Sermon? You Mean There is a Sermon on Sunday?

It seems I have a difficult time hearing the sermon each week. I have to miss a lot of services because I work with several children's programs. Some folks never hear a sermon and I really hate that for them. We have a great teaching pastor and it is a shame they have to catch him online, for I fear they won't. Tomorrow I get to hold babies while the Mommies and Daddies hear the teaching. The whole baby-holding thing makes me very happy.

Back to the sermons. Some weeks, I have no reason not to hear the sermon. Except things just...happen. Take last week for example. You know the two glasses of water, one cup of coffee and two glasses of oj I had before church? Who would have thought that would have all processed and I would have found myself about to float away by the time praise and worship began? So, when the children were dismissed to children's church, I slipped out to go to the restroom. Note I slipped out at a time to cause the least amount of disruption. That's how I am. Really. You'll need to know that in a moment.

So, I get done in the restroom and it is on my mind that Annie's finger that is injured is swollen and causing her significant pain. I know that buddy-taping it will help, so it occurs to me to go find a first aid kit and acquire a strip of medical tape to use on it. Said first aid kit has no tape. There are, however, a lot of antiseptic wipes and an emergency blanket for those times we'll need one in church (??). Making a mental note of where the emergency blanket is because I know it is knowledge I will need at some time, I head on to the nursery thinking I can acquire some sort of tape there. Finding masking tape, I rip off a long piece and head back to the service. I slip in the back, quietly hugging my dear friend, the bass player, who is also slipping in, and I head to our seats in the, ahem, front of the church. I get about half-way to the front and it occurs to me that Annie isn't there. That would be because I had sent her to Kids Worship to help lead praise and worship there. Making a quick right turn, I head on out the side door knowing people are shaking their head at that crazy lady with the long piece of tape flowing behind, and hoping they don't think I'm being all disruptive on purpose. I also hope the pastor doesn't hunt me down after the service.

I head to Kids Worship, where the songs are in full swing. I can't access Annie's hand, because to do so would require disrupting the song service and, of course, I can't do that. So, I sing along, digging all the cool motions until the songs are finished. Annie and I head to the hallway where I tape her fingers with the masking tape, which proves to be a pretty lame excuse for buddy tape, but is a bit helpful nonetheless.

Task completed, I briskly walk toward the sanctuary to try this whole sermon thing again when I am asked to please assist a visitor in taking their child to the nursery. Happy to help, we proceed to our two year old class, helping her sign in the child and explaining the security process, etc. We then rejoin the church service. Being as stealthy as I know how, I slip into the pew, only climbing over five or six people to get to my seat. Holly comments that it sure took a long time to go to the restroom....by the time I complete a note to her with a thorough explanation of where I have been, there is enough sermon left to leave me completely at a loss as to the point of it all. It occurs to me then, that there is some significance in that. What it is, I'm not sure.

So, I'm thinking that in a couple of weeks I'll be able to try it again. I just hope, since it will be Senior Day, I can keep from bawling the whole time. Now THAT would be distracting.

It's Settled. I'm Sure This Time. I Think.

I'm really done this time. I stuck with the plan with one variation. I am adding Tapestry of Grace 1 to the mix. It has so much to add, and of course, I really want to have all of the best. I really believe my best includes TOG. So, all that is left is organizing it, filling in literature/history books that may be missing, little things like that. I think I can relax about it until I get the oldest over the graduation hump. I really hope so.

Speaking of which, I started addressing announcements and I went through about 1/10of the pictures for all the slide shows for church, banquets, etc. Church needs 6 to 10 pictures. This child is:

a. The oldest. We all know there are waaaaay more pictures of the oldest. (Spoken like a true baby of the family.)

b. 18 and a HALF! That is not even one picture a year!

Well, it can't be done. One cannot capture the "heart" of some one's life with ten pictures. Nope. So, when I turn in, say 16 pictures (give or take), I triple-dog dare 'em to eliminate any. How could they, after all?

I'm Ready to Play

It is a typical May in this part of the country. Either we are freezing, checking windchill, and shivering in shorts, or we are enjoying a spectacular sunny day in which the grass grows at least three inches per hour. The last couple of days have definitely fallen into the former category.

Trav has pitched two games this week, doing very well at both. The first, unfortunately, doesn't count, because the Heavens opened and a downpour to rival Noah's ensued. Thankfully, this one was much shorter than Noah's. Not so happily, we lose our 8-1 lead because we hadn't completed enough innings for it to count.

Last night he pitched a complete game (despite sprinkles and winds straight from the Arctic) and we won. It was a really good game. His batting is on, his pitching is one, his teammates are really, really on, and the stars have all aligned.

So, despite the plummeting temperatures, a good baseball game is proof that spring is here and summer is coming very soon. It always brings to mind an old favorite song. For all the baseball fans out there:

Ready To Play (Put Me In Coach) by John Foggerty

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field.
A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man; (ahem. In case you didn't know, that is Travis)
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

CHORUS:
Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watchin' it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Casey struck out.
So Say Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio;
Don't say "it ain't so", you know the time is now.

CHORUS:
Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield.

Yeah! I got it, I got it!

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it's time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

CHORUS:
Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield. (x2)

Yeah!

God Knows About the Whole Time Thing

Anyone who knows me knows that if I'm waking up before 6 am consistently, something is wrong. This week, I haven't slept past about 5:30. Why? The reasons are many and varied.

First of all, my first baby is graduating in three weeks. No, I'm not all weepy and depressed and sad...actually, there are days when I'm ready for his new roommate, B, to take him and go! That isn't usually the case, you understand, but there are definitely those days. I'm learning, though, that having a senior comes with a very long "to do" list. Do you know how many people want pictures of this boy for various things? Not senior pictures, but pictures all through his life. Not that it is so terribly difficult....I just have to dig through unorganized boxes and find those perfect few....but it is a "to do". (And what about those brown recluse spiders that reside in such untouched boxes in storage? It is a risky "to do" as well!) There are announcements, parties, and we have senior recognition banquets out the wazoo.

Secondly, it is almost May. Even without a senior, May is busy, busy, busy. Every program that is coming to a delightful end has a banquet or performance to show the many accomplishments of the year. The church programs, jump rope, piano, choir, and every organization in which any of the four have remotely participated are vying for calendar dates that are already covered with baseball and volleyball games and practices.

Thirdly, I want homeschool to end. I want to be done. However, I'm struggling with finding the time to effectively launch a crusade to accelerate the process. Bless The Things hearts, if they have learned anything this year, it is working independently, and at least Math, English, Reading, and Spelling are progressing. Given that we had HOURS of history on the trip, Science is the only thing that is falling through the cracks right now.

Lastly, and although it could wait, in my OCD mind, it is the primary item on the radar right now, and that is planning for next year. WHY I can't delay this until Memorial Day, I'm not sure. It's a mental issue, to be sure. I've pondered and pondered and then, this morning, as I read online essays about various educational theories and looked at curriculum, a brand new idea occurred to me. I could do Tapestry of Grace Year 4 next year, and really hit the time from the Civil War to now thoroughly. THEN I could begin the History cycle again the following year. That would mean 80% of the books in my living room would have to be stored for a year. That would mean that instead of starting the next four-year history cycle with Nathan in 6th (already a year behind) and Annie in 5th, it would delay it another year. Do I want to do that? I don't knoooooooowwwwwww!

The one thing I know is that there is not more to do today than I can do. God has ordered my steps and purposed my day to serve Him. He knows about the whole time thing (He created it, after all) and He hasn't scheduled more in my day than is possible for me to accomplish. So, if I just stop and turn it all over to Him, He will provide the priorities and the time, and it will fall into place. And, maybe, that is why He is waking me up a little earlier. He wants me to spend time with Him to learn about His plan for my day. So pardon me, I have a Friend waiting. He may be waiting for you, too.

Swine Flu Map

Here is a link to see where the swine flu has been confirmed:

Google Swine Flu Map

Manhunt

On our recent trip to South Carolina, I tucked into my bag an audio book, Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. I had actually purchased it for my dad for Father's Day last year for a trip he was taking. He knew the kids and I were studying the Civil War in homeschool and brought it so we could listen.

It is very long, 9 hours, to be exact. I'm glad I saved it for a long drive. We listened to about half of it going, and everyone was excited to pop it back in to hear the rest on the return trip.

It is a riveting account of the events surrounding the assassination of President Lincoln, and the events that followed. It is all very factual, and based on extensive research by the author, but presented in the fashion of the best sort of page-turner. The characters literally come to life as the author explores their motives, backgrounds, and personalities. Richard Thomas is a fabulous storyteller, so the excitement is maintained in the telling. There are a few spots that are a bit gory, so use care before listening with small children.

I highly recommend the book. It is exciting, and in the process, I learned much about an event on which I already felt relatively well-versed.

Kathy Ireland Shares Her Faith; Views on Abortion

Very well spoken, one of the best pro-life arguements I have ever heard. Take a look and listen!

Kathy Ireland on Fox's Huckabee