competitive and perfect

This slice makes one week of them, and even I am wondering how I will make it through this challenge. A couple of things keep me going. 

First, how on earth can I expect my students to make it through thirty-one days of writing without me leading the charge? It would be pretty pitiful if I couldn't make it, but they did. Pih. Tih. Ful. And my competitive nature won't allow that to happen. End of that discussion. 

Second, this is my fifth year participating in this Slice of Life writing madness. It's too perfect of a streak to ruin things—at least that's what I keep telling myself each time I stay up too late or get up extra early to get this stuff busted out.

Slice of Life is worth it. The ideas, the feedback, the support, the challenge: I love it all. 

Now, I just need to get through twenty-six more slices, and I'm home free . . . until next March. 

Seeking to Become - March 2016

Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel.
Isaiah 30:29

A song in this heart and gladness of heart are things I strive to cultivate on a daily basis, but I never considered to what degree and quality I am promised them. I shall have them in full measure because God sees me and he knows my heart. He knows what I need to grow and become the magnificent person I was born to be. 

This month I want to focus on remembering this promise, letting it comfort me when times are difficult, and seeing how my song and gladness can make a difference in each day. 

playing in the background

I hear my song. I hear your song playing in the background. Layers of love and heartache. I hear music in every moment of the day. Words are music. A chord. A melody. Harmony. That's something I want. Peace and harmony in every facet of my life is the goal. Goals take us places we long to be. Goals make up the words for the song we find within our hearts. Our hearts hold the song we were born with and share it only with those who care enough to listen to its tune. 

hardly ever too late

After finishing up reading Fahrenheit 451 in my high school classes this week, some things have sunk in for me. One is that realizing so much too late is something that people do—just like Guy Montag. 

You might be saying, "Uh, it wasn't too late for him." Well, what I mean is that it was too late for having a home, too late for his marriage, too late for a happy life with the person he realized that he loves. Mildred is the first person he thinks of whenever anything happens. He certainly loves her, but he didn't realize how messed up their lives were until it was too late for them. He makes it out of the city, but he's alone. 

Is it ever really too late though? Is there such a thing as realizing too late? In some cases, yes, but these cases are limited and the exception. With the love we have from our friends, family, and God surrounding us, realizing when we are in a mess is just the first step to greatness. It's never too late to step up and meet our potential. 

So many thoughts are swirling in my mind that I can hardly stop enough to write it all down. These few will have to do for today. 

have your cake and eat it first

This slice of cake has a story. 

For Christmas, I decided to give each of my children the gift of time going out with me, so I got each of them a gift card to a different restaurant or store, and they had one-on-one with me for the afternoon or evening as we could work things out. This slice of cake is from one of those outings that we call mom-time. 

One of my girls and I went downtown to enjoy some dinner and shopping, but we started with dessert first, and I've decided that's the only way to go around here. If you're going to have cake, you might as well eat it first or the cliché wins. 

Or something like that.