Time

Wow. It's a bit hard to believe my last post was over a month ago. A lot of things have happened since then, and now Christmas is coming and so is New Years and...all I can say is wow. I wish time went slower than it does. Moments seem to be here one minute and gone the next.

Life is calming down somewhat here after a busy month in our household. We've geared up for the Christmas season. We have our Christmas tree by the front window - something I've wanted for ages! I love seeing Christmas trees in the windows of people's houses as we drive by to look at the lights. :)

I've been making presents for my family too. Mostly sewing projects - toys and such. I'm hoping to crochet a teddy bear for some family friends who are expecting a baby really soon. I'm also crocheting little baskets for a Tea Party my Grandma is having this Spring. They're so cute! We chose Spring colors, so the baskets are yellow, pink, green and blue.

My family and I have been watching a lot of Studio C since a friend introduced us to it a while ago. My younger sister loves it so much - she gets to laughing so hard! :D

Not too long ago, my best friend, Paprika, and her family came to visit for a day. It was awesome. Paprika and I went to the coffee shop three times (I live so close to it - why not?). At one point, we tried some of each other's drinks, and the "friend" part of me was all for it, but the sensory part of me was like "no, don't do it!" Paprika could tell part of me wasn't very willing (I'll bet it wasn't too hard to notice), and remarked, "This is killing you, isn't it?" But we shared anyway, which is something I wouldn't do with many people. Guess that's why she's my best friend though. ;)

While she was here, we spoke with British accents for quite a while - although I did eventually switch to Scottish because I like it slightly better. We pretended to be cousins during the 1400s too. She actually taught me how to play pretend. I didn't really pretend with anyone before I met her. And now whenever we get together, we're in a Nancy Drew mystery or making up our own adventure. :)

A very special event is coming up for me soon. I'm super excited and a little bit sad. There is an ornament on our tree that my Mom made for me before I was born. It is a clear glass ball filled with heart-shaped confetti and one note rolled up into a scroll. All my life I have waited to read that small note (and I've come pretty close to it...but that was when I was an impatient little six-year-old who tried to open it in secret. ;) ), and now this December I will finally read it. I am counting down the days. The reason why I'm sad is because I can't help but think, Wow, I've waited all this time and now the waiting is almost over. It's a bit hard to believe I will get to open the ornament and read the note inside. Believe me, I am super curious to know what it says!

My special ornament

On another note, my newest sibling was born! And now we have an equal ratio of boys to girls! It's kind of been we girls' "competition" to finally "catch up" with the boys again. And, well, we finally did. ;) So, yes, that is very exciting. After some waiting and doctor visits, Baby Ten is doing very well.

Well, this is as good a place as any to sign off. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

à la prochaine,

Newsies On A Mission

If you came into my house this past week, you probably would have noticed me loudly singing songs from Newsies. Since last Tuesday, I've been singing and singing and singing "Carrying The Banner" and "Santa Fe." I really can't help it. If I'm not singing one of those songs, I can hear it playing in my head. I know for a fact that some of my siblings have been just the slightest bit aggravated or amused when I suddenly burst into song. The little boys laugh. Sunshine rolls her eyes. Super-K groans and wonders why I'm singing again.

But it's just that I looooove Newsies. It's one of my favorite musicals (and I've only seen it 3 times...and I'd never heard of it until this year). I don't quite know why, but it is. I thought it was awesome when I found out that Christian Bale played both Jack Kelly and Batman. :-)

Last Tuesday was my Special Night (Special Nights are a really cool thing at my house. Every Tuesday, one of us kids gets to choose one food and one drink and gets to stay up late and spend time with Mom and Dad.), so I stayed up and watched Newsies on VidAngel. I don't care if it was a box office flop - apparently there are more "fansies" than you'd think - I like it so much. I like Jack and Davey and Spot and, well, quite a few of them! I grin all through the movie because I love it so much.

I hope to see Newsies on stage sometime - that would be so cool. Though I think it would be different not seeing Christian Bale up there with his cowboy-esque outfit and smile where he sticks out his tongue between his teeth. But I'm super excited, and, if not this year, then someday I'm going to see the stage version.

I've heard that some people have tried at some point to do the so-called "Newsies leap." I can barely do the splits any longer than 10 seconds, so I'm not even going to try that. I'm bound to tear something. ;-) I wouldn't care to land in the hospital by trying it (oh, goodness, I'm so punny. Awful, I know).

The coolest things about Newsies, I think, is that the kids have dreams and don't lose sight of them, they take care of their own, and they don't give up. And they're awesome. And they're rebels with a cause. And they dance and sing and...oh, man, I'm getting all squeaky just thinking about it (my voice gets squeaky and I shudder when I'm excited...odd, yes)!!! So, I hope you can see how much I like Newsies. They're cool. Aaaand you can watch them on VidAngel for $1, which is cool too.

And you might like it, you might not. But I'll probably keep singing "Carrying The Banner" for at least another week or two or three before it fades...and then I'll watch the movie again, and the siblings will groan because they don't like it much, and I'll start singing again. Oh, well. At least I like it. :-D

Whenever I talk about musicals with my friends (I'm glad some kids still have taste for musicals these days, ya know?), I somehow fit Newsies into the conversation. They've never heard of it, so I'm thinking I'll have a Newsies movie night sometime...

And while I rinse dishes and put them in the dishwasher, I'll keep on singing "Every morning/we goes where we wishes/we's as free as fishes/sure beats washing dishes/What a fine life/carrying the banner/home free all."

And I object to not singing songs from Newsies...

...On the grounds of Brooklyn.

My TeenPact Experience, Part 4

This is the last post in this series, though I'm sure there will be many more TeenPact references to come.  I hope you've enjoyed this series on what I've experienced and learned as a TeenPacter!

To end this series, I'm going to start with something I've learned about TeenPact elections.

All my life, I've wanted to be important, loved and accepted.  Doesn't everyone?  But I've realized that just because I didn't get through the primaries until this year doesn't mean that I wasn't well-liked or accepted by the other TeenPacters in my party.  And it doesn't mean that I wasn't good enough or hadn't tried hard enough or hadn't met enough students for anyone to want to vote for me.  I blamed myself for being fake, for not even trying to be brave, for being too shy.  And, as you've read in my previous posts in this series, I had made myself believe that no one would like me for being myself.  I put that lie in my head, walked into TeenPact and owned it.  And afterwards, I knew I'd done it all for the sake of being popular and accepted.

In the first part of this series, I wrote about how TeenPacters have a "game" of sorts.  When I first started going to TeenPact, I was so worried that I'd play the game wrong.  If I didn't play right, no one would vote for me.  If I didn't play right, no one would recognize me and ask me "For what purpose do you rise?"  If I didn't play right...On and on!  I was so afraid of the game that it consumed me. But the game is just an imaginary, silly game.  It's unwritten.  It changes.  It's not about popularity or being voted for in the elections - it's about having fun with suspending rules to make the PD talk like Kermit The Frog, or having the clerk read bills in a Speedy Gonzalez voice.  It's about poking fun at speaking con.  It's about debating a bill to make the state a constitutional monarchy, and amending it to appoint the Program Director as the king (and then, after Rendezvous, crowning him with a paper crown and giving him a coffee mug with The King written on it).  The game isn't an imposing threat that if you mess one thing up (and you don't even know what that one thing might be!), you'll fail miserably.  The game is purely fun and not real.  I just wish I'd known that sooner.

So, this year was the first time I stopped fearing the imaginary game.  I stopped caring about being fake to be liked, and started caring about being real.  And if people liked me for who I really was, well, I'd have some new friends.  And perhaps it wasn't just about me coming out from behind my mask and taking charge of my real self.  Perhaps it was actually my slogan that got me into General Elections.  Perhaps it was actually what I said during Rendezvous that allowed me to meet new people.  Or maybe it was so many things combined with my mission to stop being an awkward fake person and start being an awkward real person that brought a whole new light to my TeenPact experience.

All I know is that, this year, I didn't regret anything, cry afterwards, or kick myself for saying something dumb.  Like Lecrae says in his song, Broken:

Ain’t a soul on the planet
That’s better than another
And we all need grace in the face of each other

So I'm done with putting on masks for the sake of making friends.  If I do that, I won't be making the right friends: the ones who accept me for who I am.  I'm not Taw, Paprika, the PD who can play Devil's Advocate, or TeenPact President Fitzpatrick (of the #thanksFitzpatrick and #thanksFitzpatrickthe2nd fame).  I'm myself.  And that's good enough for me.

TeenPact, thanks for teaching me about chewy fruit and good-for-the-environment candy, for giving me fun memories that will last forever, and for getting to know awesome staffers, interns and Program Directors!  But most importantly, thanks for helping me find myself.

TeenPact has taught me to be a leader not just in my TeenPact life, but also in my daily life in general, and has greatly impacted me in my walk.  I recommend the classes to anyone and everyone in their teens!


Other Parts Of This Series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

My TeenPact Experience, Part 3

I learn a lot when TeenPact rolls around.  The alumni track was really good this year.  The American Criminal Justice System is much more interesting than you'd think.  I had to write a 1,500-word essay about it, after all!  In the time it took me to research and write up my essay, entitled "How To Reform The American Criminal Justice System," I consumed loads of facts, stories and statistics.  I don't know when I'll ever again have to talk to someone about the 2.2 million people currently in prison, but if I do, I'll have lots of facts to back me up!

Our PD this year was, in a word, amazing.  He could play Devil's Advocate like nobody's business.  He asked questions that made us think about our opinions and why we believed in them.  "Not that your ideas are wrong, but you want to be able to back them up if someone asks you the why behind them." He said.  I still wonder if he put forth some of his own opinions when he played Devil's Advocate though. ;)

One of the things that has impacted me the most about TeenPact this year was how real I was.  I was more open with the people in my Rendezvous group.  And I'm not open with people.  But this year, when the staffers in my group asked about anything we needed to get off our chests, I didn't feel like staying quiet.  I didn't want to hide behind a mask anymore.  I didn't want to worry about whether or not one of them would judge me.  I didn't want to bother with hiding.  So, I opened up a little and found that one of the girls I know empathized with me...she knew exactly what I was going through.

When I got out of General elections, even though I didn't win, I had no regrets.  I didn't regret coming up with a dumb agrarian slogan, didn't regret trying to make people like me, didn't regret making a fool of myself, didn't regret putting on a lot of masks for everyone, didn't regret losing in the primaries.  Because I didn't have to.  Things were different this year.  I was different this year.  I had a great slogan courtesy of my Mom (thanks, Mom!), met lots of new people by just being myself, found that I had a lot more in common with some people than I'd originally thought, and got into the General elections.  And I didn't regret anything I'd done at TeenPact this year.

I made it my mission during TeenPact week to be myself.  Truth is, sometimes I don't know who that is.  But I believe TeenPact, its staffers, its program directors and its students have helped me learn day by day, week by week a little bit more about who I am.

And who knows?  Maybe next year, I'll be a senator.

Have you been to TeenPact?  Tell me in the comments section about how TP has shaped who you are!

I hope you enjoy this series of posts about my experiences at TeenPact!  Thanks for reading!

Other Parts Of This Series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4

My TeenPact Experience, Part 2

Hey, y'all!  Hope you enjoyed my previous post in this series!  Here's Part 2!

I knew a lot of the students this year.  Some of them were staffers now.  I smiled, shook their hands, gave them hugs if I knew them well enough.  Our PD seemed familiar to me.  Turns out, through a slightly awkward conversation, I realized I'd seen him on TeenPact Memes.  He's famous there, I guess. ;)

After catching up with my TeenPact buddies, I met a few new people...Most of them were first-timers.  I told them that, if they liked the first year, the Alumni Track would be even more fun.

I spent months writing up my essay (the previous year, you had to write two 500-word essays on interventionism.  This year, it was one 1,500 word essay on the American Criminal Justice System), planning my bill topic, and coming up with the slogan.  No more dumb agrarian slogan.  This year, I'd be myself.  This would be my slogan.  Well, not quite because...

See, every student knows Taw's name.  So, they also know that I'm his little sister.  If I had a dollar for every time I met a student or staffer who said, "Hey, you must be Taw's little sister!"  I can't tell you how rich I'd be.  But connections are good.  Especially when you have a big brother who's been elected to every position.

So, this year, my slogan was "Vote For Me.  I'm Taw's Little Sister!"  Yup, that was my slogan.  I loved it.  It was funny because everyone knew who Taw was.  And, oh, the laughs I got when I said it!  A candidate standing next to me when we were in the primaries liked it a lot.  Every time after that, when we started talking to each other, he'd say "Vote for me.  I'm Taw's little sister!"  And I laughed too.  Pretty good slogan compared to my agrarian tree hugger slogan two years before.

Primaries...Students nominate others and/or themselves.  Every candidate in your party stands in a line.  You all get asked questions, like "What would you do (selfishly...no giving it to charity) with a million dollars?"  And then you get really deep questions, like "What kind of fish would you be and why?"

I said I'd be the humuhumunukunukuāpua'a.  More laughing (mind you, I was laughing too).  One of my friends, a staffer, exclaimed, "Say that again!"  One of the students said, "I can't fit that many syllables into my mouth!"  Ah, it was a good feeling.  Being myself and loving it.  It's nice to have a good laugh with everyone when you say you'd like to be the Hawaiian state fish. And humuhumunukunukuāpua'a sounds so much more impressive than simply saying Reef Triggerfish. :D

Another part of being myself was reassuring other students - first-timers and alumni alike - that they should run, or that they'd do great, or that it'd be lots of fun.  I like to focus on helping other people feel comfortable, especially when I'm feeling just the same.  Those butterflies I told you about in my previous post?  Well, I'm not the only one who gets them.  One girl, she got elected Senator.  She sat next to me the last day, fretting about her speech, telling me she'd probably make a mistake, or just stand there and freeze.  I told her she'd do great, that I knew she would.  She gave a little laugh and said she'd totally campaign for me next year - do anything to help me out since she didn't want to run again.  She delivered her speech, and sat down next to me, breathing out a sigh.  I complimented her and she grinned.  I like that feeling of making people feel good about themselves.

So, as you can probably guess, I didn't get elected this year either.  But there's something I have to tell you.  For the first time as a TeenPacter, I got voted out of the primaries!  I made it to the General elections!  I was so, so happy!  I could hardly believe it.  I finally got to stand where my friends - and big brother - had stood.  I got to answer questions about which donut I'd be, and what our party stance was!  And there I was, more content than I'd ever been at TeenPact, standing in front of all the other students.  Lined up with all the other Senatorial candidates, answering every question with a huge smile on my face.

And, yeah, the other students laughed with me when I announced my slogan.

Have you been to TeenPact?  Did you get into the elections?  Tell me about your TP experience in the comments below!  

I hope you enjoy this series of posts about my experiences at TeenPact!  Thanks for reading!

Other Parts Of This Series:
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

My TeenPact Experience, Part 1

Hey, y'all!  Hope you've enjoyed Memorial Weekend.  It's nice to see that over the decades, people still care about remembering America's soldiers.

This past week, I've been having a "missing the memories" time of it.  Basically, that means I remember something and feel sad about it...in a good way.  For the past few days, that something has been TeenPact.

I love everything about TeenPact except Sine Die (saɪnɪ daɪɪ - Latin, lit. End of the end.  The end of TPLeg).  So today, I'm taking that happy-sad memory of my week at TeenPact and turning it into a post. :)

TeenPact is rather, um, difficult to describe.  It's a Christian government class for teens.  You write bills, run in elections, hold a mock legislature (where you debate bills), listen to speakers, and debate stances on a subject in the Alumni Track.  And it's...it's...fun.  Person who has never attended TeenPact: "Are you kidding me?  How is that fun?  Don't take this personally, but is there something wrong with you?"

I've met kids who have attended TeenPact for years, and they've said their parents literally dragged them to the class their first year.  They just plain didn't want to go.  Four days of government stuff just didn't sound fun.  And afterwards?  They begged to come back the next year!  Hmmm, guess they actually enjoyed this government stuff.

I've never had that kind of story...My big brother, Taw, started attending the classes with his buddies who had been going for a long time.  So, naturally, I was more than excited when I was able to attend.  My first year at the Four-Day class (the One-Day is less intense, but it did prepare me for the new experience of the Four-Day), I was nervous beyond words!  I was excited, but there were butterflies in my stomach that didn't go away.  Actually, they've never gone away.  Every year, when I get up and stand in line, waiting to read my bill, those butterflies come back.  I choke and smile at the other kids standing beside me, wondering if they have those butterflies too.

Besides the butterflies that never leave, I had a crazy first year!  I was one of the new ones at the Four-Day class, so I didn't know how to "play the game."  Yes, there's a "game" of sorts at TeenPact.  The game consists of a lot of inside jokes and "cheating without cheating" of the rules, like where some students (including your big brother!) decide to pull off a "speak con on your bill" thing.  I still cringe when I remember saying "no" to my brother when he asked to "speak con."  All the alumni kids gasped, some chuckled.  Turns out he'd played the game.  Many times, the students speak con to help you (and the other students) out.  To get your bill passed.  They obey the TP rules, but when they get to the well, they joke about how "awful" this bill is for the environment, how this could never in a million years help anyone...Sounds painful, but they say it in the funniest voice, and you know they're not serious.  They're okay with your bill.  They want to help you out.  So they joke their way through speaking con.  And if they're serious about speaking con, that's okay.  At least you're one step closer to getting your bill through TPLeg.

So, I was one of the new ones.  I learned my way through the "game" (I still ended up crying a little that night after Night Class...I was sad that I hadn't known about the game before I'd said no to my own brother!) that week, and decided to run in the primaries.

Primaries are crazy things at TeenPact.  In preparation for the General elections, people create T-shirts, make posters, give out candy (mostly Starbursts and Hershey Kisses), and pass out business cards.  You never know who voted for you, just whether or not you got into the General elections or not.  My first and second year, I tried to be liked.  I wanted everybody to like me.  To me, it seemed like everyone loved Taw.  He'd been elected to every position: Governor, senator, clerk, chairman.  Man, one year he and another former Governor ran a smear campaign against themselves just so a First-Timer could win!  That was a hilarious election.

But anyway, I'd wanted to be liked.  I didn't want to be one of "those kids" who was weird and had a funny laugh and found pleasure in calling "Point Of Order" whenever I pleased.  I wanted to be like Taw.  Liked by everyone.  So I tried to be Taw.  I tried to make funny jokes that everyone laughed at.  Tried to be witty and extroverted.  Problem is, I'm severely introverted.  I can fake extrovert for a long time, but eventually I'll go back to my corner and die inside because I peopled "too much" for one day.  And I can't make up a joke on my own to save my life.  I'm funny on accident.

So, I wasn't myself.  I tried so hard to be my big brother because he was popular and smart and funny and just plain awesome.  And I wasn't myself anymore.  I felt like I wasn't good enough if I tried to be myself.  No one would want to hang out with, much less vote for, a shy, introverted, awkward, not-funny-at-all girl, right?  I made up a "funny" (dumb, actually) slogan in the agrarian party because Taw is funny, so I should be too.  I lost in the primaries that year.  Tried again the next year.  This time, I was a bit more me.  Way better than trying to be Taw.

I lost in the primaries that year too.  But I felt better.  I still wished I was in General elections, but my best friends (including my big brother, naturally) were in General elections, so I was really excited for them.  But there was still that nagging feeling inside me that I hadn't tried hard enough, that I wasn't good enough, that I'd tried to be the best I could be and had failed again.  I didn't want to be myself because no one would want me, like me, vote for me, befriend me.  I got caught up in the popularity of it all, the desire to be identical to my big brother.

But this year?  This year I made myself promise to totally be myself.  The real me.  Not the fake me.  The different, shy, introverted, not-funny, awkward girl with the awesome big brother was going to TeenPact.

Have you been to TeenPact?  Tell me what you liked most about your TP experience in the comments below!  

I hope you enjoy this series of posts about my experiences at TeenPact!  Thanks for reading!
Happy Memorial Day!

Other Parts Of This Series:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Saturdays Selections

You can turn an enemy into a friend with love.  Why not love?

Blessings In Disguise

     You've probably noticed the Compassion Banners I put on this blog that say "Sponsor A Child."
Those banners make me smile because I feel that I'm showing my thankfulness for Compassion International. I never would have had the wonderful experience of getting to know Priscyla, my wonderful, loving girl from Peru. I want others to have that experience.

Last year, 3,159 children were sponsored because of Blog Month. Currently, over 1 million children have been sponsored. That's a whole lot of kids!
So, why not make that number bigger? Find more sponsors for more impoverished boys and girls?
We need to love the least of our brothers and sisters and do more for Jesus.

If one person sponsors a child, that is hope for more children to be sponsored. We need to go above and beyond just speaking, saying we need to act for Jesus. We need to do. That's how so many good things have been started: Someone comes up with an idea and puts it into action and when people see all the good change, it causes something big.

That's what Christians need to do.

Priscyla is a blessing. I want others to see those hidden blessings, those children in poverty. If one boy or girl is sponsored, he or she can grow in Jesus and change the world through Him.

The least of people can change everything. We need to start giving these kids hope, giving them the care and love and life they need to put them on a path for Jesus.
 

And you can help by sponsoring a child, whether in an AIDS-affected area or waiting over 100 days for a sponsor. You can show that you care. They aren't destitute when they know Jesus loves them.

These impoverished children are blessings in disguise.

(This is a post for Compassion Blog Month. Please join in the fight against poverty.)

Upside Down (A Saturday's Selections Post)

     I could just about scream right now (but I won't because that would be kind of immature, wouldn't it? *wink*)

See, life's been changing a little right now. Grammar is not doing so well, my sister and I had our beds un-bunked (After I didn't want that to happen), I can't play a single barre chord on my guitar, and my journal is overflowing with updates on nothingness.

I don't do really well with change.

Life is good, I must say...but it's sort of 'boring' right now...and it's my fault that I'm bored. Oops.

My mind can run like a the race cars on those NASCAR race tracks (got that from my Mom, I guess!)...Round and round on the same track, in the same race, on a totally different lap each time.

Only, there's always at least one crash once in a while.

*Sigh* This is something, isn't it? I wish I could just disappear sometimes...and I sort of do.
I have a closet in my bedroom (two, actually...my sister and I share a bedroom). It's big enough to hold my clothes on one side and a few things on the other. That's where I sit when I need a break.

I wish there was a word for half-introvert and half-extrovert...I'm a little bit of both.

So I'll sit in that closet. I might talk to myself, listen to my MP3 player, read a book, play guitar (yes, it's big enough even for that!), or just sit there, staring at the closet door in front of me. And that's what I do in that closet. And it always seems to make me feel better after a few minutes.

But sometimes, I lose track of time...I could spend about a half-hour in there if I forgot that there is actually a life on the other side of those closet doors...oops.

I really like to be alone and I really like to be with people, but there are times when I can't decide between the two. So I do one or the other, and it's fine either way. That's who I am and that's how I like it. :)

Sisters together

I helped my little sister with her reading (I picked up a journal from Walmart a while back, and she wants one, but she needs to write better and spelling is a bit off.) and one sentence I created for her went like this: "Cat pets the green moose. Cat is tall. She is good." Unusual, yes.
Only after she read it did I see how weird it really sounded: The moose must be sick or something!

I really enjoy my little sis. She's so special. At my Grandma's house last year, I bought a sister picture for her for Christmas. She is the sweetest thing, too.
I would copy a Precious Moments coloring page from here and open them with Photoshop. She and I would color them in with the Paint Bucket tool. Here are some of the ones we colored in together.

The girl on the left is me and on the right is my little sister. I love to bake cakes, too.

She called this one "Goodie Dog".  I colored in the 'hard-to-reach' places in this one, like the flower and heart.

If you have a sibling, ask yourself this question: When was the last time I played with him/her?
Brothers and Sisters are one of the most precious things in the whole world. We should all know that.

Happy New Year 2013!

The year of 2013 has begun! Just when I get used to writing 2012, 2013 happens! (to borrow from my brother. :) )

It snowed all day yesterday, so we got out the snowsuits and played for a while today. 

I must say, 2013 sneaked up on me! I didn't expect it one bit! To me, all I knew was it was coming. Now, it's here.

I wonder if  I should change my blog's design with the changing of the year. What do you readers think?

From my first post in 2010, I've changed this blog around a lot! At first, I didn't really care much about words. I liked telling stories with pictures. Then, after a while, I decided to write only about photography. Later, I switched to anything I felt like writing about (with parent's permission). I started Saturday's Selections for the purpose of a weekly showing of things I enjoy: music, quotes, etc.

So, I hear some people have a list of resolutions. A resolution is a strong decision to either do or not do certain things.
My resolutions? Hmm...

1. Work hard in schoolwork.
2. Sew two articles of clothing.
3. Read the Bible daily and meditate on what I read.
4. Grow into a girl who God wants me to be for Him.
5. Jump off the high-dive in a pool (once I can find one!)
6. Save more than $100 and donate it all to Salvation Army, Compassion Int., and Red Cross.
7. Teach myself to play the guitar.
8. Draw portraits of my family and friends.
9. Ask God faithfully for wisdom, non-selfishness, and hope.
10. Pray every day for someone.
11. Memorize at least two songs in ASL (American Sign Language).
12. Write a letter to God every month.
13. Pray that God will use me as a witness for Him.
14. Spend less time on the Internet and more time in the Word.
15. Learn first-aid safety.
16. Live.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV


Through the years, though we change, God never will.
"They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end."Psalm 102:25-27 ESV

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 2 Peter 3:8

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." James 4:12-14
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

~Merry Christmas!~

The white Christmas hasn't come yet, but it stands to reason that there's no place like home for the holidays!
This celebration of Jesus is a mere one for such as Him. Everyone is busy celebrating His wonderful birth! The tree, the presents, the laughter, the families gathering, sharing, and love.

You know, that's what Jesus was portraying when He came: His amazing love.

Thinking beyond the packages coming week after week this season, the temptation to take a small peek under the wrapping paper, the endless question "Is it Christmas yet?": Did we remember Who gave us Christmas? Who gave us this love, joy, and peacefulness?

Or have we waited for the morning when we get to grab out the stockings, rip open the paper, and spend all day in our pajamas?
This isn't all that Christmas should be. It should be more! Giving is better than receiving after all!

Give with your heart. You'll be glad you did.
Jesus Loves You, everyone.

Carrying a Stranger

I had a dream a few nights ago. I dreamed I was carrying a child in my arms through unfamiliar streets. Past stoplights and cars, and children playing, I carried this small one. Where I was going, I did not know.
 But all the while, I heard a voice saying, "Jesus. This is Jesus..." over and over again. 

I could not see the child's face; it was blurred in my dream. But I could see what he or she was wearing: Filthy, musty rags, and bare feet. While I continued walking, I remembered a quote by Mother Teresa: "I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus...I must wash him and tend him. I serve because I love Jesus."

I proceeded on my slow, steady walk to somewhere. I noticed how light and easy it was to carry the small child. Whoever I was holding was very thin, dark, and very dirty. And I carried this one child all the way to a large home.

Nothing looked familiar about this place, a very unusual thing to happen with me: Practically everything in my dreams look familiar.
I walked up the steps to the door with the child still in my arms, and the door was opened by a woman. Still nothing familiar, but she welcomed me in. However, she looked quite uncertain about the child I was holding.

I told her that this child would be staying with us for a while. We needed a nice bath for the little one, new clothes, and good hygiene lessons.
She smiled, took the child from my arms, and headed up the staircase, while I proceeded into the dining room. A large family was sitting at the table, and they all smiled. They invited me to sit down and eat with them. They were very friendly. Though I did not know them, they seemed to be a kind of family to me.

A short while later, the child and woman came downstairs to the dining room. The child was no longer in rags, but had a cute, flowered dress on, and clean white socks. I still could not see the face, but assumed, by the clothes, that I was looking at a little girl.

She ran up to me and gave me a big hug. A sweet, adorable, big hug. No one said a word. But words were not needed; she expressed her love all in that one hug.

Right after that, I woke up. It took me a second to figure out I was no longer dreaming. Then I decided what to do with this amazing dream: Put it on my blog.

Exactly what this dream means, I do not know. But I do know how that dream might have come.
I requested K.P. Yohannan's book No Longer a Slumdog and received it in the mail with great enthusiasm. This book is a real eye-opener, and the gripping facts may have moved from my mind, into my subconsciousness. And other reasons, such as my love for helping those in need.

I don't know how this dream occurred or why, but I will keep it in mind. Do you have a thought about this dream? Leave me a comment below. I'd love to see your input!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Mayflower, the pilgrims, turkeys, family get-togethers, thankfulness....Thanksgiving.
Practically every year, our family travels to our Aunt and Uncle's house to meet up with my mom's side of the family. My Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins bring food, fun, and love...Oh, and their pets!

Have a wonderful, thanks-filled Thanksgiving!

You've got a Friend in Me

Toy Story's theme song is a favorite of our family. We enjoy hearing it on our CD player.
But, I have this (good) habit of thinking about what the people are singing about and mixing it with what Jesus says. When I hear "You've got a Friend in Me", for instance, I think: "Hmm, OK, we have a friend in Jesus ...Nobody has ever loved us like He does."  It's kind of fun doing that! (;

It's quite true, though. Jesus does love us and He is our Friend. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny himself."(2 Timothy 2:13 ESV). Even if we stumble and deny Him (even though I strictly discourage doing that ever!), He's still our Friend! He stays faithful!

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."(Romans 5:8 NIV) 
And we, as Christians, need to love Him back, of course. "If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed!"(1 Corinthians 16:22 NIV)

  "Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."" (John 14:23)

And we need to love our fellow believers. "He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God" (1 Peter 1:20-23)

"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:17)
 God loves us and wants to be our Friend...Believe in Him (It's worth it!).

“These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9b)

A letter to God

For week two at Compassion Blog Month (I'm a bit late, sorry about that) I am assigned to write a letter to God about letter-writing (fun, right?!).
So, here goes!


Dear God,
I have never written a letter to you before I'm supposed to be writing about letter-writing. This is going to be interesting! (:
Since I heard about Compassion Int. in Alex and Brett Harris' Start Here book, I've had a lot of fun sponsoring Priscyla! She's been writing awesome letters to me, giving all her love to me. She's impacted me a lot! (:
She is amazing and a great Christian girl. Priscyla writes to me about her schooling, friends, and prayers 
(She asks me to pray for her). I write about things like that, too. I tell her about events in my house, I ask for her to pray for me (It gives me more peace of mind telling her!) and I always send her stickers!
 I try to write so she can picture in her mind what I saw in her mind. 
I'd write tons of letters to her if I had more stamps! Writing letters and getting her sweet handwriting in my family's mailbox is wonderful!
Well, I've got to admit-Writing to You is fun. I have to do it again!
With Love,
Nutmeg

So, that is my first letter to God. Wow, that was incredible! (:

 

Garbage Truck Law

I was currently typing this post out on my Grandma's work computer.
Looking for inspiration for a new post, I turned my head and saw a printed-out email tacked to the wall.
Here is what it said:

"The Law of the Garbage truck
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were  driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car shifted his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And, I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" This is when my taxi driver taught me 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.
Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...Love people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.
Life is ten percent what you make of it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day!"

What would rate this story? I'd give it a ten.
So, yes! Do have a blessed, garbage-free day!