Tomorrow is Chloe's teacher, Ms. Harris's, birthday, so Chloe is busy putting together a gift for her. TJ is writing his name on all his birthday party invitations, and Mara is putting way too many barretts and pony tail holders in her hair. Today John decided that he is going to go to San Francisco this Sat-Tuesday for Dave and Kristine's wedding. He is very excited and so glad that he has his own business that allows him to take off when he needs. I will miss him at our potluck on Sunday. I think this will be our fourth monthly potluck that we started having shortly after our good friend, Jared, died. It's a lot of fun to have all our friends over to share a meal and play games and chat. I'm going to have to really pull the weight because John does most all the cleaning, cooking, and story telling :) Today I gave a sweet young lady named Patricia a ride home because her brother left without her. Patricia is a wrestler, and she is a mature and well spoken young woman. She is an immigrant from Africa, and I look forward to getting to know her better and am glad God used me in this very small task. I think it's so important for youth to have a supportive adult other than their parents in their life, and I think I will start eating lunch with Patricia and other students in the cafeteria. I found out some sad news last night. My mom and aunt informed me that my Grandpa Bill's son, Mike, passed away. I know my grandpa and grandma and my cousin, Darlene, and all their family are really mourning right now. I pray that God gives them the strength and comfort that need to deal with their loss. Tonight we had a tasty meal of rice and corn, and it made me want to eat less processed and fried food and more healthy grains and veggies. I want to model good eating habits for my kids, and I want to live long enough to see my great grandchildren grow up. Tomorrow I'm going to lead a lesson on being a leader with character and values and having a positive self image at Girl Scouts. I hope that the 3rd grade girls take it to heart and keep what they learn with them for many years as they are overinundated with commercials about diet pills, girls gone wild, pageant modeling, plastic surgery, and poor role models in the media. On Saturday I have planned a bowling outing for the kids' school. I hope that families take time to come out so that we can get to know each other better and let the children play outside of school. I love to watch them talk with their friends and listen to them laugh and enjoy themselves. Since there isn't a lot to do in Marshalltown, I think it's good to expose the kids to as many things as possible so that when they are older they will choose to be inventive, creative, and productive. I'm not sure why so few people usually take part in outside of school activities, but I'm not going to let it bother me or deter me from planning future events. I found out that our friend, Callie, is coming home from Nashville on the 12th and is going to perform at Lampost in Cedar Falls. We're going to go to the Fun Time Friday carnival for an hour and then head up there. Maybe we'll take Autumn, Sierra, and Isaiah. We have been talking about maybe driving out to Nashville for Easter. I think it would be a great road trip, but I wish we had a couple more days of vacation. I pray that God continues to teach me how to show love to others and guide me to where I'm needed because I know that people don't always wear their hearts on their sleeves. I was a child that hid a lot of pain and needed someone to really show me acceptance, forgiveness, and the truth that God had a plan for me and that I have a purpose and that He can heal all wounds. I pray that I challenge my students with applicable, relevant, critical thinking activities that they will remember and use outside of school. I pray that my friend, Charlotte, has a safe delivery and healthy baby girl and that she feels support from friends since her family does not live in Iowa. I pray that our neighbor Gil is recovering from his broken hip and that the kids and I keep having meaningful conversations like the one we had last night while watching a silly show, The Batchelor, about saving ourselves for marriage and the 7th commandment. Today Mara told me that she is going to have ten kids, a bus, home school, and her husband is going to work at Hoglan Elementary. Too cute. I pray that they set high goals, have the confidence and drive to acheive them, listen to God's path for them, and do their best at whatever God chooses for them.
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