Last Thursday, December 9, 2010, my precious mother-in-law, Shirley Priesmeyer Kinsey, passed away. She had been very ill with cancer which had metastasized. Shirley fought a valiant fight. Her words to her pastor, days before she passed away, were words of fear that she had let her family down by not continuing the cancer treatments. We were blown away with those words, for we never felt that she was letting us down, when she quit the treatments. Our greatest fear for her, was that she would let the treatments keep her from having the quality of life she so deserved up until her last day on this earth. Shirley peacefully passed away with a couple of family members around her.
We quickly began making arrangements for the things that Shirley hadn't already put in place. As we walked through the days, prior to her service, we constantly ran into people who would tell us, once they found out who we were, that Shirley had been their music teacher, their child's music teacher, or their grandchild's music teacher. In pondering over these acknowledgments, we wondered how many lives she had truly touched with her love for music.
Shirley's service was Sunday, which was full of music, flowers, family and many many friends. The music was moving and exactly what Shirley had wanted. She had spent 2 hours with the music director the week before her death, picking out the music and talking with him about why she wanted each particular song. The pastor had spent time with her family talking about memories. He didn't need to find out much about her, since he had been her pastor for many years and he knew her so very well. The pastor's sermon was about the theology of music, Shirley's musical life, and how she had shared her talent.
Shirley will be remembered not only by family and friends, but by the many lives that were changed because she spent 42 years sharing her love of music.
We love you, Shirley, and miss you, but we know you are rejoicing in the arms of Jesus and you are finally reunited with your husband, Glyn, who was your rock and other beloved family members.
Until we all meet again.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
A Bitter-sweet Thanksgiving Memory
As Thanksgiving approaches, I reflect on family memories. There is a particular Thanksgiving that stands out. The year my mother died. That was a Thanksgiving I will never forget...the last precious moments and holiday I ever spent with my mother.
It was the year 2000; my mother had already had a brush with death, or should I say, she had already spent a moment with God, the year before.
Christmas of 1999, while others were enjoying the afterglow of Christmas, my Dad, brother and I were spending Christmas night in a hospital emergency room. Mom had been sick, but we didn't realize how sick until she passed out at the end of Christmas day. Mom had had a heart attack and the paramedics were able to revive her. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and was sent to another hospital because the one she had been taken to was on drive by.
New Year's Eve, 2000; while everyone else was worrying over Y2K and whether computers would crash worldwide and all systems would go down, I sat in an ICU unit visiting my mom, who was on a ventilator. Computers didn't crash that night and neither did my mother. Days later she was moved to a regular room, but Mom was never the same after that. She was still Mom, but there was just something that was off. None of us could ever put our finger on it, other than she was no longer as negative as she had always been, but that is not what struck me most. What bothered me was the anger she would have, at times, towards us for not letting her go. She often told us she had been happy, but then we brought her back and she never wanted to be brought back. That gave me the first clue that Mom had spent a short time with God in Heaven. She never talked about it, more than just to say she had been happy.
The next 10 months, I spent every night, 2 to 3 hours at a time, talking with Mom on the phone. I began to take it for granted that Mom was going to be alright and that she would be there for years to come, yet I still called her every night, to talk with her for hours; something I have never regretted.
Thanksgiving seemed like just another holiday with the whole family in attendance. Rob, Robin, and their children had come to stay with Mom and Dad. We had decided that Thanksgiving dinner would be at our house. They came over and Robin and I spent the morning in my kitchen with Mom sitting and visiting. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except it was unusual for my mother to not cook Thanksgiving Dinner. She talked and laughed with us. Later, we all gathered around our dining room table and kitchen table to give thanks for another year, especially one with Mom and Dad.
In the afterglow of a sumptuous meal, Robin and I decided that we would make a shopping run to Garden Ridge for their after Thanksgiving Dinner shopping spree. We asked Mom if she would like to go. She always loved shopping and told us she would. We entered the store, with Mom pushing the cart, so she would have some support. We walked just a short few steps into the store, when she told us she didn't think she could walk the entire store. We headed to the back of the store, where we found some tapestries. Mom began looking at the different pictures until she found one with Angels cascading down a bough of garland. Her remark startled us, "They look just like the Angels I saw." She told us she was going to buy that particular tapestry. Robin and I just looked at each other, not knowing what to think.
A week later, I was on the phone with Dad, explaining that I had strep throat and wouldn't be able to come over for a couple of days. Dad told me that Mom had fallen and he had helped her get into bed. He then told me he had tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't wake up. I told Dad to call 911. I called my brother and told him what had happened. I then found a mask and drove to the hospital. Mom was on life support. Dad looked stunned. The next morning, I made the heartbreaking trip back to the hospital, after Rob had called and told me that Mom had no brain waves. We all stood around her bed and said our loving goodbyes as the doctors turned off the life support machine.
Weeks later, I had a dream that Mom and I were talking. I asked her if she wanted to go shopping, but she told me she couldn’t. She smiled at me and then was gone.
That was 10 years ago this year. That memory is such a precious bitter-sweet memory. The tapestry hangs in my family room, reminding me every day of a very special Thanksgiving and a mother whom had spent time with Angels the Christmas before.
It was the year 2000; my mother had already had a brush with death, or should I say, she had already spent a moment with God, the year before.
Christmas of 1999, while others were enjoying the afterglow of Christmas, my Dad, brother and I were spending Christmas night in a hospital emergency room. Mom had been sick, but we didn't realize how sick until she passed out at the end of Christmas day. Mom had had a heart attack and the paramedics were able to revive her. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and was sent to another hospital because the one she had been taken to was on drive by.
New Year's Eve, 2000; while everyone else was worrying over Y2K and whether computers would crash worldwide and all systems would go down, I sat in an ICU unit visiting my mom, who was on a ventilator. Computers didn't crash that night and neither did my mother. Days later she was moved to a regular room, but Mom was never the same after that. She was still Mom, but there was just something that was off. None of us could ever put our finger on it, other than she was no longer as negative as she had always been, but that is not what struck me most. What bothered me was the anger she would have, at times, towards us for not letting her go. She often told us she had been happy, but then we brought her back and she never wanted to be brought back. That gave me the first clue that Mom had spent a short time with God in Heaven. She never talked about it, more than just to say she had been happy.
The next 10 months, I spent every night, 2 to 3 hours at a time, talking with Mom on the phone. I began to take it for granted that Mom was going to be alright and that she would be there for years to come, yet I still called her every night, to talk with her for hours; something I have never regretted.
Thanksgiving seemed like just another holiday with the whole family in attendance. Rob, Robin, and their children had come to stay with Mom and Dad. We had decided that Thanksgiving dinner would be at our house. They came over and Robin and I spent the morning in my kitchen with Mom sitting and visiting. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except it was unusual for my mother to not cook Thanksgiving Dinner. She talked and laughed with us. Later, we all gathered around our dining room table and kitchen table to give thanks for another year, especially one with Mom and Dad.
In the afterglow of a sumptuous meal, Robin and I decided that we would make a shopping run to Garden Ridge for their after Thanksgiving Dinner shopping spree. We asked Mom if she would like to go. She always loved shopping and told us she would. We entered the store, with Mom pushing the cart, so she would have some support. We walked just a short few steps into the store, when she told us she didn't think she could walk the entire store. We headed to the back of the store, where we found some tapestries. Mom began looking at the different pictures until she found one with Angels cascading down a bough of garland. Her remark startled us, "They look just like the Angels I saw." She told us she was going to buy that particular tapestry. Robin and I just looked at each other, not knowing what to think.
A week later, I was on the phone with Dad, explaining that I had strep throat and wouldn't be able to come over for a couple of days. Dad told me that Mom had fallen and he had helped her get into bed. He then told me he had tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't wake up. I told Dad to call 911. I called my brother and told him what had happened. I then found a mask and drove to the hospital. Mom was on life support. Dad looked stunned. The next morning, I made the heartbreaking trip back to the hospital, after Rob had called and told me that Mom had no brain waves. We all stood around her bed and said our loving goodbyes as the doctors turned off the life support machine.
Weeks later, I had a dream that Mom and I were talking. I asked her if she wanted to go shopping, but she told me she couldn’t. She smiled at me and then was gone.
That was 10 years ago this year. That memory is such a precious bitter-sweet memory. The tapestry hangs in my family room, reminding me every day of a very special Thanksgiving and a mother whom had spent time with Angels the Christmas before.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tried by Fire
"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!" That is a phrase I have heard all my life, but I never followed those directions. I was always in the belief that I was able to handle anything, no matter how much heat...until the last couple of years. From cancer to difficult situations at work...death of parents to beginning to watch my children stretch their wings and fly. Stress began to gradually build and build and build until I thought I would either explode or implode, but God had a different plan.
As I have looked over the last 10 years of my life I have seen where God was trying me by fire. He placed me in the situation of watching over my aging parents; through major health problems with tricky living arrangements, very young children, and living month to month, pay check to pay check, barely. He then readjusted life and I quickly found myself, burying my mother, parenting my father and children, and trying to work a full-time job as a special education teacher. Talk about trial by fire... I was trying to balance children in pre-school and daycare, elementary children with homework and outside activities, a full-time job teaching special education students and being Department Head, monitoring my dad's living arrangements and medicals appointments, teaching music with 1st and 2nd graders at church, singing in the choir and playing handbells.
Life continued in this fast pace of life for a few more baking years, until one summer day, God readjusted life again and I found myself standing over my father-in-law's grave and then a year later, over my own father's grave. At long last, I thought life would finally settle down and I would be able to breathe that cool refreshing air that our kitchens fill up with after the oven has been turned off and the heat of the stove has dissipated.
Then was once again, God readjusted the heat in the kitchen and I found myself fighting for my life with cancer. But God is gracious under fire; He provided Jesus to be in the massive fire with Shadraq, Meshack, and Abendigo when they needed Him. God provided me, with just the right diet to give me the health to fight the cancer. Four months before I was diagnosed, I found out I was allergic to rice, corn and glutens. The diet put me in the perfect health and weight to fight the cancer. What an amazing God we serve!
Life finally settled down for about half a year, then I felt like every burner on the stove had been turned up to high and the oven was sitting on 5000 degrees F. Jonathan went off to college, Mark was diagnosed with Parkinson's, three extreme behavior students moved into my case load, I quit my job due to extreme stress that no one should have to deal with without any help, and my mother-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Somehow in the midst of this overwhelming heat, God has supplied me with the most incredibly made hot pads to help me handle each of these problems. He has given me days of cooling peace, an euphoric feeling that everything is going to be all right, and patience to wait upon Him to help me pull all of this out of the oven and see what He has created as a blessing.
We don't always understand why we have to go through the test of fire until we come out on the other side a stronger person in Christ and to the Glory of God. As I await this delectable creation that God is putting together through the test of fire, I will be sitting in the kitchen, with baited breath, waiting.
As I have looked over the last 10 years of my life I have seen where God was trying me by fire. He placed me in the situation of watching over my aging parents; through major health problems with tricky living arrangements, very young children, and living month to month, pay check to pay check, barely. He then readjusted life and I quickly found myself, burying my mother, parenting my father and children, and trying to work a full-time job as a special education teacher. Talk about trial by fire... I was trying to balance children in pre-school and daycare, elementary children with homework and outside activities, a full-time job teaching special education students and being Department Head, monitoring my dad's living arrangements and medicals appointments, teaching music with 1st and 2nd graders at church, singing in the choir and playing handbells.
Life continued in this fast pace of life for a few more baking years, until one summer day, God readjusted life again and I found myself standing over my father-in-law's grave and then a year later, over my own father's grave. At long last, I thought life would finally settle down and I would be able to breathe that cool refreshing air that our kitchens fill up with after the oven has been turned off and the heat of the stove has dissipated.
Then was once again, God readjusted the heat in the kitchen and I found myself fighting for my life with cancer. But God is gracious under fire; He provided Jesus to be in the massive fire with Shadraq, Meshack, and Abendigo when they needed Him. God provided me, with just the right diet to give me the health to fight the cancer. Four months before I was diagnosed, I found out I was allergic to rice, corn and glutens. The diet put me in the perfect health and weight to fight the cancer. What an amazing God we serve!
Life finally settled down for about half a year, then I felt like every burner on the stove had been turned up to high and the oven was sitting on 5000 degrees F. Jonathan went off to college, Mark was diagnosed with Parkinson's, three extreme behavior students moved into my case load, I quit my job due to extreme stress that no one should have to deal with without any help, and my mother-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Somehow in the midst of this overwhelming heat, God has supplied me with the most incredibly made hot pads to help me handle each of these problems. He has given me days of cooling peace, an euphoric feeling that everything is going to be all right, and patience to wait upon Him to help me pull all of this out of the oven and see what He has created as a blessing.
We don't always understand why we have to go through the test of fire until we come out on the other side a stronger person in Christ and to the Glory of God. As I await this delectable creation that God is putting together through the test of fire, I will be sitting in the kitchen, with baited breath, waiting.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Reflections on a Miracle
The sun filters through my blinds as it sinks down on this crystal clear fall day. It is a day of peaceful reflection. A day of praise that God sustains us in the most difficult of circumstances.
Last night the last of the 33 Chilean miners was brought to the surface, alive and healthy looking, considering the ordeal that they have faced for the last 69 days. They said that they faced the devil and they faced God, and God won. God was so good to provide minds from all over the world that could work together to find a solution that would bring every single miner to the surface.
God has given these men a second chance, just like He gives us a second chance. We are all born sinners and live our selfish lives, which begin from birth, to decay to sin. God sent His son to be nailed to a cross and bear all our sins. God turned His back, as Jesus hung on the cross, and allowed Satin to take Jesus through every sin that we had or ever could commit, just so we could be saved from those sins. When we reach out to God, just like those miners, He assures us that He has provided a way to be raised out of the depths of sin, that we are buried in. All we have to do is say yes to His invitation of accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, and we are instantly raised out of the deep pit.
What keeps you from reaching up and taking God's hand and letting Him raise you up out of the deep mine in your life?
Last night the last of the 33 Chilean miners was brought to the surface, alive and healthy looking, considering the ordeal that they have faced for the last 69 days. They said that they faced the devil and they faced God, and God won. God was so good to provide minds from all over the world that could work together to find a solution that would bring every single miner to the surface.
God has given these men a second chance, just like He gives us a second chance. We are all born sinners and live our selfish lives, which begin from birth, to decay to sin. God sent His son to be nailed to a cross and bear all our sins. God turned His back, as Jesus hung on the cross, and allowed Satin to take Jesus through every sin that we had or ever could commit, just so we could be saved from those sins. When we reach out to God, just like those miners, He assures us that He has provided a way to be raised out of the depths of sin, that we are buried in. All we have to do is say yes to His invitation of accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, and we are instantly raised out of the deep pit.
What keeps you from reaching up and taking God's hand and letting Him raise you up out of the deep mine in your life?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Beauty of a Christian Facing Death
I visited one of my favorite aunts today. She is very sick and as of today, was placed in hospice. My aunt has been one of the strongest Christian ladies I have ever known. She has handled life's twist and turns with grace, peace and an assurance that only God can bless a soul with.
My aunt sat in her hospital bed this morning, though in great pain, very frail, and no hair, she had one of the most beautiful, brightest smiles on her face, every time someone walked into her room. She braved the pain, so that she could visit for a few minutes with every person that crossed her threshold, before asking for medication that would ultimately put her to sleep for hours. She listened quietly as the hospice group explained what they do to make the transition from our world to eternity easier; often with her eyes closed. Make no mistake, though, she was alert and listening. Every time a question was asked that she thought she should answer, she would speak up, or she would ask questions herself. There was a calmness and peacefulness about her as she listened to how her last days on this earth would play out.
This strong graceful woman knows where she is going when she passes from this life. She has the kind of assurance that knowing God on a personal level can give. Although she desires to remain on this earth with her family, she is eagerly awaiting the day that she will meet God and Jesus face to face. The day that she will once again be with her family who has gone on before her.
This special lady, my aunt, has a great sense of humor, yet she is quiet and humble. God will enjoy having one more very precious soul in Heaven, one day very soon.
I will miss my aunt, but I am so glad that God gave me the privilege of knowing her and learning from her.
My aunt sat in her hospital bed this morning, though in great pain, very frail, and no hair, she had one of the most beautiful, brightest smiles on her face, every time someone walked into her room. She braved the pain, so that she could visit for a few minutes with every person that crossed her threshold, before asking for medication that would ultimately put her to sleep for hours. She listened quietly as the hospice group explained what they do to make the transition from our world to eternity easier; often with her eyes closed. Make no mistake, though, she was alert and listening. Every time a question was asked that she thought she should answer, she would speak up, or she would ask questions herself. There was a calmness and peacefulness about her as she listened to how her last days on this earth would play out.
This strong graceful woman knows where she is going when she passes from this life. She has the kind of assurance that knowing God on a personal level can give. Although she desires to remain on this earth with her family, she is eagerly awaiting the day that she will meet God and Jesus face to face. The day that she will once again be with her family who has gone on before her.
This special lady, my aunt, has a great sense of humor, yet she is quiet and humble. God will enjoy having one more very precious soul in Heaven, one day very soon.
I will miss my aunt, but I am so glad that God gave me the privilege of knowing her and learning from her.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The World Breathes Music
Do you hear it? LISTEN…LISTEN…listen… So soft at times that we almost miss it.
Do you hear it? The world orchestra is playing a song…so melodious…so beautiful that life itself grows with it. The music is bursting forth, yet we, as humans, are so busy with our loud hectic lives that we totally miss it. We rarely slow down long enough to listen and really hear the music.
Do you hear it? It is there, just beyond our grasp, our understanding. The music is rich, more rich than any timbre of the finest violin played by a world class violinist. The pulse of the music can plunge to the very depths of the deepest ocean and then climax to the highest pinnacle of Mount Everest. There is a surging of percussion with a full element of bass and cellos, which can explode with the most violent of volcanoes and then be brought to the quietest murmur of a piccolo trilling the soft song of a meadowlark.
Do you hear it? Take a few moments and look around you at the beauty and listen; really listen. You will be blessed with music, beyond any you have ever heard before.
Listen….do you hear it?
Do you hear it? The world orchestra is playing a song…so melodious…so beautiful that life itself grows with it. The music is bursting forth, yet we, as humans, are so busy with our loud hectic lives that we totally miss it. We rarely slow down long enough to listen and really hear the music.
Do you hear it? It is there, just beyond our grasp, our understanding. The music is rich, more rich than any timbre of the finest violin played by a world class violinist. The pulse of the music can plunge to the very depths of the deepest ocean and then climax to the highest pinnacle of Mount Everest. There is a surging of percussion with a full element of bass and cellos, which can explode with the most violent of volcanoes and then be brought to the quietest murmur of a piccolo trilling the soft song of a meadowlark.
Do you hear it? Take a few moments and look around you at the beauty and listen; really listen. You will be blessed with music, beyond any you have ever heard before.
Listen….do you hear it?
Rose of Life
I stopped to view a rose today,
Its beauty, I'm in awe to behold.
So soft, so tiny, so perfectly formed,
As only my Lord can mold.
Its touch like velvet or baby's skin,
Sends a thrill to my very soul.
Yet, the thorns, not handled properly,
Can turn one's senses cold.
Our lives like this rose, are fragile.
They bloom as we work to grow,
Yet, He has to prune our thorns carefully,
In order for our beauty to glow.
Its beauty, I'm in awe to behold.
So soft, so tiny, so perfectly formed,
As only my Lord can mold.
Its touch like velvet or baby's skin,
Sends a thrill to my very soul.
Yet, the thorns, not handled properly,
Can turn one's senses cold.
Our lives like this rose, are fragile.
They bloom as we work to grow,
Yet, He has to prune our thorns carefully,
In order for our beauty to glow.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Whatever Happened to Common Courtesy?
More and more lately, I have noticed quite a lack of common courtesy, whether it is in driving, on cellphones, or face to face in public places.
As I have been driving around lately, I have noticed people cutting more people off, not stopping and waiting in a parking lot when they see a car halfway out of a parking space, and not taking turns at stop signs. This is becoming an epidemic. Today, I almost backed into someone when I was pulling out of a parking space. They could see me, but I couldn't see them until I was almost halfway out. If I hadn't slammed on my brakes, I would have backed into the side of their car and guess whose fault that would have been. Why is it that we don't stop anymore and wait to let someone pull out of a space, when they are already halfway out? I've also, noticed when people are walking to their cars, they don't stop and wait for cars, who are already pulling out, to complete their maneuver, Are we really in that much of a hurry? Is there really anything that important that we can't stop out of common courtesy? Where is the emergency that causes us to think our movement from "point a" to "point b" is more important that anyone else? Do we really think that little of each other anymore?
The other way I have noticed a lack of common courtesy, is face to face with people in public. I have watched people disregard others by stopping in the middle of an aisle, so that they and their family are totally blocking the aisle just so they can carry on a conversation with each other. The other day I was in a store and was trying to move to the next aisle, when I came upon a family just standing in the middle of the way. I tried to excuse myself, so they would step aside and let me by, but to no avail. I ended up turning and walking back the way I had come and then over to the next aisle. A minute later that same family turned the corner onto the aisle where I was walking and slowly made their way towards me. I kept waiting for them to stop again, but to my relief, they continued down the aisle, not realizing their rudeness.
Another problem is when people are talking on a cellphone when they are in all kinds of public places. My pet peeve is talking on a cellphone in a public bathroom...REALLY!!! Don't those of you who do that, not know that anyone on the other end can hear everything going on around you? Those cellphones do pick up and amplify anything down to the tiniest noise. Would you invite a group of people into a bathroom to experience your private moments, at home? Then why are you doing it in public restrooms where the rest of us don't want anyone listening in. Then, there is movie theaters, concerts, doctor's offices...need I go on? Once again, with the use of new technology, common courtesy has gone out the window.
Now don't get me wrong, I am speaking to myself in some of these instances, because I too am guilty at times.
Today, I witnessed a brazen form of rudeness. Now we have all gone to restaurants, where we sit at tables that are near others or shared with others, but not all restaurants are set up for this. As my son and I were sitting in an unnamed restaurant, I was enjoying one of my favorite pastimes...watching other people. I observed a group of four businessmen dressed in casual attire walk over to a table for 4 and sit down. They began to eat. Within a couple of minutes they realized something was wrong at their table. (I'm not sure what the problem was.) So they opted to get up and move to two tables pushed together to form a table for 4, behind where my son was sitting. One man had sat down, another had set his food down and returned to help the other men move their food. He turned around, with the other two men and moved towards the new table. At this time a woman, talking on her cellphone walked over and sat down at the table where the one man was already sitting. Now, you need to know that there were probably at least 4 or 5 other tables that were vacant. The man whose food was already at the table walked over, looked at the man sitting at the table, with a look of he couldn't believe this woman was doing this. She didn't seem to realize anything was wrong, so the men got up and moved, with their food, back to the original table. In watching this whole situation unfold, I was shocked that someone would be that brazen and rude, but most of all amazed that she was so caught up in her conversation, on her cellphone, that she didn't notice that she had been rude or brazen.
We have introduced so many different nationalities, beliefs and background experiences into our country, along with their ways of doing things and their ideologies, modern technology, the need to do everything faster and faster, thus, over the years we have all lost a since of courtesy and politeness no matter how we were all brought up.
We, the people of this eclectic society need to come to an agreement to be courteous and polite to each other on the same level; to slow down; and make people more important than ourselves and our ever changing technology.
I'm getting off my soapbox now. :D
As I have been driving around lately, I have noticed people cutting more people off, not stopping and waiting in a parking lot when they see a car halfway out of a parking space, and not taking turns at stop signs. This is becoming an epidemic. Today, I almost backed into someone when I was pulling out of a parking space. They could see me, but I couldn't see them until I was almost halfway out. If I hadn't slammed on my brakes, I would have backed into the side of their car and guess whose fault that would have been. Why is it that we don't stop anymore and wait to let someone pull out of a space, when they are already halfway out? I've also, noticed when people are walking to their cars, they don't stop and wait for cars, who are already pulling out, to complete their maneuver, Are we really in that much of a hurry? Is there really anything that important that we can't stop out of common courtesy? Where is the emergency that causes us to think our movement from "point a" to "point b" is more important that anyone else? Do we really think that little of each other anymore?
The other way I have noticed a lack of common courtesy, is face to face with people in public. I have watched people disregard others by stopping in the middle of an aisle, so that they and their family are totally blocking the aisle just so they can carry on a conversation with each other. The other day I was in a store and was trying to move to the next aisle, when I came upon a family just standing in the middle of the way. I tried to excuse myself, so they would step aside and let me by, but to no avail. I ended up turning and walking back the way I had come and then over to the next aisle. A minute later that same family turned the corner onto the aisle where I was walking and slowly made their way towards me. I kept waiting for them to stop again, but to my relief, they continued down the aisle, not realizing their rudeness.
Another problem is when people are talking on a cellphone when they are in all kinds of public places. My pet peeve is talking on a cellphone in a public bathroom...REALLY!!! Don't those of you who do that, not know that anyone on the other end can hear everything going on around you? Those cellphones do pick up and amplify anything down to the tiniest noise. Would you invite a group of people into a bathroom to experience your private moments, at home? Then why are you doing it in public restrooms where the rest of us don't want anyone listening in. Then, there is movie theaters, concerts, doctor's offices...need I go on? Once again, with the use of new technology, common courtesy has gone out the window.
Now don't get me wrong, I am speaking to myself in some of these instances, because I too am guilty at times.
Today, I witnessed a brazen form of rudeness. Now we have all gone to restaurants, where we sit at tables that are near others or shared with others, but not all restaurants are set up for this. As my son and I were sitting in an unnamed restaurant, I was enjoying one of my favorite pastimes...watching other people. I observed a group of four businessmen dressed in casual attire walk over to a table for 4 and sit down. They began to eat. Within a couple of minutes they realized something was wrong at their table. (I'm not sure what the problem was.) So they opted to get up and move to two tables pushed together to form a table for 4, behind where my son was sitting. One man had sat down, another had set his food down and returned to help the other men move their food. He turned around, with the other two men and moved towards the new table. At this time a woman, talking on her cellphone walked over and sat down at the table where the one man was already sitting. Now, you need to know that there were probably at least 4 or 5 other tables that were vacant. The man whose food was already at the table walked over, looked at the man sitting at the table, with a look of he couldn't believe this woman was doing this. She didn't seem to realize anything was wrong, so the men got up and moved, with their food, back to the original table. In watching this whole situation unfold, I was shocked that someone would be that brazen and rude, but most of all amazed that she was so caught up in her conversation, on her cellphone, that she didn't notice that she had been rude or brazen.
We have introduced so many different nationalities, beliefs and background experiences into our country, along with their ways of doing things and their ideologies, modern technology, the need to do everything faster and faster, thus, over the years we have all lost a since of courtesy and politeness no matter how we were all brought up.
We, the people of this eclectic society need to come to an agreement to be courteous and polite to each other on the same level; to slow down; and make people more important than ourselves and our ever changing technology.
I'm getting off my soapbox now. :D
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
God's Handiwork
God's handiwork,
So meticulous and grand;
Complex, yet simple,
He needs no helping hand.
The land, like a glorious quilt,
Each patch radiates in a different hue;
He carefully weaves His details,
Right down to the shimmering dew.
Waters crest ashore, so gently,
Then angrily, as a lion chasing down its prey;
His touch can calm them down again,
As though they had nothing to say.
Mountains, so vast and expansive,
A mist of shadows and clouds;
Stand rugged, strong and majestic,
Yet, so softened by colors that shroud.
Yes, God in all His knowledge,
Has created beauty beyond compare;
That we, as his children created,
Were given to enjoy and to share.
So meticulous and grand;
Complex, yet simple,
He needs no helping hand.
The land, like a glorious quilt,
Each patch radiates in a different hue;
He carefully weaves His details,
Right down to the shimmering dew.
Waters crest ashore, so gently,
Then angrily, as a lion chasing down its prey;
His touch can calm them down again,
As though they had nothing to say.
Mountains, so vast and expansive,
A mist of shadows and clouds;
Stand rugged, strong and majestic,
Yet, so softened by colors that shroud.
Yes, God in all His knowledge,
Has created beauty beyond compare;
That we, as his children created,
Were given to enjoy and to share.
Here's to Sifting Through Twenty Years
Twenty years of teaching supplies, books, and worksheets is a lot of stuff to sift through, but last Thursday, I started the dreaded task of going through all that I have collected over the years as a teacher of regular education and special education.
Today was strenuous, as I continued to wander through my cabinets with lots and lots of memories. I went through children's books, files upon files and even more files of worksheets and somewhat important papers, craft items to make fun lessons or holiday oriented stuff, teaching books, games, and toys used for rewards. There was a lot of stuff! After packing up a good part of it, my boys helped me load up my SUV and we brought the first load home to store. Where???
I will trudge back up to the school again tomorrow and complete this grueling, bittersweet task. Bittersweet, because I have so many wonderful memories of children that I have taught over the years. Memories of students who touched my life, but most importantly, students in whose lives I was able to make a difference. Those are the students that will always standout in my memory. The ones, who I will wonder what they became when they grew up and what kind of a difference are they making.
So, as I sift through the last of my stuff tomorrow I will continue to allow the precious memories to wash over me and bring back fond memories of days gone by. Then, I will load up the last of my stuff and bring it home.
Now where to put it....hmmmm! Wait! I have an idea...my oldest son goes back to college in two weeks. Yes! Storage is in an upstairs back bedroom of my house. Now the question is...can I get 25-30 banker's boxes in my son's closet??? :D
Today was strenuous, as I continued to wander through my cabinets with lots and lots of memories. I went through children's books, files upon files and even more files of worksheets and somewhat important papers, craft items to make fun lessons or holiday oriented stuff, teaching books, games, and toys used for rewards. There was a lot of stuff! After packing up a good part of it, my boys helped me load up my SUV and we brought the first load home to store. Where???
I will trudge back up to the school again tomorrow and complete this grueling, bittersweet task. Bittersweet, because I have so many wonderful memories of children that I have taught over the years. Memories of students who touched my life, but most importantly, students in whose lives I was able to make a difference. Those are the students that will always standout in my memory. The ones, who I will wonder what they became when they grew up and what kind of a difference are they making.
So, as I sift through the last of my stuff tomorrow I will continue to allow the precious memories to wash over me and bring back fond memories of days gone by. Then, I will load up the last of my stuff and bring it home.
Now where to put it....hmmmm! Wait! I have an idea...my oldest son goes back to college in two weeks. Yes! Storage is in an upstairs back bedroom of my house. Now the question is...can I get 25-30 banker's boxes in my son's closet??? :D
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Behind the Artist Easel
Why name my blog "Behind the Artist Easel"?
Over the many years of my life I have found myself sitting behind my easel; where I have let my mind wander as I draw, create or paint what I see, and perceive from real life, photographs, or what I see in my mind's eye. It is a quiet hiding place, where I have spent many hours of letting my mind flow with the creative talents that God so richly blessed me with. It has been a place of contemplation and a place where the outside world can't enter. God has allowed me the privilege, like so many other artist, of having the ability to communicate the beauty around me, what I am feeling, and the extremes in life that surround us, by using many different mediums. It is a privilege that I have often taken for granted, but now in my middle years, I realize are so precious.
As in Isaiah 64: 8 "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay and You our potter, and all we are the work of Your hand."
Over the time-span of my life, God has molded me and then mashed me back down to the lump of raw clay and slip that is the beginning of any beautifully crafted piece of pottery, just to rebuild and shape me again. Even though, I have at times, come close to looking like the piece that He had in mind, I have had flaws, which caused God to mash me down and start over. For without removing the flaws, the piece will not be whole and might crack, explode or not hold up to the fire of life's kiln. At this point and time, God has spent many months mashing me down, once more, to get rid of the flaws, so that I might be remolded and become more flawless. Don't get me wrong, this won't be the last time God has had to remold me, but each time He does, I get closer and closer to becoming the final perfect product that He is creating me to be.
If you have been around an artist, you know that they don't usually want anyone to see their unfinished work. I too don't want anyone to see my work until it is completed. Thus, I sit by myself "Behind the Artist Easel" with the dream of bestowing on the world, however big or small, the masterpiece that God has directed my hands to create. As I draw, paint, sculpt, or just roll different ideas over in my mind, I find that I also, need to put my thoughts on paper in words and not just in stark pencil lines,charcoal shadings, paint filled brushstrokes, quick exacting swipes of the palette knife or sculpting clay. Thus, I have begun my blog to share, with family and friends, the thoughts that I ponder and what God is doing in my life as I use my talents to reach others for Him.
Don't be surprised when you see me peek out from "Behind the Artist Easel" and share my thoughts or maybe a finished drawing, painting, or sculpture.
God bless you all,
Your Constantly Remolded Clay
Over the many years of my life I have found myself sitting behind my easel; where I have let my mind wander as I draw, create or paint what I see, and perceive from real life, photographs, or what I see in my mind's eye. It is a quiet hiding place, where I have spent many hours of letting my mind flow with the creative talents that God so richly blessed me with. It has been a place of contemplation and a place where the outside world can't enter. God has allowed me the privilege, like so many other artist, of having the ability to communicate the beauty around me, what I am feeling, and the extremes in life that surround us, by using many different mediums. It is a privilege that I have often taken for granted, but now in my middle years, I realize are so precious.
As in Isaiah 64: 8 "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay and You our potter, and all we are the work of Your hand."
Over the time-span of my life, God has molded me and then mashed me back down to the lump of raw clay and slip that is the beginning of any beautifully crafted piece of pottery, just to rebuild and shape me again. Even though, I have at times, come close to looking like the piece that He had in mind, I have had flaws, which caused God to mash me down and start over. For without removing the flaws, the piece will not be whole and might crack, explode or not hold up to the fire of life's kiln. At this point and time, God has spent many months mashing me down, once more, to get rid of the flaws, so that I might be remolded and become more flawless. Don't get me wrong, this won't be the last time God has had to remold me, but each time He does, I get closer and closer to becoming the final perfect product that He is creating me to be.
If you have been around an artist, you know that they don't usually want anyone to see their unfinished work. I too don't want anyone to see my work until it is completed. Thus, I sit by myself "Behind the Artist Easel" with the dream of bestowing on the world, however big or small, the masterpiece that God has directed my hands to create. As I draw, paint, sculpt, or just roll different ideas over in my mind, I find that I also, need to put my thoughts on paper in words and not just in stark pencil lines,charcoal shadings, paint filled brushstrokes, quick exacting swipes of the palette knife or sculpting clay. Thus, I have begun my blog to share, with family and friends, the thoughts that I ponder and what God is doing in my life as I use my talents to reach others for Him.
Don't be surprised when you see me peek out from "Behind the Artist Easel" and share my thoughts or maybe a finished drawing, painting, or sculpture.
God bless you all,
Your Constantly Remolded Clay
Friday, July 30, 2010
Take This Job and....
For the last couple of years I have often wondered what it would feel like to tell my boss to take this job and... Although, I didn't exactly do that with my boss, I did turn in my resignation.
The last three years have been very stressful for me, from losing my father from complications of a stroke and Parkinson's, myself going through cancer, dealing with severe student behavior that has far exceeded what my classroom was set up to deal with and not being able to teach because of it, to my husband's own on-going illness. This has turned out to be the kind of stress where you begin to look at your life and think what can I begin to eliminate. Well, my father is gone to a better place, I am cancer free, and my husband...I can't control that nor eliminate him, so the most logical place to start was with my job.
Now a stressful job is one thing, but when you are up against Golliath and you don't have David, a sling shot and 5 smooth stones; the only solution is to bail. I have never been one to just up and quit my job on a whim. This took lots of prayer, talking with people I highly respect, and soul searching; but after a two month process, I came to the conclusion I needed to get out.
Before and after I turned in my resignation I had this overwhelming peace that I was doing the right thing. I felt this immense weight lifted off my shoulders and a surge of energy as I realized that I am starting another chapter in my life.
What is this new chapter??? That is yet to be seen, but I know this...I want to use my artistic abilities to do whatever God leads me to do. I have always had a love for art on many different levels and it is finally time to quit putting it on the back burner and bring it forth and use it to the ability that God has blessed me with.
I just ask that you all pray for me as I go through the process of figuring out what I can do in the work world that would best use my creative talents.
The last three years have been very stressful for me, from losing my father from complications of a stroke and Parkinson's, myself going through cancer, dealing with severe student behavior that has far exceeded what my classroom was set up to deal with and not being able to teach because of it, to my husband's own on-going illness. This has turned out to be the kind of stress where you begin to look at your life and think what can I begin to eliminate. Well, my father is gone to a better place, I am cancer free, and my husband...I can't control that nor eliminate him, so the most logical place to start was with my job.
Now a stressful job is one thing, but when you are up against Golliath and you don't have David, a sling shot and 5 smooth stones; the only solution is to bail. I have never been one to just up and quit my job on a whim. This took lots of prayer, talking with people I highly respect, and soul searching; but after a two month process, I came to the conclusion I needed to get out.
Before and after I turned in my resignation I had this overwhelming peace that I was doing the right thing. I felt this immense weight lifted off my shoulders and a surge of energy as I realized that I am starting another chapter in my life.
What is this new chapter??? That is yet to be seen, but I know this...I want to use my artistic abilities to do whatever God leads me to do. I have always had a love for art on many different levels and it is finally time to quit putting it on the back burner and bring it forth and use it to the ability that God has blessed me with.
I just ask that you all pray for me as I go through the process of figuring out what I can do in the work world that would best use my creative talents.
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