A Broken Leg

If not for a broken leg I never would not of realized how much I was loved.

If not for a broken leg I wouldn't of gotten to see my little cousin off to the marines.

If not for a broken leg family would not of grown closer.

If not for a broken leg I would not of made new friends and re connected with old ones.

A broken leg is teaching me balance. I cannot be all wrapped up in work and ignore my life, I cannot be all wrapped up in home and my life and ignore work. There must be balance.

A broken leg is teaching me to slow down and not let life pass me by so quickly.

A broken leg has shown that even in disaster something good can come from it.

A broken leg is showing me other aspects of life.

What is Love?

Love is when Jesus died on the cross for me.

Love is when your boss brings you flowers in the hospital and coupons so your mom can eat down stairs in the hospital cafeteria so she can stay with you more.

Love is when your students parents offer emotional support.

Love is when you get dozens of visitors in the hospital.

Love is when co-workers bust you out of your room on a Sunday afternoon and wheel you around the hospital.

Love is a family from church coming to sing to you in the hospital.

Love is surprise visit from  the woman's work committee at church once your home.

Love is when friends from afar check up on you to see how your doing.

Love is when your out in public and your students run up to you and give you a big hug.

Love is your mom putting up with you when your being a total brat ( thanks mom!)

Love is what God has for us . Thank you God for loving me.

Just The Way I Am

In the Alexander Technique there is the idea of self-acceptance and non-judging yourself..or in other words, giving yourself permission to be exactly as you are. Lately I have been laid up with a broken femur ..well more so recovering from surgery for a broken femur.  Every day I try and push myself a little bit more to see what I can do. Perhaps this is not what many would consider being kind of gentle with myself but I feel it is the right thing to do. I do not push myself beyond my limits. I feel accomplished and satisfied knowing what I can do and knowing what to work towards. People tell me to "rest" and "stop trying to do so much". This is not me. I have never been one to slow down much. This used to really bother me but lately I have come to realize (and slowly accept) that this is who I am. Yes, I do enjoy resting at the end of the day just like every other person but I am not one to laze about all day.  Most times I ENJOY being active and being with others, learning about different things. This is who I am.  When the time comes I will rest when I need it. Do I overdo it sometimes and end up frustrated from trying to do too much too soon? You bet! But I learn not to do that again. I'm learning that is who I am AND I'm learning to accept that without judging myself. As they say in the Alexander Technique " I am free to be me." After all that is who God loves!

Sappy teacher post

Today is the start of a new journey for me. I am now the co head of the 1-3rd grade at work. Today a good first day with our new group of after school kids. Its hard to believe that my old pre k babies from 2yrs ago are now my 1st graders! I remember how little they were when I had them back in pre-k , I remember them on their first day of kindergarten and now they are so grown in the first grade. My first graders are now 2nd grade and they look so big compared to my new 1st graders. They have grown up and become so independent. Hardest to believe though is this year's 3rd graders. I have watched them grow up from the first grade, watched them change and become independent. Its hard to think that at the end of this year they too will be joining the 4-6th grade down stairs. Most of all I miss my old 3rd graders. Today when one little girl got off the bus she gave me the biggest hug ever. She said she would miss me. I stood there hugging her back and told her how much I would miss her too. Letting these kids grow up is proving harder than I thought but I know its time. So here is to a new school year and new adventure in the 1-3rd in 2017-2018!

Be Identifiable

"Are you Amish?" , "What's that thing on you'r head?", "It's important to be identifiable to other anabaptist groups".  Over the past seven years these are questions and phrases I have heard dozens of times. Up until a few weeks ago I had just answered the questions or just accepted the fact that I was to "Be Identifiable" with out much question. However over the past few weeks that has changed. I have recently been attending many functions hosted by the BMA (Biblical Mennonite Alliance) and other unaffiliated anabaptist groups. This past week I attended Anabaptist Orchestra Camp. While there I met a girl named Kristen. When I first met Kristen I noticed her head covering. It was different than any other kind I had seen before. It was not a bonnet style and it was not the traditional hanging veil either. It reminded me of a mini turban with a tail. At first I was thrown into shock and suprise...after a few seconds shock and suprise gave way to curiosity, so I asked my burning question. I asked if her church allowed that type of covering. She responded yes that she was permitted to wear any type of covering she choose. Again I was surprised, I had never heard of this. Every conservative church I had attended had either required the hanging veil or the bonnet style covering. My interactions and short conversation with her really made me think. Why was it so important to be identifiable to other anabaptist groups? Does the type of covering really matter that much? I
Many times I fear that we are so focused on the type of covering that we forget what the covering stands for in the first place. I often wonder if regulating the type of covering can often do more harm than good. We see a certain type of covering and from there we assume we know what that person believes and does not believe based on the type of covering they wear, instead of talking and getting to know what they believe. Isin't it enough to just be identified as an Anabaptist Christian? The Bible never tells us what type of covering to wear, how big or how small. If it needs to have strings or not. It simply tells us as ladies to have our heads covered. Many times I have encountered ladies who went to a non-plain church who covered and often times their conviction about covering seems stronger versus those who were raised in a conservative church and raised with the covering. I think as Christians we need to get back to the basics of the covering and remember why we cover and who and what it points to. So the next time I get the Amish question or the "whats that thing on your head?" question instead of giving a breif answer that allows them to put me in a box I will simply reply with "I am an Anabaptist Christian who believes in covering" and see where the conversation takes me. :)

Hidden Blessings

No one likes to be sick. Lets face it, being sick is no fun...you cough you sneeze you feel down right miserable, believe me, I know.. I have just spent the past week in bed being sick. Yet its times like these when we can learn our greatest lessons. This past week I have learned and observed several things. I have learned that even though I am an adult and an extremely independent person at times I still need to be humble and accept help when I need it. I cant always do everything myself (even though I try). Being sick allowed me to humble myself and ask others for help this week when I needed it. In being sick I learned that I have people who love me and that I don't always have to do everything myself and it's okay to let others help sometimes.
Second I got to experience the overwhelming kindness of others. I had posted on my Facebook page about being ill, not only did I have many well wishes for me to get better , I had people private message me to check on my well being over the course of the week. When I attempted to go to work the other day my boss took one look at me and responded with a " you are sick, you don't need to be here working , if your not well go home rest and take care of yourself." Over the past few days I have continued to experience friends and co-workers kind words as I continue to get better.
A third blessing from being sick is kicking my sugar addiciton. I love sugar way to much. Well over the course of being sick I lost my appetite, when I finally gained it back all I wanted was healthy foods. I no longer had the desire for all the sugary foods I had desired before instead I wanted healthy foods such as soups and fresh fruit. It feels so good to be back to eating healthy again!
A few weeks back I slipped on a patch of ice and twisted my pelvis pretty badly. Needless to say I was in a good amount of pain over the next coming days. What my body needed was rest for healing.  Anyone who knows me well knows even when I am in pain I hate to slow down and rest. Over the course of being sick I had plenty of opportunity to stay still and rest and heal my body. Being sick forced me to slow down and take the time I needed to rest and heal.
So what am I getting at with all of this? What am I trying to say? Being sick this past week has shown me all that I can be thankful for and while it was no fun being sick It did make me step back and see how blessed I truly am. Blessed with a boss and co-workers and a family who care to a chance to fully recover from other injuries and a chance to gain back my healthier life style.