Happiness is: blundered imp-cakes, chocolate, and singing in the choir

 according to Charlie Brown, "Happiness is singing in the choir." and, since my goal for my students was for them to begin to correlate learning with fun and excitement (I sensed a great lack of this), then if singing in the choir= happiness, PARTY while singing in the choir must= double dose of happiness, right? Well :)


...So, I decided to have a Christmas Kickoff Party for my Jr High/High School kids in choir in Wednesday, our first real day of choir, since Monday was a half-day. 

I found these and just HAD to try them out...aren't they
terrific?

However...*clears throat* pictures online aren't always as easy as they appear...I know this! "How," you might ask? Well, this next picture says it all...

The dreadful imp-cakes...poo!

...Yep, that's correct. Instead of cute little reindeer, I ended up with red-eyed, horned, imps due to a mistake of my own. (bought small pretzels rather than large, the wrong candy, and forgot to use marshmallows for the eyes.) Since this was not what I wanted to communicate during our first choir practice, I improvised and came up with...

...Ta-Da! Smiley cupcakes! :)They weren't the Christmasy affect I was hoping for, but at least they don't look like I stole an orc from Lord of the Rings and made him pose for my cupcake design. :) And, they tasted great.(Which, I suppose, was the prime objective.) 

Here's a glimpse of my choir kiddos...all 17 of them. :) I wasn't quite sure what to expect since there was just an ensemble last year, but I am really excited! We had a blast playing random games! One was where everyone goes around the room humming different Christmas songs/carols, and has to find other people humming the same one. They kept me hopping for the 65 minute class... and by the end, I felt something like this...

But, I figure, if it helped the kids realize:

1) learning and fun can go together

2) choir is not scary- it's singing: and supposed to be fun!

3) learning more about music can be a blast, too...

...then I will have succeeded...even if it took imp-looking

chocolate cupcakes, oreo's, fizzing drinks, candy, games,

Christmas decor and music to do it! 

Our next choir is on Wednesday, so I'm hoping for a great 

rehearsal! 

If you run out of things to pray for,

I could use a few extra :)

Well, here's to a terrific labor day weekend...

and an apology for such a lengthy post. :)

(but, I must admit, I sort of use this for a journal to help me 

remember things, so I'm sort of not as sorry as I sounded:) 

Me? just busy being thankful...

it's been one of those days. 

You know... the kind where a persons' state

of being degrades from 'good' or 'fine' to just 'existing.' 

the kind that makes a person actually wish the clouds

were looming and grey instead of bright and sunny.

indeed, definitely on of those today. 

Here are a few highlights, to give you an idea. . .

1) it's been Monday. all day. 

2) worked in my classrooms for 5 hours

3) various stressful situations interrupted my 

process of classroom organization

4) I began to wish people did not exist

5) everyone else seemed to be having

 a 'Monday' today, also

until tonight. 

after some thought, I have a new perspective.

1) it's not just Monday; it's pre-Tuesday

2) got a huge amount of work done at school today,

and enjoyed the opportunity to listen to  my 

favorite classical music for 5 hours

3) had the opportunity to practice grace rather

than truth during situations

4) you never know what other people are facing. a seeming

harsh or rash statement may in fact be 

a reaction to a personal or tragic situation or circumstance.

5) just when I was at my 'whits-end,' a teacher-mentor-friend

popped in just in the nick of time to offer

an encouraging smile and kind words.

no, I'm not one of those individuals blessed 

with constant pleasant and positive outlooks on life,

but I am in the process of becoming more like Jesus. 

because I have His example, I can learn...

"in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content..."

all things considered, today was just another 

opportunity to practice what I tell others:

"don't look at your circumstances as bumps in the road,

but rather as another small detour of grace." 

so, at the conclusion of this long stressful day,

if you were to ask, 'how are you?,' my answer would

be: 'just busy being thankful.' 

and so I am. 

This song by Josh Groban typifies the

feelings of my heart tonight. 

just thankful.

Of Miracles, Prayer, and Things Thought Impossible...

Today's turn of events with little Jack Budensiek and the 24-hour prayer chain at HSBChurch have prodded me to do some thinking. The point is this: it's not a matter of God's medical knowledge or complete healing on Jack, or anyone; it's a matter of God's perfect plan and accomplishing His Will through difficult circumstances.

Some of you may be pondering the significance of the 24-hour prayer chain, or wondering if prayer truly does change things. If you fall into that category, or have begun to question the power of prayer, this is for you. I realize this note is long, and how I dreaded writing it since it meant literally reliving the memories I'd rather have forgotten. It truly is a little look into a part of my heart, which I rarely would share. However, I can't help but think that it was brought to mind for a reason and may somehow be a source of encouragement, boost of faith, or fresh realization of the power of Prayer. 

It was May of 2005. I was 15 years old and in the tenth grade at Stone City Christian Academy in Bedford, Indiana. The horrors of Scoliosis had previously invaded my fragile world in 2002, and titanium rods were placed on either side of my spine to correct the horrific two 64-degree curves that threatened my heart, lungs, and ultimately, my life. After a month's worth of complications, life resumed, howbeit much different than before. With limited mobility, some activities were no longer an option; others became treated with much more care. Life skitted along in this sense of normalcy until May 2005 when a random x-ray showed damaged screws in my back. One, in particular, had backed out of its position and was .10 mil. from puncturing my aorta. We later learned it was actually just resting on my aorta, and could have punctured it at any moment. Again, God was merciful. 

Surgery the first of June was successful, but the events to follow were nightmarish at best, and the times I have tried to erase them from my memory are innumerable. Understand this: I do not share them with joy or some secret impish desire for pity, but rather out of a heart that longs to praise God for the wonderful things He has done and to give Him the praise of which He truly is worthy. 

The next two months included the following: punctured lungs, broken ribs, lung tap, tube to drain lung fluid, staph infection in back, and every doctor's nightmare: C-Diff, an outragiously terrible infection caused by use of antibiotics used to treat the staph infection. This required the insertion of a pic-line (direct IV type tube from my arm directly to the main vain in my heart) and continual viles of what was then the world's strongest antibiotic. 

I was in and out of the hospital every few days, or at home with home healthcare nurses. I lost well over 30 pounds due to not eating for a month or so. About the middle of July, the doctors came to their whit's end. They had called in the top physicians, specialists, and personnel to help fight the diseases and complications. This time, they were out of ideas. The last resort was to put in a feeding tube since I was unable to retain any nutrients. I have no clue how long that was in, since I was sedated the majority of the time. I distinctly remember the night toward the end of July when my Grandpa Davis arrived to see me from SC. The disturbing news from the Dr's destroyed any scrap of hope my parents might have had: "We don't know what else to do. You'd better start planning her funeral. It doesn't look good." Words that would crush any parent's heart. That was on Tuesday, I believe.

On Wednesday, my home church in IN, Faith Mission Church, formed a 24-hour prayer chain. They began praying Wednesday evening and it continued through the weekend. Thursday when grandpa came in, a malfunction occurred with the feeding tube, and it had to be taken out. My grandpa and parents pleaded with the doctor's to leave it out, to see if any improvement could be made, though it was doubtful.

What happened next can only be explained as an act of God's mercy, faithfulness, and love in answering the prayers of many. About an hour later, Jesus Himself visited my hospital room. I so very distinctly remember His arrival; I awoke, spoke, responded, and proudly announced that I was very hungry. That night, I ate my first meal in over a month, which I remember being extremely delicious. Boston Market. :) Friday when the doctor came in, I greeted him with a rueful smile. He simply shook his head, and with tears in his eyes, announced I could go home to STAY on Saturday, the very next day. It was with joy that we made the 2-hour trek home on Saturday from Indy to our home in Bedford. And, miraculously enough, this very month marks 6 years since then which, according to doctors, means I am 'safe' from ruptured screws and unfused bone graphs. I lead a semi-normal :) life, and God has allowed me to travel to many incredible places, meet wonderful people, and begin to accomplish dreams. 

God let me live for a reason. And, while I do not know what His reason was, what a better way to discover it than to live a fully-surrendered life abounding in God's faithfulness, reveling in His love, telling others of His Wonders, and as a living-testimony of His ability and desire to answer the fervent, effectual prayers of His people. My parents' main prayer was for God to fulfill His perfect Will in my life and use the situation to bring Glory to Himself. I personally am thankful that God saw fit to get the glory by allowing me to live! I thank Him for that every single day. However, I still truly believe that it was the night of prayer by our friends and church family that made the difference. 

Take this into consideration: God designs every person with a purpose in mind, and desires that person to live a life that reflects His Personality and brings glory to Him. How God accomplishes this is not our conclusion: He Who makes also takes away. Simply know that God always hears when we call; it matters not if it is a 24-hour prayer chain for Jack Budensiek, or the simplicity of a child's prayer at dinner. Never, ever, ever, doubt the power of prayer. 

"God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you can't see His plan, when you can't trace His Hand Trust His Heart."