Not So Wordless Wednesday...

Working mothers are magical. I don't just say that
because I happen to be one...we just are. We "bring
home the bacon" and take care of our families. We
are often like the Energizer Bunny, not so much
because we want to be, but because we feel like we
have to be. We don't stop until everything's done.
For me, the jury is still out on what God thinks about
working mothers in general. I firmly believe that He
is proud of me, and all (most) that I do each day.
Here is how I feel about being a working mother.

First, I love being a mother. I love my children
more than anyone will EVER know. The fact that
I have to work does not change that. I give the
very best of myself to my children. Work, family,
and friends get the leftovers.

Second, I know I need to slow down some. I
completely understand that God wants me to
enjoy my life. I need to learn to let some things go.

Third, I am blessed. I work so hard because I feel
so blessed. I do not ever want to look back at my
life and feel like I didn't do a good enough job in any
area. You only get one life.

And finally, I KNOW that God meant for me to be
a teacher. The Bible tells us to use whatever gifts
we have to serve others. A lot of my children at
school have fairly happy homes, but quite a few
definitely do not. My goal everyday is to show
those children how much I love them. I want them
to remember me when they get older, and to wonder
"Why did Mrs. Jones love me so much?" I want them
to know that as much as I loved them, God loves them
MORE!!!

***In case you are interested (or just bored and want
something to do), I thought I'd share with you about
my day today. I am sometimes amazed by all that I'm
able to accomplish in a day. I am just now sitting down
to have a moment to myself, just 15 short hours
since waking. In that 15 hours, you must know that
I have done the following:

*woke up at 5:00 to take the puppy out and then
fed her
*woke back up at 6:00 to take her outside
*took a shower
*packed bags for my kids and myself
*ironed clothes
*fed kids breakfast
*got myself ready
*got kids ready
*medicated and walked puppy
*took kids to school
*drove to work (while making a mental list of
all that needed to be accomplished for the day)
*said lots of prayers for family and friends
*got to work and pretended to be chipper upon
arrival...mood improved somewhat after getting
the day started
*taught, encouraged, reprimanded, laughed,
joked, taught, smiled, directed, learned, listened,
and loved my 17 students
*made it through the school day
*made a quick trip to Target
*picked up the kids
*made a quick trip to Kroger
*unloaded the car at home (groceries, school bags,
and children)
*started dinner
*took puppy out
*fed puppy
*started laundry
*ate dinner with kids and talked about their day
*cleaned up dinner
*played with kids
*got kids ready for bed
*rocked Logann and put her to bed
*played with puppy
*laid out clothes for tomorrow
*watched a show with Matthew
*said prayers with Matthew and put him to bed
*changed the cat litter and fed the cats
*cleaned out the puppy's crate
*more laundry
*more playing with puppy
*picked up the house
***Published a Post on my blog
*getting ready to: play with the puppy, do some
more laundry, and get ready for bed...might get
to sleep a little, too!

Good night! Have a great day tomorrow! :)

OneHeart Friends

Look at these sweet friends!

(from left to right: Georgia Grace, Matthew, Logann, Naomi Kate, and Tyler)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

It Will Make You Think...and Pray!

If you have looked at the past two posts
that I have made, you know where my
mind is. It is full of questions. I ask
myself, "How could this happen?" and
"Why was I so lucky?" and "What will
all of these people do?" My heart aches
for all the people I have seen on t.v., and
for all the people I have not seen, but
just know are out there trying to figure
out what they are going to do with their
lives now.

Times like these make me stop and think
about my attitude towards life. I cut the
grass yesterday. For the first time in a
while, I was NOT thinking "Chris should be
doing this." Instead, my mind continually
kept repeating, "You are so lucky to have
grass to cut." I cleaned the house yesterday
too, all the while realizing how truly blessed
I am to have a beautiful house to clean. I
can't help but feel a little bit guilty that it
takes something like this week's occurrences
to make me feel this way. I know I should
count my blessings daily, and from this point
on, I will try to remember this.

I posted a few days ago about Adrienne. I
ask you to pray for her even more now. She
has found out that the sweet baby boy she is
carrying may have difficulty in the future. I
take my children for granted far too often.
She has been a reminder to me that life is far
to short and precious, and I need to take every
day to appreciate and love my children as much
as possible.

This week, I let my anger get the best of me.
After YEARS of turning the other cheek, I did
not yield to the unkind words used by this
person. I did not maintain control as I ALWAYS
do. I had had enough. Whether deserved, or
not, it was not right of me to do. I feel guilty,
and wish I could take it back. This is yet another
reminder that I should focus on God every second
I possibly can.

The normal chaos of life, combined with the
extra stress and emotion of the week, has led
my mind to a scripture that sums up the things
I have felt and learned.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

Please join me in prayer for the following
people this week:

*The Johnson family awaiting the arrival
of baby brother

*The Davis family who lost just about
everything in the flood

*Adrienne and her sweet, growing family
and the health of her unborn son

*Kim and the Rollins family who may have lost
employment for a while due to the state of
Opryland hotel

*All of the thousand of people who do not have
a home now

* All of those who may come to know Christ through
this terrible tragedy

Thank you for reading, and thank you for praying!

Keith Olbermann Shares Tennessee's Tragedy

Here is a short clip from Countdown
With Keith Olbermann about what
is going on here in Tennessee.

www.msnbc.msn.com

Rain, Rain...GO AWAY!!!!

While watching the news, you may have
seen that the southeast has been hit with
lots of rain. Our neighborhood is elevated,
so we do not have much damage.While
our area was not hit the hardest, things
are still pretty bad here. A little closer
to Nashville is much worse. Here is some
video of my route to work.

Here is another video closer to downtown
that we watched live, yesterday.

We are very thankful that our home has
been spared, and we are waiting to see
how many of our friends and family will
be affected by this rain. We know several
people have lost their lives, and I know
that you will join me in prayer for these
people and their families.

A Story of Answered Prayers

Over the past year, or so,
I have been following the blog of
a sweet woman named Adrienne.
She has endured more heartache
than one woman, longing to be a
mother, should have to endure.
I wanted to share her story with
you. She has amazing faith in the
Lord, and has been truly blessed
this year. Please go read her
wonderful story!

Here is the link:

Our Journey of Love

Have a blessed day!