One of my all time favorite praise songs!

Randomness...

One of the kids at school pushed a button for me this morning. The kind where you feel the anger rising up in you. The kind where you may find yourself to be shaking afterward because of the adrenaline. I don't think I dis-respected her in how I spoke to her though...maybe a tiny bit. Whew...glad it's Friday...



How many times should I say "sit up", "wake up", or other such phrases out in ISS (as opposed to in the regular classroom setting) before giving an office referral?



I'm feeling more connected to God lately, and as a result I've been in a much better mood.



Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my hubby again. :)



Should I really clean house this weekend? Or spend more time resting?



Why is it that some people work so hard and never feel like they've done enough, while others barely work at all and seem to think they've done more than their share?



I wonder, which one of the aforementioned am I really?

It is absolutely beautiful today here in Dallas...why can't we move the desks outside and have school out there???? Whaaaa.

I really hope that I make a difference in the lives of some of the kids I work with...

I love my job, but wow, I am so glad it's FRIDAY!!!!! Thank you Lord for weekends!!

What is your greatest struggle?

2 Timothy 1:7 (New International Version)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Self-discipline. I don't even like hearing the words. My greatest struggle having to do with self-discipline, it seems, is in taking care of myself the way I know that I am supposed to do. I don't eat the way I should. I don't sleep the way I should. Just about every day I do something and I know I would've been better off had I not done it.


I almost never go to bed before 11:30. Then I'm tired the next day. I tell my kids that they won't be so tired if they will go to bed at a decent hour. It is one of those "do as I say, not as I do" things. However, last night I went to bed at 9:00pm. That is a victory for me! So, knowing that I feel better today, will I do the same tonight? We'll see...

Help me Lord to learn to have more self-discipline. Help me to show my children, that with Your help, this can be done.

What about you? What is your greatest struggle?

Facebook

Oh my goodness, it wasn't easy to convince me to even use it, but now I am so addicted to facebook! My kids kept telling me how great it was, and now I'm one of the many who agree. It's because of facebook that my children can no longer be guaranteed a home cooked meal (oh, the horror!).

Last night on facebook I talked to my favorite cousin (actually favoritest cousin in the world!). I talked to my sister-in-law, who I haven't spoken to in years. And I talked to my 2nd cousin, once removed (believe me, it took some serious thinking to figure that out).

Partially because of facebook, I now have pretty conclusive evidence that I am a descendant of the Waldensians, a Christian sect that was driven almost entirely out of France in the early years of protestantism. I've been able to figure this out because I have compiled information from a few sources. Between conversations, I also talked to my dad and he pulled out genaeology records, helping me to figure out my ancestors back to 1866! How fun is that!

I guess it's a good thing I'm in ISS right now (and the kids are being good right now! yeah!) or there would be no time left for blogging.

Ok, back to my regular job now. Have a great day!

Jesus, I want to be more like you...

I really do want to be more like Jesus. He is the ultimate respector of people. Jesus allows us to make our own decisions, bad or good, and then we suffer our own consequences. He's not the type to rant at us, the way we sometimes do with our children. He respects our free will in decisions to do whatever we decide to do.


I sit here in ISS (in school suspension) and I try so hard to be respectful, even in the face of disrespect. Some of these kids know nothing about respect. They don't know how to give it, nor what it is like to receive it much. On a good day, I remind myself of what their lives must be like. Most have parents that don't care and many of their teachers have for the most part, given up on them. So to respect them is the least I can do if I expect others to see Christ reflected in me.


I know that when I do something wrong, Jesus wouldn't be one to yell out "geez, what an idiot!" So I don't want to be a person who even thinks that, much less says it out loud. I know that my thoughts show on my face. Respect is what I am trying to teach these children, if nothing else. And wow, sometimes that is not easy...especially with kids who are constantly difficult. That's when I have to use prayer, a LOT of prayer.

Please Lord, help me to show more of You and less of me in how I treat all the people around me, not just the ones who are dealt with easily.

Calling Prayer Warriors

Please join me in praying for a student at the school where I work. She is a 6th grader and just told me she will be out most of this week because she has to testify against someone who has wronged her. I know what it's like to be wronged, but thankfully the only time I ever had to testify against someone was for something very minor. Even that was stressful though. I can't even imagine the stress of an 11 year old child having to testify in court like that...

Please also pray for two sweet brothers (one 6th grade, one 7th grade) who lost both a grandmother and their father within a 24 hour period. What a trial for their poor family!

What is my problem?

I just can't seem to figure it out. I used to have all these deep thoughts in my head (well, deep for me anyway...). I used to feel inspired to come here and write about what I was thinking. It seems like so long since I have felt that way.

Lately I just go through my day. Go to work. Come home and fix dinner. Watch t.v. Go to bed. Repeat.

I try to get myself to read scripture and I do read a little bit most days, but it feels forced. I'm doing it because I know I should. I don't get the WOW feeling I used to get.

Maybe part of it is that it has been so long since I felt really well. I had a stomach virus at the beginning of January and I don't think my body fully recovered by the time I came down with the flu at the end of January. I was off work for a whole week (all the time unable to go see M in the hospital), but I'm still coughing and my voice is gone. I can't remember the last time I didn't feel physically exhausted. I guess the exhaustion transfers to my mind as well.

Today I've been listening to worship songs on my ipod all day. Wishing I could really sing along with them. Trying to feel connected. Trying not to do too much work, even though my house is a wreck.

Even so, I am thankful that:

1. M is feeling much better.

2. The rest of my family is healthy.

3. Our financial situation is getting better.

4. D and I get to go hang out with our friends at bunco tonight.

5. My Ruby dog is cuddled up next to me in my recliner right now.

6. I have a job I love.

7. I have friends at work I love to talk to.

8. I have a home and a car and so much more than a great percentage of the world.

9. I have a nice computer.

10. I have an ipod with 330 songs on it (almost all praise and worship!)

Praising Him...

Suzanne :)