A friend is....

• Someone who seeks you out on the day of your Mom's funeral just to let you know she is thinking about you


• Someone you can pick right back up with, no matter how long it has been


• Someone you can laugh with about the silly things you did as a kid


• Someone who rescues you from your kids when your husband is out of town again


• Someone who pushes you to grow


• Someone who loves your kids and tells you how good they are all the time


• Someone who knows you are struggling and reaches out


• Someone who is a sister even if not by blood

Rico Suave

Elijah has many talents and gifts but right now he is a little Rico Suave. In the past two weeks I have heard him say the most endearing things. Here are a few snippets.

"Mom, you are the best mommy I have ever had."

"Wow mom, you look very beautiful today."

"Daddy you should give Mommy a kiss."

"Here Mom, I saw this flower and thought of you."

"Mommy, you are the most beautiful mom ever."

And then the most suave of them all...

"Auntie Sara, you are so beautiful."

Is the grass greener on the other side?

The grass is always greener on the other side.

I don't remember the first time I heard the expression but I have used it a few times when students are wishing for an easier teacher, an easier school, or an easier life. I am about to find out if the grass is indeed greener on the other side.
For six years I have prepared for six different classes each day. I have often envied my public school teacher friends who only had to prep for one class and teach it all day long. For six years I have been the lone language arts/reading teacher in the building. I have often wondered what it would be like to teach with others who are in my area; to collaborate on best practices. For six years I have lived in one place while wishing I lived in another.
Now, as of August 22, 2010, I will get all the things I have been thinking about. But I can't help but stop and wonder. Is the grass greener on the other side or is it just different grass?
I am sure the root of this expression is in our human desire for something better or different than we currently have. I know mine has been. But once I stopped wanting something better for myself and focused on what God wanted for me; where God wanted me to be; and why God kept me where He did, the grass did not matter anymore. All that matter was that I walk on the path paved by a God who knows the end.

Not Really 32

Today I am 32 years old. I don't really get worked up about age because it is just a number that doesn't really reflect how old I really am. How old am I really? It depends on the day. Lately I am certain that I am 14. Since I have that silly nervous feeling about making new friends. You know, the kind you get before you start a new school or move to a new town.
I remember being 14 and sitting in the car with my sister. We were driving to the first day of high school when I announced that she should turn the car around. "I'm not going." I believe were the exact words I used. I am sure tears were involved too, they always were in my "dramatic decade". Of course I went and it ended up being okay but I can still look back at those days and see that I wasn't really making friends but trying to keep "in".
I am hoping that 18 years of life has made me a more genuine person. One who is sensitive to the feelings of others and one that doesn't feel the need to "fit in"anymore. I am hoping that in 18 years I have become comfortable with being the me God delights in.
I hope so....

Through Elijah's Eyes

I let Elijah have use of the camera. I think I like the world through his eyes.