Daybook: Advent

FOR TODAY

(December 3, 2011)

Outside my window... So far I'm not minding the cooler temperatures. I think snow would really help me feel more like it's "time" for Advent. Right now the weekend forecast is warm, and I'm not sure what to make of it.

I am thinking... about this post on being gay and Catholic. It's an article that kept appearing on my Facebook news feed, and I kept ignoring it. So glad I finally clicked. It is an excellent perspective on living out the Church's teaching on homosexuality and offers a courageous example of laying down even the hardest things for the grace and blessing that is the Catholic Church. This life is really not about you. (Don't feel bad though, it isn't about me either.) It's about something so much bigger and better.

I am thankful for... real, honest surrender.

I am wearing... PJs! That is so often my answer here. Right now I'm just giving my breakfast a chance to digest before I go for a run. The PJs thing won't last much longer.

I am creating... a place in my routine for more of God.

I am going... to have to visit Denver soon. My friend graduates in May, and I really can't let her have lived there for 2 years without me ever visiting.

I am reading... Lot's and lot's of Advent and Christmas things. (Speaking of Advent, I'm so happy to be praying the St. Andrew Christmas novena again this year.)

I am hoping... that my heart really does change during this season of preparation.

I am hearing... nothing. Which is strange because it is not early on a Saturday morning. People are awake and around...I guess I just can't hear them. Oh. Wait. A leaf-blower just started up somewhere outside...

Around the classroom... I am the proud teacher of 17 holier-than-they-were-last-week second graders. First Reconciliation was this past week. Fr. said they were "well-prepared." Yay, God! I love watching Him pour His grace over children.

One of my favorite things... Caramel Brulee Latte. Starbucks. I cannot get over how great it tastes. Seriously.

Visit Peggy for more daybook entries!

I laughed so hard...

"A woman who wanted to work at a nightclub started searching for someone who could perform plastic surgery at a cheap price to give her a curvier body. Police say what she found was a woman posing as a doctor who filled her buttocks with cement, mineral oil and flat-tire sealant."

Read the whole article here: http://news.yahoo.com/police-fake-doc-injected-cement-womans-rear-174114519.html

I Was Honestly Flattered

During our Spelling Test:

Me: Mean. Miss Hunter is a mean teacher. Mean.

Student: Oh, so it must be opposite day.

(Now isn't that just nice?)

Funny Moments

The 2nd grader who read the First Reading at Mass this morning did a fantastic job! He really, really did. There was just one teeny, tiny mistake...

"...do not be faithful in marriage..."



And at recess...


"Miss Hunter, it's so cold! Can we cuddle to stay warm? I'm just going to keep following you until you stop so we can cuddle. OH! A ball!"  - And I didn't see her again the whole recess.

Daybook: A Night of Conferences

FOR TODAY

(November 1, 2011)

Outside my window... Today's weather is beautiful! I'm in love with the gentle breeze. I spent some quality God time outside on Saturday, and my senses have been infatuated with the season ever since. (Let's be honest, my senses had been infatuated at the first hint of Fall weather, but Saturday did contribute to a rekindling.)

I am thinking... a lot about purpose and motivation. I'm seeking to discover what ignites a drive within me to do things. I want the kind of interior freedom that I suspect comes from knowing where one is supposed to be headed - who one should be becoming.

I am thankful for... time. At this point, I'd like it to just keep moving. (I watched Finding Nemo yesterday, so my "just keep moving on" comment has me singing "just keep swimming, just keep swimming")

I am wearing... Dress pants, dress socks, nice shoes, a blue shirt, and a black sweater. I'm still at school awaiting more Parent-Teacher Conferences.

I am creating... more and more sewing failures ;-) Oh well. I guess I just need more practice.

I am going... to get. out. of. this. funk. Sooner rather than later would be good.

I am reading... A Woman Wrapped in Silence - but only very slowly. I have a couple of books I need to preview for my classroom.

I am hoping... that true peace and lasting joy are waiting just around the corner. And I'm mostly hoping that they will be sprinkled all throughout Advent and Christmas.

I am hearing... leaves rustling in the wind, a dog barking, and strange as of yet unidentified sound outside that successfully distracted my students today.

Around the classroom... I had to reschedule Parent-Teacher Conferences from last Thursday so that I could be present at history in the making. Game 6 of the World Series was, in many ways, just what I needed. Fun.

One of my favorite things... a nice cup of coffee on a nature trail during a peaceful Saturday outing.

Visit Peggy for more daybook entries!

Emma Watson

“I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.”
― Emma Watson

I love, love, LOVE what Emma says here! I often tell young women to dress and interact with people in a way that allows them to reveal who they really are. We are more than our bodies, more than our outward appearance.  When we dress in a way that allows people to wonder, we are able to connect with them on the heart level. We have their attention; they want to know us. We can show them (slowly and deliberately) the real, living, and deep self within.

Joyful Mysteries (Random Musings)

The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation: I've often wondered about Mary's life prior to the Annunciation. I don't wonder so much about how she filled her time. Rather, I wonder about what she felt on the inside. In the depths of her heart, did she know that something great, something big - something huge, was coming? As a woman and as a person who believes that we are more aware of our purpose than we think, I think that she knew. I mean, she didn't know of course, but somewhere deep within she knew. I doubt she knew that she would bear forth the long awaited Messiah. Her confusion during the encounter with Gabriel is proof of that. But in the moments that followed that confusion, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she found herself thinking, "Oh. This is it. This is that thing I always felt was coming."

Do you trust the inclinations inside of you? Do you listen to that little voice inside of you that anticipates the greatness that you are to become?

The Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation: Why did Mary go to Elizabeth? Mary knew (because Gabriel told her) that Elizabeth was living the very power that God has to do what seems impossible. At that moment Elizabeth embodied the greatness of a truly amazing God. So did Mary. Perhaps she sought the company of someone she knew she could trust to rejoice with her in God's greatness. Perhaps Elizabeth was for Mary a place of refuge, where Mary was free to glorify God.

Who (or where) is that refuge in your life? Are you that refuge for the people around you?

The Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation: There have been moments in my life when I've really wanted to be able to present God with something that is good. I get tired of approaching God imperfect and unfinished. So often I wish I could present to Him my life lived perfectly. What I'm learning to accept is that presenting myself to Him at all is a grace and a gift. I can get so caught up in not being as good or as holy as I would like to be (or should be) that I forget to be grateful for the grace He offers that leads me to His presence anyway. The fact that He allows (in fact welcomes and encourages) me to present myself before Him at all is worth far more than even my desire to present more.

Are you grateful to God for His allowing you in His presence? Do you thank Him for the evils He does lead you away from, or is it too difficult for you to see past the evils you do face?

The Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple: For several years now I've loved meditating on how Mary and Joseph model in this mystery what companions should do with their relationships. They are seeking to find Christ - together. Their focus for those three days is to find the Child Jesus. They seek to find God. That is how all of our friendships should be. Recently though (as my friendships have been shifting) I often myself not visibly seeking Christ with some people. What I have to remember now is that the purpose of my life is to seek Christ anyway. I should strive to find God whether I'm searching alone or with a companion.

Is seeking to find God the most important thing in your life? Are you easily distracted by others in your life, or does the pursuit of God receive the full attention it deserves?

***I know that I skipped the Third Joyful Mystery (The Nativity). There was a lot of lane changing and distracted prayer happening during that mystery this morning, so I didn't meditate it on it very well. If I get an insight on the next Joyful Mystery day, I'll come back and add it in.***

Feast of St. Therese

“May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.” - St. Therese

This feast is one that I always look forward to. The novena to St. Therese has taken many forms in my life; I have never received an actual rose. I've asked for many, many things. I've wanted the answers to many, many questions. Some of my requests offered through this novena are actually embarrassing remember.

This year, I'm not expecting big answers. Oh, I want them. However, I'm learning to accept that we are not always meant to understand, and I've presented myself before God though the intercession of St. Therese over the past nine days with the hope that I am genuinely surrendered in my asking.

Happy Feast Day!

Just Me

I don't actually have a lot to say. I can completely relate to the content of this song. I've spent many, many hours in prayer trying to force myself into a set vision - a narrow box - of holiness that matches my understanding of what it should look like and be. While the Church gives the example of the Saints and in the Communion of Saints we are united in the faith their lives displayed, we are not called to be exactly them. We are called to live like them - in surrender to God's will. But we were not created to try to shove our holiness and spiritual growth into the exact imprint left behind by their lives. In fact, that doesn't make sense anyway because what made them holy was that they embraced their own unique journeys; they offered everything they had and were, just as it was given to them.

It is easy to approach God as a set of "holiness rules." It is much harder to approach Him as "just me."

That "just me" is all He wants. He isn't looking for a complicated string of rigid devotions and mimicked paths.

He is looking for the simple me. He waits for me to come to Him in the simplicity of who He made me to be.

He wants just me.

Daybook: Something Coming

FOR TODAY
(September 7, 2011)

Outside my window... I'm loving the weather! I can smell and feel the coming fall, and I couldn't be more delighted! The heat of the summer got old...especially when it crept into September. I'm ready for some nice crisp air!

I am thinking... that this whole confusion thing is going to look really great when I see it as a display of God faithfulness and power to work in my life. When I see Him with the glory of it all then I will see greatness. Until then...wow. This has been a long battle.

I am thankful for... my students. So far, they have made the start of this school year smooth.

I am wearing... PJs! I've been wearing a skirt to school most days. I'm thinking of going for a dress tomorrow.

I am creating... a Big Dream. However, if all is right in the world (and my soul), it's actually going to be God who does the creating.

I am going... to learn how to sew. I need to find a place to buy a new belt for a very old machine. Then comes the fabric. Then comes the sewing.

I am reading... I just finished The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark. If you want to read the story of a Big Dream becoming a very successful reality, read this book. From a teacher standpoint, I loved almost all of it. From a person standpoint, I'm inspired to enter into greatness. I've become a huge Ron Clark fan.

I am hoping... for a miracle. There. I said it. I've prayed it. I'm surrendered. It's all Yours God. It's all Yours.

I am hearing... a doubtful voice inside me that really should just go away. It is not welcome here.
 
Around the classroom... we've really got things rolling in 2H this year! Math groups on Tuesdays are a great new addition. Writing Skills time during the week seems like it just might work out with a limited number of headaches. Math Challenge time is lots of fun too! With all of that plus the regular joy of Reading Groups and general teaching activities, AND 45 minute art and music breaks this year, I'd say things are shaping up fairly well!

One of my favorite things... joy at the sight of adventure and possibility.

Visit Peggy for more daybook entries!