Hello, Monday Marvels! This guy doesn't look like a handmaiden, does he? Still looking pretty good. Since you seemed to enjoy a little eye candy a few weeks ago, I thought I'd share one of my favs. As it happens, Christopher Reeve does go along with my topic today.  Feel free to savor for a moment.....

I've been studying the Gospel of John for the past several weeks. There's recurring theme that seems to be sticking to my heart. It's having a handmaiden's heart, a heart of service. 

Having a servant's heart had been floating around for several chapters. Last week I got to John 13, and there it was glaring at me. Do you recall that Jesus washed the disciples' feet? ALL of the disciples, even the betrayer. How could He do that? I have a hard time thinking about washing anybody's feet (except my granddaughters'.)

Daddy grew up in a Primitive Baptist church where they practiced foot-washing. It's no surprise when Granddaddy got sick in later years, Daddy didn't hesitate to wash those tired and worn feet. Mama took a picture of them that I kept for years. Even though I gave it to my oldest nephew a while back, it's etched within me.

Have you spent much time with middle schoolers? They can be a tough crowd on a good day. Crazy hormones, pecking order, full moon, whatever! It doesn't take much to send them over the edge.

The last day before winter break. Half day, party day, dressed down and sugared up. Do you think they were "off the chain" more than usual? You bet your sweet bippy,Skippy!

Now, I've got to be honest here. Parties, finals, plus all the adult versions of holiday stress, and I may also have been straining the chain . . . just a little. Only one more ingredient was needed for God to pull a 1-2 punch.

A few years ago, Tom received a soup mug in an office exchange. Suffice it to say, for Tom, a bowl with a handle is just a confused mug.

Thankfully, having two classrooms this year meant I needed extra containers for pens, paperclips, etc. The mug/bowl finally had a home on my middle school classroom desk. Talk about an accident waiting to happen.

Back to the last day before winter break. I'm two steps behind 7th graders charging up the stairs, and into the classroom.  And one step behind one unruly student knocking the mug off my desk and breaking it. Her mouth was still hanging open when I got to my desk.

I gotta tell you, it was not me who responded to her. My mean self wanted to jump her sorry self and ream her a new one. (BTW Faith doesn't necessarily mean faultless.)

What came outta my mouth surprised me as much as it did her. Words of forgiveness and acceptance flowed kindly out of my mouth like they were the most natural thing in the world. But trust me, it wasn't natural and it surely wasn't me. It was grace packing PUNCH ONE, straight to the heart of a rambunctious teenager. And the more grace flowed, the more amenable the student became.

And then came PUNCH TWO: my mouth fell open and my eyes bugged out, but not at the student's obvious contrition. I was simply astounded at how the Lord had used my mouth to speak His words. With the astonishment came an even more amazing peace. 

Grace certainly had a 1-2 punch in our hyped up, stressed out classroom, first the student, then me. And as a totally undeserved bonus, since returning from winter break, the student and I seem to have a much better relationship.

Isn't that what grace is all about? God does the work, and we get the wonder.

It was our turn. Of course it was. In the four short months since our wedding, every one in my first family had been under seige. Heart attack, life-changing injury, the end to a a long relationship. What was next?

What was next was Tom's company going out on strike. In the early days Tom's salary supported both of us. Strike meant no income whatsoever. We were devastated.

Like most young couples we were anxious to demonstrate our independence. And like some young couples, we weren't really prepared for unexpected changes to the status quo of our world, especially so soon.

It was the first of July, and hot. Of all the crazy things I could have expected Mama to advise, she told us to go swimming! Not get out there and find a job. Not tighten our belts. Nothing like that. Go swimming!

HISTORICAL NOTE: Gas was way less than a dollar, and jobs were few and far between.

Dear Reader, I don't know of a single person whose life hasn't been tainted by pain. Choosing joy isn't easy when pain threatens to flood our lives. If you are needing encouragement from ones who understand the challenges of choosing joy, get your hands on a copy of Choose Joy, by Sara Frankl and Mary Carver.

What works for me is to know we don't have to go through pain and disappointment alone. What works for me is to know others who have faced the same questions and doubts, and decided to choose joy. What works for me is to lean on others, when I'm having trouble standing on my own.

How have you gotten through the disappointments or sorrows of life? What would you tell someone who is going through sadness right now?

This week I'll be linking this post to Giving Up on Perfect and Coffee for Your Heart.  I'm excited to be linking up with a new friend, Lisa at Life in the Blue House.

There are some, who shall remain nameless, who might call me "picky". Well, maybe a step past picky, but not quite to anal or perfectionist. I prefer "discriminating taste". Hold that thought.

Tom and I enjoy traveling. For the last several years, we've frequently chosen to travel by plane. Tom and I have been blessed to be able to take some pretty sweet, business-related trips. Business + travel = laptop in the carry-on for me.

I don't know about your family traveling companions, but somehow I usually end up carrying a lot of non-personal items. You know, cameras, binoculars, extra gum, plane tickets, chargers, etc. You get the picture. 

Consequently, I've been searching for the perfect carry-on bag for years. One that will hold all those items my fellow travelers and I consider essential. I think I've finally found the perfect travel, and school, bag for me.​ Nothing flashy, classy or fashion-forward, but I love it!

My new messenger bag came with an unexpected benefit: it's a terrific swinger! What? Imagine you're in a hurry to get out the door, and your bag is fully loaded. Tickets in hand, cat in the carrier, you're ready to "hit the road (or tarmac)" as it were. The snazziest looking bag is pretty worthless if it doesn't maneuver among crowds or respond kindly to airport security. I'm okay with my less than glamorous new bag.

Maybe that's a bigger deal for teachers than most folks, because we seem to always be in a hurry. Maybe not. You grab your purse, your lunch bag, and your school bag. With one deft grip you swing and it lands perfectly on your shoulder. A poor swinger can slow down getting out the door, inflict pain, or spill its contents all over the place. Not a good way to start the day.

Call me crazy, but I think my messenger bag is a little like God. I think He enjoys surprising us with benefits. It's like He's waiting around the corner to drop an unexpected blessing into our lives.

Has God been peeking around the corner with a blessing tailor-made for you lately? He already knows your heart's desire, you know. Maybe it's not even something big. (Seriously, I'm crazy vain about my fingernails, and when they kept breaking I prayed about it.) 

I'd love to hear about your unexpected blessing. Really! I've finally figured out how to reply, so now I can congratulate you (I know, it wasn't really rocket science, was it?) In the meantime be on the outlook for God's hand on your life, and thanks for stopping by!​

Dear Reader,  may I make a confession to you? I absolutely LOVE writing to you! (That's not the confession.) As much as I love writing to you, sometimes I'm afraid I'll run out of ideas. (That's the confession.)

Maybe it's a control thing.

I learned early on to keep a list of post ideas. Sometimes the ideas come almost faster than I can jot them down. Other times I draw a blank until I open the laptop. So, I thought I had a great idea about having ideas.

One of the blog posts this week comes straight from my quiet time journal. I've been keeping a quiet time journal for several years. It seemed like a wonderful resource. . . or not.

I pulled out the first journal and started looking for potential blog posts. After 20 - 30 entries, I realized it wasn't going to work, at least not for now. Closing my journal, I "heard" the still, small voice tell me to "Keep it fresh!"

Are you a New Year's resolution kind of person? I'm typically not. Call me a pessimist or defeatist, but I hate the idea of having a list of things hanging over my head (any or all of them) that I don't accomplish. For some crazy reason, goal-setting works with my brain. What's that about?

A couple of weeks ago I signed up and sat in on a new Michael Hyatt webinar, The 10 Biggest Mistakes You're Making with Goal-Setting. So far, his writing and webinars have each yielded at least a couple of nuggets that work for me. This one also had a Three Bears feel: some too hard, some already done, and a few that seemed to fit me just right.

After doing the webinar, it was easy for me to compile a list of life goals for the year. It was probably easy because they had been rattling around in my brain for a while. Since one of Hyatt's goal categories is "Physical", and I had recent lab reports, that was definitely a no-brainer.

In case you haven't noticed, only a very kind and blind person would currently describe me as "svelte". Not that I haven't ever been, but I'm definitely not now. Judging by the ads that flood the media right after the holidays, I'm not the only person who battles weight. (Why does that make me feel better?) But losing weight just to lose weight, or to check off a resolution, isn't enough for me.

With a list of potential life goals and the lab reports in hand, I came up with what works for me:

• I breathe better when I avoid/limit dairy products.
• I sleep better when I avoid/limit caffeine.
• My feet and legs feel and work better when I limit salt intake.

Theoretically, that should add up to some weight loss, right? (Get ready for the whining, but it turns out well, I promise.) First, let's break it down according to my little corner of the globe:

• No dairy? You mean no pizza, ice cream or cheese on at least half of our family meals each week?  I may go into DTs.
• Sleeping is good. If you've been an insomnia for most of your life, sleeping is GREAT. But, for a southern chocoholic who loves her sweet tea, limiting caffeine may be a bridge too far.
• Salt, this may be the easiest one because I'm learning to check labels for sodium, and that garlic and onion are pretty good substitutes. Alas, I don't know when I've partaken of bacon.

Okay, enough whining!

Happy Monday, Dear Reader! One blogging guru I read and watch, suggests using a "provocative" title to engage more readers. Is it working? 

Truth to tell, I had no idea who this guy was until I "googled" him. (BTW: is "googled" really a verb?) 

​I guess I better apologize now for the post NOT being about David Beckham or that kind of heat. Let's just call it the "fun" in David's Daugher: the right mix of faith, fun & encouragement.

This is strictly G-rated, as in Gracie. Last week was Gracie's second birthday. Since Mommy was up to her eyeballs in planning and hosting her very first book launch party (CHOOSE JOY), Grandpa and I (ok, just me) volunteered to host Gracie's birthday party. Thank goodness Mary is right about everything being on Pinterest

Pinterest plus OCD me added up to a  plan and a schedule, which included making the "mini" cupcakes and freezing them a week ahead. Does your brain run on dual tracks alot? Mine sure does! I was not surprised that my head was in the kitchen last Saturday morning while it was supposed to be engaged with my study of the Gospel of John.

Don't you sit there being all judgmental. I'm betting your mind goes on little birdwalks once in a while when it should be focused on something a bit more productive.

I was reading and reflecting (mostly) on the account of the blind man receiving his sight in John 9. According to John's Gospel, the man went from blind beggar to impassioned believer. When the heat was on, the man was deserted by his own parents and his testimony repudiated by the Jewish governing body. 

In the heat of cross-examination, the man discovered courage and integrity and abundant life (John 10:10). Being "cast out" of the synagogue, which was also life-changing, didn't deter him. His faith and worship of his Savior didn't wither under the heat or pressure.

With cupcakes waiting to be made, it wasn't a leap for me to understand that our faith can be about as worthless as uncooked cake batter if it never touches the flame. 

Flames, and their heat, have lots of sources, and intensities, and duration, don't they? Maybe it's a malicious boss or coworker. Perhaps a deadline slipped up on you while one of the kids had the flu bug. Or maybe it's a devastating heat, the loss of a parent, or a job, or a marriage.

​How do we respond in those times? I know it's hard. Who hasn't been burned? And when it's turned up to high, "if you can't stand the heat, get(ting) out of the kitchen" may not be an option. 

Dear Reader, probably like you, my feet have been held to the fire more times than I want to count. I won't lie and say I'm proud or happy with all of my responses. Some have been downright ugly. But on this side, I think I'm thankful for those heated moments. 

For me, which God heats things up, it's kind of validating. I think that's one of the ways God shows He has faith in us. I pray when things heat up, you are like the blind man who received his sight. I pray your faith in yourself and in Him explodes all over the place from the heat. I hope you're trusting and brave enough to say, "Let's heat things up!"

Do you have dreams tucked away in a corner of your heart? Are they big or small? Dreams do come in assorted sizes, you know. Do you pull them out and look at them once in a while? Perhaps you gaze at one fondly for a moment, sigh, then tuck it safely back in your heart. 

I believe in dreams, and their importance in our lives. I think they can inspire and motivate us to do more, reach higher, achieve amazing things. But, I also realize sometimes we have to abandon dreams. The reasons don't really matter. There have been a couple abandoned dreams when I actually went through the complete cycle of grieving.

This isn't about abandoned dreams. (Go ahead, admit it: you thought this was going to get sappy and depressing, didn't you? WRONG! Just sappy.) Dear Reader, I pray you have rarely had to leave a dream behind. And I pray that letting go only led you to something even greater.

Today, while letting my nails dry, I pulled out one of my dreams. I hadn't taken it out to look at for a while, so I had to tug a little. But, lo and behold, when I did, something was attached to it. Actually two somethings. One was a teeny idea, not big enough to even be a dream, from at least twenty-five years ago. The other was one Tom had shared last week.

Well, isn't that amazing! 

Dear Reader, I have no idea if any of these interconnected dreams are going to come true. Their likelihood seems better now than ever before. My excitement is two-fold. 

Of course, I'm excited that these dreams may actually come to fruition. But equally exciting is knowing that the Lord hears and sees our innermost thoughts and hopes and dreams. When we live our lives in tandem with His, He longs to bless us like crazy. Including making our dreams come true.

Dear Reader, here are some things I fervently hope for you:

• that you have dreams, of assorted sizes, tucked in your heart;
• that you have already been blessed by having dreams come true;
• that you never stop dreaming and believing.

For now, I'm holding my triad dream up to the light, waiting, pondering, praying. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, what are some of the dreams you may have had tucked away for a while? What's holding you back from taking them out for a closer look? It's a new year: a good time to think about the dream, wrapped in a blessing, right around the corner.

Trust me, there have been very few and far between occasions when someone has told me I look at the world through rose-colored glasses. Those closest to me would probably say I'm more of a pessimist. Usually, I prefer to think of myself as a pragmatist or realist. And then last week I noticed I'd put the pinkish specs on.

My route to and from school runs through suburban and urban areas, streets and highways. On the way home from school on Friday, I casually glanced at the sides of the road. Huh! Where did all that trash come from? I hadn't noticed it before, or at least recently.

Since we hadn't had any significant snows, I couldn't attribute that with the previously perceived purity of the road edges. Had some thoughtless drivers recently passed by? Maybe some irresponsible teenagers thought trashing the ditches would be a funny prank. Perhaps some roving mongrels had strewn their bounty.

I had just finished my day with extremely hormonal middle schoolers. Nothing rosy about that! Anyway, I was driving on autopilot, with about six brain cells firing. 

Still, the seemingly changed scenery wouldn't let me go. When I finally figured it out, I had to laugh at myself.

I hadn't driven the route since December 18, Mary's birthday. That was the last day of school before Christmas break, and the day I was picking up Annalyn and Gracie for our Christmas date. It doesn't get any better than that!

My rose-colored glasses, fashioned by holiday spirits and Christmas decorations had completely obscured the roadside debris. And now the decorations were starting to come down. The holidays were softly drifting away. A sharp contrast to the bravery and brashness of Flu Floopers, Gar Ginkers, and such which hosted in the season of celebration.

No doubt the trash had been alongside the road in one form or another all along. With my attention focused elsewhere, I simply hadn't seen it. Had I been blind or deluded, or merely distracted for a time?

Whatever the reason, I don't welcome the return of trashy trafficways. I do relish knowing there are times and events in life that cast a rosy hue over the world. 

What works for me is to look for reasons to add a little color to my usually stark glasses. It's not living in a delusional wonderland, rather, looking for reasons and ways to CHOOSE JOY. If you need some help putting the rose into your glasses, get yourself a copy of Sara Frankl and Mary Carver's just released Choose Joy. It will add some color to your outlook, no matter what time of year it is!

On Wednesday, I'll be linking this post to Giving Up on Perfect and Coffee for Your Heart.

DISCLAIMER: This isn't really about Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. It's about Prince Phillip. I didn't remember his name until I was watching the tale last weekend. Who would read "Phillip's Faltering Footsteps to Fame?"

If you've tuned in lately, you may have guessed that I'm about moving forward this year. Yes, I know, I've already touted Evernote, and OneWord365, and Choose Joy (a terrific new book to encourage and motivate). and yesterday I even signed up for a Michael Hyatt webinar on goal-setting (and reaching them).

​You may be thinking I'm a little fickle by now. Well, perhaps, but more often than not I'm thinking with my teacher brain. Teacher brains look for as many ways as possible to teach a skill, make a meaningful connection. (Or maybe it's another case of my undiagnosed ADD.)

Anyway, Prince Phillip definitely had a few advantages when it came to defeating the monstrous Maleficent. Teacher brain went on high alert, while watching the Disney classic, about connecting his strategies to something useful in my life. 

While Girl was getting massive doses of beauty sleep, this little trio was off to share their gifts with Boyfriend.(Can you see them? They're the tiny red, blue and green fairies.) After busting him out of the dungeon, they gave him the Shield of Virtue and Sword of Truth to help defeat Maleficent.

Hmmmm. . .  I don't know about you, but my successes, big or small, have always been fueled by family, friends, and their generosity. Prayers, study partners, a hot, healthy meal when I needed it, junk food when I didn't, or most importantly, moral support. "That's what friends are for!"

Then there's Samson, Prince Phillip's faithful steed, and friend extraordinaire. Sounds like Samson was just what our dashing hero needed. Samson showed it when he:

• gave Phil "that" look when a choice was a little iffy;
• put up with Phil's moodiness ("Are you going to give me those apples or what?");
• stuck with Phil through thick and thin ("You want me to carry you where, to do WHAT?").

Of course, it helped that our boy, Phil, knew how to monitor and adjust. Sure, he was all about the babe with the sleep disorder, then he found himself chained in a dungeon by the mean, old Maleficent. What's a guy to do? Mooning over the lullaby lassie was getting him nowhere. Didn't take our hero long to figure out he was going to have to confront the gal who obviously hadn't discovered Beauty Brands. Take care of Dragon Lady first, then Sleeping Beauty.

Prince Phillip certainly had what it took to sweep his Beauty off her feet: generous and loyal friends, and being able to monitor and adjust. But keeping his eyes on the prize (Yes, I know we're liberated 21st century women!) was the driving force to his success. Focus turned events into advantages.

Dear Reader, whether you're launching new goals with the new year, or forging ahead with long-term goals, I hope you are confident in the gifts and abilities you already have. Which gifts or abilities are the most beneficial to you in your quest? I pray your goals soon become your new reality. 
​