was still in the secret place......

today i found myself at school, teaching my students, but not really there. my heart was still in my secret place with my Redeemer. i found myself under the tree, gazing out into the lake, with the gentle breeze moving my hair across my face. i found myself taken away with Jesus, just singing a love song to Him, that only He could appreciate. i found myself still feeling His gaze upon me. i can still see the ripples on the little pond. i see the butterfly that blessed me, as i sat on the bench. as the butterfly fluttered around me, i felt as if God was winking at me. i saw the little frogs jumping from spot to spot.

i felt the presence of the Lord more than i have ever felt Him before.

did i actually teach today? my body was present, but my spirit was staring into a sky full of stars, and a moon that was unbelievably bright.

i wrote before we went on the retreat that i envisioned Jesus and i sitting underneath a tree and sharing together. there was no way to imagine what an life altering experience this encounter would be. what i shared with Jesus in our secret place was nothing short of miraculous.

You overwhelm me. Why You love me so much i will never understand or comprehend. You amaze me. Thank you for your kiss.

in the secret place.....

as You pick me up, You dust me off and offer Your hand to me! Oh how I am desperate for Your love and companionship! i want to sit at Your feet and have You lift me up into Your lap! You meet me where I am, and offer Your love to me and i am refreshed, redeemed, and revived.

in my secret place, where i sit in your lap and You hold me as a father holds his child, i ask You to be my best friend- and You said "I am!"

Hold on to my hand and walk through life with me- and You said "I am!"

Be my constant source of joy and peace- and You said "I am!"

Be ever present with me- and You said "I am!"

Be my shield and fortress- and You said "I am!"

Be my redeemer, my healer- and You said "I am !"

Be my keeper and my life giver- and You said "I am!"

Be my father and protector- and You said "I am!"

Be my comforter- and You said "I am!"

Be my Mother- and You said "I am!"

Be my energy, strength, hope, joy- and You whisper sweetly and tenderly in my ear, holding my face in Your hand, oh sweet daughter, "I am!"

Wipe the tears from my face and You said daughter, not only do I wipe them from Your face, I count them!

May I spend my life trying to please You! As the daughter of the King. As it is time that He is pulling me away from everyone that I was so dependent on, I realize I only need depend on Him! I am free to release the prisoners that I have kept in my heart and realize that I to, have been released to become the woman that I was meant to be. Be free my precious friends and family who have carried me for so long, as Jesus teaches me to walk on my own two feet. He whispers in my ear that when everything else is striped away that is where, in the quiet place that we truly find Him. He wants me to find Him in the still places of my life. Just Him and I, as He teaches me the dance, that He intended only me to learn. As He pulls me away He tells me that soon I will soar like an eagle, free only then, to soar with wind beneath me.

i love....

* i am still here

* i love my class even though they are a tough bunch

* i have some very funny students in my class

* my girls are doing great in school

* both of my girls made a's on their progress reports

* my girls love their teachers

* i AM SO EXITED ABOUT THE RETREAT

* i have a idea, of God and i going and sitting under a big tree, with a soft
breeze blowing just having sometime alone. just sometime to reflect on
the goodness of God. how blessed i am. the sun shining brightly in the sky.
walking in the woods with Him and just being in His presence in a natural
setting. i am a country girl, so when i think of being in heaven, i don't
think of streets of gold. i think of meadows and pastures and trees with a
gentle breeze. a brook babbling in the distance and birds singing. Jesus
and i are under a tree just looking at the beautiful sky. sometimes talking
and sometimes just enjoying the cool of the day. hand and hand, just being
together, exchanging ideas and Jesus telling me He looks down on me and just
smiles. that is my idea of heaven.

* we are adjusting to the idea of not moving and we are at peace.

* i love my girls being with me everyday. i love that i get to walk with
wonderful teacher friends daily as we encourage one another and share the
days events with each other.

* i love that i have a job that i have been called to do and that Jesus
considers me worthy of the calling. even though sometimes it is really
challenging, i have a career that i truly love and know that i am called
to be there.

* i love that i am in the most peaceful time in my life and have discovered
that the way to stay there is to stay continually in the presence of Jesus.
reading scripture and allowing them to plant themselves in my heart. writing them not only in my mind but also on the tablets of my heart. they bring forth life. i have learned not to sweat the small stuff. i have learned to let go and just
focus on Jesus and the things of this world grow strangely dim.

* i have learned that i have made plenty of mistakes and will make plenty more
but, that is what makes us what we are, and who we are to become. it is in
mistakes that we build character if we allow Christ to use them to teach
us. all things work together for good, for those that love the Lord and are
called according to His purpose.

* i love the way my students look at me when they are grasped a hard concept.
it is like i have added to their life in someway. sometimes they tickle me
so.

* i love my families, church and natural, both of them. i blessed by them. how
they lift me up.

* i love my life.

My Baby Is Growing Up....

tomorrow is a special day. my baby hannah, who is in the fourth grade, is running for student council. wow! where does time go? just yesterday i was rocking her in my arms and singing to her. just yesterday she was learning to sip from a sippie cup. just yesterday she was singing kikkle, kikkle, little star. and asking me to hold her. she used to be so shy. she would stand tucked around my legs if someone came up to her and spoke to her. now look at her. doesn't God know i want her to stay with me forever?
she drew posters and made bookmarks and even wrote a speech. she gives her speech tomorrow. she is very excited. this is right up her ally.
i am so excited for her. i am so proud of her. i am so proud to be her mommy. i look at her and know there is a God who full fills our dreams beyond anything we can ever hope or imagine. she is such a bright and shining star. my, how she shines. my heart is filled with all kinds of emotions when i look into her soft brown eyes. what a precious gift from God she is. no one ever tells you all the emotion that goes into to raising a child. the emotion that i feel for her could run the brightest moonbeam for centuries. make the sweetest hummingbird sing a song so sweet, it would soothe any ache.
all i can say is, wow. i love you baby "grill."

My Little Ambassador and 4 H Club Member......

this weekend was a busy time for us, but it was so much fun. it was the 30th annual
miles cotton festival. boy did we have fun. i got to spend time with my family and a lot of old friends. i love being from a small rural town. i have friends that i have know for over 30 years. i love the fact that my girls are going to school at a small rural school. so many of our small towns have dried up, but miles is still going strong.
we started off the day with a parade. both of my girls were in the parade. bekah was a little ambassador, and hannah was on the 4-H float. then we walked around the park where there were about 30ish booths there. then we spent most of the day at the camp

of my old youth pastors camp. boy can this man cook. we just sat and visited all day.
the girls played with all of their school friends. they had a part of the park roped off for the jumbo bouncy castles, and wall climbing. the girls had a blast. we ate ribs , brisket, little deabloes, and german potatoes. oh my goodness, it was fabulous. charles, (my old youth pastor) enters his brisket every year, but he never wins. i don't know how he doesn't because it is fabulous.
later that night there was a cotton queens contest, where bekah escorted her contestant. here are some pictures.

before the parade, bekah with a friend


bekah on the last years queen's float


hannah saying her 4h pledge

hannah on her 4H float

bekah with her cousin sarah


bekah with her queen's contestant


bekah with her friends at the queens contest

So Sorry....

so SORRY. this is what happens when a computer illiterate person tries to change things on the computer by herself. one of you more computer illiterate people will have to physically come over and help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I LOVE MY BLOGGING SISTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD NEVER WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT AT THE EXPENSE OF MY IGNORANCE..............

PLEASE FORGIVETH ME!!!!!

AFTER ALL I'M JUST A THIRD GRADE TEACHER.

sorry it has been so long...

i know it has been along time since i have posted, but i am afraid this year i am going to earn my money. i have 19 very busy , energetic, active, did i say loud, unattentive class. if i could give a ritalin salt lick as they entered my class to help them focus on the task at hand, i would. for some reason that is illegal? hmmmmm don't know why? those of you that are teachers, you know what i mean. some of you others might know too.
i am the math teacher. now math lends itself to playing lots of math games during my lesson to get across what i am trying to teach them. so it is not like i am lecturing my class for the math time. we are busy, actively learning. but i have seen attention spans longer in an infant.

on the flip side, i do really enjoy the personalities of the 37 students. they are funny, witty, and sweet. there are some very endearing students in my class. and most of them are still eager to please at this age. which is why i love third grade students.

so by the end of the day, i am just a little tired. my legs aren't hurting quite as much as they were as last week. sometimes after my children go to bed all i want to do is sit and veg. but i promise as the weeks go by i will do more posting.

oh, by the way i changed my blog so everyone can read it, i will just have to approve the comments.

bye for now, i love ya.