Do The Right Thing!!

My parents and their parents and probably their parents and EVERY generation before me has often told their kids.."do the right thing." I am burdened by that responsibility sometimes. I find myself begrudgingly "doing the right thing" when (if I were totally honest with myself) that is the polar opposite of what I want to do! When I constantly give in to this unspoken expectation, I grow weary and irritable and really inwardly hostile about the "things" and the people that expect them! BUT HERE IS THE THING.... if you will... when I am selfish and give in to my "all about me attitude", I miss out. I miss out on experiences, ah-ha moments, and many memory making opportunities. So... today.. I will get a shower, I will go somewhere I have little or no desire to go, and I will...once again.. do the right thing! Praying that God will shake me up a bit and that the smiles shared will be the only memory of my day!

WHO KNEW??

Today I was teaching a Science Fiction lesson and used Ray Bradbury's "All Summer In A Day". My objectives were clear: identify the elements of Science Fiction, read the story, find aforementioned elements, move on...
HOWEVER.. I must remind you dear reader that I teach SIXTH GRADE! Like that box of chocolates Sweet Forrest mentioned... you never know what you're gonna' get!
The gist of the story is this: Setting= Venus in a future time. Conflict= It rains there for seven years, only to be interrupted by one hour of sunshine before returning to RAIN!! Characters= A bunch of little kids who have never seen sunshine, the teacher, and Margot (who was born on Earth and remembers sun and is "weird" by the other kids' standards). The mean kids lock Margot in a closet and forget about her... and she of course misses the sun.
My students totally turned this into a Character Education lesson. They opened up and talked about how it really stinks to be the odd person out. These kids who don't like to be too serious asked excellent questions. "Where was the teacher? Do you think Margot recovered? If she loses her mind, is it their fault?" and then.... the really hard question..."Mrs. Freeman, did you ever do such things?". OH my heart beat quickly and my face turned red and I lowered my head in shame. THEN.. I had to summons the courage to tell them the truth.. "Yes dear ones, I may not have been William (the ring leader); but I know that kids were picked on, I knew it was wrong and I DID NOTHING and for that I have very sorry." So... did I meet my academic objectives of Science Fiction? Not so much. I did however continue to build relationships with my students, further enhanced their trust in me, and hopefully allowed them for a moment to realize it's never to late to change who you are and how you behave!
Thank you Toucans for the reminder... now tomorrow... SCIENCE FICTION is on the agenda...

Spring has sprung?

Today marks the first day of Spring. Flirty dresses, sandals and pedicures, Easter bonnets and anticipation of days at the pool, mowing the lawn and evenings spent on The Deck. AND POLLEN!!! Arrrggghhh. This must surely be the work of the devil. But wait.. not so much. You see... in that disgusting, misery causing agent lies life for other things. Flowers, trees, and even honey. So...I am trying to alter my attitude. Rather than fuss and complain about how pollen affects me.. perhaps I should realize that a brief season of misery is worth all that will develop in the end. God has a plan for all of us and sometimes it's a little uncomfortable. Embrace those moments and try to look outside of you and into your circle of influence!! May his blessings be all that you see!!

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Parental Guidance??

This week my son and I were riding along in the car. Funny thing.. there is never music in my car when I have one of the boys alone... too much to talk about. In any event, he explains, "Mom, some girl left a period pad in the back of the classroom where the teacher keeps her black drawers." My brain sort of skimmed over the first part and said, "Oh yeah, a filing cabinet?" He said, "Yes. Everybody started laughing and I just thought it was gross." I responded with some fluff about "well, this is a part of life" blah, blah, blah.
Several days later, I am still in a bit of shock. YES I KNOW he is ten years old and is supposed to know about this stuff. BUT where did the time go? How is it that he is in the final chapters of his elementary career? and HOW do I continue to foster a relationship where he still talks to me. I guess I just keep on loving him and try to listen with my mind and my heart. Perhaps focusing on answering as if he were one of my students rather than my baby boy! This entire experience makes me grateful to be his mother and for the loaner gift of he and his brother. I am so undeserving but so very thankful!

Judge NOT.....

Judging others. Something we all do and something we all are instructed to NOT do. I often question why our Father in Heaven gave us such skills. We are all too often quick to judge, rapid to condemn, and painfully slow to forgive. Each of us thinks too highly of ourselves or falsely believes that we would NEVER be caught in "those" situations that lesser humans are in. But here is the one true thing... YOU NEVER KNOW!! I am working on looking past the immediate, in my face, and oh so easily judged.. moment. AND trying to look at the entire package. The novel.. rather than the page if you will. Each of us are really nothing more than our experiences and the blessings that were meant to accompany them. Sometimes we falter, sometimes we fall flat, and every once in a while... we get it right. So... do we really have the right to judge? You decide.

Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, lest you be judged"

The ugly, ugly truth.......

Today marks DAY 1 of the never-ending quest to lose weight. I REALLY don't like being overweight and I really don't like feeling as tho' I can't do everything my mind seems to think I can. Just last week, I nailed a double wing at dance..only to have my knees BEG for mercy the next morning.. NOT GOOD. AND YES.. I have kidded myself and said all the classic statements..."the dryer shrunk my pants, I really did not eat that much, I don't have time for exercise".... BLAH BLAH BLAH Maria!! Give it a break... you sound worse than the drill at the dentists' office accompanied by long icky teacher nails down and old-fashioned chalk board. I give 100% most everywhere in my life and MUST commit to taking better care of myself. The recent bills that have begun to pour in for our month of insane health-care needs really ought to be catalyst enough. BUT NO.. don't forget the many, many dollars I have spent on weight loss.. only to gain those little suckers back (and them some). For those who have never struggled with weight, don't judge and don't give empty advice. You, nor I, never will really understand another's journey until we have walked in another's shoes. (By the way~ I tried that once and really did not like my friend's shoes at all.. they pinched my toes). Ultimately, I seek truthful support and encouragement. I will keep you posted and if you find this ridiculous... just tune out. I won't be offended.
So.... success for Day 1. I am encouraged and excited. THANKS for asking!

PS.. Thanks to the numerous folks out there who have inspired me. YOU LOOK MAHVELOUS DAHLINGS!!!! (Old 7-Up commercial voice)