when I pay more attention) is the power of a smile. Even just glancing quickly and smiling while hurrying past someone, a smile let's them know he/she has been noticed. They matter. Let's face it when in a huge group of people do you feel "noticed"? Do you feel like you stick out? Do you feel invisible?

We talk so much in school about bullies, victims and bystanders. Oh My! (Wiz of Oz reference) If we as parents, teachers, students, administrators, bosses, employees, ANYBODY and EVERYBODY, started to pay more attention and NOTICING what is going on around us, what a better world it would be. Be noticable. Be noticed. Start with a smile. It might be the only smile someone sees all day. People need to know they are not invisible. They are here for a reason. They are noticed.

Psalm 144: 3-4 (NIV) O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them? For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 51:16-17 (Message) Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

Oops, Sorry! days

We still have them occasionally. We had one this morning. They usually happen in the mornings. Times when stuff gets a little edgy, we're grumpy, meds haven't kicked in yet and we say things we don't mean....but can't take back. I was bringing her to school. We were nitpicking back and forth. I should have stopped it, but I got sucked into the argument dance. I could have stopped talking....and prayed. We used to do that on the way to school. When did we stop? Why did we stop?

Instead our morning exchange as she gets out of the car has been: Her: ugh! I'm going to have a bad day. Me: Be positive! (somewhat cheerily) Her: OK, I'm positive I'm going to have a bad day.  We each give a half-hearted smile and go about our day.

We're joking. Kind of.

Oops, sorry! really doesn't cover it. However, it became the way my daughter and I would refer to the days when things don't go quite as planned. When we're not as nice to each other as we could be. There are longer spans in between them now. For awhile when she was younger? It was pretty much a daily occurrence.

I have them with other people too. Those days don't necessarily get "named" anything, but you know when they happen. Days when you or others around you feel out of sorts....and we take it out on those unlucky enough to be around us at the time.

So what do we do? Ideally, we head them off before they start. Good theory. We learned sometimes we just need to walk away for a bit.....before we say more things we'll need to say sorry for....and talk later.

The main thing is that we say we're sorry and know that we really do love each other....even on oops, sorry days.....especially on oops, sorry days.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV) 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

The Beauty or the Beast (a fable)

The Beauty or the Beast (a fable)

Once upon a time in a far off land, there was a story that floated around a kingdom. A story of a magical item that would show the owner his or her best friend and his or her worst enemy.

Many people searched far and wide over the kingdom for this magical item. It should be worth a great price when it was found. 

One day, a young girl was cleaning up in her grandma’s castle attic. This girl was truly beautiful inside and out. However, she never realized it about herself. There were kids at the local school that were cruel not just to her, but to many others as well. She always wished that someone would stand up to them. She wished it could be her. Unfortunately, she knew that fairy godmothers weren’t real and wishes don’t always come true.

While she was cleaning, she almost knocked a very dusty box off a shelf. As she went to catch it, she noticed some very nicely lettered words:

“The contents of this box will show the owner his or her best friend and his or her worst enemy.  Open at your own risk.”

THIS box must contain the item from the long told story. The girl’s curiosity got the best of her. She eagerly and carefully lowered the box to the floor and proceeded to open it.

Inside she found…… a mirror. “That’s it?” she angrily exclaimed, “There are mirrors all over the kingdom. Why is this one any different?”

She lifted the mirror and as she truly saw herself a small piece of paper floated to the floor. It said:

While an ordinary mirror this may appear,

Let it show you very clear.

The person you know you are and others see

Or believe what the beast tries to tell you to be.

YOU can be your best friend….or your worst enemy.

Moral of the story: We can be so hard on ourselves and so caught up in what others opinions are of us that we fail to see how truly wonderful we are.  The “beast” in your life may be at your school, in your house….or worst of all in your own head. Let your beauty shine. It is SO much more than what appears in a mirror.

Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.