CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

i purchased a book for my sister entitled, "What My Dog Has Taught Me About Life" (she has a little poodle with curly apricot hair by the name of sammy. she also has no idea i purchased this book for her, so if you are reading this jillo, SUPRISE :)) i thought i would skim the book to make sure it wasn't as absolutely as silly as it sounded, and it is funny how one moment can change your perspective. i didn't know it then, but my moment was the day i took home a saggy, wrinkly, milk chocolate lab puppy who has been named after three tremendous authors, Bronte Hawthorn Lewis. i have laughed at my sister over the years as she has turned canine into child, but as i read through some of the entries in the book, i began to see myself instead of my sister. wouldn't you know the author of the book had a lab and wouldn't you know that they went from his arrival to the day of his death. there i was sitting in study hall with jr.'s and sr.'s crying because the man had been out of town when his dog died and so the last entry in the book was a letter to his dog apologizing for not being there and telling him what a good friend he had been. four months ago, i would have laughed myself silly at anyone so attached to "just a dog". now that person is me.

SILLINESS

i find great joy in simple things. today i did a demonstration speech for my class- how to make grilled cheese with an iron. a funtabulous college dorm lesson i still use occasionally. how crazy sweet to see their eyes light up as if i knew a great secret that philosophers had been pondering for centuries. i had unearthed the simplicity of making a sandwich in tin foil and melting it to deliciousness with the tool my husband regularly uses to iron his dress clothes for work. it made me so happy to see them excited about a silly sandwich that i was on the verge of giddiness. not just because they thought i was wonderful for a moment (though i must admit that with teenagers you never know, so that did make my heart smile); but because they found just as much pleasure in watching me iron my wonderbread and kraft slices to a paper-thin snack as i did in making them. and when i suggested and then demonstrated the grilled pb&j, well, you could have picked them up off the floor. :). just something ordinary really, but it is the everyday ordinary that makes up the memories of tomorrow. off to clean up the spills and stickies off my desk where child fingers have made their mark for the day.

TIME TO DANCE

every day i realize more that true worship rests upon our daily devotion and passion for Jesus Christ- moments when we meditate on who He is and joyously celebrate all He has done. nothing about us. all for Him

"The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance... [Compared] with the merely dutiful "church-going" and laborious "saying our prayers" to which most of us are... often reduced... it stands out as something astonishingly robust, virile , and spontaneous."
C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

i robustly and spontaneously join with the children of Israel in Psalm 68 in saying " God's majesty shines down on us; He is the father to the fatherless; He places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy; He sends an abundance of rain to refresh the weary Promised Land; His strength is mighty in the heavens; God is awesome in the sanctuary; He gives power and strength to his people; PRAISE BE TO GOD!"

CHILDREN

i love children. their hearts are beautiful. one of my yearbook staff members stood on the street corner today at lunch with a guitar and a three cornered colonial hat from the drama prop department playing notes and making up words for songs about how much the yearbook needs money. and though that was absolutely hilarious, the most amazing thing was that the other students gave him about twenty dollars. can you imagine a boy strumming and wailing about wages and pages? i took a mental picture of the colors and sounds and innocence that can be found even in a world that often seems so wrong. i love children. their hearts are beautiful.

HOORAY !!!

i am "chortling in my joy" this morning for who is coming to see me this weekend but my dearest sister j-i-ll-o. she will be silly with me and we will laugh at ridiculous things that make the rest of the family look at us as if we were from some other planet or, at least, some other family. it will be fun to frolic about- perhaps watching charlie and the chocolate factory for the 4th time at some dollar theatre (by the by, if you have not seen this film, i highly recommend it. the children are not so convincing in their roles (except charlie who is just precious and delicious and i could eat him with a spoon); but the rest of the movie is smashing) . so the word of the day is "sister" because i am so happy to have mine.

IN THE MIDDLE

have you ever felt caught in the middle of something that you know you should step up and say "cease. desist. there will be no more of this.", and yet it was as if an invisible force keeps the words stuffed in your mouth? facing this right now. very hard. here is a lovely, strange quote from one of my more creative students. "Sanity's requiem is only played with the moon's fiddle." what it means, i am not quite certain; but the letters come together in beautiful way.

ANNOYANCE

friday night i was watching the hurricane relief concert hosted by matt lauer and was pleased to see so many different types of musicians and celebrities take the stage to help others, not use it as a platform for personal pleas and opinions. of course, i counted my chickens before they hatched because a certain rapper felt it necessary to nationally blame the president for the state of affairs on the coast. i certainly understand what the right to free speech means-both at the time of declaration and currently, as it has been twisted into something unrecognizable. i also truly believe we all have the "right" to our own conclusions about every situation; but i was just annoyed by the timing and vehicle through which it was announced. i am glad we have the ability to disagree and agree and to publicly cry our differences. i am just weary of the blaming game. but so stands the human race.