What I Meant Wednesday

To My Trainer Yesterday:
What I said: I want to do abs today.
What I meant: I've been working out really hard. I definitely don't want to do legs, because I seriously think I am going to die when we do that. Let's take it easy today, K?
She didn't get the message.

To Molly Yesterday:
What I said: You can get your own drink, honey.
What I meant: Seriously, Mollers. I am NOT your waitress. Even IF I was your waitress, I would have left this table a few years ago, because you are the worst tipper on the planet!

To Jack Yesterday
What I said: Turn off the Wii.
What I meant: Right now, my sweet son, I am having visions of throwing that stupid Wii out the freakin' window. If you don't turn it off, I will use my Super Brawl power to destroy it!

To Carroll ISD spokesperson at the job fair:
What I said: Where should I put down my level of experience, including teaching in college?
What I meant: You just pulled me up in a group of people who DON'T EVEN POSSESS A BACHELOR'S DEGREE yet. I am a real contender for any English position you might have.
What she said: I don't care if you have a Ph.D. All we want to know is if you are certified....:(

A Modern Day "Rich Man and Lazarus"

Lately, I have been completely shocked and disheartened by the savage rhetoric concerning the healthcare reform. To quote Barney Frank "There are many reasonable people with good reasons to be against it." I am not 100% for healthcare reform, and to be honest, I really don't care much about it at all. I don't think insurers should be allowed to drop cancer patients, nor should they be able to deny coverage for preexisting conditions like cancer, diabetes nor asthma. (As of today, they cannot due to the legislation).

However, what disturbs me and offends my Christian sensibilities is the rhetoric and treatment of peoples involved in the discussion.

Before you read on, check out this video of a man with Parkinson's who is taunted by people who disagree with healthcare reform.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxCfLwUsUtM&feature=youtube_gdata

Did you make it through the whole video? I'd be surprised if it didn't make you ill. I personally felt sick. It reminded me of a modern day playing out of The Rich Man and Lazarus. If you've forgotten the story, here it is.

Text
Luke 16:19-31
[19] "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. [20] At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores [21] and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
[22] "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
[25] "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
[27] "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, [28] for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
[29] "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
[30] " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
[31] "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "


First, I want to be clear about what I am not saying. I am NOT saying that if you do not support health care, you are going to hell. I am NOT saying that in order to get into heaven, you should desire adequate health care for ever person on the planet paid for by our government.

I am saying that these protesters actually treated the man with Parkinson's disease WORSE than the Rich Man treated Lazarus. The Rich Man only ignored Lazarus, these men actually hurl taunts and insults at the disease ridden man who is (begging) for healthcare. Lazarus was sent to hell for his treatment of the beggar....you can draw your own conclusions about what our Lord must think of those who hurl insults like these at a beggar.

If this were an isolated incident, I would chalk it up to mistakes being made out of anger. But it is not. Repeatedly, those on the Right, Republicans, have acted similarly. Check out these confirmed incidents in the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/opinion/23herbert.html?src=me&ref=homepage

Spitting on a man while hurling racial and bigoted comments? Surely the Right, who has been repeatedly drilled in my mind as "Christian", can do BETTER than this!

Disagree with healthcare if you want: there are many reasons why you might not like it. But for goodness sakes, PLEASE don't be so hateful. If the Republican Right claims to be Christian, accept responsibility for this, repent, and move forward in a loving manner. Find ways to civilly disagree with the current administration. Write letters. Discuss in small groups. Pray to our Lord. But we should never treat another human this way, esp. if we consider ourselves Christian. And the link between Republicans and Christians has been welded into my brain. All Christians should know how the story ended with Lazarus. It should be a lesson in caring for and loving those God puts in our path.

New Shoes

Remember the magic of buying new shoes? Just by putting on a pair of shoes and jumping in them, you then realized that these shoes had special powers! They made you run faster, jump higher, and endowed you with special knowledge. And, if you were lucky (my children are indeed lucky), then your mom or dad might let you wear the magic shoes out of the store. That was our day today. Jack and Molly both needed new shoes. The last time we purchased shoes for them was August, so it was time. We went to the Galleria b/c I had a coupon for 20 bucks off at Nordstroms, and found those magic shoes. Jack and Molly bursted out of the store into the mall, dashing in and out of people who were trying to shop in peace. When we got home, Jack and Molly both invented a game about their new shoes.



Jack calls himself "Panther Man", and he is a super hero who fights crime. Molly Ann is a super hero named "style savy", (her words), and she lives in Grapevine and fights crime. Jack's shoes light up, and Molly's are sparkly. They are in a magic world right now. I love having a four and six year old, when even a trip to the mall to get shoes is filled with wimsy and fantasy.

The Waiting Place

Spring Break can't come fast enough for me. Tomorrow and Saturday are packed to the brim. Tomorrow is Jack's class party....and the teacher isn't going to be there. YIKES! Saturday, I teach all day, and I have to finish grading my comp. 2's first essays, plus prepare for Hamlet (okay...the Hamlet thing isn't really work for me.) In fact, it's a joy because I have a captive audience to discuss Shakespeare.....
Still, my fav. thing to do is nothing, and this is just way to busy. My parents are travelling to Beaver's Bend OK. with us on Wed., so I am excited to take the kiddos to a different place and hopefully break our dependence on TV and other media outlets. Really, though, I am wanting and needing a real break, from everything. I want to loll around in bed, eat bon bons, watch Housewives of Orange County or Jersey, schedule a massage and a pedicure, shop shop shop, and that's about it. Okay, wait...that's really my life. (joking of course).


I am trying to find a full time teaching job, and it is really much harder than when I quit 6 years ago, when Jack was a baby. I knew this might happen: I even discussed its possibility with Mike before I quit. I also don't know if it is what God wants for me. I am having a hard time waiting patiently to find what I should be doing. I can't decide if I should go all out, call every single contact I have, or if I should sit quietly and let God do the work. I've seen him work for me in my career. He does it a lot more smoothly than I do. My two last full time jobs were both God things. In Arlington, I went to a meeting to substitute teach when Mike and I moved in the middle of the year, and they made an announcment that "anyone with ESL ceritifaction should come down front to talk about a job." I was the only one that stood up. I was hired in two weeks. The other time, I signed a contract with a 3000 signing bonus at Fort Worth ISD, and two months later was called by the principal at Lamar High...3 minutes from my house, because I had a reading certification and he thought I had graduated from Bowie High in Arlington. The day of the interview, one of his full time English teachers quit, and I was literally hired that day to teach high school English.
I am not expecting a repeat of this experience, so we'll have to wait and see, just like the waiting place Dr. Seuss describes in Oh The Places You'll Go:


"You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.Except when you don'tBecause, sometimes, you won't.I'm sorry to say sobut, sadly, it's trueand Hang-upscan happen to you.You can get all hung upin a prickle-ly perch.And your gang will fly on.You'll be left in a Lurch.You'll come down from the Lurchwith an unpleasant bump.And the chances are, then,that you'll be in a Slump.And when you're in a Slump,you're not in for much fun.Un-slumping yourselfis not easily done.You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?How much can you lose? How much can you win?And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?Or go around back and sneak in from behind?Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind."

It's hard to imagine the places God might take you when it is silent in your house, principal's and other contacts aren't calling you back, yet I know this is a fertile ground for faith. I know this is what many American's are facing, only for me, a job isn't imperative. I just feel ready to be back in a classroom full time. Keep me in your prayers! :) It would be nice to be out of the slump and back with highschoolers, who are both hilarious and infuriating at the same time.

Sad, But Trying To Be Happy

My friend Jenny's death has left me very sad. Sad for my friend Paige, who still adores Jenny and will miss her forever. Sad for Malaya and David, her daughter and her husband. Sad for her brothers, two ministers whose faith is being tested in a real way, and sad for her mom and dad, who lost a beloved daughter too soon. I am struggling with my faith, too. How can God say no to so many prayers? I am trying to be positive, to just admit to God I am sad and feel distant from him right now. He understands. He is with me anyway, I'm sure. In an effort to feel happy again, I am going to blog and blog about my favorite things ever!

Favorite Food:
Pecan Pancakes with way too much syrup
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches on whole wheat bread
Potato Chips
Raw Cookie Dough

Favorite drinks:
Coffee: soy misto with 1 splenda
Green tea with splenda
Vodka Martini with three olives
Corona Light

Favorite Smokes:
Clove cigarettes...it's been at least a decade, still that sweet clove smell is one of my favs.

Fav. Songs
Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London...it makes me smile wherever I am
George Strait's You Look So Good In Love
Jimmy Buffett's Last Mango in Paris
Church Song: There's a Stirring

Fav. Clothes
Banana Republic

Fav. Vacation Spots
Mexico
Beaches
Disneyworld

Fav. thing to do
Nothing at all. Zoning out completely

Fav. TV Shows
Amazing Race
Modern Family
Talk Soup

Fav. Movies
Vacation movies
Sound of Music

Fav. Books
Vampire Books, any kind except Twilight
Borderlands by Anzaldua
Blue Jay's Dance by Erdrich
The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger

Fav. Scripture
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was
God. In him, all things were made. John 1
My Father's House has many rooms. If that were not true, Would I have told you I was going to prepare a place for you? John 14

Fav. Biblical Characters
The Woman at the Well, The Adulteress Woman, Martha and Mary.

Fav. Poet
Yeats