thirty days of thanksgiving 20

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his loyal love endures.
- 1 Chronicles 16:34

O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky; your faithfulness to the clouds.
- Psalms 36:5

I haven't forgotten about writing my thanksgiving posts for the last few days, I've just been in such a funk.

The first night that I skipped it I was just so tired, and I thought, "What difference does one day make?"

And then the next night I thought about posting and then thought, "What difference does it make; not many people read my blog."

And before I knew it I was having myself a full blown pity party. To the point that I could barely stand to be around myself.

Isn't it wonderful that God loves us even when we are at our most unloveable.

Isn't it amazing that God loves us even when we push him away.

Isn't is amazing that God knows what is on our hearts, and He hears our prayers even when we aren't able to put them into words.

Father, thank you for you enduring love. Thank you that when my foot is slipping, your loyal love supports me. Thank you for listening to my prayers and knowing what weighs heavy on my heart when I can't even put it into words.

thirty days of thanksgiving 15

Lucy Mercer is zonked out. She is absolutely exhausted. She may not wake up until Sunday.

She went to school today.

And she was so good. She visited three different story times in the library before lunch. Those little ones crowded around her - talking loud, rubbing her hair backwards, getting right in her face - she never even flinched.  She stood patiently while each and every kid had a chance to love on her.

After lunch my classes came in. And she let everyone of those older kids love on her too. Then in each class we went outside and let her run and run with them. At the end of seventh period she crashed, and I thought maybe she wouldn't play with the next class. But when they wanted to pet her, she was happy to let them. And when they wanted to run to the end of the football field and back over and over, she ran with them.

And now that she is finally home, she has passed out.

It wasn't all just fun today. Lucy was helping me to teach writing.

The students had to observe her during the visit and then write about her appearance, personality, and mannerisms. The idea being that to successfully write about anyone or anything, they must get to know the subject through observation or research. And they were observant. There was a discussion about her color; no one could decide exactly what color she is. And several students noticed that Lucy likes her momma.

Lord, thank you for pets.Through them we learn what it means to love unconditionally, to devote ourselves fully, and to follow where our master leads.

thirty days of thanksgiving 7

This morning I realized that I was 20% behind on my writing project.

I might be upset about that except that being 20% behind on this project means that I'm 5% complete.

Doesn't seem like much, 5%. Does it?

But actually it's HUGE. And 4% past the hardest part - completing the first 1%.

I've been writing tonight. And I've posted a bit for those of you with a few moments to spare. 

It's a long way from becoming a novel, but it's something I've never done before, never even attempted before.

Dear Lord, thank you for opportunities to be creative, to try new things, to step out of my routine. I know Lord that all gifts are blessings from you. Give me the strength to grow and to use the talents that you have stored up for me. Help me to remember that all successes in my life are chances to glorify your name.

this counts as research, right?

I'm a somewhat extremely slow starter in the NANOWRIMO frenzy.

For those of you who aren't sure just what that is, a brief explanation - national novel writing month. Writers commit themselves to complete a 50,000 word novel beginning November 1 and finishing on or before November 30. When in all actuality, the "writers" themselves should be committed for thinking for a brief moment that this feat could be accomplished. And sadly some "writers" will be committed after attempting to squeeze in just a few more words each and every day.

Seriously, I signed up, of my own freewill, to do this. And I've talked three of my creative writing students into doing it also. What was I thinking?

For those writers who pace themselves, just over 1,600 words a day will complete a novel this month. Are you surprised to know that I haven't written 1,600 words a day? Are you even more surprised to know that I have written something? Just over 2,400 words. I'm 2 1/2 days behind.

And I'm going shopping today. I'm shopping in Little Rock. My main character is a bartender in Little Rock.

I do believe that my day will include a bar visit. I have to do it - I'm researching for my novel.

why i don't watch horror movies

“One need not be a chamber to be haunted, One need not be a house. The brain has corridors surpassing material place”. -Emily Dickinson

Never one for horror movies or books that chill the reader to the core and interrupt sleep, I much prefer to spend my money on entertainment which lets me escape my ghosts and avoid my nightmares. As a child I was terrified by the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. Now Harry Potter keeps me peering between fingers. Castle and an hour of who's getting voted off tonight is the most suspense I care to witness.

I don't understand the obsession with horror and suspense in books and movies. LIFE is scary enough for me.

I can torture myself with the what-if's of growing up, raising a family, growing old.

Crave a little terror? I just sit down with this month's bills and last month's bank statement. If that's not scary enough, I watch the news and then browse my retirement accounts.

Want to be so scared I can't sleep? I try calling or texting my boys on a Friday or Saturday night and wait on their response.

If I want to spend a few hours with pulse pounding, sitting on the edge of my seat, I take a scan of those questionable moles popping up all over my body.  Not suspenseful enough? Waiting for mammogram results can almost send me into cardiac arrest. Oh, why did I have to go THERE? Is that chest pain a heart attack or indigestion? Is this just a tension headache or a growing brain tumor?

And almost everyday I come home to a true who-dunit. That can leave me guessing for hours.

 

Don't judge me because I stick with romantic comedy, Pixar and Disney. Sometimes I need to get out of my head - escape my haunted chamber.  

 

i'm not worthy

This year I've been assigned to teach a creative writing class as a free elective for 9-12 grades. It's something that I suggested many times thinking that a colleague would be great at. But for a long time we just didn't have the staff to cover an extra class. And that colleague is not in the classroom anymore.

It wasn't a "sure thing" until late in the summer. And most students had preregistered without the creative writing class as an option. So I had a class but no students. Suddenly I was nervous that no one would take the class. Just before the first day of school, I was told that 6 students had registered. Then 7. And the first few days of school added 3 more. A perfect 10. Whew! A sigh of relief.

And then, panic again - now what do I DO with this class?!?

I decided the first thing to do was to get the girls comfortable with each other. I have taught each of the girls in their younger days, and some of them are a tad shy. It will be a difficult year if the students are comfortable sharing and discussing their writings. We started with poems for two voices and poems for four voices. The assignment was simple - choose a partner, practice your reading, come to the front of the class and read the poem. Repeat with the poems for four voices.

Next up choose your group and write your own poem for 2 or 3 or 4 voices.

And today, they read their original poems to the group.

Their poems were great. And I didn't do any teaching - I just gave them an assignment. One student mentioned earlier this week that she has a blog. Then today another told me that she has a blog. And then another. These girls are going to be teaching me! And I may have a few guests posts in the near future.

This class is going to be such a challenge - for me. I'm definitely feeling the pressure to up my game. I have ask Melissa to be a guest speaker. And now that I know that some of the girls are bloggers, she MUST come. More than once.

Because I heard their poems today, and I'm not worthy.