The Jackson Family Online

We made it to Cocoa Beach tonight at about 7pm. Checked in but before we even got our luggage out of the car we stole the last few minutes of day light and walked the two blocks to the beach. I absolutely love the ocean and it seemed so good to be back. This is definitely a busy time of year to come…lots of spring breakers but still good. I’m so glad I made reservations when I did as otherwise have a feeling I would’ve either had to pay an arm and a leg or even had a hard time finding a room. The whole trip took us around 17 hours..ok I wouldn’t want to do that every weekend…but we made it:). While I was driving I was comparing in my mind the expenses related with flying vs. driving…and maybe it was a crazy choice…but then again it was kind of fun to see the kids reexperience a trip that Mark and I took them on many years ago…one that they barely remember. Anyway…we’re here:).
Tomorrow we get up, get around and go to our port to get on the boat…I am so looking forward to that part of this trip.
Right now the girls are swimming in our hotel pool..outside…it’s cold (the water is…) and since it’s night it’s way too cold for me to swim…but they’re diehard swimmers so they’re shivering their way through. They were ready to jump in the ocean! The awesome thing was watching the temperature rise today as I was driving…today was 80 degrees in Florida…woohoo!! I also absolutely loved watching where spring has sprung…Georgia…the flowering trees are all out and beautiful!
I’m thankful tonight for God’s watch over us. I can’t tell you how much having a gps in my car has empowered me to go to the ends of the earth on road trips. Between it and God…well we’ve had an incredibly smooth trip so far:).
Hope you have a wonderful Palm Sunday!
And by the way…I’m typing from my own netbook…I was able to get connected at our hotel with hardly a snag…yeah!! I feel like I’ve got the world on a string:).
Love,
Ruth

Today’s the day…I’m loading up the car this morning…closing shop at lunch…finishing teaching (oh yeah I do have school today:). Then we hit the open road. We’re really excited. There’s something about planning and looking forward to something for almost a year that gets you pumped up:). Thankfully the whole clean/pack thing this year wasn’t too bad. Lauren does all her own stuff and Lydia’s not picky about what I pack for her (as long as she doesn’t have to do it:). So…we’re off…I can’t imagine what it’s like to step onto a gigantic boat and go out into the ocean. I mean I’ve sat on the beach many a time and it’s one of my favorite places to be…but to actually get on a boat and go out into it…wow. I have a feeling I’ll really enjoy the view. And the warmth:). The girls will pretty much swim 24/7 I’m sure…and I’ve taken some good books to read. And yes Lori…we should take some pictures…ours are sorely outdated, beach ones would be great…although you’re still not off the hook, I would still like you to take some at some point:).
So…here goes…I’m diving in, praying for safety on the road and just overall that we’ll find where we’re going without too much ordeal. I’m taking my netbook along so who knows I may post from time to time if I can figure it out:). Otherwise…next Saturday. Have a great weekend!
Love,
Ruth

Yesterday I did manage to get my house in good order…car cleaned out…and tonight we’ll get all loaded up…I’m finishing laundry right now. I can’t believe it that we are finally within a day of leaving to go to Florida. But I’m glad…especially on this gray rainy day.
I can tell I need a break from school…pretty much a break from life. I hope the girls and I can be in close confined space and live in peace:). I’ve got to do something about getting ready in the mornings when I get back. Need to start having them lay out there clothes the night before or something…Lydia is my quick get ready person, I have to make sure she actually does some hygiene related activities, she would even skip breakfast and does most days. Lauren on the other hand needs extra time:)…she loves to get read leisurely…and this morning she pushed me over the edge…ok it wasn’t a hard push I admit it…I was probably close to the edge already…but when we pulled out of the driveway at 8am…the time that she is supposed to start school…well it became real clear that we need some changes:). So that’s my goal when we get back from Florida.

The weather looks like it will be great down there. I even heard that at the Disney island we’re going to they put some kind of net thing in the ocean to keep the swimming area free of ocean animals…how considerate of them…since I don’t prefer to swim with sharks:). The girls are both hoping to be able to get some kind of hair wrap as there souvenior from the trip. We’ll see. Tonight Lauren wants to go to Kohl’s…she’s looking for a nice outfit/dress to wear on the one nice night of the cruise. It is so hard to find something good for her that’s dressy. Everything is either cut too deep, too short, too skinny…it’s really frustrating for her…and therefore me. I hope and pray that something jumps out at her tonight. Quickly…I don’t want to spend too much time on the effort…For me personally…I’ll throw in some capri’s, I never wear dresses or skirts, only own a couple at this point if I’m forced to wear them.

So…the maps are all printed off, passports together, laundry just about finished…house in order…cats taken care of, once we throw our clothes in a couple of suitcases we should be good to go. Hope you have a wonderful spring break! It will be so nice to come home and it be April!!
Have a great day!
Love,
RUth

Today is our day to get packed…while I’m looking forward to getting away this tends to be the day I least like. It tends to end in some rather stressful moments…I know that sounds strange…but I’m one of those people who like to leave my house in good enough shape that if a burglar came to our house while they were gone they would have a spotless house to hang out in:)…ok I know it sounds ridiculous but truthfully the issue is…when I come home from a vacation if I come home to a messy house…I feel incredibly overwhelmed and any effect of the vacation is instantly gone…it’s not a pretty scene. So…today between a full day of school and after school I hope I can calmly…peacefully get done what I need to get done. Tomorrow I have to get my crown finished on my tooth…now that’s something to look forward to.

We’re all dealing a little with allergies around here I think…it’s that time of year. I’m hopeful that once we’re in the Florida sun that will all go away. And I have to admit…I had time last night to do some of the things that tonight I’ll probably feel stressed out about…and the girls and I instead sat and watched five episodes of Gilmore girls in a row…OK I know that’s a little over the top…but we got hooked. We’re now in the middle of the third season, three out of seven. I told the girls last night we’ll always remember 2010 as the year that we got to know the Gilmore Girls:). I do love the fact that whatever issues they’re going through between mom and daughter are issues that we might very well be headed to in the next few years so it gives us some time to talk about things like dating…college…etc. It’s definitely not spiritual by any stretch of the imagination but it’s kind of like we’re all reading a book together chapter by chapter…episode by episode:).

Hope you have a great day. I’m not sure how much I’ll blog next week…probably not much…going to try and just be in the moment…but either way hope you have a wonderful spring break if you get one…and know that no news from us is probably good news:). At least we should have good driving conditions!!
Love,
Ruth

Happy Tuesday!
Wow what a beautiful day we have here in Alton today…the weather couldn’t be better. So…I planted a few more flowers:). I bribed Lydia into going to Home Depot with me to check out what they had. I always love finding new things…things I haven’t tried yet and they had some beautiful flowers. I had already gone to Lowe’s on my lunch time and bought some viney plants for my big pots:). We have about four stores locally that sell plants and gardening stuff and I tend to go from one to another…you never know I might miss something good if I don’t check them all out:). Lydia’s reward was a trip to Dairy Queen:). Lydia actually got into it and at one point looked up at me and said…”Oh no…mom I can tell I’m going to be just like you…(meaning crazy about plants and flowers:)…I just had to smile.

I can tell I’m in the part of the school year where I start thinking through what I might do differently next year. I’ve now taught for 11 years and yet each year I find things I would rather do or tweek some of the stuff I normally do. I guess that’s part of being a good teacher …I’m never totally satisfied with what I’ve done so far…always wanting to become a better teacher. Somehow I’ve got to get kids to be able to read music better next year. Today was a little disheartening when I had the kids tell me one at a time which line of music they should be looking at in order to sing their part and probably half of them pointed at the wrong line…So I have a feeling theory will become a bigger deal to me next year. I’ve pushed hard through a lot of music the past two years and I’m starting to think less music would be fine…and more time spent on the fundamentals. We’ll see. It’s all part of my normal cycle. I tend to get next year all thought through in the spring and then when I leave for the summer I don’t have to give it a thought which is pure bliss:).

I can’t believe that tomorrow night we’ll be packing for our trip…I looked at the weather down there for Saturday and it’s supposed to be in the 80’s…which will be nice since we plan on swimming. It will just be nice to have a change of scenery. And once we get back the rest of the school year will end fast.

I hope your day went great today…hope you enjoyed the weather…hope you got done what you needed to get done…hope you feel loved…hope you’re encouraged to face another day tomorrow…they come so fast.
Love,
Ruth

It’s Monday…as usual it feels like an incredibly hard day to get around and get going. The grind of life is hard, I take comfort in knowing that next Monday their will be no school…in fact next Monday I will be soaking in the sun in the Bahamas:). I just read some really good verses from Psalm 63, vs. 5-8 from The Message.
“If I’m sleepless at midnight. I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you’ve always stood up for me, I’m free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.”
ok in truth…if I’m sleepless at midnight rarely is that time spent in grateful reflection…more like anxiety and fear…wondering how I’ll get done what I need to get done…concerned for my kids, finances, etc. I had to wonder today what if I actually spent that time in grateful reflection…what would that feel like…I hope it’s something I can start to do more. I also love the image of holding on for dear life and God holding me steady. While I’m holding on to Him He’s holding on to me. I needed that today. The whole point of the devotional today was about longing for more of God…I fear that too often I’m content with the amount of God I have in my life…I’m challenged today to long for more of Him. Another great quote was “I bless you every time I take a breath.”…oh I wish that was true…I’m not there yet, but hopefully getting closer everyday.

Have a great Monday. We’ll make it and before you know it, it will be Tuesday:).
Love,
Ruth

Tonight I’ve heard an interesting variety of conversations about the end times. Between the natural disasters that seem to be happening around the world…the government issues here in America…etc. people tend to think we’re in the end times. I know they’re are a whole host of other signs that we might be and I don’t question it…we could be. I’ve listened to Christian men tonight talk about going out to buy a gun for protection…they’re concerned that as food becomes short that people are going to get violent and desperate and they may need to either have a stock piled amount of food at their house, grow their own food, or have a gun to keep those away who would want the food they have. Their is concern over the fact that our government is so indebt that their may be some huge social uprising that will cause rioting, etc. I understand that I’m totally out of the loop here…I don’t watch the news hardly ever, I don’t listen to Glen Beck, O’Reilly, or Limbaugh. I probably would be more in the loop if Mark was alive…but I’m not. I wonder…am I being too ignorant about the whole thing. When I questioned the getting a gun thing tonight…I was told by a person who I think is usually rational that what if I needed to protect my children. Wow…I guess I can’t quite imagine that I’m going to have that experience. I mean believe me I would be the first to give my life to protect my kids…but to take the life of someone else. I’m not so sure about that. I know it talks about being ready in the bible but I’m a little puzzled about what that means. I thought that meant…having a deep intimate relationship with God…a knowledge of His Word, a prayer life…faith and trust in Him and the fact that He will keep His promises. I’m realizing that for many…I think it means…stockpiling food and clean water, finding ways to protect their family. Maybe this is just a man/woman difference. I’m not sure. But I find that whole line of preparation to be overwhelming. That is so completely out of my control…I can’t even pretend to be able to go there. Why would a lack of food and provisions necessarily mean evil and rioting and selfishness and violence. Maybe that’s a historical fact…but what if we did get in a situation where we had little…couldn’t that possibly mean that the good in us would come through…that we would be more willing to share, to care about others. I’m afraid I probably sound like some pollyanna person or something…but when I was much poorer as a child…and food was much more scarce…it didn’t draw out violence…is it beyond the scope of reality that people might actually work together more if we all were forced to live a simplier life. As I said…I don’t watch the news hardly ever…I don’t listen to talk radio…and maybe I’m glad I don’t…I don’t want to be an ostrich…but I also can’t spend my days wondering…if we have a natural disaster how fast would the store shelves clear out of food and what kind of panic would ensue. Tonight I feel overwhelmed with this whole thing…It feels like a stockpile, save it up, take care of myself and my family mentality…it feels so in contrast with losing my life for the sake of CHrist. And the people I’m referring to are wonderful CHristian people…I guess I’m just confused. I want me and my kids to be taken care of and will always do my best to do so…but if I choose this route that some are talking about…I would be living in fear…a world where I was trying to control the outcome…a world where I’m relying on myself. God help me if that’s what I’m relying on because in that case I know I’m already doomed. What would happen instead…if we focused all of this energy and concern on reaching out and taking care of those in need. I’m wondering what your perspective is on all of this. We could be in the end times I don’t deny that for one moment. And if we are it seems a little silly for us to be going on vacation next week…but then again…I remember watching end time movies at church when I was a kid…over 30 years ago. How should my time be spent…what should my life be spent on…what does being ready look like? Thankfully I’ve been assured that if all hell breaks loose that some of these people will let me and my kids come and eat…which is good to know:). But what is this world coming to?!? And it always comes down to a matter of how long do I really want to live here anyway…I know this is not a popular line of thought…I mean everyone in America is trying to live as long as possible…I find myself wondering why. I feel like such an odd bird about it all. My prayer tonight is that I’m ready…ready for whatever the next week is going to bring, the next month, next year, next 7 years, etc. I have no idea what’s coming…I am simply a child clinging to The Rock…foolish enough to think that will be enough…no guns…no stockpiling…gardening because I love to not out of fear or preparation…I guess time will tell. In the mean time I seem to spend most of my life throwing it out, being a fool for Christ wherever He has me. I wish I could talk more with a group of Christians about this…I’m interested in hearing more than just my side of thought…I don’t really want to spend a huge amount of time on studying prophecy…I just wonder why we automatically assume that if the worst happens that the worst in people will come out. What about Haiti…ok I’m sure a lot of bad stuff is happening…but what about how they are praising God to be alive. Just tonight we talked about Corrie Ten Boom at church and the amazing services that happened at Ravensbrook while she was there in a concentration camp. In the worst of circumstances…isn’t it possible that we Christians will shine…not so much because of our quantity of supplies…if that’s all I have that’s not much…what if we shine because we live solely dependant on God. I’m a little overwhelmed…with the reality that I seem to be so far off the page of the Christians I’m around…they’re all up on the latest news, the terrible government issues, healthcare reform, the financial debt our country is in…they are all worked up about O’Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh. I guess just call me “clueless in Alton”.

I’ve been thinking about Lauren’s upcoming birthday in May…she’s turning 13 and I want it to be special for her. She doesn’t really have any close friends…she really doesn’t, none that she would really want to have a birthday party with…she feels like a complete oddball about this and I’m not sure what to do. She’s at an age where she keeps thinking that if she shows up at church or somewhere and looks a little different then everybody will finally notice her. She’s a middle schooler…which explains a lot. I felt probably the ugliest I’ve ever felt in those middle school years…I remember it even this many years later. I would like to plan something for her that’s different…some kind of rite of passage into being a lady. My seventh grade party was with friends from church and believe it or not it was one of the most humiliating experiences I’ve ever had. We went to a football game and then came back to my house and out of sheer boredom or just too much estrogen in the room someone got the great idea of mooning people out my front window onto the main street of town, thankfully it was a small town…but still…of course the anty was upped a few times and even though I didn’t do it…eventually we had people across the street come over and inform my parents of what was happening…I’ve never been so mortified in my whole life. The rest of the girls never got it…they got to go home…I was the one who had to live there and feel embarrassed everytime I went out of my house. It was easily one of the dumbest things I’ve ever been around. I surely don’t want something like that for Lauren’s 13th birthday. I’m actually thinking about inviting several significant people from church and from our life down here to come to some kind of gathering on her behalf…eat together, and then do some special things (I’m not sure what) to express their love for her. I’m asking that if you are out of town and love Lauren…and have been a part of her life that you would email me some comments that you might want her to read…I will make up a book for her…comments that might include special memories, special advice, words of wisdom, prayers, etc. this can be lighthearted or serious or a little of both. She said to me tonight when we were talking about it all that she wants to get a new outfit for the occasion which I assured her we could do and then she busted into a sob and said she wanted her dad to be there to tell her she looked beautiful…She was angry…hurt, upset and rightfully so and all I could do was tell her I’m sorry…I wish I could fix it. She has holes I can’t fill. She feels like her life sucks right now really…no dad…no significant friends…can you see why the end times are not pressing on me…:). I have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Anyway…if you have things to write to her for her birthday celebration email them to me at marruth1992@yahoo.com. I won’t show them to her until her special event. And if you have ideas on what might be some special rite of passage type things to do please comment to me. I know many girls get purity rings at this age…I’m not sure if I’ll do that or not…maybe. I think the event should be a celebration…Lauren is becoming a woman.

Ok…Monday is fast coming and I need to make it through another week so…I’ll close.
Love,
Ruth

My allergies seem to have kicked in this weekend, maybe because of the change in weather, this time of year tends to do that to me…warms up and then cools off. So I just woke up from a three hour nap…and basically I got up because I knew I had two kids who probably needed some attention or dinner or something like that…part of me feels like I could’ve slept the rest of the night.
Music contest is over for a little while. Today we did good I think…we didn’t get a first superior so that’s always disappointing but we did get a first place. I really hate going to contest truth be told…it’s subjective…it either leaves you feeling elated or disappointed and it always involves stress that is ridiculous. For today…my altos seem to be the main area where we struggled…pitchiness…sometimes they were pushing it to hard. And then one of my huge holes as a music teacher is the fact that I didn’t train at all in voice. I didn’t grow up being in a choral program in my own school, I never took voice lessons, when I was in college I majored in music education but mainly that involved piano, theory, education and the basics of the instruments, minimal involvement in choir. SO…I lack seriously in helping the kids to form proper vowels…I think if we could wow the judges in that area more we would’ve done better today. We did do better than last year…last year between these two contests we got a first place and a first place…this year…we got a first superior and then a first place. Last year at this event we scored an 11 this year a 10 (less points is better) so it is progress. But it was a little crazy when I looked at the judges comments and two out of the three judges gave us a 9 (one point away from a superior) and one judge gave us a 13…which was a second place. That’s a huge difference. I could agree with the two that gave us a nine…the other one…after we performed our first selection she asked what grades were singing in this group, I told her 7 and 8th grade. I took it that maybe we were so good that she was surprised at the great sound coming out so she wanted to know what age the kids were. I guess actually maybe she was thinking…wow for 7/8th graders you should be doing better. Funny how something that simple can be misinterpreted.
I left the experience somewhat dreading our next music contest in May at Six Flags. That contest involves being rated and compared to the other groups that perform that day. There is only one first place, one second, etc. Last year we embarrassingly took sixth place. If that happens this year…where we get last place…I’m done taking them there. I think my groups work hard and sound good…I wish I was more capable when it came to things like dipthongs, etc. I know I could take a class or something but at this point in my life I don’t see that happening…The crazy thing is…we got a first place today, that should feel good…I wish it did.
Anyway…hope your weekend is going great. We went and watched The Bounty Hunter last night at the movies…it was alright…a little action, little romance, little comedy, my kind of movie. Tonight we’re just hanging out at home.
I didn’t get around to it but maybe tomorrow…my devotional today was focused on God being my rock and I was supposed to pick out a rock and carry it in my pocket all day, to notice the attributes of a rock and think about what that means. The devotional brought out the thought that in the west we tend to want to think of God as “love,” or “peace” or some other intangible concept. In the east I guess they are more likely to think of God in concrete terms like saying God is my “rock”. It’s an interesting difference…something to think about.
Love,
Ruth

We just got home from our eight mile bike ride along the Mississippi River. It was an act of faith for sure…I didn’t really have a safety net in case Lydia couldn’t make it back to the car…and the first four miles she had to work through some issues…stopping to rest doesn’t really help it just breaks the momentum. But after we had a little ice cream break it was amazing how much better she did on the last four miles. We didn’t stop once…and I was amazed…we biked eight miles, ate ice cream leisurely and did it all in an hour and a half. Lauren cruised right along, I think she could’ve easily done even more. I have to admit our rear ends are all a little sore…I’m not sure that any bike seat is really that comfortable. Or we’re just not used to it. But I’ve decided we need to take at least one bike ride on that trail a week this spring while it’s such wonderful weather. It’s great exercise, the view is wonderful and the little town of Grafton is kind of a nice hang out for a break. Made us think of Stars Hollow off of Gilmore Girls.

Lydia had the blessing today of having a sub in p.e. class:). I think that was probably good…everything will seem like a distant memory by next week. So…only five more school days til spring break!! I love it when it gets down to counting on one hand:).

Hope your weekend is great. We might go out and catch a movie tonight…or just hang out at home I’m not sure. Tomorrow is music contest…it will soon be over!! And tomorrow is supposed to be cool and rainy so…I’m sure we’ll hang out at home…watch more Gilmore Girls, read a book…pay the bills you know how it goes:). The girls had a half day today so they already did the dishes and some laundry…it’s so nice to have them at an age where they can help out!!

Today in my devotional I read this phrase and thought it was a good one…the title of the devotional was “God, Pay them back!” Seemed fitting after yesterdays incident. “God sticks his head out of heaven. He looks around. He’s looking for someone not stupid-one man, even, God-expectant, just one God-ready woman.” (My prayer today is that I’m that one woman…God expectant, God-ready, looking up. I see it everyday in real life…musically I can’t tell you how many times I have to tell kids to look up, to look at me…tonight on bikes I kept having to tell Lydia to keep looking ahead and not down…we tend to want to look everywhere else except up and forward. I think this is literal and figurative at the same time. In any situation I believe that if we are waiting on God to move and act on our behalf then we will see Him and be amazed which will lead to worship. I also read in this same devotional that we are not to “treat people like a fast-food meal over which we’re too busy to pray.” I think that’s an interesting visual picture to think about. Maybe because we eat out a lot…I could instantly connect with that feeling, that experience…and how many times do I treat people that way…often I’m sure. The devotional was based on Psalm 53. God is good.
Love,
Ruth

It’s been kind of a strange day for the Jackson girls. I want to share this story in an honest way…and yet God honoring so…here goes. This morning I had Lydia help me out in a couple of my elementary music classes. We’ve been studying the instruments of the orchestra and she plays violen so I had her come in and demonstrate her talent on the violen and do a little question and answer time with my second graders. The kids loved it…and we got permission from her classroom teacher to have her be out of her normal classes for 40 minutes to do this. I thought we had jumped through all the right hoops and it was such a delight to have Lydia help me out and see the kids enjoy her…that I was totally taken off guard when upon walking back to my closet to put my cart away the p.e. teacher saw us coming and very hostile like confronted Lydia and I, accused us of being disrespectful to her since Lydia had missed p.e. because she helped me out…and various other accusations. It was incredibly surreal. I mean Lydia was just recognized as one of three kids at Eunice Smith to be awarded for excellent character, grades, etc. Lydia is truly one of the best kids in her class and I’m not saying that because I’m her mom. We explained that we had talked to the classroom teacher, I had no idea it would involve p.e. time. But by golly she wasn’t going to back down. Had she confronted me in private it might have been a little more tolerable. But she did this scene in front of Lydia and in front of the rest of the class. Truthfully she was so angry I don’t think she even realized she had an entire audience. I shockingly continued to go down the hallway to put my cart away, Lydia sheepishly got back in line with class, the terrible child that she is…I mean we must have been gallavanting off through the countryside to hear the tongue lashing we got. When I was not present the p.e. teacher kept going on to the entire class, threatening that if anyone every skipped her class again they would get a referral, etc. Let me just stop and say…it was insane!! By that point Lydia was in tears and didn’t want to go back to class…she literally came in my closet sat on the floor and sobbed. All because she had missed one p.e. class to be my helper in music classes…Remember this is the only day this has ever happened. I couldn’t believe it. And Lydia wanted her dad…truthfully she wanted him to swoop in an set the lady straight, whatever it took, Mark style. In my mind I was thinking we were probably lucky he wasn’t there as he would’ve blown a gasket. However…I calmly went back to the gym and confronted the teacher myself…I was calm about it…I just let her know how inappropriate the whole thing was, told her that my daughter was distraught, to which she basically said she should just get over it…and I gently reminded her that she is the teacher and my daughter is the student…that would mean the expectations are a little different. I mentioned to her that she knew me and knew I would’ve never deliberately disrespect her…we’ve worked together in the same buildings for four years now…Her response…”I don’t know you…” ok it’s not like we’re best friends…but I think you can have a general sense of who a person is when you’ve worked with them for four years. It was insane! She finally apologized simply because she felt forced to but it felt completely lacking of any actual sorriness…there just wasn’t anything else to say…I walked away from the whole thing completely enraged. It became clear to me that she’s a teacher that is teaching simply for a pay check…she hates her job…hates being around kids…hates our school (she works at two schools and clearly prefers the other one, this came from her own mouth…I”m not making it up), and for whatever reason she chose to have this whole attack on probably one of her best students. Lydia’s class…actually apologized to Lydia and myself the rest of the day they were so mortified by the whole thing. And now Lydia has p.e. class tomorrow…she has to get through two more months.

So here’s the thing…I knew she was in the wrong…I knew we had done nothing wrong or disrespectful to her in anyway. But I found myself realizing that I had to do something with the anger I felt over the injustice of the whole thing…and then I had to march right into a choir class at middle school…I decided to pick up Lydia for lunch…I had a feeling that we both needed a little time away to regroup and in the process…I was talking to God about it all and He reminded me…”Love your enemies and pray for them”. It was pretty clear at that moment that this teacher was my enemy…anybody who attacks my kid in that kind of way is my enemy. So…I started praying for her…and as I did I actually felt sorry for her. I can’t imagine how miserable it must be to hate your job so much to act that way. I can’t imagine what was going on in her mind and heart after that whole ordeal…she had to be embarrassed. Those verses about being a fool in proverbs…well today I saw one in action and the spotlight on it was huge. I found myself genuinely able to pray for her…to actually feel sorry for her. That being said…she does one more wacky thing to my kid…and I’ll go to the top. I don’t believe in being abused or letting my child be abused. But I told Lydia just go in tomorrow and do what you’re told…be quiet and basically blend in while you’re there. I was so thankful though because in praying for her…the anger in me was released…and therefore the poison didn’t get passed on.

Here’s the God part of it…when we’re treated injustly we tend to wonder where is God…why isn’t He doing something about it, and I know this was on a small scale but to Lydia it was huge. Her desire to be protected by her dad was huge…and this is what took place next without me having any idea that this would happen…They had art next, and today…their art project was all about making turtles…so when I walked in to her room to pick her up for lunch there were turtles everywhere hanging on the walls, being colored, cut out, etc. And I was reminded that God is the God who sees. As you might know…turtles are special to us…they remind us of Mark. And they seem to come right at the right moment when we least expect it. Lydia and I talked about it at lunch and we both knew that particular art project was a God thing…a way of telling us that He sees and also a way of reminding us that even though Mark is not here in body…he is still a part of who we are…the good, bad, and the ugly. I love the way God is in the details of life.

And by the end of the day I can honestly say…it was o.k. , I don’t like for my kids to be treated poorly especially by adults who should know better…but it was a perfect life lesson…what do we do when we are treated injustly…what should be our response…what does God do when injustice happens…is God aware or does He care…The resounding lesson learned today was…”Love your enemies and pray for them” and we were reminded that God sees, cares, and acts on our behalf. God is good…blessed be the name of the Lord. I am so grateful again today that we have God in our lives…I can’t imagine how much anger I would be nursing tonight if I didn’t.

Tonight I came home and finished cleaning out my flower beds and lo and behold I have a lot of plants coming up…have I said it…I love spring!! I really wanted to go get a few more flowers…but I held off…my logical side said…ok Ruth, you can wait until you know this cold snap is passed. I’m finally seeing the results of planting more and more perrenials every year!! Yeah!! I did go to the Market Basket while Lydia was at Violen lessons…found an awesome turtle and a mini bike plant holder…at least I didn’t buy anything that might die:).

Our bikes are all on the back of my car ready for our bike ride tomorrow afternoon…we’re planning on taking on 8 miles…I’m looking forward to it. I’m finding that with not having any major landscaping to do this year I actually have the time to do things like go to the park and go to the bike path by the river for bike rides…Great fun:).

This weekend for us is music contest on Saturday, we’ll be glad to have it done. And then pretty much quiet beyond that. I can’t believe that in a week we’ll be headed to Florida!! I hope we have a great time!
Hope your day was great!
Love,
Ruth