It's Not What It Seems

Okay, so, apparently my week happened … and I was not there! LOL! I was super-duper busy this past week. Definitely auto pilot applies. I had work, doctors’ appointments, teenage meltdown, syllabus typos, and even at this moment, I almost forgot to write my weekly digest. It is also at this moment I realize that I am hell bent on accomplishing weekly entries of this, my blog. Oh yes! I am going to write something, no matter what! So, here I am sharing a challenge that I faced this week that could have changed my family forever.

We moved my daughter to a new school in the middle of her fall semester. It was a rough settling in because she went from a small charter school to a regular high school, but otherwise, she seemed to be doing okay. Now, the preface to this story is, she is the child who makes friends easy, loves to hang out and have fun, shops til I drop, and is very talented. All reasons, I knew that eventually, she would settle into her new school. So, when she went into a fit of screams of help and how she couldn’t take it anymore, her Dad and I learn that she has been dealing with the utmost fear of a teenager. Rejection.

For what we knew, she had settled in nicely. Her GPA was good for such a big move and she made the JV soccer team. … Well, it turned out that the soccer team was the root of my challenge. Yes, the “amazing” soccer team that she was on, was not so amazing at all, and the part that pulls at this Mama’s tension strings, she kept a brave face as long as she could, not once asking for an intervention! It turned out that the girls were telling her she sucked, we’re shunning her at practice, and passing off rumors about people as hers. So one night, my husband and I were settling in when we heard the worst scream ever and off we took, running toward what I thought was the end of my life … and when we got to where the scream came from, there she was, on her hands and knees begging for the world to leave her alone, whispering desperately for help to understand the ton of bricks that just dropped on her. We looked on as she sobbed her heart out, trying to piece together the betrayal of fake friends and lies.

Insert here my challenge, not to go the {bleep} off and let somebody know exactly what I thought of the situation. Instead, stay back and put together my little girl’s heart. It’s mad scary being a parent. I am just thankful that I serve a mighty God. He was there the whole time and made sure the resources we needed were in place to heal this situation. She left the team and has decided to try another sport. Today, she told me that she was okay with leaving soccer this year but next year, she’s going to go back and play. Yes, one step closer to healing but taking it day by day.

It Was a Laid Back Kind of Week

The Kids

It’s Monday: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and there is NO SCHOOL! I love having my kids at home. They are full of fun and mischief. My son is 6’6” and takes great pleasure in hugging me and walking around with me in his arms, he calls it, “smother mother ahhh!” … really? LOL! … And my darling Kay, well she’s a dancer. I point his out because she is light on her feet, and she gets the drop on me every time, and you think I would have my guard up but nooooo, she catches me when I’m the busiest … like right now. HA HA!

Well, this past week was very productive as I went back to work. Yep! Break time is over but I’m super excited to get back to work. I’m involved with a lot of projects that round me out well as an instructor. This week was all about academic advising. Oh what a feeling to let a student know that they are about to accomplish a huge milestone, getting their college degree! I could advise all day!

My only adventure this week was spending time in ER with my son with a bruised knee. He’s fine but we sure got a kick out of the characters we saw in ER. I always pray in ER, it’s a good place for it but this time around (because this time, he had an injury that could wait – thankful!) he noticed the people - and he also noticed that we probably should have been wearing masks! Since we’ve been getting a lot of rain here in SoCal, everyone is getting sick. Airborne is the way to go.

So, it’s been a laid back week, yeah, even with ER in the mix but I am sure that it’s going to get more interesting once my classes start and I meet my students. Yep, yet the drama begin! Especially since I teach the justice part of the Politics, Administration, and Justice Division of our university. Until next week, I remind you, that WE the PEOPLE are going to ALRIGHT!

That's a Good Question

This week started off with a bang! Had an interesting question to answer … can a person be racist and Christian at the same time? Of course my answer was NO, a person can’t be racist and Christian at the same time But, Professor Miller steps in and says, “Are you sure?” – Now, before you’re like, what?! I have to say that I ask this question when I have an emotional response to a worldly answer more than having a Biblical one. So, I needed to do a little research. You know, get some Biblical base and give the answer that really helps my children understand. Thus, this mom had a quest!

My New Study Bible

First I had to define racist, which is completely different from prejudice, bigot, bias, and preference - it turns out that I am very prejudice of spiders. Once I got the definitions of what we are familiar with,  I went to my most trusted source, my Bible … okay, okay, my YouVersion App, which is awesome and yes, I will except your friend request … and here is the sum of what I found - now remember, I was asking God can a person be racist and Christian at the same time, and this is what the Bible pointed out to me: Romans 10:12 - For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him, and John 7:24 - Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. … Well, that answers that!

I took the Bible and me approach to explain this Momma adventure, because reality is, some people are racist and they love God, well as least that’s their argument. Which is the reality of sin in the world, a reality that I cannot deny, and once a person is convinced they are right, there is no use in trying to change their mind. ... So, in a ironic way, I don’t have to change my answer, ever! {big cheese smile here} I can say with assurance that people can’t be racist and Christian at the same time. Now dealing with those type of people is a whole other strategy. I am just glad to know that God’s word is working in my daily life, actions, and still working on my reactions. Until next week!

It's All about Balance

Well, the kids have returned to their regular schedule and I am still enjoying my winter break, so the dominate hat this week is Mama Hat. Which entails a lot of pre-prep and errands. I’m not due back to work until next week but in the meantime, I’m using my stash to stay organized and on task oriented. Here’s how … my cool, new, to do and tracker checklist. I’m using an 8 ½ by 11 sheet of graph paper, folded in quarters. I turned it sideways for a different view and to fit my planner. I love seeing all the squares decorated with stamps, washi tape, and stickers – my favorite! One of the biggest task I had to tackle this week, was to get medical forms for my daughter’s school, which only took three days, but this little spur of the moment idea, made is all smooth sailing and now that I am organized and checked off, I am sure that I am ready for the next 51 weeks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017!

When they say time flies, they mean it. This year I’ve decided to boot-up my computer and write my many observations, experiences, and adventures on my blog … it turns out my last post was January 2015! What is that about?! … Well, it really was about me making a conscience decision to step back and figure out how I fit into the many relationships that I have developed over the years. I have watched my friends, family, co-workers, students, neighbors, community, and my nation and I am convinced that I am definitely the oddball here and now, I am on a mission to document my story. 

I love to document stories, events, and happenings, mainly because I love to write and take pictures of just about anything. I can remember being this way since I was little. I would sit on my Grandmother’s floor and cut every piece of paper in sight. I had a wonderful collection of stickers and pretty paper that I acquired from the local nickel and dime stores. So now, it doesn't surprise anyone who knows me, that my bookshelves are full of scrapbooks I have put together about subjects that interest me. ... This endeavor, yes, slightly different. It's a weekly look at the many hats that I wear on a daily bases and how I manage or not, to get things done. I am not sure why the urge to share but I am willing to put myself out there and find out. So, here I go! Off to the Adventure 2017.