A Year Without a Christmas

I spoke to Ashley today regarding a problem that she was having in her math class. Math is a difficult subject for Ashley so we discussed the option of her moving from Algebra into Pre-Algebra. I gave her the class change form and told her to talk to her math teacher about her concerns and to get his input with regard to her switching classes. I signed off on her pass and was ready to send her on her merry way. When she turned to leave, I noticed a slight hesitation so I asked her if everything was O.K. She turned back towards me and said, "Well, I guess.....". I took that as my cue to ask her what was going on.

Ashley is a 14 year old 9th grader who was diagnosed with leukemia approximately two years ago. I have only known her for a few months but I can tell that she is an incredibly strong and courageous young lady, in spite of her dimunitive stature. She stands about 5'5" and weighs roughly 100 pounds (on a good day when she actually has an appetite to eat even the smallest amount of food). I don't know all of the specifics of what Ashley has been through the last two years but I have seen the scars from the treatments, I have had glimpses of her bald head underneath the wig that she wears everyday and I have seen her struggle to walk because of her ailing right hip (apparently a side effect of her leukemia and/or a result of the toll all of the medications she has had to take). It takes every ounce of strength for her to carry her backpack from class to class! One cannot help but fall in love with her enthusiasm for life and the optimism that exudes from her. What an AMAZING person young Ashley is!!!

I asked her how things were going with her leukemia and she said that things were fine, that she will now only have to go to the hospital once a month for her treatments, blood tests, etc. I took that to be a positive, and judging from the expression on her face and the tone of her voice, I assumed that I was right. I asked her how things were at home. Ashley hesitated a bit and said that her dad was in jail again. This was his third offense for driving under the influence. I asked her how she felt about this and she responded, "Well, he doesn't have a job, he sells the stuff in the house to get money for drugs and he's always so angry that it's best that he's not around." I tried not to let the surprise show on my face as I continued to ask her questions about her family. She has two younger siblings, a brother in 7th grade and a sister in 3rd grade. Her mom was working 3 jobs for awhile but got let go from 2 of them because times are so tough. Ashley then said to me, "My mom said that we probably won't have any Christmas presents this year. We may be able to get something from the dollar store." My heart broke for this girl who quickly seemed much younger than the 14 year old girl that she was. I swallowed hard and tried to blink away the tears that were forming in my eyes. The bell rang and she was ready to leave to go to her next class. I told her to have a nice weekend and then asked if she had any fun plans. Ashley responded with, "Well, we don't have any money so we really don't do anything." and with that, she was out the door.

There aren't many guarantees in life but I can guarantee that Ashley will be getting more than "something from the dollar store" this Christmas!!!! You can count on that!!

Pilates anyone?????

I was at my local exercise establishment a few days ago and ran into a friend of mine while working out. Let me preface this last statement by mentioning that it has been waaaaaaaaaay too long since I last worked out. I had to wipe the cob webs off of my tennis shoes and dig between the cushions of my couch to find my membership card. Yeah - it's been awhile. With that in mind, I was trying to get a "light" work out in so that I wouldn't completely overdo it and pay for my overzealousness with a week of aches and pains in places that I didn't even know could hurt. Back to my encounter with my friend. She is a work out fiend. She is about 5'6" and maybe, maybe 100 lbs. She works out religiously everyday! The invitation to join her for a workout was a mistake on my part. On this particular afternoon she was doing a body pumps class. Have any of you ever partaken in one of these classes??? In theory, they are good......but in reality they are not so good for me. I am not opposed to exercise at all as evidenced by my health club membership. What I decided is that I am opposed to these structured exercise classes that are run by energetic, buff, fat-free women that are a bit too enthusiastic for my taste. I can hear the voice still resonating in my ears...."And one more time....let's hold that for a six count.", "Feel the burn, ladies.", "Three more sets, you can do it...", "Here we go now.", "Keep pushing yourselves...". I glance up at the clock and realize that 5 minutes, yes that's right, I said 5 minutes have gone by. Are you kidding me????? This class is an hour long class, there is absolutely NO way that I am going to survive for another 55 minutes.......The whole time I watched the clock, vowing that I would NOT stop until the clock reached 5:30 p.m. The last part of the workout consisted of sit ups which I thought I could handle. WRONG!! My abs, or should I say flabs, were on FIRE!!!! Seriously....I asked the woman next to me where the fire extinguisher in the room was located because I was being overcome by the smell of burning flesh. The good news is that I survived to tell about it. I don't think that I will be returning to the class; however, because I don't do well in structured settings!

The Fall Before the Storms

Fall is an incredibly beautiful time in Wisconsin. Over the last week or two, I have really taken the opportunity to appreciate and marvel in the amazing change of colors that comes with the change of the seasons. Fall is officially here! The colors of the leaves on the trees are so vibrant, especially when the sunlight hits the leaves just right. There is nothing like a walk through the park on a crisp fall morning among the brightly colored trees. The smell of burning leaves is in the air and you can see your breath. A hot cop of coffee or apple cider afterwards just makes the morning complete. Just thinking about it makes me smile! Once in awhile we are even treated to an "Indian Summer" day where the temperature warms to a 65-70+ degrees and we can wear shorts for one more day. Another reason that I look forward to fall is the appearance of caramel apples (with nuts) on the store shelves. I LOVE CARAMEL APPLES - especially when the apples are really crunchy and a wee bit on the sour side. Yummy!!!!! I wish that time would stand still because once all those beautiful leaves have been raked up and blown into curbside piles....we move into yet another season ------WINTER (my least favorite of the four)!!!!!


Out of nowhere, the storm hits. The storm I'm referring to is the storm that brings the pretty white stuff that turns into something not so pretty once it is cleared off the roads by the snow plows. Snowy days and freezing temperatures become the norm. Wind chill factor, snow advisories and below zero temperatures are phrases that become part of our everyday vernacular. Shorts, sandals and t-shirts are now replaced with sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, mittens and boots. My hope is that this winter will be less chilly, less snowy and over before I know it. Keep dreamin'!!!!!!!!

Return of the Blogger

Well, I didn't realize that this many days had passed by since my last post (thanks for reminding me J.D.). The pace of life has definitely picked up since my return to work. No more lazy summer days, sleeping in, flying by the seat of my pants, driving like everyday is a "Sunday", coffee dates with friends in the mornings, relaxing all afternoon in a lawn chair with a good book. Oh, those certainly were the days.....

Now my life is 5:30 a.m. alarms going off (notice how I said alarms, plural...I am the "Snooze Queen". I really don't know how you moms do it!!!! You are AMAZING women!), brown bag lunches, wardrobe planning, ironing clothes, fighting the early morning traffic, "road rage".....Oh to be able to push the calendar back to mid-June (sigh).

I truly LOVE my job (Thank God for that!) but I also value my precious time off! Sometimes I wonder how I get anything done as far as house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, running errands when I am back at work. It really is surprising (although right now my house looks like a tornado went through it right about now. I really NEEEEEEED to de-clutter! Back up the truck 'cause I got lots to get rid of....).

Well, that's all folks! Just thought I'd let you know that I'm still alive and that I haven't deserted the "Blog World".

Peace!

Hands Free

I think I've seen it all now when it comes to multi-tasking....I was on my way to work this past week and was next to a car driven by a lady who was smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone. Not that big of a deal, right??? I personally am not a smoker, but I don't imagine that it's that big of a deal to smoke and talk on the phone while driving. Am I right??

I could not believe my eyes when she reached for her coffee cup and took a big gulp. Let's think about this for a second....we have only 2 hands. One hand was clutching the phone and the other hand was wrapped around the coffee mug....who's got the steering wheel???? No one! Absolutely no one was steering the vehicle for the short amount of time that it took Miss "I can do 4 things at once" to take a swig of her early morning cup o' joe!!! Are you kidding me??? I nearly careened into the concrete barrier on the shoulder of the interstate when I glanced over at her talking on the phone and drinking her coffee all the while managing to keep her cigarette lit!!!! Come on people! Should we even WONDER why there are as many car accidents on the road, especially in the midst of early morning rush hour traffic. Get serious folks. The phone call is not that important. If it is, maybe you should have made the call before getting in your car. Drivers beware - people like this lady really do exist who are coming to a freeway near you.

This gives new meaning to HANDS FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes.......

Arm in arm

This morning I went to Panera to enjoy a cup of hazelnut coffee and a cinammon chip scone. I was sitting outside, enjoying my book, when two little boys hopped out of a gray Honda SUV along with a dad. I don't know if the two boys were brothers or merely good friends. The boys were probably 8 years old and I smiled when they skipped by me on the sidewalk. About 10 minutes later, the two boys and the dad came out of Panera with 2 bags filled with bagels. I glanced over at the boys and they were walking arm and arm with the biggest smiles on their faces. I couldn't help but smile at this picture of friendship - of two little "buddies" hanging out on a sunny Saturday morning! Priceless.....

Jesus Loves you and So Do I

My very first letter arrived yesterday from Francisco (a.k.a. "Frankie")! I cannot tell you how excited I was to receive correspondence from him. I couldn't open the letter fast enough to see what my new "friend" from Brazil had to say. In Francisco's letter, he told me where specifically in Brazil he lives as well as more detailed information about himself (i.e., the names of his family members, the names of his best friends, and a few of his favorite things). One of my favorite parts of the letter was the picture that he drew for me of a house alongside a big tree.

Also included in the letter was a Bible verse (Psalm 100:5 "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."). The Lord is so good for bringing Francisco into my life! I feel blessed that I have had the chance to sponsor Francisco and to be a small part of his walk with the Lord. The best part of Francisco's letter was under the section that was entitled, "Message for my Sponsor". Francisco's message to me was: Jesus loves you and so do I.

God is truly amazing and it is so incredible to me to see all of the ways in which he continues to work in my life day after day. The people that He has put into my life, the opportunities that have opened up for me as well the trials and tribulations that I have had to endure have all brought me closer to God and for that I am so very thankful.

Jesus loves you and so do I!