Everyday Beauty

There is beauty all around in God's creation, I simply need to stop and take the time to enjoy it.  This brings to mind Psalm 8 and the beginning verses of Psalm 19.

My porch view of the sun going down on Tuesday evening when I came home.

Silence

From the time I left Opelousas to the time I arrived in Dallas on my trip during Winter Break, I turned off my radio.  For the first few minutes of my trip I had felt overwhelmed by the noise, so I simply shut it off.  I ended up driving my entire trip that way.  It revealed to me that I had not taken time to stop and be quiet in far to long.

More recently I have decided to turn off my background music for a time.  It is interesting how deafening silence can be.  Yesterday, I actually found it distracting to have it so quiet while I tried to work.  Sometimes the background music can be helpful - maybe it requires more concentrated effort to focus and work effectively so I am not as easily distracted.  Other times it can be distracting.  I know that our society tends to be inundated with noise, it is interesting to shut some of it off.

As a result of not listening to music, I have noticed that I more frequently have songs in my head.  They are not necessarily songs I would have been listening to, but may be related to the specific situation.  Turning off the background music has been somewhat of a challenge and an adjustment, but I am enjoying it.

Sermon Reflections

After walking out of church last week I commented to a friend that I could hear our sermon from church every week for the entire year and still need to listen again to apply what I learned.  It was an excellent sermon on Philippians 2:1-5.  It was convicting to the point of being overwhelming, and overwhelming to the point of almost making me want to give up before I tried to apply it because I know that I will fail at it.

Despite that fact, I did read my notes twice during the week and thought about the sermon more times.  I was especially struck by the part about vain conceit.  Some of how it was presented made me realize how prevalent this issue is in my own life.  It was definitely an issue I was more aware of in myself throughout the week.

Every now and again I get overwhelmed by the amount of teaching I receive - from the Bible, sermons, books, and from people with far more wisdom than I have.  Sometimes I simply want to think about and apply one thing that I learned, but I get distracted from applying it consistently by hearing something else that I need to change.  I think that Satan likes to use this feeling of being overwhelmed to stop me from actually focusing on one area and growing within it.  Although the teaching is very good, the volume I receive at times makes me want to give up before I start because the list is never-ending.  I guess that is what sanctification is about - continually changing and growing to become more like Jesus.  I will need to remember that next time I feel like it is a lost cause.

Valentine's Day

"Did you have a good Valentine's Day?"

I was asked this question a couple of times yesterday.  It was interesting because it was from people that I consider acquaintances more than friends.  I answered yes, and at least once explained that I had spent some time with friends.  Most of the day I forgot it was even Valentine's Day - basically all the celebrating I do for Valentine's Day is with my students at school, and we had done that last Friday before the break.  I honestly walked into a stores on Wednesday and Thursday and wondered why they still had all the Valentine's stuff out front because I thought Valentine's Day was already over.  I have never been one to do much for Valentine's Day, so is struck me as somewhat strange to be asked about it multiple times.

Winter Break

This past week was our Winter Break from school.  I took advantage of the break by going to Texas.  I spent a few days in the Dallas area and then headed down to Waco on the way back to Louisiana.  I also spent a few days at home catching up (at least partially) on tasks at home, and relaxing with friends.  It has been a very enjoyable break.

Saturday I went up to Plano, TX.  I spent time with cousin David and Jackie, along with their children Ethan and Jessica.  Ethan has definitely changed a lot since the last time I saw him.  He is very chatty, but not yet fully understandable.  He loves being a clown and wants people to notice him.  He is very cheerful about it as well.  Jessica is a precious two month old.  It was fun to hold her and compare her to my nephew and cousin who are also young babies.  While there, Jackie treated me to some delicious food, and we also enjoyed some time watching a movie (The Incredibles), looking at pictures, and playing a game (Carcassonne with some expansions).

On Tuesday, before I left the Dallas area, I met up with my friend, Marisol, for lunch.  Marisol has been working on a contract in Dallas for most of the school year, so I have only been able to see her occasionally.  It was nice to relax and catch up over some yummy sandwiches at a little cafe near her work.  From lunch I continued on to Waco.

Beside the trail in Cameron Park.

I arrived in Waco shortly before my former roommate, Rachel, had to head to class.  It actually worked out nicely because she was able to let me in to the apartment before she left for three hours.  I spent that time relaxing, napping, and reading.  I also put a casserole Rachel had made in the oven for supper when she returned.  Our evening was spent participating in a variety of fun and somewhat traditional activities.  We shared pictures, talked, drank tea, and watched Hogan's Heroes.  We had a wonderful time.  The next morning we started with a leisurely pace and made our way to Cameron Park to walk along some trails.  The weather was cool but sunny and the walk was excellent.  From there we went to a coffee shop to meet up with her boyfriend Nate.  It was fun to get to know him.  After coffee we returned home for lunch and then I left for Louisiana so that I could do the majority of my driving in the light.

Rachel and I at the coffee shop.

My drive was rather uneventful.  I took state highways most of the way rather than the interstate.  Driving state highways in Texas is nice, the speed limit is actually 75 mph most of the time.  When I crossed the border into Louisiana, my progress slowed considerable as the speed limits dropped to 55 mph.  Upon my return to town I stopped for gas and groceries before I made it home.  It was a very enjoyable trip and I am glad that I had the opportunity to do it.

Yay for Productivity!

This afternoon I finished my required work for tomorrow early.  I did not have a staff meeting or tutoring today, so I was home from school early.  I went for a walk, showered, and ate dinner.  I then decided to work ahead on my Smart Board files so that I wouldn't have to do them this weekend.  I was planning on doing two weeks worth, and if I got really ambitious I would try for more.  I ended up being able to do 4 weeks worth of Smart Board days in under two hours!  I am super excited about that.  The program only froze on me one time, and I had 13 files of it open at that point so it was understandable.

Another instance of productivity was on Saturday.  I managed to accomplish my entire list for the day - that virtually never happens.  I was especially excited because I had a couple of ambitious things on my list, including 4 weeks of lesson plans and finishing my taxes.  Happily that all got accomplished.

One of the best parts of this productivity is that I have a vacation next week.  Since the work got done now, I can enjoy other activities during my break: like visiting people, reading my new book (which I told myself I could not read before break because I had work to do), sleeping in, and things around my house.

Now, I need to get my productivity to include the lingering pile of mail on my desk.  It has been opened, the items of immediate importance have been dealt with, but there are many things still to be read or taken care of.  Somehow my productivity is typically higher in school related activities - probably because those have a deadline whereas things at home do not.

Hand-me-down Clothes

Getting hand-me-down clothes can be a significant blessing.  I know when I was younger I didn't always like the idea of getting clothes from someone else rather than new ones.  Now, I am very happy to be given clothes by other people.  I recently gained high quality clothing from a friend who no longer needs it.  Although we are not quite the same size, there was a lot that I could use.  The quality of the clothing is also great, and it is school appropriate.  Yay for new school clothes!