a clock_full of 2009

2009 is coming to a close.

2010 is hours away.

months, days and minutes full of.. .

food

and more food

great outfits

bad outfits

becoming part of PCNP

belly laughs

sly smiles

enjoying my hobbies once again

stayin' warm with Jayden

q.time with sister

dancing and loving it

tears for no reason

tears for a reason

an endless, back and forth, game of facebook poke with a friend

a sad goodbye_ how is it that my nieces and nephews now have 'Maybe' memorized?

the painting of my apartment

a new girlfriend, who i love and trust

reading the Bible more and more... wanting to read the Bible more and more

this year was monumental for me.

i finally feel like i have grown into the woman that I was meant to be.

i'm happy with me.

or as the cliche quips, i'm comfortable in my own skin'

George Bernard Shaw once said::

:: youth is wasted on the young.

With every passing year _ i gain a bit more knowledge and life experience. i look back on the last ten years and ponder how very true that statement is, at least in my own life. if i was the person I am today, back in 2000 _ things would have been different.

but it took some time for me to grow. took awhile actually. and 2009 was a big part of that. there has never been a time when i have felt God's hand directly in my life than this one. and that had nothing to do with Him deciding to change anything. It was all about what I gave over to Him.

it's interesting to go back and reread my first posts. and think about what was going on then.. .from month to month_ a myriad of emotions and situations, both positive and negative, I faced. Never before have I learned to draw closer to God. 2009 has taught me to do that. and never before have I loved Him more.

memorized?

by the time you are my age, you have heard .. and sung along with .. .the common christmas song thousands of times. they become "tattoo"ed in your head beside other things, you don't even realize you've subconsciously memorized. with this memorization, it's very possible and likely at times, to not hear the meaning behind the words.

last week, i heard the little drummer boy by jars of clay.

and when i listened, i realized it's more than just a christmas song.

it's a song for our everyday lives.

i am a poor boy

i have no gifts to give

shall i play for you

on my drum

i played my drum for Him

i play my best for Him

then, He smiled at me

me and my drum

I heard it and I heard a song being sang about myself.

I have nothing worthy here, that i possess on this earth to give to the King.

all I have is my life.. to give.

to play my best for HIM.

as I listened to this I thought about that moment_ when I will meet Jesus, when we all will. It's that last line... All we can do with our lives is honor Him. What a glorious thought that with our lives we can make the King smile. .. .

not such a common CHRISTmas song after all.

silent snow

yesterday in my 3-5 year old art class, i asked the kids ..
"Did you hear about the snow that may be coming today?"

this little girl paused to listen and then whispered her response:

"I don't hear it!"

His heart was full of Love.. . Love. Love

another CHRISTmas favorite

Christmas Song - Dave Matthews...

three ships and more.. .

this one I just like to tease my mom with _by keeping it on repeat..
but i adore it as well//

I Saw Three Ships - Sting

i heart teaching: reason #2

question::

The satellite image on page 4 was taken from space. Do you think astronauts can see all of Earth at one time? Why or why not?

response:

no. because the earth will be on the back of the ship

the message in the manger

in the darkness of my bedroom this morning. my eyes barely opened, i struggled to find a pen, pencil _ and any surface to write upon. I eventually ended up using a tissue on which to write the few lyrics which i heard from this new Christmas song by Chris Tomlin.

Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Grou...

There are only a few Christmas songs that, in my opinion, truly capture the real Christmas. Not the consumer holiday to which it has become transformed. This is one of them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2.8-14