School's Out -- School's Out -- Teacher Let the ????? Out?

How did that Song Go???  I remember singing it in elementary school - what did the teacher let out???  Was it "teacher let the monkey's out or mules out?"
It dawned on me today that I'm FREE for at least 8 weeks -- so I made my bucket list:

LOTS OF TIME WITH MY FAMILY  --

WORK OUT & WALK -- 

LOSE WEIGHT -- 

READ A LOT-- 

SORT - TOSS and DECLUTTER (wait, wasn't that on last year's list??)

I have to start it NOW or mid-July -- I will have forgotten my good intentions-

It's been a crazy busy week, with tests, end of the semester projects to grade, last day check out procedures and to top-it-all-off - we had to get our rooms ready to have the ceilings gutted for new HVAC  systems to be installed.  There was the fridge to empty -- the small one I never did get defrosted -- and all sorts of things to box up -- I finally walked out of there by 6:00  I think I was the last one in the building.

But my day started with this and it energized me the WHOLE DAY --

Got this one today . . .

With a tag that said, "Have my people call your people . . . we'll do lunch"

. . . .

We're sitting here - waiting on the storms to hit -- wondering what the effect will be -- seeing all the pictures of Joplin's devastation,  watching the death toll rise and realizing that some 50 people still have not been found. There have been so many tornadoes this storm season --one report was 1000 so far.

Terry's got our storm closet readied with all sorts of supplies -- thinking still about the people in Joplin -- looking around at our stuff -- wondering what few items I should put in the closet -- thinking how all of their things are scattered throughout Northeast Missouri for miles -- I am certain  that every approaching storm from this point on will cause them terror and fear.

So many different stories -- one touched me personally:

Marinelle, told me of our friend "the basket lady".  I met this Godly woman and her husband 4 years ago on Labor Day weekend when  Marinelle, her mother  and I went to make baskets at their place not far from Pitcher.  The Pitcher tornado devastated their lovely retirement home and took the life of her beloved husband.    She moved to Joplin near one of her daughters  and had to endure it's tornado on Sunday.  For a while no one knew if she survived this one--  It is reported to have only damaged  her home, while the house across the street was demolished.  I can only imagine the flashbacks and panic she endured during that time.

There is much to be said about the human spirit of resilience in times of tragedy.  We saw it recently in Japan, as their people banded together to help one another.  We witnessed it during 9-11 and earlier in Oklahoma City.  But in all of it -- the tremendous loss --

It's been a season of loss in our school community, as well -- a recent graduate -- whom many of my students were close to, died in a car accident coming home from college two weeks ago. It rocked our school.  Last Thursday one of my student's father was in a deadly car crash on 169 in the early morning hours.  His funeral was today.

We  often go about our days  without a thought, planning our schedules for weeks and months to come.
It takes something like the tragedies and severe weather forecasts we've been hearing for two days to make us think soberly about it all.

Jesus didn't return on Saturday to end it all as some were anticipating -- but HE did come for these recent victims.

Scripture says that God knows the number of our days --and at that time HE'LL come to take us to HIS house.  I like what I heard in Church on Sunday -- Just like a groom waiting for his wedding -- Jesus is so anxious to come and get us -- just waiting on the word from the Father.

Like Mother -- Like Daughter

She's EVERY where in a flash and So Was Her Momma

 

Sittin' a Spell

Qu

Going Home

If I heard it once -- I must have heard it 25 times, "Oh, Jannie, you look so much like your sweet momma."  This weekend, we were at the Vaughn Hill Church of Christ, where I grew up, to do a marriage enrichment workshop. Being back on home turf, seemed to make my mother's day last for an entire week as I heard those words from so many of my mother's 80-90 yr-old friends.   I hadn't seen these ladies in almost 10 years -- and I was blessed beyond words!!! 


Terry took over all the workshop set-up so I could spend a few hours Friday afternoon with my long-time friend of 59 years, Charlene Bandy.  We talked nonstop as she took me out to see the house where I grew up and then on to surprise her 95-yr. old mother in the retirement home where she lives now.

Charlene saved this sampler for me that her mother had stitched.    Beside it is a little pitcher that was always filled with milk  and on their table at every meal.  It was such a precious link to my past.





 
So many highlights of the weekend:
>>>it was fun doing a workshop again with my man -- it's been  2-3 years since we'd been able to do one -- so we had to tweak the powerpoints a bit. . .  I'm still amazed at how much work Terry puts into those!

>>>getting back with Mark Moran and meeting his wife, Annie -- they were awesome hosts and it was so good to reconnect and share in their work for the weekend.  That Church is truly blessed to have them!

>>>>being with Boyd Goodson and his sweet wife, Bonnie who've been married 57 years and have served in ministry together for sooooo many years.  What a testimony they are to living a life of love.

>>>>seeing the families that have grown up and remained part of this church and their children (who were preschoolers when we moved away)  now leading and guiding the growth of this church family.  (There was a special group of 4-5 year olds that my mother taught  35 years ago and she was certain they were going to be the future of this Church.  She put extra effort into making sure she taught them the Bible stories in great detail in her Sunday school class.  So many from that Sunday school class are leading the Vaughn Hill Church today!   I think Mom and Dad are looking down proud of what they've all become.)

>>>being together with our couple friends from our early days of marriage.  We were part of a young married's group that enjoyed getting together about once a month.

 
Well, 40 years and lots of gray hair later we all got together Saturday night for dinner at Paul and Doris Joiners -- what fun catching up and remembering the fun we'd all had -- amazing how many knee replacements there already have been in that group! LOL

>>> It was a weekend that honored and gave tribute to my parents. I was overjoyed when I heard it mentioned that the "Thursday School" (a Mother's Day Out program) had just had their graduation the night before.  My mother and another lady had started that ministry some 40+ years ago and it is still going on!

In our workshop we asked the couples to describe married couples that they had observed and wanted to model their marriage after, many talked about my parents and what they had taught them about commitment and care for each other, remembering all those years Mom cared for Dad when his muscular dystrophy left him in a wheelchair.  So many of the people at this Church would come to her rescue when she needed help.

Going back home was such an awesome experience of renewal and reconnecting. We drove away with hearts brimming over,  realizing God had done something huge for us --bringing us back to where we had dated, fell in love, started our marriage and ministry together to do this workshop.  We thank God for making it all come together in such an unbelievable way.

Checkin' out the Fridge --

Guess I'll have to get my own lunch . . .

Campbell Hope has had a busy week and her momma says she turns away for a second and the little lady gets busy!