It's a bit odd that our wishes come so late, but we wanted to wait until we were all able to wear our Valentine's gift! While in Liberia in 2007 with Mercy Ships, we each received a "Mercy." t-shirt. Our kids wore them until the holes won! Matt even said that the kids at school called him "Mercy" because he ALWAYS wore his shirt.
It's 2021. We were able to purchase new ones on the Mercy Ships website. And so adorned, we wish you albeit a belated "Happy Valentine's Day!"
To join us in the Kindness Challenge! We were challenged at church last night to join the 30-Day Kindness Challenge:
The 30-Day Kindness Challenge is a much-needed movement of kindness led by many influential organizations.
89% of relationships improve if you pick a person with whom you want a better relationship; then for 30 days:
Say nothing negative about that person – either to them or about them to anyone else.
Each day, do one small act of kindness or generosity for them.
Go to "Jointhekindnesschallenge"! We start tomorrow!
Sam and I have been struggling with "Do we get the Covid shot or not?" We have family on both sides of the aisle, some who are a big stronger on the anti-vaccine/conspiracy theory side and some who have had the shot.
Our friends cover all sides of the aisle, too, from wanting it to never will take it.
Co-workers in education mostly want it. Co-workers elsewhere do not.
My friend, the chiro, said she will never get it and sent information why. My chiro can't wait until he gets it.
We were torn, until we watched a Focus on the Family YouTube that really encouraged people to get it. Sam got his thirty minutes after we watched the show.
I got mine yesterday. My entire drive up, I was praying. "God, if You don't want me to get it, You can stop me. I would prefer not to have another accident, but I can handle a flat tire. Maybe the freeway can shut down . . . You can do anything."
He didn't. I arrived on-time. I signed in. I was called in to my "vaccination cubby". The nurse's name was Britta. A most uncommon name. The name of our beloved social worker. I felt the peace of God descend. I got the shot.
I was stopped by our speech therapist who said, "My sister lives in a small town by Okoboji."
"Really? What town?"
"Oh, it's so small, you've never heard of it."
"Try me. I grew up down there."
"No really. No one's ever heard of it."
"Tell me. I'm sure I have."
"Harris?"
When I stopped laughing, I replied, "I graduated from Harris-Lake Park!"
Not only had I heard of it, shopped in it, and taken the school bus there for an entire year, I graduated with some of her sister's relatives!
Today, I am thankful for the women I work with. They are fluid and flexible. We knew we were one staff short going into lunch and recess today because J. was going on a short vacation celebrating her 50th birthday.
When S. went in to grab her outside gear, she found R. white as a sheet and in pain, head between her legs, at her desk. S. grabbed me. I ran up to the lunchroom. S. grabbed the nurse, the principal, and our supervisor to help R. Then she returned to the lunchroom to help me. Suddenly, we were short staffed, but made it work.
S. and I did our recess time, with S. staying out to cover J.'s recess. I went back to the lunchroom where K. and D. had no idea R. was missing. They went out to recess. S. came in. Those who were supposed to relieve us never showed up. So S. and I did another tour of lunch duty - cluelessly! We later found out that our supervisor had driven R. home and missed her opportunity to do lunchroom duty.
It was wild. It was crazy. It all worked out in the end. We had lunch a half an hour late. No worries.
We're going to be even shorter staffed tomorrow, but I think this team will come through!
. . . No Matter What The Cost."
I write today's post thankful that I attend a church that will be obedient to Christ, no matter what the cost. We have been without a senior pastor for a little over a year. It hasn't been easy. At times, it's felt long. And hard. And difficult.
We had a candidate for that position come this week. We went to church tonight expecting to hear a message from said candidate. Instead, our men's pastor shared what had transpired over the past twenty-four hours.
It wasn't that the candidate had any moral issues, it was just that after meeting with him in person, the elders and staff determined that he was not the right person for this position at this time.
I am grateful that they chose to be obedient to Christ. That obedience was more important than filling the position. That they saw he would not fill well the hole we have.
We will press on. We will persevere. He will provide. In His time.
. . . the Abba song, "Dancing Queen". Well, where I work, we've renamed the song "Ketchup Queen". In order to save money, we're no longer giving out packets of ketchup at lunch and my fellow lunchroom monitors and I take turns being the "Ketchup Queen" . . .
