eclipse???

When I got a front row seat to an eclipse of the moon, (out an airplane window) made me wonder if there could be a lesson or two in it. Some thoughts:
--the wonder of nature it's self--seem like if science can define it and explain it then the wonder of nature in perfect harmony is stolen but the MIND.
--the moon, a reflection of the sun --when the EARTH gets in the way the moon can no longer be seen. This can be true of the reflection of the Son also, when earth gets in the way there is no reflection of the Son.
-- as the moon became more and more hidden, the part that shone out from the shadow looked brighter and brighter.
-- the most important personal memory for me was hearing on a previous eclipse, of people renting planes to see the eclipse from the air and saying to myself "Wouldn't that be wonderful to be able to see it from the air" It wasn't exactly a prayer--more like a wish or desire, I believe God heard. I didn't know there was an eclipse until an hour before I flew and my plane was 45 minutes late which put me in the air until the moon was completely ecliped by the earth. SOOO COOL!!

a parade

While I was in Churchill I heard this great story. (Remember there is no road into Churchill so vehicles there are few and far between.) A lady from Churchill brought her grandchild to a southern town that is big enough to have stop lights. The lady and her four year old grandson were waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street and a bunch of cars went through the green light one after the other while they were waiting. The four year old started clapping, jumping and yelling "Look Grandma, a parade, a parade!!" Apparently more than one car at a time in Churchill IS a parade. Isn't that just too cute!!

Churchill

What a great teaching trip that was. I had a super group of ladies to train. I told their supervisor that I would hire any one of them. They love kids and are enthusiastic learners. The side benefits for me were that I saw an Arctic (white) fox, a cross fox, and a polar bear. I walked to the community complex the first morning of training dragging my training kit and was told that a few days prior, a polar bear had been sitting on the steps that I just walked up!! The bears are hungry at this time of year as the Hudson Bay isn't frozen and they can't catch seals on the ice. I was told that the bears have always come to this part of the bay in the fall and the town of Churchill was built right where the bears migrate. The bears were there first. They aren't looking for humans, just food. The terrain is so different from anywhere I've been in the north before, black rock, a few tiny trees and water. The big community complex is built overlooking the Hudson Bay so you can stand inside and see and hear the waves hitting the shore a short distance away. The sunsets up there are amazing. The sky was a bunch of shades of bright pink. One evening, whisps of white clouds crossed over the pinks and looked like lace over a bright background. I was in the air, flying home, during the eclipse of the moon and was given the gift of a front row seat of the event. WOW!! It seemed that as the moon became hidden the part that still was shining was glowing brighter. When only a sliver of light remained out from the shadow, it was so bright it was hard to look at (almost like sunlight). What a magnificent show all the way home--better than any movie. I'd go again--a great place to VISIT.

Values we live by

The teaching that I do talks about our personal values. This is the place that most disagreements start. To be a personal values, one must be :
-freely chosen from alternative points of view.
-acted upon regularly so that they fulfill our need or expectation.
-be seen by others as important to us (a value).
-others will react or respond to it as our value.
-this will encourage us to keep doing it.
We do what we believe is right, good, and important. In all our lives from the kind of bread and butter we eat, to how we make our beds, to what we wear, to how we raise our kids, we have personal values. When your values and my values clash there is disagreement. The only way to solve this is to have understanding and openness about values. There are not many places where we can't come into an understanding of each other if we are open to discuss our values. Many times our values are the same but how we carry them out may differ. When ideals are broken down into values and beliefs rather than how they are carried out, we get to the core of who we are as people. From there we choose ways of living. Can we get back to basis to come together??

the best day

The other day on a tv interview the host asked someone, "What was the best day of your life?" A very interesting question. So I asked myself, "What was the best day?" The first thing that came to mind was my 50th birthday. My kids put on a party and told me things that they appreciated. They also had family and friends write notes in a special little book. This was very meaningful to me. This was a sincere show of appreciation. THAT made it special.
My wedding day was a good day but I was young and had no idea of what I wanted from it. I just wanted to be married and get on with my life. A wedding was expected for a "nice" girl so we did the appropriate ritual. My sister and mom did most of the planning which was okay as I didn't know what I wanted. Our twenty fifth year anniversary was also a good day with friends and family. I quess when you come down to it, family and friends are what make any time a special time.

Busy Week

I had decided that I would sleep till noon today as the weather channel said it would SNOW last night but be nice in the afternoon. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN (sleep that is, not snow). I hate snow!! I promised to babysit two little cutie-pies as Erica is going to cook for a mob of Vineyard-eese at a conference. She is a great cook and I know that she'll provide great catering for the conference. So after a busy week of teaching child care and visiting with friends (doesn't rain but it pours), I'm off to entertain a 3 and 2 year old!!
Thank you to anyone who prayed for me while I taught. I really appreciate the prayer. I'm very much aware of the need for extra strength during the time I teach. I had an "I am invisable" moment during teaching. A person from our church asked me where she knew me from on the second day of training. I'm big, I'm tall, I'm at church most Sundays---funny that I (of all people) could be invisable!!! I like being invisable. Causes less problems.