Today was a normal day for a change - no two-hour delay, no schedule changes, getting lots of good teaching done. Tomorrow I'm going to spend most of the day hopefully getting LOTS of prep work done. (Thursdays are supposedly my day off, but I never really take them off.) I have so much to do, I'm not even going to go to my pastor's wife's house for prayer meeting first, like I usually do on Thursdays. The things I'm working on right now are: the MCDS Worship Team schedule, choreography, instrumental arrangements, tee-shirt order, etc; the Middle School Chorus music for the Jr. High Festival in May (I program all of that music into my computer and play it out through my digital piano to help the kids learn the music more quickly) ; auditions, choreography, mic and equipment rental, etc. for the musical, Joseph and the Dream Team Xtreme, that grades 3 - 5 will be doing at our Spring Program in May, plus choreography for Primary Chorus and Mass Chorus, instrumental arrangements for those accompanying Mass Chorus.........
I'd better get to bed right now so I can accomplish at least some of the above tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Not a boring moment today
My day started out with icy roads on the way to school. All the way there Destiny complained that her belly hurts. Shortly after we arrived she threw up her breakfast of scrambled eggs all over the staff room floor. (Thankfully we now have vinyl instead of carpet in that room!) She decided she felt much better and wanted to go to her kindergarten class. Meanwhile I was left with the mess to clean up. Of all days I was dressed for my uncle Bob's funeral, and my first class was scheduled to start earlier than normal since I was trying to squeeze all my classes in before I left for the funeral. As you can imagine, I was not a very happy camper. One dear teacher comforted my by saying, "Well, your day can only get better!"
It did. I went to Uncle Bob's funeral and burial which was followed by a meal at Kreiders Restaurant. At one point things got pretty interesting. After the burial we needed to get out of the very snowy, icy cemetery. My sisters Doris and Mary Ellen and I were riding along in the back seat of my dad's car. The cemetery is hilly and the paved lanes through it were snow and slush covered. We watched car after car go right up that hill, but would you believe Dad's car just spun and spun half way up the hill? My dad is the type that thinks anything worth doing is worth doing with all your might, and that's exactly how he tackled that hill. He would back down, and ram back up that hill with a vengeance, always to no avail. Mary Ellen finally called nephew Richard Witmer to come with his tow truck. Then we saw a funeral director come down the hill toward us. He yelled, "The girls will have to get out of the back seat." Well!! We thought our weight was helping! So we obediently got out, plus he convinced Dad that he did not have to go at it at top speed, and sure enough, he made it up that hill! (And we girls walked up, thank you very much!)
Below are pictures that will probably mean little to most of my readers. But I wanted to post and label each one, first of all for Uncle Bob's granddaughter Kimmie who is serving in Okinawa. I know she will be checking this blog for pictures. I know there will be other relatives and my siblings who live out-of-state who will be interested in the names and faces on these pictures. For those of you who want to see people up close, click on the pictures to make them much larger and clearer.
My dad said in his part of the service today that people always knew when Bob was around because of his loud voice. I just bet Heaven knows he's around too - he's probably the loudest one there, the life of the party!!
It did. I went to Uncle Bob's funeral and burial which was followed by a meal at Kreiders Restaurant. At one point things got pretty interesting. After the burial we needed to get out of the very snowy, icy cemetery. My sisters Doris and Mary Ellen and I were riding along in the back seat of my dad's car. The cemetery is hilly and the paved lanes through it were snow and slush covered. We watched car after car go right up that hill, but would you believe Dad's car just spun and spun half way up the hill? My dad is the type that thinks anything worth doing is worth doing with all your might, and that's exactly how he tackled that hill. He would back down, and ram back up that hill with a vengeance, always to no avail. Mary Ellen finally called nephew Richard Witmer to come with his tow truck. Then we saw a funeral director come down the hill toward us. He yelled, "The girls will have to get out of the back seat." Well!! We thought our weight was helping! So we obediently got out, plus he convinced Dad that he did not have to go at it at top speed, and sure enough, he made it up that hill! (And we girls walked up, thank you very much!)
Below are pictures that will probably mean little to most of my readers. But I wanted to post and label each one, first of all for Uncle Bob's granddaughter Kimmie who is serving in Okinawa. I know she will be checking this blog for pictures. I know there will be other relatives and my siblings who live out-of-state who will be interested in the names and faces on these pictures. For those of you who want to see people up close, click on the pictures to make them much larger and clearer.
My dad said in his part of the service today that people always knew when Bob was around because of his loud voice. I just bet Heaven knows he's around too - he's probably the loudest one there, the life of the party!!
Monday, February 26, 2007
It's not snowing anymore!!
I guess I'd better post before I go to bed, so it doesn't look like it's still snowing here in PA! We actually did not get as much snow and ice as expected, and the temps today were above freezing, so driving was not bad at all.
I had a busy day at school, went to the gym afterward, and then this evening there was a viewing for my Uncle Bob. I spent quite a while there talking with uncles, aunts, cousins, and others who were very involved in Bob's life. I talked quite a while with some of the key people who were instrumental in praying for and leading Bob to finally receive Jesus Christ as his Savior - Grace Wolgemuth, her daughter Carol, and their pastor from Grace Church in Lititz, pastor Willard, I think his name was. It is quite a story.
The pastor also said that Bob told him about the time he was serving in the Korean War. They were allowed to fly to the mainland (??) when they had a weekend off. On one of those occasions he decided not to go, even though he was allowed to. The small plane with all his buddies in it went down and they all were killed. If he had decided to go with them he would have died then, and he would not have been ready for eternity. I'm reminded of the verse, "The Lord is not slow.... He is patient...not wanting anyone to perish." He waited for Bob to come to Him all these years, and the right people were there at the right time when he was ready. God also allowed Bob to live long enough after that for everyone in his life to see the dramatic change that
took place in him as a result. God is good!
I had a busy day at school, went to the gym afterward, and then this evening there was a viewing for my Uncle Bob. I spent quite a while there talking with uncles, aunts, cousins, and others who were very involved in Bob's life. I talked quite a while with some of the key people who were instrumental in praying for and leading Bob to finally receive Jesus Christ as his Savior - Grace Wolgemuth, her daughter Carol, and their pastor from Grace Church in Lititz, pastor Willard, I think his name was. It is quite a story.
The pastor also said that Bob told him about the time he was serving in the Korean War. They were allowed to fly to the mainland (??) when they had a weekend off. On one of those occasions he decided not to go, even though he was allowed to. The small plane with all his buddies in it went down and they all were killed. If he had decided to go with them he would have died then, and he would not have been ready for eternity. I'm reminded of the verse, "The Lord is not slow.... He is patient...not wanting anyone to perish." He waited for Bob to come to Him all these years, and the right people were there at the right time when he was ready. God also allowed Bob to live long enough after that for everyone in his life to see the dramatic change that
took place in him as a result. God is good!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The storm has arrived
The snow has arrived. At least it waited until church was over. So we shall see what amounts and forms of precipitation this storm brings. Hopefully not the extreme sleet we had last time. We're still dealing with that ice.
Yesterday I got pictures from Lisa's cell phone - they were walking on the beach. Talk about rubbing it in!! No, I'll take pictures from Florida any day of the year. Especially those of my favorite little curly head.
Last evening Ray was here to do his wash. The fact that he will actually be leaving for the Navy is gradually beginning to register in my mind and my heart. Ray told me last week that he will not be allowed to call home while he's at basic training -writing letters is the only form of communication allowed. Ray is not a writer, so I can just imagine two months of not hearing from him. Dick has been talking to someone at work whose son is in the Navy and she was telling him how little time they were able to spend with their son when they went to Great Lakes, IL for his graduation from basic training. Now I'm realizing that they will be flying him right from IL to Pensacola for his specialty training. For some reason I thought he'd be coming home in between. Adding to all those new thoughts was this: Rays says last evening, "Mom, I just need to tell you that if I would die while I'm in the Navy, you and Dad would be the beneficiaries......." I hit overload at that point and the tears came. Suddenly Ray is extremely interested in the news, especially all the talk about Iran. And suddenly I don't want to hear any of it.
Yesterday I got pictures from Lisa's cell phone - they were walking on the beach. Talk about rubbing it in!! No, I'll take pictures from Florida any day of the year. Especially those of my favorite little curly head.
Last evening Ray was here to do his wash. The fact that he will actually be leaving for the Navy is gradually beginning to register in my mind and my heart. Ray told me last week that he will not be allowed to call home while he's at basic training -writing letters is the only form of communication allowed. Ray is not a writer, so I can just imagine two months of not hearing from him. Dick has been talking to someone at work whose son is in the Navy and she was telling him how little time they were able to spend with their son when they went to Great Lakes, IL for his graduation from basic training. Now I'm realizing that they will be flying him right from IL to Pensacola for his specialty training. For some reason I thought he'd be coming home in between. Adding to all those new thoughts was this: Rays says last evening, "Mom, I just need to tell you that if I would die while I'm in the Navy, you and Dad would be the beneficiaries......." I hit overload at that point and the tears came. Suddenly Ray is extremely interested in the news, especially all the talk about Iran. And suddenly I don't want to hear any of it.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
The (Not So) Silent Prayer
Today my nephew Eric will be heading West in the big rig he bought. We got an email last night from my sister Barb asking for prayer. At this time of year weather is such a factor to consider, and 24-yr.-olds think they're so invincible. Barb said, "I know he's 24, but I'm his mom and I'm allowed to worry!" So when you see weather reports from across the country the next several days, lift Eric up in prayer.
My Uncle Bob Myers passed away on Thursday. He's the one I wrote about on Feb. 3rd who called the family meeting together. I just love to imagine my mom rejoicing with him that he's in Heaven. For that matter - HIS mother. He told us at that family meeting, "I don't know about the rest of you, but when our mother died, I lost my best friend." And he began to cry. I asked him how old he was, and he said, "Eight." He remembers of her saying to him one time, "What am I going to do, Bob? Here I am, so sick, and I have all these boys. I guess you'll have to be my doctor." We've been told that spending money on medical needs was not a priority for my grandfather. No wonder this dear mother of ten children, having a heart condition and no money for doctors, wondered what she was going to do. What a precious thing to imagine the reunion of Bob with his mother on Thursday. Pass the tissues, please!
And now on a lighter note, here is my story for this week:
My Uncle Bob Myers passed away on Thursday. He's the one I wrote about on Feb. 3rd who called the family meeting together. I just love to imagine my mom rejoicing with him that he's in Heaven. For that matter - HIS mother. He told us at that family meeting, "I don't know about the rest of you, but when our mother died, I lost my best friend." And he began to cry. I asked him how old he was, and he said, "Eight." He remembers of her saying to him one time, "What am I going to do, Bob? Here I am, so sick, and I have all these boys. I guess you'll have to be my doctor." We've been told that spending money on medical needs was not a priority for my grandfather. No wonder this dear mother of ten children, having a heart condition and no money for doctors, wondered what she was going to do. What a precious thing to imagine the reunion of Bob with his mother on Thursday. Pass the tissues, please!
And now on a lighter note, here is my story for this week:
THE (NOT SO) SILENT PRAYER
In March 1993 the music teacher at MCDS left to have a baby, not planning to return, and I had been hired to replace her. This was my third round of employment at this school - I had taken leaves when our children were young and again later when I tried to become a home school mom. So I felt quite familiar with everything and everybody that first morning back to work. As usual, the day started with staff devotions. On this particular day they were sharing prayer requests. There were quite a number of them. And then it was time to pray. Frank Rittenhouse, who was principal at that time, was in charge, and he said, "Let us pray for..." and he mentioned the first request. I expected someone to pray for that request, but we waited and waited and waited, and NOBODY prayed. The request was for someone on staff, and I began to feel very sorry for that person, that no one cared enough to pray over her request. So I gathered up my righteous indignation and decided I didn't care if I was the new kid on the block today, I would pray over that request, and I did. Then Frank mentioned the next request. Again, we waited and waited and waited, and NOBODY prayed. I could not believe it. What was wrong with these people? Had they all lost their courage to pray aloud? I almost prayed again, but my righteous indignation was not quite strong enough to do it a second time. I was stunned when Frank went ahead and mentioned the third request before anyone had even prayed for the second one. Again, SILENCE. And then it suddenly dawned on me - their custom was that the person in charge would mention the request and they would each SILENTLY pray for it. Where was a hole in the floor I could go through, please?
Frank (who has since gone back to his original position as third grade teacher and whose classroom is right across the hall from mine) and I have been laughing over that memory for fourteen years. And anyone who knows us can easily imagine what it sounds like when the two of us start laughing! I did think it was a stupid custom, and they soon changed it from silent to audible prayers! Thankgoodness!! At least no new teachers since then have had to make that mistake!
Frank (who has since gone back to his original position as third grade teacher and whose classroom is right across the hall from mine) and I have been laughing over that memory for fourteen years. And anyone who knows us can easily imagine what it sounds like when the two of us start laughing! I did think it was a stupid custom, and they soon changed it from silent to audible prayers! Thankgoodness!! At least no new teachers since then have had to make that mistake!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Roller Skating Party
This evening our school had a roller skating party. I felt way too tired to go, but Dick had to work this evening, and I knew Destiny was looking forward to it, so she and I went. It really was a very fun evening.
Afterward we stopped in at my parents' house. My sister Barb's son Eric (from Idaho) is there tonight and we wanted to see him. He bought a big Kenworth truck here in the Harrisburg area (because they're cheaper in here than out there), so he flew from Idaho yesterday and will be driving the truck back home.
Barb and her family are big-time dairy farmers. In 1991 (I think) they sold their farm in this area and moved their entire dairy herd to Idaho. It's always a rare and special event when one of them comes to PA for a visit (the people, that is - not the cows!!)
Afterward we stopped in at my parents' house. My sister Barb's son Eric (from Idaho) is there tonight and we wanted to see him. He bought a big Kenworth truck here in the Harrisburg area (because they're cheaper in here than out there), so he flew from Idaho yesterday and will be driving the truck back home.
Barb and her family are big-time dairy farmers. In 1991 (I think) they sold their farm in this area and moved their entire dairy herd to Idaho. It's always a rare and special event when one of them comes to PA for a visit (the people, that is - not the cows!!)
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