Here's the essay Clayton wrote at school today along with a "fill-in" sheet about me! Both tears and laughter were present.
"My mom is helpful when she helps me with my homework. She wakes me up in the morning at 6:30. She picks me up after school. I love her so so much. She is the best mom I could ever have. I love her. She helps me with my math. She loves me. She helps me with my homework. She reads me bedtime stories. She kisses me good night. She drives me to school in the mornings.. She makes me breakfast. She makes my lunch. She helps me clean my room. She lets me take a ten minute break during my homework. She is nice to me. Love, Clayton"
Fill-in the blanks:
My my mom is 33 years old. She weighs 10 pounds and is 10 feet tall. Her favorite food is tacos and for fun she likes to play. Her shoe size is 8. My mom is funniest when she dances. When mom gets mad she sometimes gets mad. She sleeps 10 hours at night and looks like flowers when she gets up. Her favorite place to shop is at Wal-Mart (smart boy). It takes mom 8 hours to put on her make-up. My mom is pretty as a butterfly and a sweet as a flower. I love my mom and wouldn't trade her for a dime.
Top 10 reasons why I love my mom:
10. I love my mom because she reads me: bedtime stories
9. I love my mom because she helps me: with my homework
8. I love my mom when she makes me laugh by: telling me jokes.
7. I love my mom because she taught me how to: read
6. I love to hear my mom sing: anything
5. I love my mom because she finds time to: play
4. I know my mom cares because she: helps me
3. I know my mom is smart because she: knows math.
2. I love my mom because she works so hard at: school.
1. I love my mom because she's the best mom ever!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Deuteronomy????
My friend, for some crazy reason, started reading Deuteronomy a couple of months ago. She shared it with our worship band and it got me curious. I called it crazy because I've never gotten past the first chapter. I have no good excuse but just to say that honestly the Old Testament always scared me, excluding the Psalms and some of Proverbs of course : )!
I never really liked history in school and I thought the old Testament was just a bunch of facts and endless lists of names. I knew all of the "cool" stories of course. Moses and the burning bush, parting of the Red Sea, Daniel in the lions den, David and Goliath, all of those stories we learned as kids, but I was never really taught the power of the words in the Old Testament. Yes its history but now I've found that the statement that "history does not repeat itself" is quite untrue, thanks to my friend who has now gotten me excited about Deuteronomy! Yes, I love it! Yes, I cringe at some verses because of the truth, but mercy sakes shouldn't we shudder with fear and love of our God's power? Isn't that what He asks of us?
OK, so what has me all excited about reading this ancient account of history. Its exciting because I believe I'm living it. These first chapters are all about how Moses lead them out of Egypt and now they are just wondering around looking for the Promised Land. Don't we all have a Promise Land on earth we are waiting for? Dreams, desires that God has placed in our hearts and minds? Some have one and some have a bunch! That would be me!!!!! I know I've reached some of my Promised Lands, like marriage, the birth of a child the doctors told us would never be! Now I'm looking into other plots of Promised Land. You may say that's selfish but goodness isn't God bigger than anything we can imagine? Why wouldn't there be more than one Promised Land for us? He wants best for us in everything. Now sometimes He allows "bad" things to happen because we have consequences to our sin and other times its just because we live in a place that's not the final and most glorious Promised Land, and sometimes its because someone around us sins.
I think what I am learning from this ancient book is that yes, there is a Promised Land, or lands, but its not always that easy to get into it. Sometimes we walk up to a sea and its parted right then and there before our eyes. Love that Grace! Then other times we have to wonder around a bit and go through some experiences before we get into The Land. God asked Moses to make sure that the people knew that this was going to be a challenge and that they needed to follow God's every word and plan in order to reach it. They needed to trust in His provision of food and shelter. They needed to trust in the map to get there. They needed to wait patiently and worship Him through all of this in the mean time. They were going to have hardship, brought by His desire to have them see their need for ONLY Him as their God, and also brought by the ignoring His direction.
I think about that with our Clayton. Yes he was born with autism but God created him in His image. (I didn't make that promise by the way, God told it to me in Genesis : ) ). So Clayton is only supposed to be the best God has created him to be. That's the Promised Land for Clayton. Healing, recovery, and restoration from the side effects of autism. But boy is the journey to the Promised Land difficult at times. I've become an organic, gluten free, milk free, process free, crazy person and it is hard! And sometimes I have to "torture" him in order to teach him to cope with things.
But even with all of the difficulties, challenges, and tears, it doesn't change the Promised Land. Its still the same. I might change the time it takes to get there because i don't follow the map, and sins of the world might change it too, but its still there and its still exactly what its named, a promise of perfect beauty, rest, protection, love, endless healing, greater grace than I have known, and its permanent.
Oh the joy of stepping out of the comfort zone of my favorite passages! Now I have new ones. New promises of The Land ahead for myself, my church, and my family and friends. Thank You Lord for history that does repeat itself, just help me not to add to the whole sin part! ha ha. you know I can't be serious for too long!
So what is your Promised Land right now? Go to the may in Deuteronomy and find out how to get there! And let's plan on having coffee at the foot of our King's table when we get the ultimate Promised Land!
I never really liked history in school and I thought the old Testament was just a bunch of facts and endless lists of names. I knew all of the "cool" stories of course. Moses and the burning bush, parting of the Red Sea, Daniel in the lions den, David and Goliath, all of those stories we learned as kids, but I was never really taught the power of the words in the Old Testament. Yes its history but now I've found that the statement that "history does not repeat itself" is quite untrue, thanks to my friend who has now gotten me excited about Deuteronomy! Yes, I love it! Yes, I cringe at some verses because of the truth, but mercy sakes shouldn't we shudder with fear and love of our God's power? Isn't that what He asks of us?
OK, so what has me all excited about reading this ancient account of history. Its exciting because I believe I'm living it. These first chapters are all about how Moses lead them out of Egypt and now they are just wondering around looking for the Promised Land. Don't we all have a Promise Land on earth we are waiting for? Dreams, desires that God has placed in our hearts and minds? Some have one and some have a bunch! That would be me!!!!! I know I've reached some of my Promised Lands, like marriage, the birth of a child the doctors told us would never be! Now I'm looking into other plots of Promised Land. You may say that's selfish but goodness isn't God bigger than anything we can imagine? Why wouldn't there be more than one Promised Land for us? He wants best for us in everything. Now sometimes He allows "bad" things to happen because we have consequences to our sin and other times its just because we live in a place that's not the final and most glorious Promised Land, and sometimes its because someone around us sins.
I think what I am learning from this ancient book is that yes, there is a Promised Land, or lands, but its not always that easy to get into it. Sometimes we walk up to a sea and its parted right then and there before our eyes. Love that Grace! Then other times we have to wonder around a bit and go through some experiences before we get into The Land. God asked Moses to make sure that the people knew that this was going to be a challenge and that they needed to follow God's every word and plan in order to reach it. They needed to trust in His provision of food and shelter. They needed to trust in the map to get there. They needed to wait patiently and worship Him through all of this in the mean time. They were going to have hardship, brought by His desire to have them see their need for ONLY Him as their God, and also brought by the ignoring His direction.
I think about that with our Clayton. Yes he was born with autism but God created him in His image. (I didn't make that promise by the way, God told it to me in Genesis : ) ). So Clayton is only supposed to be the best God has created him to be. That's the Promised Land for Clayton. Healing, recovery, and restoration from the side effects of autism. But boy is the journey to the Promised Land difficult at times. I've become an organic, gluten free, milk free, process free, crazy person and it is hard! And sometimes I have to "torture" him in order to teach him to cope with things.
But even with all of the difficulties, challenges, and tears, it doesn't change the Promised Land. Its still the same. I might change the time it takes to get there because i don't follow the map, and sins of the world might change it too, but its still there and its still exactly what its named, a promise of perfect beauty, rest, protection, love, endless healing, greater grace than I have known, and its permanent.
Oh the joy of stepping out of the comfort zone of my favorite passages! Now I have new ones. New promises of The Land ahead for myself, my church, and my family and friends. Thank You Lord for history that does repeat itself, just help me not to add to the whole sin part! ha ha. you know I can't be serious for too long!
So what is your Promised Land right now? Go to the may in Deuteronomy and find out how to get there! And let's plan on having coffee at the foot of our King's table when we get the ultimate Promised Land!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Melting Away
Wow its been awhile, AGAIN!
Just had something trigger my blogging mind today. SNOW! It's a four-letter word for me I must admit. I've never really liked the cold weather but especially hated the snow. No reason except for the fact that it disrupts my schedule. Suddenly everything stops and I'm left to see what comes next based on something that is completely out of my control. SURELY I'm not a control freak! That's another blog for another day!
Just had a thought about the snow and what happens when it melts away. First of all, it comes to us sometimes with a lot of warning, and then there's nothing. And sometimes we get no warning, and there's a ton of it. And then sometimes it comes with lots of warning, and there's lots of it! I still look at the forecast in disgust and whine and cry about the way it has messed up my schedule. Then once it all melts away I'm left with the never ending mud outside my house and have to use the "redneck bridge" just to get through it and on with what life has for me to do.
But still, I am looking out the window at the most beautiful color of white as it falls down and lays on the ground before we dirty it up. And I must admit that because I might be a control freak, sometimes it takes something out of my control to make me stop and enjoy just being here. And for a little while the beautiful white covers up all of the mess and I'm given a break from the schedule. And when it all melts away i do find it a little sad how something so beautiful can become so yucky once it start to fade away. It gets yucky just because the earth is not so clean these days. It gets yucky because I drive over it. It gets yucky because someone else drives over it. It gets yucky because something really yucky happens when my dogs go out in it (and the goats, and cows, and birds, all animals who don't have the knowledge we have in order to keep it from getting yucky, although even with our knowledge we still get the snow yucky. At least the animals have an excuse of ignorance : ) )
BUT STILL, as it melts and as the mud comes and the redneck bridge moves a little under my cold feet, I still get across it and I still get to enjoy life after a break from it. The bridge may have holes, the bridge may be shaky, I may even have to hold on to someone to get across and they may even have to help me clean the mud off my shoes, or I may help them, but I still get through it with the tools God has provided for me when I choose to use them.
So no I'm still not a fan of snow, but I do see that if I choose to allow it to make me stop and look at things differently for a moment, then maybe the next time it snows it won't be so devastating to my schedule! I'll just take a deep breath, enjoy the break, and get energized to fight the mud once its melts away!
Just had something trigger my blogging mind today. SNOW! It's a four-letter word for me I must admit. I've never really liked the cold weather but especially hated the snow. No reason except for the fact that it disrupts my schedule. Suddenly everything stops and I'm left to see what comes next based on something that is completely out of my control. SURELY I'm not a control freak! That's another blog for another day!
Just had a thought about the snow and what happens when it melts away. First of all, it comes to us sometimes with a lot of warning, and then there's nothing. And sometimes we get no warning, and there's a ton of it. And then sometimes it comes with lots of warning, and there's lots of it! I still look at the forecast in disgust and whine and cry about the way it has messed up my schedule. Then once it all melts away I'm left with the never ending mud outside my house and have to use the "redneck bridge" just to get through it and on with what life has for me to do.
But still, I am looking out the window at the most beautiful color of white as it falls down and lays on the ground before we dirty it up. And I must admit that because I might be a control freak, sometimes it takes something out of my control to make me stop and enjoy just being here. And for a little while the beautiful white covers up all of the mess and I'm given a break from the schedule. And when it all melts away i do find it a little sad how something so beautiful can become so yucky once it start to fade away. It gets yucky just because the earth is not so clean these days. It gets yucky because I drive over it. It gets yucky because someone else drives over it. It gets yucky because something really yucky happens when my dogs go out in it (and the goats, and cows, and birds, all animals who don't have the knowledge we have in order to keep it from getting yucky, although even with our knowledge we still get the snow yucky. At least the animals have an excuse of ignorance : ) )
BUT STILL, as it melts and as the mud comes and the redneck bridge moves a little under my cold feet, I still get across it and I still get to enjoy life after a break from it. The bridge may have holes, the bridge may be shaky, I may even have to hold on to someone to get across and they may even have to help me clean the mud off my shoes, or I may help them, but I still get through it with the tools God has provided for me when I choose to use them.
So no I'm still not a fan of snow, but I do see that if I choose to allow it to make me stop and look at things differently for a moment, then maybe the next time it snows it won't be so devastating to my schedule! I'll just take a deep breath, enjoy the break, and get energized to fight the mud once its melts away!
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