A Letter to Me

The older I get the more and more I find myself listening to country music. It could be that handsome country man I live with, but whatever the influence is, I like it. Brad Paisley has a song out entitled, “Letter to Me” which I have heard a hundred times before, but today when I was driving I began thinking what I advice would I give myself if I could go back in time to when I was seventeen. Although I know this is cliché to say, I would not change anything in my life because I would not be where I am today. With that being said, if I could write a letter offering advice to myself, this is what I would say:


Dear Heather,

This is your senior year in high school and although you think that you know what you want in this life, you don’t. Take your time and enjoy your youth. You are so responsible…live a little on the wild side! Return a library book a day late or better yet, skip school on senior skip day like the rest of the class. Go away to college, meet new people, build strong friendships, become confident in yourself, and realize what a jewel you are going to be for that lucky man one day. Give yourself time to find out who you are before you try to decide what you want. You are a strong woman and have so much to offer—never forget that!

You are going to deal with a lot of heartache in your life, but God will get you through it all. There will be times when you will be fortunate enough to see the big picture, but many more times you will ask yourself, “Why?” Try not to focus on the “why,” but rather the “what now?” You will be a voice for the voiceless and there are times when you are going to feel like you have lost your mind. Don’t worry—your faculties will remain intact and through it all you will grow, love, weep, break, and rebuild.

Love your family with reckless abandon and don’t be ashamed to cry in front of your mother—she bore you and she knows you are human. Let your daddy call you “Gookie Baby” because when you get older there are going to be many, many, many times that you wish you could hear his voice calling out those words. Build a relationship with your brother even if he pushes you away. Remember to say, “I’m sorry” and realize that you, too, aren’t the easiest person to live with.

Cherish those shopping trips with your granny and mom and don’t make fun of them when they say, “Ah, look at the pretty trees,” when driving down Beulah Lane in the autumn. You are going to wish you could hear the rustling of the leaves, smell the aroma of the freshly cooked apple butter, and taste your dad’s pinto beans and cornbread every fall for the rest of your life.

Finally, let God work in your life and always listen for His voice. There are going to be many times when your own voice will drown out His, but it is always there. Learn when to be quiet, when to listen, and when you need to just “be.” If you do this, everything else will be okay.

I love you, even though you missed being in the National Honor Society because you got a D+ in geometry.


Sincerely,


Yourself at 33

Head and Shoulders?

The other night I was tucking the kids in bed and after saying prayers with Noah I kissed him on the forehead like I always do. His hair smelled particularly nice and I said, "Noah, your hair smells really good. What shampoo did you use?" His response was, "I used Mr. Jon's Head and Shoulders shampoo. I like to wash my hair with it, but I never put it on my shoulders." I couldn't help but chuckle...

Always Low Prices...

Lately, I have been talking to my children about saving money and being responsible when spending money. Each week the children get an allowance for doing "extra" jobs above and beyond their usual chores. When they get this money, they usually like to spend it when we go to Wal*Mart. On our trip to Wal*Mart this week, Gracie said that she had $5.00 not counting her usual allowance. She had not spent $2.00 from the previous week and had $3.00 from the tooth fairy. I knew my talks were doing some good because Gracie told Jaden that she was going to save her money so that she could buy something big that she really wanted instead of wasting the money on a couple of small items that, in reality, she really didn't want. After hearing that, I thought that what I had said had really begun to set in and I felt quite proud of my parenting accomplishments...that is, until she said, "I want to do just like Wal*Mart--'Save money. Live better.' " Oh well, all least she gets it!

Teacher's Workshop?

On the way home from school the other day, I overheard the kids talking in the backseat about their day. The teachers at their school had attended an in- service meeting in order to become trained on some recently purchased equipment. As a result of the training, all of the teachers had a substitute for a couple of hours that day while they were attending. Noah and Gracie were particularly curious about these teacher meetings and where these teachers attend "workshops" as Noah referred to them. Gracie piped up and said, "I know where they go, Noah. They're in that little room in the media center where all the toys are...that's where the 'teacher's workshop' is!"

A Day at the Beach

This past weekend Jon and I took the kids to the beach. We hadn't been since earlier in the summer since little Miss Eve ate sand and got a terrible bacterial infection...that will tend to steer parents in the direction away from the source of what is causing your child to stink up the house with unusually foul diapers. Anyway, we thought we'd try it again and we had a fabulous time. The surf was up due to the recent activity in the tropics so the kids couldn't get out too far into the ocean. Instead, we had a nice little lagoon of our own that was formed each time the tide came in from a high swells. Jon and I sat in our beach chairs and watched the kids dance in the waves as Eve stood by our sides uncontrollably laughing as the waves jolted her body. No sand was eaten, no one got stung by a jellyfish, and no one was sunburned. It was a day of pure relaxation. I'm hoping for many more of these beach days next summer!

Wanted: Teaching Job!

Well, my time off with Eve has come to an end and I am looking for a teaching job. Unfortunately, the school year has already begun and all of the positions have been filled. Hopefully, there will be an influx of special education students and a new class will need to be formed. Until then, I am on the substitute list and I'm praying that will keep me busy. I'm actually looking forward to getting back into the classroom and am eager to try out some of the new strategies I have learned while working on my Master's. It's a bittersweet moment for me...leaving Eve with a babysitter, getting back to the daily grind, less time with my family. *Sigh* Oh well...at least I had Eve's first year at home with her. Not many mothers have that opportunity and I am grateful to have had it. On the flip side, I know three "big" kids who are going to be thrilled to see me in the hallways at school!

Surviving Fay

Well, we weathered Tropical Storm Fay quite well and only had to battle the rain and wind as a result. Fortunately, we did not lose power and our only real issues were dealing with cabin fever! Hopefully, the rest of the hurricane season will be just as favorable. Hanna is still brewing in the tropics, however, and we'll see what happens. Keep us in your prayers!