I CAN’T WAIT…REALLY! I CAN’T WAIT

 

I suppose that’s not actually true.  Sometimes I have no alternative but to WAIT!  But what I can’t do is wait…PATIENTLY!!!  Yes, I am terrible at waiting, at least for a lot of things.  Of course, I can wait as long as you want me to to have a shot or to pay my taxes or to go on that much needed diet.  But you know what I mean! 

 

I was the child who got ants in her pants when Oct. 1 hit.  Couldn’t stand waiting for Halloween and Trick-or-Treating.  Then, soon as that was over I realized I had 2 WHOLE MONTHS to have to wait for Christmas!  I suppose most kids are like that, but (unfortunately) some of us still carry that difficulty of waiting into our adult years.  

But whether you wait well or (like me) you wait impatiently, waiting is just a part of life.  In fact, it seems we are forever waiting on something:

*When we are kids, we can’t wait till we’re teenagers

*When we get to be a teenager, we can’t wait till we are 16 so we can drive

*Then we can’t wait till we graduate and go off to college where we think we’ll be free to do whatever we want without our parents around

*then we wait on that first job, marriage, a house, and kids

Those are all GOOD things to wait on.  But sometimes there are NOT SO GOOD things we have to wait on like:

*the results of medical tests

*if our loved one will be healed

*if our kids will turn out OK even after taking a few slight detours

*the promotion we’ve worked so hard for but others are wanting too

*if we can pay all the bills at the end of the month     etc., etc., etc.

 

IT’S JUST NOT ALWAYS EASY TO WAIT.

We want what we want when we want it.  Our culture has taught us to hate waiting.  After all, we have fast-food restaurants, 2 day delivery with Amazon Prime, texts and emails vs hand-written letters; and then there is instant coffee, instant grits, instant oatmeal.  All those things might make our lives somewhat easier and less hectic but there are just times we can’t get instant gratification.

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I recently read an article that really resonated with me…so much so I printed it out.  I am going to reference this article in my post but if you want to read the original it can be found HERE.  The author is Kay Harms and I hope she won’t mind me using some of her thoughts.  She has a lovely blog DRESSED FOR MY DAY.

 

NOTE:  I write about everything and anything…from my grandkids to decorating for the holidays to bargain shopping and anything else that tickles my fancy.  Some of my posts (like the last one) will also be centered around my Christian faith…and I make no apologies for that😊

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AM I THE ONLY ONE?

 

First of all, the Bible is filled with stories of people who had to wait…and wait…and wait…and wait….

*Abraham and Sarah had to wait for many years to have the son God promised them

*Noah waited for around 75 years for the rains to come (it took a l-o-n-g time to build that ARK!)

*Hannah had to wait until she was 70 yrs. old (and after much praying) to have her son Samuel

*Joseph waited 13 years after being sold by his brothers to be rescued by God

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WAITING?

 

The Bible has at least 100 verses that deal with waiting and how we should wait:

 

*Psalm 37:7     Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.

*Psalm 130:5     I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.

*Psalm 27:14     Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.

SO HOW DO WE CULTIVATE THE ART OF WAITING WELL?

 

1.Take our hands off and truly trust God to work.  

In my last post I commented that when we truly trust God we take ourselves out of the center of whatever dilemma or crisis we are going through.  It’s the same with waiting.  We wait well when we completely LET GO and relinquish the work to God.  THAT CAN BE SO VERY DIFFICULT FOR SOME OF US…but it’s not impossible.

Harms wrote:  “To completely take my hands off of something that I am waiting for God to do, I change my prayers.  I stop asking God to do something or worse yet, telling Him what to do, and I start thanking Him for working.  I pray something like, “Thank you, Lord, for working this out for me.  I trust that you are doing what is best in your perfect timing.”              

 

That really resonated with me.  God is NOT like a microwave oven.  He doesn’t just zap something into being because I want it.  Sometimes I have to wait for the answer I want; sometimes that answer I want never comes; but I’m learning to “trust” that no matter what…God is in control and He is working for me in ways I may never realize.  And that’s where FAITH comes in…and patience.

 2. Do what only we can do while letting God do what He can do.

While we are waiting, there are things we can do…if we want that job promotion, we can work a little harder to show our boss we are worthy of it; if we want our bodies to be healed we can follow dr.’s orders, take our medicines, get rest, etc.; if we are on the outs with a family member or friend, we can go to them and try to work it out (maybe even ask for needed forgiveness).  But at some point, we have to LET GO AND LET GOD.  We pray, we trust, and we thank God for working in the situation…even while we are waiting.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

    3.Keep a positive attitude.

    That’s not an easy one either.  It’s hard to keep a positive attitude when you’re in that deep, dark valley waiting to be able to move up to the mountaintop again.  “The enemy of our soul wants to use our times of waiting to plant seeds of doubt and distrust in God.  But we are wise to resist the enemy and steadily plant the truth of God’s word in our hearts.”  We must learn to WAIT WITH GOD, knowing that He is working on our behalf.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.    Romans 8:28

 4. Remind ourselves of God’s past faithfulness and His past answer to prayer.

I wish that through the years I had kept a journal of all my prayer requests along with the answers I received.  I feel sure there would be some blank spaces in the “received” column…some may remain blank forever; some may be yet to come.  But I am very sure that there would be more in the “answered” column that I can even imagine.  While we wait, we should reflect on all of God’s goodness and all the times He has been faithful to us, whether our season of waiting is a short one or a long one.

 

“God is always doing something even when I can’t tell what it is.  I’ve learned to be watchful for the hidden activity of God.”

              ---The Praying Woman

I imagine I will still be impatient in my seasons of waiting; it’s a part of my DNA I’m sorry to admit.  But I will be working on this and while I’m working I know GOD WILL BE WAITING ON ME with a smile on His face, pushing me along as I slowly but steadily cultivate the art of waiting well WITH HIM BY MY SIDE.

Prayer (copied)

Lord, I know you’re a good God, but the truth is that I’m tired of waiting.  I know YOU have the perfect answer.  I trust YOU have the perfect solution.  But waiting for the moment YOU decreed is tough.  Please be with me as I wait.  Le me see YOU as I never have before.  Help me to trust YOU and see YOU in new ways.  Prepare my heart, Lord, as I wait.  Help me cling to YOU as I wait.  Please Lord, let your peace rule in my heart.  Help me live by your grace each day of this waiting.  And help me bring YOU glory as I wait expectantly.

Amen

 

GOD BLESS THE CHILD & THE TEACHER

 

I was blessed to be a classroom TEACHER for 31 ½ years.  Well, maybe I should subtract two that weren’t so great, but even those years taught me a lot.  Outside of my family, TEACHING has always been my greatest passion.  That may not seem so surprising except for the fact that I never once thought of being a teacher until I had actually graduated from college.  I wrote a post about that HERE, so I won’t go into details.

 

Now that I am retired, I really do miss being in the classroom.  I love retirement (especially not having to hear that alarm clock every a.m.), but I miss the kids, my fellow teachers, and even making lesson plans!

 

Sadly, teachers are not always given the respect these days that we were once given.  Instead of parents supporting the teachers, many today are all too often ready to point their finger at them without seeking out all the details.  OK….didn’t mean to get off on that but many good teachers are leaving the classroom because of lack of respect and support (and some other reasons too).

 

I try to be a CHEERLEADER for teachers and administrators.  They aren’t all perfect…some, in fact, need to go!  But educators are faced with much more than many people realize.  I thought I would share with you just a few of my own personal teacher stories in hopes that it may bring awareness of what teachers deal with on a daily basis…much, much more than just academics.

 

NOTE:  Names will be changed for obvious reasons and the pictures are not of my actual students.  They are from my Pinterest board:  ALL GOD'S BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN.

Story #1:  “Mary” was a pretty little blonde girl in my class.  Very quiet & shy…and very, very poor.  She rarely smiled and she dressed very shabbily.  I discovered one day just how bad things were at her home.  She nor her brother even had a toothbrush.  With the help of two friends who had young children, we were able to supply them with some hand-me-down (but nice) clothes and brand new toothbrushes and toothpaste.  That was the first time I ever saw Mary smile.   And I teared up.

 Story #2:  “Tom” was a strange little boy.  Not much to say although his older sister was very outgoing.  I soon noticed that every time I put my hand on Tom’s shoulder or patted him on the head, he would jerk away.  I learned not to touch him but would stand beside his desk with my hands behind my back.  It worried me what might have caused his fear, or at least what I felt was fear.  On the last day of school I always would call my kiddos up to me one-by-one and give them a big hug as they exited my room for the last time.  I deliberately called on Tom last.  When he came up to me I said, “Tom, I know you don’t want me to hug you, but could we shake hands?”  He looked at me a moment, shook his head NO, then grabbed me and gave me one of the biggest (and BEST) hugs I’ve ever had.  I cried!

Story #3:  “Tyrone” was a 9 yr. old (over age for 2nd grade) who came with a reputation…and not a good one.  He had been held back twice already and had given every teacher fits.  The only teacher he really did OK with was our Behavior Disorder teacher.  I was asked if I would be willing to take on Tyrone for the year.  I wanted to scream NO! NOT ME! but I couldn’t do it.  It took awhile for Tyrone and I to geehaw…sometimes he would get mad and dive under his table/desk; sometimes he would say some not-so-nice things to me; but eventually I fell in love with Tyrone.  He and I learned together what we could each handle and how to handle it.  But how could you not at least try and have patience with a child who lived with an elderly grandmother, a mentally handicapped uncle, and a couple other adults and whose mother was in jail?  She had locked Tyrone’s younger sister in a closet for a year and starved her to death.   I still have the Valentine Tyrone made for me from notebook paper…I found it on my desk.  It said, “I love you.”  I cried.

Story #4:  “Karen” was the smartest little thing!  She had so much brains and so much personality but no legs from the knees down and very few fingers.  A couple years before she caught a serious infection from swimming in a motel pool.  She lost her limbs but never her spirit.  Her handwriting was superb…much better than many with all 10 fingers!  And although she had prosthetic legs (wooden back then), she hated them and would in a skinny minute whip them off and scoot around the classroom on her limbs faster than any bunny rabbit ever thought about.  She always made me smile😊

Story #5:  “Linsey” was such a pretty little girl, very thin, very quiet, and very intelligent.  She lived in a trailer with her mother, her sister, and her extremely stern stepfather (ex-military man).  The home was evidently not clean because both girls came to school several times during the year with head lice.  Each time the father would blame it on other children (even though no one else in my class had lice that year).  This EVIL man would shave the girls’ heads, leaving only a thin layer on top.  One day he came to school and was extremely rude to me in front of my class.  He told me he was going to completely shave their heads.  I lost it!  I cried and cried and begged him to please, please not do that.  Thankfully, he didn’t.  Linsey wanted to grow up to be a model she told me one day…I doubt that happened.  In fact, I have seen her name in the arrest reports in our local paper more than once….and each time I cry.

Story #6:  My 2nd year of teaching I taught Remedial Reading to 2nd and 3rd graders; many were children of migrant workers.  “Ella” was a beautiful little Hispanic girl and her brother “Pedro” was so handsome…and they were both sweet as sugar.  Ella had no underwear.  When I told my husband he said, “Get in the car; we’re going to buy underwear” and we did.  Later that year with the help of some great friends we supplied this family with a new- to-them but used refrigerator when their's broke down, some clothes, and food.  Their parents were so appreciative and so humble.  I smiled and cried at the same time!

 

There are so many more stories…some sad, some happy, some funny.  No time for all the details but just to highlight:

*the mother who came to the front office to check out her child wearing her negligee (the mother, not the child!)

*my student whose first name had all 26 letters of the alphabet (I never learned to say it or spell it but she could).  Thankfully she had a nickname!

*”Abby” who was mentally handicapped but 100 times smarter than her mother; but oh how much they loved each other!

*”Shawn” whose mother blurted out in my parent conference for no apparent reason,  “I’m a Lesbian”…don’t even remember how I responded but let’s just say I was mostly at a loss for words

*the father who told me during our conference that his son was having problems because at home his wife was not giving him (the father) enough sex and he guessed it was affecting his son...absolutely no words for that one but I'm sure my face had a strange strangled look!

 

Folks, you can’t make this stuff up.

PLEASE...RESPECT & APPRECIATE TEACHERS.  I know they aren’t all deserving of it, but most are and most dearly love and care about each and every student in their class.  And if you ever have the opportunity to help a teacher in any way, please do.  They spend so much of their own time and own money on “their children.” 

 

I thank God often for the privilege and blessing of having been a TEACHER.

WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? Q & A Time

Yippee!!!  Happy Dance Time!  I got my computer back from the techie people and it’s doing well….FOR NOW.  Keep your fingers crossed please (and you can say a little prayer if you want to.)  It’s good to be back in the DIGITAL WORLD!!! 

As I’ve mentioned before (several times), I have to have a PROJECT at all times or this old brain just can’t handle it.  BOREDOM is not CANNOT BE a part of my vocabulary!!!!  During all this COVID isolation business, I have organized & reorganized every closet, drawer, cabinet, & niche in our house…even hubby’s underwear drawer! (Yes, I was desperate that day!)  So now I’m on to my next project, actually it’s one I’ve been working on for awhile now, off & on.  It’s a QUESTION & ANSWER JOURNAL.  I found the questions online, printed them out, “cuted” them up a bit (you know what “cuted up” is…right?), and am now in the process of answering them.  I thought it might be a fun thing for my grandkids to find one day when I’ve flown the coop here on Earth.  They can read about me and probably laugh…but hopefully discover a lot about me that they never knew.  And hopefully learn some valuable LIFE LESSONS too.

 

I thought I would share just a few of the questions & my answers with you.  One of the things I enjoy about reading other blogs is learning more about the writer on a personal level.  So here goes…probably telling you more about myself than you would ever want to know!!!!

 

QUESTION:  Describe your personality.

ANSWER:  I’m not sure how to answer this question!  I feel I am a rather complicated person.  I also feel what people see on the outside doesn’t always reflect who I am exactly on the inside.  I think most people would say I was “bubbly” and friendly, thoughtful & caring…and that’s true (at least, I think so).  But people don’t know that on the inside I am very serious & thoughtful (as in, full of thoughts).  My mind often jumps from one thought to another, and it can get very crowded inside my head at times.  I tend to think deeply about a lot of things, maybe even overthink them.  I am a worrier (a BIG one), and I know this drives my family crazy.  I think I am a good person who cares about others.  I think I am hard-working and very seldom am I lazy about anything!  I do my best to put on a happy face and smile at others and show kindness wherever I can. I am not a perfect person…I have lots of flaws…but I am not a bad person.  When I love, I love BIG!  I can have a quick temper sometimes and can be defensive in certain situations.  I fight hard for myself and for others.  Like I said…I’M COMPLICATED!!

 QUESTION:  What jewelry do you wear everyday?

ANSWER:  I “must” wear earrings EVERY SINGLE DAY!  I feel naked without them.   Of course, I always wear my wedding ring:)  Gotta show all those eligible bachelors I'm unavailable:) 

 

QUESTION:  With whom did you have your first kiss?

ANSWER:  I think it was Bubba Breedlove.  I was in the 8^th grade and he was in the 10^th.  We were both at school early every morning and we would talk.  One morning he just leaned over and kissed me.  Wow!  My toes curled!

 

QUESTION:  What are some things you remember your mother saying when you were a child?

ANSWER:

 “Go get a switch and make sure it’s big enough!”  (Those danged things hurt, but they were effective!)

“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.”  (I never understood that one!)

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”  (Good advice, Mama, and I still remember it.)

 

QUESTION:  Do you cry easily?

ANSWER:  Oh my yes!!!  Very easily!  The older I get, the worse it gets.  I cry at sad or sweet movies or stories.  I cry if someone else is crying.  I cry if I just think of something sad.  I do HATE to cry though☹

Don't you hate it when you cry and your mascara runs????

 

QUESTION:  Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?

ANSWER:  I don’t believe in little green men or UFOs, but I do believe there are spirits around us.  I think some are angels and/or good spirits sent to Earth by God to help do His work, but I also believe the Devil has his soldiers fighting to keep evil alive and well in our world.  I’m not yet sure how I feel about “ghosts”.  I’ve heard some mighty convincing stories that give me food for thought.  But the verdict is still out!

 

QUESTION:  What are some of your pet peeves?

ANSWER:  How much time do you have???

*being blamed for something I didn’t do

*drivers pulling out in front of me (and then going 10 mph!)

 
I don't "usually" honk...but I sure want to!!!!

*people who want to hog the conversation (and make it all about them)

*teachers who are just there for the paycheck (but most do a great job!) (since I'm a retired teacher this is a passionate issue with me!)

*having to wear masks and not being able to see people's nice smiles!!!

(Note:  I had to scratch one I had written...it was a political one!!!)

 

Well, that’s enough for now.  I am really enjoying this type of JOURNALING.  It has made me really look inside myself for some of the answers, made me do some soul-searching, given me food for thought.  And I truly hope that someday “IF” my grandchildren take the time to read all this, they will do some thinking and reflecting of their own...and laugh a little too:) 

How about choosing one of these questions and letting me know your answer.  I love finding out more about you wonderful blog readers😊

 

And on one last political note…whether you are REPUBLICAN or DEMOCRAT, I pray that each and every one of us will do a lot of praying and will vote for the agenda that in our hearts we truly believe is right and good and what God wants for our country.  I feel this year is the year not to so much vote for the actual "people" on the ballot (because they all have their good and bad points), but for the parties' agendas.  What will be good for our country and what in the long run will be good for our children and grandchildren?  We may not agree with each other and that’s OK…as long as we respect each other.  May God bless you, your household, and the United States of America.

WHAT'S UP???

My answer…not much!!!  Isolation is still keeping us somewhat “isolated”…although we are going out more than before WITH MASKS.  I am so totally confused as to whether I should wear one or not, but we have opted to do so with the attitude “better safe than sorry”.  Everything is soooo POLITICAL these days…I don’t know WHO or WHAT to believe. 

Of course I had to have a CHERRY mask!

So…what has been going on in my neck of the woods???  Nothing really interesting but I needed to post about something, so here goes.

We went to the beach AMELIA ISLAND/FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA for a few days.  We social distanced on the beach which was actually no problem since there really weren’t that many people around us.  When we went out to eat, we mostly ate outside and the waiters/waitresses wore masks.  We did a little bit of shopping and every store had a MASK REQUIRED sign, so we complied.  We mostly sat on the balcony and just enjoyed relaxing with the sounds of the waves.  I didn’t realize just how much I needed that!!!  I do love the sound of the ocean!!!

I finally got around to asking my wonderful husband to complete this project for me.  Isn’t it great???  I had bought the old frame awhile back at a thrift store and got the idea from PINTEREST…of course!!!

I had a birthday earlier this month.  Am I really 71????  I think my birth certificate is surely wrong!  As my (92) year old mother said when she turned 80:  “My body tells me I’m this age, but my brain tells me I’m a lot younger😊”  I am blessed, however, that for now my body is in relatively good health and for that I’m so grateful.  Guess years of walking have probably helped!

We went to our local fireworks show on the 4^th.  It was really a very good display this year.  We sat in the back of hubby’s pickup in the middle of a pasture to watch.  Yep…it’s small town redneck life but I wouldn’t want it any different.  The big city is NOT for us!!!

And, as usual, I’ve been involved in taxi service carting my granddaughter to cheer practice or wherever else she needs to go.  I also oversaw her summer school work as she took an honors course online.  That girl sure keeps me busy…and I love every minute😊

That’s my girl on top…she’s a FLIER.

We also started back to church.  THANK YOU, JESUS.  We are meeting outside on our breezeway.  Some of us drive up and sit in our golf carts for the 9:00 service with a later service on the radio.  Our pastor says he’s so thrilled to have an actual congregation to preach to even though we are small in number.  But it feels so good to see some of my church family.  A small group of us ladies are meeting on Sundays this month for special prayer time for our country.  I feel so helpless as what to do these days, but I can at least pray…I’ve been knocking on God’s door a whole big bunch lately!!!

Well, if you got this far I guess I didn’t bore you so much you fell asleep.  Hopefully, life will one day (sooner than later) get back to some semblance of normality and there will be more exciting things to write about.  WHAT HAVE ALL OF YOU BEEN UP TO?  If you’ve done any good projects, let me know because I am projected-out and I need a new one!  Stay safe, everyone!

“Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?”

― Gustave Flaubert