Where I am From

So I am taking a writing course and this was the first assignment and I am posting it here. :)

I am from the big grey house on the corner

on the edge of small town life where a purple banana seat bike means freedom to rule the streets and roam the stores

or, to be specific, roam the

candy aisle at the grocery store, the library and the local hardware store

I am from a green-painted concrete basement, perfect for roller-skating

            playing restaurant or teacher or hiding under the stairs.

From climbing white birch trees and looking for secret hideouts

            to hold exclusive clubs in

And knocking on doors asking elderly neighbors for candy in exchange for a visit.

I am from read along tapes and records, spinning out Music Machine and Psalty

and old hymns sung a capella at church and Sunday school

Music humming from the baby grand in the tan living room

            Dad pounding the keys, making up songs about us or singing Hey Baby

Or sometimes at bedtime singing us to sleep from the hallway

I am from “What is the most important decision you will ever make?”

            and “Be There”

From a strong heritage of faith passed down and passed down and passed down

            in our small town, farming community where

Grandpa and Grandma, spinster great Aunts, cousins, aunts, uncles are close

I am from a childhood filled 

with people I love

            lots of love 

and light.

*The original Where I’m From poem is by George Ella Lyon.

Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me - a book review

How do you start a conversation after months of silence? It feels a little awkward; nevertheless, the silence breaks with a book review.

Jesus, my Father, the CIA, and Me, a memoir… of sorts by Ian Morgan Cron

This is a book about God’s mercy toward and pursuit of Mr. Ian Morgan Cron. It is about his relationship with his earthly father (a man with incredibly high highs and low lows), or attempts at relationship. But mostly it is about his relationship with his Heavenly Father.  It is filled with stories and remembrances of a life growing up, the good, the bad and the ugly.

The stories in this book will compel you to turn the page again and again until you reach the end.  Some of them are unbelievable; some funny, some hard, some gut wrenching. I love Mr. Cron’s writing. It is conversational, honest, and simple in tone, but has a depth that makes it entirely worth the read.

If you are in need of a Christmas gift for a reader in your family, I think this would be a good choice. It is both entertaining and profound. It is a book I will keep on my shelf and pull down from time to time to read and remember that God is merciful, full of grace and pursues us relentlessly.

While the children were in school...

I wanted to find a picture to go along with this quote, but then I realized, the words paint the picture well enough. Happy Weekend friends.

While the children were in school, the town seemed abnormally quiet. The quiet, by mid afternoon  would sometimes seem almost entranced.

And so I loved especially the time of day when school let out. What the will of the neighborhood had managed to pen up all day in something like order would all of a sudden burst loose and stream out both ways along the road. A rout of children would pour from the schoolhouse down into the quiet town--a cataract of motions and sounds:  voices calling, shouting, singing, laughing, teasing, arguing; boys running, dancing about, hitting each other, sometimes fighting in earnest; girls switching their dresstails and hair in mock disdain and condemnation of the behavior of the boys. And often you would hear a boy's voice chanting above the rest:  "School's out! School's out! Teacher wore my britchies out!" Or something on the order of "Hey, booger-nose!"

-Taken from Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

My Favorite App

If you have a smart phone and you enjoy a Starbucks every now and then, you really should have the Starbucks app on your phone. It is one of my favorites and here are a few reasons why:

Oh, but before I go there, to maximize the potential of your Starbucks app usage, you need to join Starbucks Rewards and register a Starbucks gift card. (and even better, if you do this by September 22 they will give you a free drink!!)

So back to why I love the app:

1.) I can pay for my drink with my phone. My gift card - now turned gold card - is loaded onto the app. I can reload the balance with a few button pushes (this gets dangerous) and pay for my drink with ease.

2.) Every time I buy a drink, a gold star shows up in my cup. As a gold card member (you have to earn your way to this status), I get a free drink for every 12 I purchase, plus one on my birthday (this applies to green card members too).

3.) The stars move around when I shake my phone. It's the small things people. 

4.) Every little bit, my Starbucks app offers me a code for a free song download or a free app. Just today, I scored a song from Jack Johnson's newest album. In the past I have downloaded songs from The Lumineers, Ben Harper, and the Civil Wars to name a few. I also got the Sky Guide app for free which is really cool (another favorite). 

5.) If I need to find the nearest Starbucks the app shows me the closest one.

Of all the apps I have loaded on my phone, this is my favorite. You can't beat free drinks, songs and apps. The Starbucks app is a GOOD thing.

Your turn, What is one of your favorite apps?

Celebrations

Over the weekend we celebrated Zak's birthday. His fifth birthday, but his first one with us. He has been talking about his birthday cake for months so to say he was a little excited would be an understatement. 

We also celebrated the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with cupcakes instead of moon cakes. We hung lanterns in our trees and enjoyed a beautiful September evening with family. The moon festival has an element of thanksgiving in it, I have heard it called the Chinese equivalent of our American Thanksgiving holiday. 

It is one of my favorite Chinese traditions that we have attempted to make our own. I think you would agree ANY reminder to give thanks is a good thing. And while the Chinese technically thank the moon, we chose to thank the Creator of the moon instead. 

He has given us a lot to be thankful for which was abundantly clear as we celebrated a little boy and the amazing gift of family.

We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near.

    People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 75:1

Riding the Short Bus to School

Her preschool bus was a “short” bus, but that was different because every preschooler rode it. When the short bus came to get her on her first day of Kindergarten, it was another story. She was disappointed because she thought she was going to ride the “big” bus with her siblings. Her disappointment, in turn, triggered worry in me. 

We live in a culture that is way more focused on the outward stuff than the inward. I am a product of my culture. I make snap judgments of people based on their looks. Sometimes I want to become friends with someone (or not) based solely on how high I perceive their coolness factor to be. Thankfully Jesus, who is not at all like this, is teaching me to be more like him, but looking past the outward does not always come naturally. So the worries come when I think of my daughter and her very outward special need interacting with kids who are also a product of our culture.

When I look at Suhn, I see her special needs. They are hard to ignore. I am constantly reminded of them when I put on her braces; see her walking or trip over her walker. I see them, but I have no problem looking past them. She is not a SPECIAL NEEDS child; she is a CHILD with special needs. 

When her ride on the short bus first came up, I didn’t question it. My brain doesn’t work like that. I accepted the fact that she needed help on and off the bus, and that it would be more difficult for a traditional bus to cater to that need. But, when she had her first ride on the short bus, my brain started working. I questioned the decision and the potential stigma it might create.

I still question it, but the reality is it’s not about the bus. Not really. There have been times in the past when a child has made a comment about Suhn that could be hurtful. Thankfully, Suhn has been largely unaware of these types of comments, but I know the day is coming when that kind of talk or attitude will be heard and will hurt. The older she gets the more aware she will become and the more aware her peers will become. I think the start of Kindergarten and her mode of transportation made that day feel closer.

It also brought up questions. When kids see her on the playground at recess will they ignore her because she can’t keep up? She doesn’t have a lot of choice where she sits at lunch, will others seek her out or leave her alone?

We try to be proactive when the questions come. We talk to Suhn about her gift of friendliness and how she can use it. We talk about how if new-to-her kids sit by her at lunch, it is an opportunity to make a new friend and encourage her to look for kids at recess who might need a friend to play with.

Most days, it is easy to keep the worries at bay. Especially when my excited giggly girl gets off the bus telling me all about her day from the moment she lays eyes on me.

But like all moms know, those fears are still there even if they lay dormant for awhile. I don’t want her to get hurt. Especially over something like how she gets around. It’s such a little difference. 

So when the worry creeps in, I am trying to use it as a trigger to pray. To pray for kids who can look past the outward. To pray she will develop strong friendships with those who do. To pray she will use her gift of friendliness to glorify her Creator (she already does!) And to pray that if the hurt does happen, it will not tear her down but will instead build character and strength in both of us.

Pre-Cut Slices

About a month ago I began rummaging through Money Saving Mom's website. Not so much for the money-saving ideas THIS time, but for freezer recipes. I was motivated and ended up making and freezing breakfast burritos, waffles and banana bread. I also made up a batch of homemade baking mix (to replace the Bisquick I normally buy).

(I know that all sounds very Betty Crockerish and maybe even a little Proverbs 31ish. Don't let that one paragraph fool you. My motivation to do more is already waning - after one batch of each- a month ago- and while I would like to say I will soldier on...   we'll see. Although the finished products have come in handy, and it really doesn't take that much time... .)

Anyway, through that perusing, baking and freezing process I stumbled upon a fun little tip. One that most of you will probably think something along the lines of "really, that's your tip, so obvious."  But hey, this is my blog so I'm going to share it anyway.

The tip was this, after you make a batch of banana bread, cut it into slices and THEN freeze it. That way, when you need to, you can pull out a pre-cut frozen slice, stick it in a school lunch, and your kiddos can have a little bit of home-baked goodness for lunch. OR, you can pull out a pre-cut frozen slice, stick it in the microwave for a few seconds and YOU can have a little bit of home-baked goodness.

Revolutionary, I KNOW!

Or maybe not, but either way, it works for me. :)

And since we are on the topic of school lunches, do you have any tips/ideas? If so, PLEASE share!!