Moments, Memories, and Mayhem!

 

Eight years! That’s the number of years that I have been blogging for our family! It’s hard to believe that eight years have flown by, but perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that I am still writing! I’m not reaching a large audience (I never intended it for that); I’m not an overly exciting or great writer but I still write...why? I was having this discussion with Roger earlier this week, and it’s for several reasons. I began writing things down eight years ago because I wanted to remember certain events that happened in our lives. Now I sometimes write because it’s a habit or I write because I still want to remember events, feelings, situations or memories. But mostly I want to write because I want my life to be a testament to how God has worked in my life. God is at work in my life and in the lives of those around me on a daily basis, and I want to write a few of these memories (because I am going to get old and forgetful!)

This week is a different one for me as our head preschool teachers is away this week. So I’ve been teaching in the preschool room this week. (I work in there every school day, but generally, I’m just the aide). I have been enjoying the challenge, but I told Roger that I feel like I teach a lot these days. I’m currently teaching a preschool Sunday school class, teaching preschoolers for our children’s program at church, and teaching preschool at school! Not that I’ve minded, but it does make me appreciate adult conversations!


Last Thursday, Emma and I had coffee with our friend, Terri. It’s much harder to stay connected with people this year as I am at the school every day, but I’m thankful for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons with Emma. It’s our time to catch up with other friends, get caught up on chores around
our house, or just enjoy time with Emma. We enjoyed coffee and a walk with Terri and her dog,   Annie.


Last week the kids had a four day weekend. We had a teacher workshop on Friday, and no school on Monday due to Columbus Day. I worked a very full day on Friday between a workshop at school, and cleaning out in our classroom. Roger had the day off so he was able to be home with the kids. It was the first time in our fourteen years plus of marriage that I went to make money and Roger stayed home with the kids! (It was a weird feeling!) On Friday morning, we had a workshop at school for  the teacher and staff. The workshop was called “Darkness to Light” and it was on sexual abuse in  children. The seminar was very well done, but wow ...what a heavy topic! My heart hurts for those  that have been affected by sexual abuse. Did you know that the number of kids affected by sexual  
abuse is one out of ten?! Read that again! That’s horrific! However, I’m thankful for the opportunity  to be educated on this topic, and it makes me more aware of how Roger and I can protect our
children.

After the workshop on Friday, Renee and I spent a good amount of time cleaning out a room that has  harbored many, many years of preschool materials and supplies. It was a bit overwhelming, and we did not have enough time to finish the job. But we did make a good healthy dent in cleaning it out. Roger and the kids came in the afternoon to help me take stuff to Goodwill.

On Saturday, we did “family fun” (I.e. work) around the house and yard. Then we went  to a lake so that the kids could fish, or ride their bikes, or use their magnets to try to find stuff in the lake. It was a bit of a dreary day, but the kids didn’t seem to mind.


Roger had to work on Sunday, and I was playing the piano at another church. It always seems that  when I’m playing the piano at another church, Roger is working! I knew all the songs this time, so
that definitely made playing a bit easier. I enjoyed the opportunity, and I’m thankful for all those  years of lessons that my parents invested in for me. Side note: Wyatt is very dedicated to his piano  practice, and he has been excelling at his lessons. Garett enjoys lessons, but practice is not his   favorite thing.

This week on Tuesday, Emma and I had company for lunch. My friend, Ashley, is planning on going to Haiti with me on a missions trip. She had a lot of questions, and it was good to sit and visit and talk about the missions trip. Please pray that the situation in Haiti will calm down a bit as tensions are high, people are hungry, gasoline is in short supply, and the country is hurting. Please pray for the country of Haiti and for wisdom concerning the missions trip.

Roger has been busy working on an airplane that needs to be painted in the company colors. This  means that he has not been able to fly as much, and I can tell that her really misses flying. Garett  asked me, “Is Dad grouchy because he hasn’t  been flying much lately?”. I laughed, but told Garett that that just might be a true statement! I know that Roger will be glad to get back to flying soon!

Last week was a bit of a rough week for me, as I have several hurting friends. A college  acquaintance, who is 37 years old, had a stroke. She is the mom to two young children, and it’s just hard to imagine how their lives will be changing. My dear college cross-country coach was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.  This man was my coach for two of my four years of college running, and I learned so much from him. He encouraged me so much in my walk with the Lord and his faithfulness in the little things of life.  Thirdly, a dear friend messaged me that her husband had an affair, and their lives would forever be changed. It was a lot of sad and disheartening information for one week! I’m thankful that these things do not catch God by  surprise, and He never wonders what He should do next!  We serve a mighty, immutable, unchangeable God! Even in the midst of stormy  situations and circumstances, God is still faithful and true. I’ll cling to Him in the midst of a raging
storm!



Also this week, I read a good article on dressing up for church...gasp?! Yes! I’m going to include a  link to the article, but the truth is that the article describes much of what is in my heart. I know that  God looks at our hearts, and He welcomes us just as we are every time. I know that sometimes there are situations where it’s just not feasible to dress up every time and a million other reasons. However, I also think that dressing up for church shows my family that it’s valuable to me. I wouldn’t wear pajamas to go on a date with Roger, and I wouldn’t wear my swimsuit to a wedding. Are pajamas or swimsuits evil? Um, no! There is a time and a place for those articles of clothing. But when I dress up for church, I am showing my children that I value this time with God.  I hope that I am  teaching them that we dress up for situations that we value, take seriously, and we count it a privilege to attend services with other believers. I hope you don’t feel like I am getting after you if you choose to not   dress up for church, I truly love you just as you are! Roger and I just realize that for our family, we want our children to know that we count it a blessing and a privilege to attend church. And it’s not killing any of our children to wear a button-down shirt and nice pants!  Church dress

In closing, I realize that this post jumps around a bit. So if you read the whole thing - hurrah  and thank you! I hope that you have a wonderful week. We love you all,
Sarah