So, What's Been Going On?

Last week I mentioned that a lot had been going on in my life. It's true. There have been a fair amount of changes around here. All of these changes are good and will hopefully bring further good as time passes.

The first thing that came our way was the news that our daughter and her husband are expecting. They will become parents toward the middle to end of August. Not too very long afterward came the news that our son and daughter-in-law are going to be parents as well! They are adopting a baby boy who is slated to be born sometime between the middle of July and the beginning of August. So, all of a sudden we have gone from having no grandchildren to expecting​ two! God has answered a lot of prayers.

In the midst of all this wonderful news, I began a new career as a legal assistant for a good friend of ours. This was an answer to prayers that have been going up for the last two years, so needless to say, I am very grateful and happy. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but so far I think I'm learning a lot of new tricks. I'm looking forward to going in to work on Mondays for the first time in quite a while. It definitely has been an adjustment and is much more challenging than anything I've done in a while, but it's certainly not boring.

Hopefully, I can be forgiven for not posting as much lately. If not, that's okay too. Sometimes certain things have to take a back seat to life. I'm going to try to be more regular in my writing, but I'm not going to make any promises. Life is good, and it marches on. I hope all of you faithful readers have good things happen to you as you continue on your journey.

Ten Years Ago

It was on this date, ten years ago, that my mom left this life and entered the next. Today we went to the memorial service for the wife of a friend of my father-in-law. As family members spoke of their wife and mother, my mind went back to that day when we said goodbye to the one who had given me birth.

It was a bit hard to hear others speak of their mother on the tenth anniversary of my mom's passing. I thought back, as I heard the sons speak lovingly of their mom. While the last couple of years of my mom's life were spent dealing with the devastating effects of Alzheimer's, I can look back beyond that time to the person she was before the disease so cruelly took her away.

The thing that stands out most in my mind was the quiet, solid faith of my mother. She was not a theologian or one who taught great numbers of people. But, her life had an impact on me, my sister, our children, and many others. She was what C. S. Lewis would have called a mere Christian.

Jesus said that one of the defining characteristics of his followers would be their love. That was certainly true of my mother. She was known as one who loved. Her love for her husband and for her children was evident to all. Her love for others outside of her family was obvious to all who knew her.

Mom was kind and hospitable to all, and was generosity was well known. She was the epitome of grace and love to all who knew her. I pray that some of that was passed down to me. While the last years of her life were hard on her, and on us, I am thankful for the memories of a mother who kept the greatest commandments, who truly loved God and loved others.

How Long?

This is a poem I wrote recently.

How long?

How long must parents mourn the death of children

Disease, hunger, war, or their own hand?

How long must children watch parents waste away?

Disease, dementia, or simply age

How long must families, friendships, communities be torn apart?

Selfishness and sin

How long must people and nations be destroyed?

Hatred and war

How long must the land be devastated?

Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes

How long must the earth groan?

Belching fire and tearing violently asunder

Creation is broken. It is not supposed to be this way

How long?

How long must we wait

Reunion with loved ones?

How long must we wait

Relationships set right?

How long must we wait?

Creation set right

How long must we wait?

Disease, pain, death ended

How long must we wait?

Anticipating your return

How long must we wait?

Resurrection and the death of death

We long for the way it is supposed to be

World Vision Wednesday

It's not too early to begin thinking about Christmas, and what to give that special person who has everything. Consider a gift from the World Vision Gift Catalog.

World Vision Wednesday

Because clean water is a necessity of life, World Vision is planning to spend 500 million dollars over the next five years to provide water in places where there is little to none. For more information about the program and to learn how you can help, click the link. You don't have to have 40 million dollars either.

World Vision Wednesday

In developing countries, child marriage is still a common occurrence, with one out of every three girls facing marriage before age 18. For more information, check this out.

World Vision Wednesday

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Syrian refugee crisis.

World Vision Wednesday

Here is an inspiring story of a survivor of child trafficking in Cambodia.

Year-Round School?

A few weeks ago Bob Edwards suggested that I write a post on some of the ins and outs of year-round school. I am not an expert on school and the pros and cons of having the students go year-round with more breaks rather than have a long summer break. But I am a blogger, and I can give my opinion on anything. Right? I have had a bit of experience in education, twenty four years as a student, and thirty three as a teacher and coach, so my opinion is not totally uninformed.

There are a number of arguments in favor of year-round school. These include having shorter breaks throughout the year that are supposed to help retention of information, keeping kids off the streets during the long hot summers, and providing a place for working parents to put their children. Given the current cultural situation in the country, those could be compelling reasons. School districts around the country have instituted year-round school, in the elementary schools at least, and the results seem to be positive. When the students get to the upper grades though, there are a number of factors that I believe will hinder a broader use of a longer school year.

In a lot of areas of the country, particularly those whose economy runs on tourism, the businesses depend on a supply of teenagers who are on summer break to fill their openings. Some states have pushed back the start of the school year in order to allow those students to work the entire tourist season. The economic benefits of a long summer break would be awfully hard for those areas to give up. When I was coaching, one of the big benefits of a summer break was the opportunity to go to summer camps at colleges. These colleges were also on their summer break, so they could concentrate on the camps, which are a great recruiting tool as well as allowing the teams to work on their skills. A shorter summer break might not affect that so much, but longer breaks during the school year would make scheduling athletic seasons very interesting. In some areas of the country, sports such as football or basketball are nearly a religion, and one tinkers with that at great risk.   

It seems that a large part of American culture is built around  a school year that begins in mid to late August or September and runs until the end of May or middle of June. I think it can work in the lower grades, and possibly in the upper grades as well, but I'm not sure the majority of the people in the country are ready for the adjustments it would cause.

Just my thoughts. What do you think?

World Vision Wednesday

This is an outrage! Find out how you can help.

World Vision Wednesday

Reading is a vital skill. World Vision and Literacy Boost are teaming up to provide community reading programs that are improving literacy around the world. Check this out to find out more.

World Vision Wednesday

If you knit or crochet, here is a way you can be involved in helping poor children.

World Vision Wednesday

This is the season when we celebrate the coming to earth of the One who gave up the riches of heaven for us. Many of his people in Iraq have been driven from their homes and face a winter without many of the necessities for survival. If you are able to help, go here to find out what to do.

World Vision Wednesday

As we enter into a season of celebrating and feasting, it's easy to forget that there are folks in our own country who go hungry on a daily basis. There are ways you can help. For more information, check this out.

World Vision Wednesday

I know it's a bit early, but if you are looking for a Christmas gift for that person who has everything, check out World Vision's gift catalog.

World Vision Wednesday

Tomorrow is World Food Day. While we usually think of hunger as happening in other parts of the world, there are many in the United States who also deal with not having enough food on a daily basis. To find out more, go here.

World Vision Wednesday

"A new report notes a downward trend in the percentage of people who are undernourished, worldwide; however, developing nations account for 98 percent of the chronically undernourished people." Go here to learn which spots in the world are the worst for hunger, and what is being done to help.

World Vision Wednesday

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed over 2,000 lives. World Vision is a part of the effort to curb the virus. Check this out to find out more information.

World Vision Wednesday

The fighting between Israel and the Palestinians has had a huge negative impact on the ones who are innocent - the children. World Vision continues to work to help children in that part of the world.

World Vision Wednesday

World Vision staffer James East writes about the continuing crisis in South Sudan. To get details, go here.