Clinging to Truth

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. (‭Psalm‬ ‭40‬:‭1-3‬ NIV)

More Winter Outdoor Fun

Last year my husband and son, along with Ed, a family friend, went winter hiking in the Adirondacks. This year was no different. I think this might become a yearly tradition for them.

Here they are a on top of Esther Mountain.

Allen and Jamie, along the trail yesterday.

Allen standing at the peak of Whiteface Mountain.

Technology is really something, isn't it? Remember the days when we would have rolls of film to take home with us from our excursions? We would have to take them to a film developer, wait several days, pick up the pictures...only to discover that most of them were lousy. All of these pictures were taken yesterday and uploaded onto a computer last night! Hurray for technology!

I am glad they are making memories together this way.
In the meantime, I am home preparing for their arrival today. Last weekend was Allen's 20th birthday but we are celebrating it this weekend since he will be home. Yesterday was Pi day...but it was this morning that I managed to bake the banana cream pie that Allen requested.

Incidently, did you know that you can bake a cream pie using almond milk and it turns out wonderful? Allen has a lactose intolerance...and actually I suffer from that a bit too. Just so you know, almond milk makes a great cream pie and you would never know you weren't eating dairy!

They should be home in a few hours!

Another glorious day on the ski trails!

Today I went skiing again with my friends, Lisa and Martha (not my sister). The sun was again shining just gloriously. It was great to be out in God's creation. It was just beautiful...about 30°F, with a slight wind.

I discovered that a couple of the trails that Gretchen and I had skied last week were completely gone because of drifting. Here is Martha trying to blaze one of these trails...but we had to turn around. It got to the point where we had not idea where the trail was. Were we on the trail or simply in the middle of the woods? Not only that, but the snow was too deep.

You can't tell by this picture, but I was actually coming down a hill! I am pleased because I am still standing. I only fell three times.

The Meitners certainly have a beautiful place.

All of these photos come courtesy of Lisa. I wish I had taken one of her now.

Beautiful Sunny and "Warm" Day

It was a beautiful day today. It was warm! About 23°F or so! The sun was shining vibrantly. I went cross country skiing with my friend Gretchen. Just what I needed to help boost those serotonin levels. If I was as fabulous as my sister Martha is...I'd have all sorts of beautiful pictures to show you....but I don't. You will just have to use your imagination then!

Picture two ladies (both of us librarians, does this help with the image? ...just kidding)...skiing through the woods and sometimes out again...with two dogs (beagle mix, german shorthair pointer). One dog happy and excited about the whole thing...mr energy, german shorthair pointer and the other...older, slower, fatter...but pretty happy just the same, beagle mix.

I had a great time...I'm not sure why I haven't done this more often.

Mother

It was one year ago today that my mother went to her real home in heaven. I know she's in a much better place and much happier too.

(That is baby Simon in her lap. One of her great grandchildren)

Getting through this month.

I will have to say that February is not one of my favorite months. There seem to be a number of significant losses that have occurred in my life during the month of February. I'm looking forward to this month ending. Only a few more days to go.

Today I had the day off because I took Alicia up to Rochester to get her spine looked at. She has scoliosis and we need to go to the specialist from time to time. The good news is that the curvatures in her spine are not getting significantly worse. The lower curve measured slightly greater, but not alarmingly. The best news is that Alicia seems to have stopped growing. She has topped out at 5'3", (That is three and a half inches shorter than I am.) This is good news because that means that the curvature won't get any worse. I never imagined that I would end up with a daughter who is significantly shorter than I, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised since her father is on the shorter end of the spectrum.

On Monday and Tuesday I began per diem subbing once again. I am not too thrilled to end up doing that again...but I am trying to be thankful for any work. Besides that, God had a few surprises for me.

On Monday I subbed at the 3-5 building in Pal-Mac district and saw one of my former students from Dewitt Rd. On "moving up day" in June last year, I had a handful of kids who came to the library because they were moving away from Dewitt and wouldn't be attending there anymore. One of the boys, J told me that he had moved to Marion and was currently being driven to Webster to finish out the year. Just for fun we "Google-earthed" his school. We found Marion Elementary School quite easily and he seemed pleased. However, there he was on Monday at the school in Palmyra instead. Apparently his father decided that they would move over the summer once again and so Palmyra it is. I said, "We Google-earthed the wrong school, Bud." He said, "Yeah. I know."

The next day I subbed at Schlegel Road Elementary School, which is within the same district as DeWitt. When I walked into the building, I saw one of my students (M) walking down the hall. He didn't appear to notice me and I couldn't think of his name quick enough to get his attention, but it was still nice to see one familiar face. I figured that would be the end of it.  At some point during the day, I had to deliver a book to a fifth grade classroom. I walked in and waited for the teacher to notice I was there, when I noticed a boy to my left calling to me. It was another former student. (C).  He seemed genuinely happy to see me. I have to admit that he was always one of my favorites. He was quite the little reader and always willing to discuss the books he was reading and tell me which books I should definitely read next. He was also always well behaved and a bit of a scholar. He was the kind of kid who didn't mind talking to a 40 something year old lady. That type is rare...believe me. He told me that I should get a job next year at the middle school he will be attending. That one made my day! Unfortunately, that probably won't be likely as I don't anticipate the librarian at that school being done with her job.

When I returned to the library, I was expecting a special ed class to come in. In walked 3 more of my former students. These three didn't move...but are now being bussed to the new school because of the services provided there. They are autistic and nonverbal...similar to my own brother, so it is hard to say whether or not they recognized or cared that I was there. That didn't matter to me because I understand not to take it personally. It still was good to see them. The above picture is of one of these sweet little boys that came in today. I took it last year at DeWitt.

Today I am nursing a bit of a cold and can't seem to get warm. I'm not liking the prospect of being ill.

He's Got Your Back!

Jeremiah 29:11-13

11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for well-being, and not for calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope. 12 When you call out to me and come and pray to me, I’ll hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 

Frozen

We just finished taking the tour of Grove City College. It is about -1°F (I just checked) so we were sufficiently frozen. Audra had her interview and I think we were sufficiently impressed by the place. My memories of taking a tour myself back in 1985 are pretty faded. There are a number of new buildings and I just don't have many clear memories to compare it.

Allen is still trying to convince Audra to go to Gordon with him.

I'm glad that my kids are having the opportunity to look at different colleges in order to make a decision. I really didn't have that when I was planning to go away to study. The only reason I had the Grove City tour was that an interview was required. My father obligingly drove me there for it and the tour was included. I will say that it was a bit of a turning point for my father's attitude about me going to school in the first place. He seemed more supportive after that, but my parents still had absolutely no clue about how to help me find a college that fit me well. As it turned out, I never got another tour anywhere and showed up to the college I ended up choosing, to see it for the first time as I registered for classes. I remember feeling a bit disappointed. It wasn't what I thought it would be...but I knew I had to decide to like it and make it work. I didn't want my father to say, "See? I told you so." It was a rather stressful way to start the semester. I decided to like it. What choice did I have? Attitude is everything. I'm so grateful that I know better than to put my kids through that.  All in all...it ended up working for me. God was near me as I started the college journey and I got an education.

We are in a hotel room...warming up with hot chocolate and tea. Happy to find warmth and shelter.

God is Near

I am thinking of the Conrow family today. Last week they held their 6 year old daughter as she died from brain cancer. I can only imagine the great sorrow they are feeling. I've been in touch with Amanda's grandfather, who was my high school geometry teacher. He was a wonderful man of God and always encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. He sent me an email this morning with heartfelt words from his daughter, Liz.

I've been broken-hearted before. I've been crushed in spirit. I remember in high school when my brother passed away, I taped a Bible verse on the wall next to my bed...so I would see it as soon as I woke up in the morning. I did the same thing in college during a difficult time.

Psalm 34:18

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I know that God has given me a heart that is able to empathize with others...so in a way, thinking about their sorrow brings back some memories of my own sorrows. I don't want to think only of myself during this time. I don't always know how to transfer my empathy into a proper way of caring for others.

Just pray for this family.  They have buried their little 6 year old daughter this past week. Their arms feel empty and their hearts are broken.

Last Day At Martha Brown

"And after they duck taped my husband to the tree..."

So why would anyone have any reason to begin a sentence like that?....read on, my friend!

Yesterday, it was my last day in Fairport CSD as school librarian at Martha Brown Middle School. I threw a little party in my homeroom to say goodbye. I brought in a gallon of cider and some timbits from Tim Horton's. One of the boys said, "Mrs.B can you show us another video that your husband's company made?" So I showed them one of my favorites. Snow Day from 2010.




After they finished watching it, I had to tell this story.

"After they duck taped my husband to the tree, a Canandaigua school bus came by. The driver stopped the bus, opened the door and said, 'Is everything okay here?' He then called in a report about it to the bus garage."

 I'm not sure if the report made it to the police after that...but that whole incident just makes watching the video all the more amusing to me. Dave and Jason LaBarge certainly make the work environment fun at the company they own.

Anyway...the kids all really enjoyed the video and I hope you do too. I will really miss it at Martha Brown. I cannot say enough about that school. I thought the staff was great! The students were too. I loved every day of my job there. I honestly can say that there was not one single day that I felt like I didn't just love my job!

P.S. I only showed them Snow Day....not the video that immediately follows it.

Those Silly Librarian's Kids!

Because I Know....He Holds the Future.

...I can face uncertain days because He lives.

I have two weeks left at my job. I have just loved showing up there every day. I have wonderful coworkers and the kids are great too!  Yesterday, it was Martha Brown Day and everyone was encouraged to wear Fairport attire.  So, I went to school in borrowed clothing. It was a fun day. I wish I had gotten a picture of myself with my two TAs. I hope I have occasion again to wear Fairport clothing to a school some day.

I will really miss it there when I leave. I wonder what will happen next with me. I will trust The Lord.

On the home front...it was Audra's 18th birthday on Thursday. It just seems so bittersweet that she is growing up. I'm really proud of the wonderful young lady that she has become. She's almost done living here full time...which is hard to think about. She has been accepted to all 5 colleges that she applied to...which doesn't really surprise me. She is near the top of her class. We shall see what the future brings. I have a bit of anxiety thinking about it...but remind myself that everything is in God's hands.

He has proven to me that He knows the past, present and future and we can trust it all to him. I wish I could tell my story to you...about how I know this.

In a few weeks, Audra and I will go visit Grove City College...which ironically was the college I wanted to go to at age 18. I tried to transfer there. I was not accepted...but not really rejected either. I was put on a waiting list because they had made their first choices of acceptance and I missed the first cut. In any case...my name never came to the top of the list, but it was in God's hands. He knew it. He knew where I would go and what would become of me.

In the same way...he knows all about my Audra. She is his first.

Allen called tonight. The school he has been working at in Boston was closed Tuesday through Thursday because of the big snow storm there. He has an interview at Gordon College on Thursday. Audra has been accepted there. Allen is trying to convince his sister to attend there with him. I think it is wonderful that my kids get along so well that they want to go to the same school. I hope they do both end up at the same college. It would certainly make things easier in many ways. Allen has not applied to Grove City and does not plan to. God knows all about the future of my Allen as well.

Alicia is enjoying her sophomore year in high school. Right now, I don't think she is thinking too much about college. Need I say the obvious? Okay, I will. God knows all about my Alicia's future too.

I am really proud of all three of my kids. God has been so good to me...there once was a time when I didn't believe that anything would ever be good in my life. I was so deeply depressed and broken-hearted. God knew all about it. He also knew about my future and he still does.

Sufferings

I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy of comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.   Romans 8:18

I have been thinking about this verse a lot lately. I know of a family who is suffering right now. They are watching their 6 year old daughter die of brain cancer. Amanda is in her last days here on this earth. I have been following this story for quite some time now. Please pray for this family.

My Biggest Fan

So, for a quite a while now I've been noticing on my map that I often get a visitor from Victor, NY. That's two towns over...just so you know. I've thought, "What reader lives in Victor?...Someone from my church, perhaps?  But, who?" It has been a mystery for many months.

I found out who it is! It's me! LOL! I guess my iPad thinks it's in Victor. So...that means I'm my biggest fan!

I amuse myself sometimes!

Back to Work!

I am so excited to be able to go back to work tomorrow! I love my job. It was originally supposed to be over on December 19th. I am so thankful that I still have a job to go to tomorrow...and one that I really enjoy too!

On a not so happy note, my son left today for Boston. We drove him to Syracuse to get on the bus there. We will miss him very much, but we sure are proud of him in what he has chosen to devote himself to this year.

Happy Holidays!

From left to right: my husband Jamie, daughter Audra, daughter Alicia, son Allen and me

We have been blessed to have all of our kids home. Allen is home from Boston where he has been working with City Year as he rethinks his college plans. He has been trying to figure out what college to transfer to for the fall. Meanwhile, Audra is a senior and is exploring her options for college choices for the upcoming year as well. Alicia is a sophomore. I also am not sure where The Lord will take me as far as schools in the fall. Life is unknown right now. I thank God that it is not unknown to Him.

Living by the seat of my pants while learning to trust Him...as usual. The lesson never ends!

Merry Christmas

May the gift of Jesus be felt by you this season.

What to do with an old book

I've been busying myself making Scandinavian Woven Stars.  

My first attempt.

My second star. 

They are intended to be Christmas gifts for my wonderful TAs in the library in Fairport.

They each took me about two hours to make.

I like the second one better than the first.

If you are interested in making one yourself, go to an antique shop, 

buy yourself an old book,

And then go to this tutorial.

Have fun!

Enjoy This Year's Christmas Video!

My husband is the production manager at a small company that makes professional videos. The company has made a number of local commercials, training videos for companies, documentaries, etc.  They have done work for Xerox, Aldi, International Food Network, and Gould Pumps to name a few. In fact, Xerox even sent them to France and Germany to create videos for their international division.

Every year they create a Christmas video for the amusement of their family, friends, and clients.   So here is this year's video.

Just for the record, my husband is the shorter of the two Animal Kontrol guys and the one who flings himself into the tree.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. One of the very important jobs my husband has (along with everyone else who works for LaBarge) is to spot inconsistencies and other mistakes during video work. In this year's video....they created one on purpose. See if you can spot it.

Learning to Listen and Wait

I have been trying to wait on the Lord and listen to where He is directing me. It is not always easy to hear what he is saying. I've had times in my life where a message has come to me loud and clear. Unfortunately, I have not always heeded that message. Other times I need to be still and wait and listen. I think there are even times when His voice is never clear and we simply need to pray, use our best judgement and then trust. I'm trying to do better. I was waiting for direction for the next rock to help me across the stream of life.

Penfield central schools called me and wondered if I would do a LT sub position for them. I couldn't just say yes because it overlapped with the assignment I am currently doing. They were willing to consider holding the position for me if they didn't find anyone to fill it. Would the next rock say "Penfield?"  On Friday before Thanksgiving, Penfield called again to inform me that they had found a LT sub to fill the position. No...that would not be the next rock.

In the small city where I live, I am in a position to travel south, east or west to any of the rural districts in those areas. I think several of them would be great to work at...but some of them make me a little leery. My sister in law informed me about an immediate opening in a rural district near her. It is about a 45 minute commute down country roads. I admit that I wasn't very thrilled. Is this what the Lord wanted? Would the next rock be this particular district?  I really wrestled with this one. I almost didn't apply. I really didn't want to work there. What kind of faith did I have if I wasn't even willing to apply? What if God was sending me there and I wasn't being willing to go? I applied...and waited. I got called for an interview. I went. I interviewed. I walked out of that school really feeling like I did not want to work there. I just didn't feel comfortable with this district. Was this the message? My gut feeling? I had some legitimate concerns. I discussed it with Jamie to see what he thought. He had the same reservations about me working for this particular district. I finally decided that if I was offered the job, I would turn it down, but I wanted peace that this was what I really should do because I still wasn't sure. Was I just being a snob after working for two very reputable districts in the Rochester area?

An answer came today. My principal came to me and asked me if I would stay on at MB to allow the woman I am subbing for to extend her leave by a month and a half.  I said yes and I feel peace knowing that is the rock I will step on next. It still isn't permanent...but somehow I know this is right.