Off My Wall: Sandy Hook, Prayer, Scarves, Kids, Cheer, & Gifts!
Random shareworthies on my mind and off my FB wall:
* "Busier than a beagle after someone spills the Chex Mix..."
Yep, that's been us... :-P
* So, Sandy Hook:
More than one friend of mine reacted to the elementary mass shooting: "How am I supposed to bring up my children when such evil exists in the world?"
In all seriousness, I don't think the world became more evil last Friday than it already was last Thursday. Friday was an awful, horrific reminder of how messed up things are, but b/c of my faith, I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to and that my family is being raised right - correctly & happily. :-) I was not one bit nervous about sending my kids to school on Monday. I still weep when I hear more about the victims, (I'm a news hound, still addicted to coverage,) and maybe it's a subconscious survival mechanism (?) but I can't allow myself to dwell on or entertain more than a fleeting thought about, "What if it were us?" B/c today, it's not. And if one day it is, God will give me grace for that day & carry me through, b/c I won't be able to make it w/o Him. In the meantime, I need to keep being a solid parent and advocate for positive cultural/social changes! :-)
Which brings me to a point that has been KILLING me:
I haven't said much re: Friday's devestation on FB, but I can't keep this inside, anymore: saying, "We kicked God out of our schools, so He allowed this to happen," is BEYOND OFFENSIVE. http://annerobertson.org/sandy-hook [PS - Everyone is responsible for their own prayer life, and I prayed every.single.day in school. You can't tell me that wasn't good enough, b/c it wasn't principal-led. Even within Protestant denominations, people pray differently (debts/debtors; trespasses/those who trespass against us); I don't want other people telling my kids the "right" way to pray. If you are concerned that your kids won't pray in school w/o an adult leading, maybe you need to teach them at home more about their personal right to pray whenever, wherever, for whatever, w/o making a big show (Matthew 6:5) and that it should be constant second nature, not just for when an adult urges them to.] Please stop making Christians look like hateful whackadoos.
As my friend, Liz, said: God is in our schools whether there is prayer there or not (omnipresent). One of my favorite quotes is, "bidden or unbidden, God is present." and Psalm 139 makes this clear as well: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?"
#steppingoffmysoapbox...fornow
* Daddy got us tickets to a Houston Rockets basketball game last week! Such a fun & special stay-up-late-on-a-school-night event!
* It's NOT just in my head! My Houston BFF Donna can verify: putting a scarf around my neck instantly adds 20 phantom pounds! Take it off: back to normal. She was stunned! I've always said I can't get scarves to look right on me; now I finally have fashion back-up to validate it's not due to whacked out self-image. :-P (Reason #72378 I love TX: it was 78°F earlier this week. God bless the land where scarves are purely decorative & not required!!!)
I love the look of a good scarf on ANYONE BUT myself, too. It is the weirdest thing. I could tell Donna was trying to be sweet & not look utterly horrified when I told her what happens to my face when I put one on and she saw it for herself. Her being floored totally validated what I've always thought! The only way I've found that scarf fabric can work on my body is as a shoulder wrap. I'm seriously just so excited that someone else saw this craziness & affirmed it's for real. My genes just must've combined to reject them. Like a nut allergy. :-P
* Comments from the kids re: the two minutes of the Miss Universe Pageant they watched in the background while we organized for our holiday travels:
Will - "Was Mommy one of those top prettiest girls?" [Yes indeed, Son!!!]
Annelise - "That girl's name is Turkey!!!" [from reading the country name on her sash :-D]
* We had a very low-key (overdue) end-of-season cheer party Wednesday night. [Don't get me started... Head Coach, who had made a big deal about "scouting locations" for a postseason party, totally dropped the ball, b/c she was depressed the season was over (I know - ???) So another mom & I took it upon ourselves to ask the squad if they just wanted to have dinner one night before everyone splits for the holidays. Head Coach pouted and didn't come. True story. Sooo glad this season is DONE...although Head Coach is still holding the girls' pink poms we each paid for & used during October hostage. *sigh*] Anyway, the families who did come were my absolute faves, and we had a truly happy, tension-free get-together. :-)
Super sweet cheer girls:
* I also feel soooo blessed!!! I have friends who truly, truly know me: Lilly P market bag for Christmas from my BFF here, custom sBs monogrammed cup and Sbux card & cheer ornament from my precious cheer girls for coaching! THANK YOU!!!
* I got to teach First Grade Thursday morning for a few hours! (I was Annelise's teacher while Mrs. Everhard had an appreciation breakfast. :-)) So thankful I got to do this!!! (And yes, I knew the emergency procedures; no, I was not the least bit nervous :-)) The children were precious...and so much easier than the high schoolers I used to teach right after college! :-D
Feel free to copy my "Off my Wall" title picture and link up here at the bottom. :-)
We are *still* cracking up at your beagle comment, although we'd say puggle. :)
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love scarves, shawls, etc...they are my favorite accessory and I have a weakness for acquiring more of them than I use. I never thought about how they actually look on me, because I'm so enamoured with the fabrics and patterns. I'm so sorry that you have a scarf allergy!!!
As far as the Head Coach, that's sad. She needs to learn how to chill out and enjoy life!