Ineptitude...that was where I was going with that. Today I worked; half day really. I substitute teach for ACS. I got the call at 6:30 am. I had an appointment with my trainer at 9:30 for one hour which meant I could be there at 11:30. Deal.
I went to work out - which is always an event in and of itself. Suffice it to say that Mark and I are finally on the same page. I want to work out and he wants me to work out. I eat the garbage and he tells me it is garbage and belongs IN the garbage. I say it hurts and he makes me give him five more. If you think he sounds like a drill seargant, he isn't at all. He is rather meek in nature. About 6'4ish and about 295 pounds of pretty solid mass. He isn't all cut up (lean) but if he were to rip it up, he would be downright scary. However, he is soft spoken, rather succinct and just has a great sense of humor - so we get along just fine. I am long winded - him...not so much. I eat like garbage - him...not so much. I am deep in thought - him...not so much. I am sarcastic - him...yeah - he is too! So we are finally on the same page cause I actually want to show up now and look forward to the push. Side note: he finally told me that he hated me not wanting to come on "several levels...first because I want you to be healthy - second because I didn't give it my all and third (this floored me) because he felt like he was letting me down because he "failed" to motivate me"...I felt horrible. Here I am complaining when I am there that it hurts...I hate cardio...why do I have to do core work...and all along he felt like he was failing me because he hadn't found what motivates me! Now, that - in my mind - is what seperates him from the pack. He IS a trainer above all other trainers.
Okay - brought my work clothes to the gym to shower there and hit the road. I WAS smart enough, though, to take 2 different skirts and 2 different tops cause I was afraid one might not fit from last summer and sure enough - it didn't...AT ALL...(perhaps Mark might have a point about that garbage actually belonging IN the garbage and not my stomach)...I scurried around, found a blow dryer...threw on makeup...put some gel something or other in the hair...put 2 skirts on and 2 tops and settled for one of each with a jacket to cover it all! Now, Mark has never seen me in anything other than work out "who cares what I look like" clothes. I don't know about you, but I am NOT someone who has "nice" workout clothes. They are the same ripped sweats or shorts with the same sport shirts and I truly don't care what it looks like...I am there to lift, not to look good. So when I came out of the bathroom, he looked at me as if I were Superman coming out of the telephone booth! He did a double take and told me "I clean up nicely"...made me chuckle.
Then I go to teach. LOVE teaching, I truly do. I got there right before lunch. Walked the third grade class to lunch when one of the students, Alana, came up to me and said to me (with an "uncrustable" in her hand), "Mrs. Thieringer, my sandwhich is all hard". So I felt it and the only thing that was hard was the crust (on the uncrustable - does anyone other than me see the irony here?). So, I took it and said, "Alana, it is only the crust. I will peel off the crust and it will be fine." So Alana and I walk over to the garbage and I held the sandwhich over the can to peel off the crust - and you all know where I am going with this - I dropped the sandwhich in the garbage can. Now, for any other school it isn't a big one cause I could just buy her lunch, but we don't have a caffeteria. Hot lunches are bought in advance and brought in every day. So, I go on a mad hunt to get this poor girl lunch. Whew - got one and we are fine.
Fast forward to the afternoon and I am giving a history test. Three people at different times raised their hand and all asked me how to spell "Emperor". The third time I just told the class I would write it on the board so everyone willl know how to spell it and when I did, the class started giggling. I asked what was wrong and they informed me that I had just written the answer to question #3 on the board....UGH. Who knew? I explained that I had not seen nor gone over the test in advance and somehow managed to redeem myself for the second time in one day. Now, it was time to do science and if you know me - you KNOW what this does to me. I was supposed to go to the "lab" and do an experiment of some sort. I knew deep in my heart that the only thing that could come from this is NOT good, so I opted out. I decided to give them 1/2 hour free time (quiet free time) and then we reviewed for the Bible test tomorrow.
They are praying and hoping I will be the sub tomorrow, and why shouldn't they? I give out free lunches, give answers on tests and give free time because the word "science" makes me twitch.
Until next time...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
My friend...my hero
Her name is Heather...most (if not all) of you know her. She is quite a remarkable woman. She is younger than me, but more wise than most. She married her wonderful husband some years ago and hoped for a family of their own. God had different plans. See, we often have ideas of how our lives will unwind, and sometimes God has the very same plan, the package just looks different.
I am not sure about you, but when God's package looks different, I often miss it and go on looking for MY package...but not Heather. See, she and Eric were not able to have their own children and at a concert, heard about adoption and the rest is history. They have two very beautiful "chosen" children - Juli from Siberia and now, Elias from Ethiopia. You could call them a blended family, but the only thing blended, in my opinion, is the sides of the world that each comes from. See, they were both born of God especially for Heather and Eric. God knew that these two children would need a loving Christian home to grow up in and He also knew that Heather and Eric would have that home and love to give. So, you see, God's plan was exactly the same as Heather's - to have a family of their own - it just came in a different package.
Once they went to that concert, the blaze was set and the forest began to burn. And I DO mean forest. God put this verse on Heather's heart: "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (NASB)" (james 1:27) She began a ministry in our church at a local nursing home where, once a month, people go and visit with the folks and sing, or do crafts or just let them know they are loved. Then there was adoption - We are SO blessed by Juli and now Elias! What a privelege it has been to pray so hard for someone you never knew...and someday I can tell them I have prayed for them when I didn't even know their names! Our God is SO very big. And there is also World Vision. A worthy cause which supports children (mostly) in third world countries with basic cares and providing the gospel in the most remote parts of our planet.
Heather, Eric and Juli just came home from Africa with Elias. But God put it on their heart to go and see their sponsor child while in Africa...and World Vision arranged it! I just read her post (http://bringinghomeelias.blogspot.com/2009/04/world-vision-visit.html) and I was moved, once again, to tears. See, I have a sponsor child - her name is Haly. But sadly enough, I had to get her picture and bookmark my bible with it so I could remember her name. Oh, sure, I pray for her when I remember. We write that check each month, but I never once prayed over that check. I never once prayed that God would be seen in the way He has been seen by Heather and her family. I never wrote a letter, I don't spend time talking to my children about her even though her picture remains on our fridge. I am ashamed to write all of this, but for me, it is a sort-of confession - a wake up call if you will.
I know the tender heart of my friend - you can literally see it in the pictures and if you ever had the chance to hear Heather talk about adoption or children or widows, you would hear the undefiled love she has - she "oozes" love and Christ. She has been such a witness to so many people, but mostly to me. See, I don't really see her much, though I love her. I still have not seen Elias, though I pray for him. But none of this seems to rattle Heather...she just loves me anyway. And I guess that is where I come full circle...that undefiled love. I just don't know if I have it - not sure I ever will. But Heather does and she isn't afraid to share it. Sadly for Haly - she may never know the prayers and support of a different family, but in some odd way - she is MY sponsor child. Though I have not supported her the way I ought, that will change now and I can assure you of that. And all because of my friend, Heather. So, Heather - this is for you. You are quite a special friend, and for today, you are my hero!
Until next time...
I am not sure about you, but when God's package looks different, I often miss it and go on looking for MY package...but not Heather. See, she and Eric were not able to have their own children and at a concert, heard about adoption and the rest is history. They have two very beautiful "chosen" children - Juli from Siberia and now, Elias from Ethiopia. You could call them a blended family, but the only thing blended, in my opinion, is the sides of the world that each comes from. See, they were both born of God especially for Heather and Eric. God knew that these two children would need a loving Christian home to grow up in and He also knew that Heather and Eric would have that home and love to give. So, you see, God's plan was exactly the same as Heather's - to have a family of their own - it just came in a different package.
Once they went to that concert, the blaze was set and the forest began to burn. And I DO mean forest. God put this verse on Heather's heart: "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (NASB)" (james 1:27) She began a ministry in our church at a local nursing home where, once a month, people go and visit with the folks and sing, or do crafts or just let them know they are loved. Then there was adoption - We are SO blessed by Juli and now Elias! What a privelege it has been to pray so hard for someone you never knew...and someday I can tell them I have prayed for them when I didn't even know their names! Our God is SO very big. And there is also World Vision. A worthy cause which supports children (mostly) in third world countries with basic cares and providing the gospel in the most remote parts of our planet.
Heather, Eric and Juli just came home from Africa with Elias. But God put it on their heart to go and see their sponsor child while in Africa...and World Vision arranged it! I just read her post (http://bringinghomeelias.blogspot.com/2009/04/world-vision-visit.html) and I was moved, once again, to tears. See, I have a sponsor child - her name is Haly. But sadly enough, I had to get her picture and bookmark my bible with it so I could remember her name. Oh, sure, I pray for her when I remember. We write that check each month, but I never once prayed over that check. I never once prayed that God would be seen in the way He has been seen by Heather and her family. I never wrote a letter, I don't spend time talking to my children about her even though her picture remains on our fridge. I am ashamed to write all of this, but for me, it is a sort-of confession - a wake up call if you will.
I know the tender heart of my friend - you can literally see it in the pictures and if you ever had the chance to hear Heather talk about adoption or children or widows, you would hear the undefiled love she has - she "oozes" love and Christ. She has been such a witness to so many people, but mostly to me. See, I don't really see her much, though I love her. I still have not seen Elias, though I pray for him. But none of this seems to rattle Heather...she just loves me anyway. And I guess that is where I come full circle...that undefiled love. I just don't know if I have it - not sure I ever will. But Heather does and she isn't afraid to share it. Sadly for Haly - she may never know the prayers and support of a different family, but in some odd way - she is MY sponsor child. Though I have not supported her the way I ought, that will change now and I can assure you of that. And all because of my friend, Heather. So, Heather - this is for you. You are quite a special friend, and for today, you are my hero!
Until next time...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Twitter what?
Now I just got totally ticked off. I joined Twitter several months ago to find one friend. I, since then, got notification that a cousin is on twitter. So today I looked her up to get a message to her telling her to join facebook. I have been sitting on this computer for the last (literally) 45 minutes trying to send her a message thru Twitter and STILL can't do it. UGH. This is why I sometimes loathe computers. I had a list of things to do this morning before I left to work out. What did I get done you ask? NOT a single thing. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.So, Katie, when I am able to get a message to you, you will know I think about you often, as does Eric. I stink at correspondance, as each and every one of my friends will testify to. I don't return phone calls, I don't write letters anymore, I rarely send cards and the fact that I have even one single friend still fascinates me. God is good!
I might as well add...After workout I will see Alicia, drop Raechyl off at the barn and go to get my butt whooped by Adam in bowling. The 7 year old. Yup - no bumpers and NO gutters for him. Nope - the real deal. He is a naturally gifted athlete - excels at each and every sport he plays. And me - well - not so much. I am the natural artist - spacey - ditzy at times - loyal to those I love.
Well, gotta go. Just wanted to voice my complaint about Twitter - anyone agree? It just occurred to me that all I do on blogspot is complain. Next blog will have to be boasting of some good.
Maybe complaining is what I do best. Lord knows my sarcastic sense of humor gets me thru. I am blessed that my friends understand it and take me lightly. God even blessed me with one other sarcastic friend, but I won't mention your name, Kelly.
Until next time...
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