Confession 38: Complaint Free Me

I am not a big believer in the Lenten season. It's not that I don't believe it's important to be in an attitude of confession and penitence, to seek God's will and set your sights on higher things, it's just that as a Christian I think you should be doing these things all the time. They should be a natural part of your faith walk, not just a once-a-year forty day practice. This mostly stems from the fact that I grew up in the Southern Baptist church and we never acknowledged Lent. Until I became a Methodist I thought it was something only Catholics practiced. However, as I grow in my understanding of the Church, I see more merit in the customs and actions surrounding Lent. That said, I've decided this year to actually give up something for Lent. I'm going to give up complaining.

It seems throughout this past decade or so we have become a nation of negativity. Complaining is commonplace. In fact, it is very much encouraged. Look at all of our reality T.V. shows. People do nothing but complain, and then the audience is encouraged to criticize and complain about the contestants on the show. Remember the presidential election campaign? What did the candidates do? Complain. Pick up a newspaper and read a Letter to the Editor--complaints. Think back to the last conversation you had. Did you complain about something? I was in the teacher's lounge, so I know I did! It's ridiculous, and I've gotten just as caught up in it as anyone else. So, I've decided that Lent is as good a time as any to take a stand.

But, before I begin, I have a few fundamental questions. First, what's the difference between a complaint and a statement of fact? For instance, if I say, "I'm tired of the cold", am I complaining or stating an opinion? If I get stuck in a parade of traffic on my way to work and tell someone that, am I complaining? What if I need to vent about classes or church? Can I do that and not be complaining? Or, if someone's a big fat jerk and I point that out to someone else, does that constitute a complaint? I mean, if the shoe fits.... And what about sarcasm? Done well, it can truly become art.

I went onto the website of "A Complaint Free World" to get some answers. It's a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people live more positive lives. It was started by a minister in the Kansas City area, Will Bowen I think his name is, and they've done a lot of good work. But all I could find on their website was the opportunity to buy a book. That doesn't really help me at the moment (Was that a complaint?). So, I'm left to figure it out on my own. I'm just going to do the best I can and look for the best in others. And maybe avoid the teacher's lounge, at least for 40 days.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 37: Behold the Power of the "Chi"

I have never been a "girly-girl". I played around with eye shadow in eighth grade, wore lipstick on and off through high school, and had a disastrous perm experience that left me with "Cher-hair" (seriously) in middle school. But other than that, I've prided myself on being a blow-dry and go girl. No make-up, just good ole face wash and moisturizer. No fuss, no muss. So, it's a surprise to me as I've gotten older that my appearance has become more important to me. It started with nail polish after college. Then, when I could afford it, I fell in love with highlights in my mid-twenties as my hair became more salt and peppered. But the biggest leap has come now that I'm into my thirties. I have discovered the power of the "Chi".

It all started when I spent a few days with my sister in Kansas City. If I am a no fuss, no muss girl, my little sister is all fuss, all muss. She is meticulous with her hair and make-up, taking as long as necessary to get her hair just right before she leaves the house. She has all sorts of hair products, one of which happens to be a Chi hair straightener. I had some time when I was visiting her (she was taking care of my sons) so I decided to have some fun and give the Chi a try. That was all it took. I was smitten. You see, although my hair has always had lots of body, it's never been curly. After the "Cher-hair" disaster and another average perm, I realized my dream of cascading spirals was never going to materialize. And so, I let it go, never realizing that there might be another option. I never thought my hair might be straight.

The moral of all of this is that maybe we each have a little bit of girly-girl in us after all. And although I spend more time on my hair than I ever have before, it's only a matter of minutes. Maybe it's vanity, or just a repressed need to try and slow the aging process, but it makes me happy every day to plug in my Chi.

Thank you to my wonderful hubby by the way for bringing the Chi permanently into my life:)

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 36: Why I Teach

I was sitting in the teacher's lounge the other day, listening to teachers do what they do in the teacher's lounge, vent (unless it's an American Idol Day). One of the teachers made the comment that she didn't know why she bothered putting so much into the process of teaching when the kids don't seem to care. The other teachers groaned in empathy and agreed. I had to laugh though. I mean really, any good teacher knows that deep down (sometimes very deep down) we do it because we love the kids. The bueracracy of our educational system has tried to thwart that, with ridiculous curricular goals and too much emphasis placed on standardized tests, but real teachers know what matters most.

I was reminded of that last week in an encounter I had with one of my students. We've been reading Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, and in the middle of the author's discourse on his relationship with his father, one of my boys walked out of the room. This is the second year I've had this student in class, and we have a pretty good relationship, so I just thought maybe he wasn't feeling well. After a bit, another student asked if he could go check on the boy. I was surprised when the other student opened the classroom door and saw that the boy was not in the bathroom, but outside in the hall. I went out in the hall to see what was going on, and saw that my student was crying. I sat down next to him and asked what was going on. It was the book, the discussions of the volitale relationships between fathers and sons had struck home to him, as he and his father have a very difficult relationship. We talked for a few minutes and went back into class.

The point of all of this is that this is what teaching should be about. It's about building relationships with students. It's about being there for them, helping them grow, providing them a sounding board, encouraging them to think for themselves. We put the effort into our classes not so our students can be successful on a test, but so they can be successful in life. It's a privilege to teach-- I need to remember that come Monday morning!

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 35: Forged in the Fire

So, I just finished reading a new set of books by Ann Turnbull that I have to blog about. No Shame, No Fear and Forged in the Fire. These books are amazing!! Set in England in the mid 1600's, the books tell the love story of Susanna and Will. Susanna is a young Quaker girl and Will the son of a wealthy merchant. Will is drawn to both the Quakers and Susanna, but his father disapproves of both. In a time of persecution, Will and Susanna have to decide what is worth sacrificing for love of each other and of God.

The second book (and probably my favorite) continues their story through an outbreak of the Plague in 1665 and then the Great Fire of London in 1666. Both stories are told in alternating viewpoints from Susanna and Will. The characters grow in depth and maturity throughout the books as they face a myriad of obstacles, but hope always springs forth through their love and faith.

I searched online to see if a third book is in the works, but so far, no word. Turnbull definitely leaves it open for a continuation, and this reader is very hopeful that a new book will come.

If anyone reads this blog-- check out these books!!

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 34: Catch Up

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted!! Where has the time gone? I feel like so much has changed since I've last written. And, the fact that I haven't posted in so long effectively means that the only one reading this will be me.

Well, our second son was born in June, five days before his big brother's second birthday. It was beautiful. Stephenson Murod came out at just over six pounds. His name comes from my maiden name and the name of my husband's best friend who died of cancer several years ago. We took Stephen home the day after he was born and he promptly slept for the first two weeks of his life. Everything with Stephen is easier than with his brother. He loves to eat (at 8 1/2 mos. he's already pushing twenty pounds!) sleep, and is generally very happy. He loves to move and is already crawling and pulling up to standing on furniture. He delights in his big brother, who is just thrilled to be Stephen's center of attention. Everything Garrett does is simply hilarious to Stephen.

Garrett continues to become a "little man". He talks, constantly, and we now have what I would call complete conversations. He's become obsessed with the movie Cars. We watch at least part of it on a daily basis and he quotes it to us throughout the day. He's finally eating table foods and is filling out a bit, although his ribs are still visible through both his chest and back. But his face is filling out, so I'm not too concerned. He's become a big fan of cookies, especially his Grandpa Stu's cookies, so that's become our tool for getting him to finish a meal.

I still love teaching high school. It's so great to work for supportive administrators in a district that strives to be progressive. My students are at this moment attempting to stay awake while they finish reading Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. We only have a classroom set, so all of our reading has had to be done in class. I thought my student's would really like the book, but they find it pretty dull. I think it's because it's non-fiction and they just don't get a lot of that.

It's funny to me that I was ready to give up teaching six years ago because I've found that I really love it. Although, I was on the blog page for Susan Pfeffer, a young-adult author who's written/writing a series of books I love, and I couldn't help but feel that familiar twinge of longing to do that for a living. But, I'd miss the kids, which is why I teach. And, I love exploring literature with them.

Things at the church are o.k. We went through a really rough spell, but things are turning in the right direction. I no longer want to leave as soon as possible, so that's good. It helps that we've made some friends, other young couples who are transplants to our small community and have struggled as we have. I know Chris is doing good work. Plus, he will be ordained this summer! Ten years of hard work is finally coming to fruition. I'm so excited for him!!

Well, that's about it. It's hard to sum up a year in a nutshell. It's definitely been a year of growth, both literally and figuratively! Until next time...

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

P.S. I was totally consumed by the Presidential Election and thrilled with the results. 1600 bn. dollars worth of debt however, not so much!