Family and Friends

This time of year always makes us think about the things we are thankful for. Of course the phrase most often uttered is “I am thankful for my family and friends.” Now after being away from home for a bit over four years, I find that statement ringing more true than ever.

The holiday season also brings with it reflecting on the past year. I know this usually comes around Christmas or New Years but, this year I feel massive reflecting needs to be done so I am starting early.

It is hard to believe that it has been seven months now since I sat in tears at my computer worrying about what the next chapter of my life will bring. Thinking that the only way I would be happy or have a purpose was to go to Texas or Council Bluffs. Then becoming overly dramatic, giving it all up and thinking about moving to Africa for a year in order to serve. God then laughed at me a bit and said his plan was a little town of Webster City. Thank goodness He takes care of the details and I don’t need to worry (although yes, I do). I didn’t know why he sent me there but I knew after I accepted this job and nearly bounced out the front entrance this was going to be something good. (Yes, I actually remember saying with tears running down my face from fear, excitement and just being very overwhelmed, “this is going to be something good.”) While I was content with the feeling of “something good” I still knew I wanted to know/ find my purpose. Why was I sent here? What am I suppose to be doing? Why, How, When, For how long???? The questions still come but I have my amazing family and friends that remind me not all the answers are there right now and not all the answers will come, even in my lifetime. But as a great friend once told me, in summary of course I cannot remember the actual quote, “My faith in God frees me from needing to know all the details.” If God would like to spend time numbering the hairs on my head, I am sure he is just fine with taking care of what to do since my computer crashed, how to teach a massive unit on Lewis and Clark with veteran teachers who have been doing this for 13 years (stressful, I think so!), to what to eat, to what to wear. I can be, and am a lot happier when I don’t worry so much. When I am happier, I show the love of God to everyone around me a lot more. When I show the love of God, I think I am fulfilling my purpose! Which I think is to be happy in all circumstances and show the love of God to everyone around me.

Now for my tribute to my family and friends and a little lesson that I was taught in my last class at Central College from an amazing professor and friends, Dr. Esther Streed.

Allow me to teach for just a moment. In life people come in and out of our lives. We never know for how long and we never want to see them leave. When someone does leave we ask God why and how we will ever go on without them. But then God, without even a second to spare puts someone in our lives, not to take the place but to walk with us.

Now that you are all a little confused as to why there are lines separating my blog, let me explain. This was a diagram used to illustrate this concept. The darkest line is God, the  line above it is me. God is always present in my life, whether I acknowledge it or not is another question, but even when my line ends, his keeps going.

All the other lines are of the different people that have come and gone in my life, in no particular order and really no lines are assigned to people, just more to prove a point. Notice there is always someone in our life. God is always there and he puts someone else in our lives when another might leave. These lines are not just random; they are there for a purpose. As once again I was overwhelemed and didn’t know how I could survive after leaving home for Central, God filled my life with amazing people. Once again after Central I thought the world would fall apart, God has kept significant people in my life and filled it with many, many more.

Even though it is after Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all the people past and present in my life. For the family that picks up to visit because they think I need them, which I do. To the friends who listen to me whine, complain, cry, and be overdramatic most everyday of my life. I thank God every day for this life and that you are in it.

“Sometimes when God closes a door he opens a window.  But sometimes he does one better; he kicks down the entire wall.”- Unknown

I forgot DANCE!

The last post was getting a bit long.  I didn’t even touch on the teaching part of my life (the biggest part!) We had a field trip on Wednesday and Friday.  Although both academic, it really disrupts our usual learning schedule.  Wednesday was nearly considered a disaster.  Luckily the “field trip” was to the high school to preview the play that the community gets to see this weekend.  So the whole middle school got on buses and made the trip over.  All teachers and administrators were there.  Thank God, because the kids, our 8^th graders, thought they were above every law!  Anyways we survived, and we laugh about it now. 

So this made me very scared for our trip to Des Moines, which was scheduled for Friday.  We were going to see a production at the Civic Center called “Letters Home”.  Departure 10 am, arrive home 3:45pm.  This was going to be a long day, or so I thought.  The kids did great.  After taking away some gum (not allowed for a middle school student to chew gum on middle school time) and forcing kids to put all electronic devices in their locker, the day got much better.  The kids talked and played games all the way down.  The major “trouble makers” decided to sleep during the play, but caused no problems so…I let them, until the one next to me started to snore, I had to do something then. J 

The play was amazing.  It was all letters from various branches of military from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It was pretty powerful and with Veterans Day next week Thursday had great timing! 

The ride home the kids had their naps and were a little louder, but not misbehaving.  One student told me earlier in the week she had a dream that on our field trip I was singing and dancing on the bus, the music stopped and I kept singing.  She thought it was hilarious.  She is also a really great student so I found it funny too.  So when we were riding back she decided to sit by me!  I told her, her dream would come true if the song “Dynamite” came on.  It’s my song!  10 miles from home, the song came on.  I sang my heart out and did some seated dancing (no standing on the bus)  The kids loved it and asked me to share some of my actual dance moves next week in class.  Hmm..hopefully they will forget by Monday. 

“Dance like no one is watching”  or dance like 65 eight graders are watching either way, Dance the days away!

Breath and Dance

Do not freak out.  I had this written down somewhere, probably on a sticky note and it ran out of stickiness and now it is lost forever.  I don’t remember where it came from specifically but I do remember it was from The Message bible.  I love it when God speaks to me, in my language.  

Last week I went to my church on Wednesday night for the usual service called Encounter.  I went there for very selfish reasons.  I was feeling down and decided singing at the top of my lungs and having someone preach to me might get me out of my slums that I had decided to put myself into.  I don’t know if men experience this but I know that as a woman some days I’m in a bad mood, I know it, I do nothing to fix it, I just want to be mad for a while.  Last week Wednesday was one of those days.  So I went to church wanting and nearly demanding that God make sense of everything in my life and make it better, because I was going to church.  Horrible reason I know.  But just to let you know, our wonderful God decided to put me in my place and inform me that I was not taking part in the divine dance with him.   If I wanted to, he would gladly dance with me, but first I need to decide that I want to keep company with God and I will learn from him how to live freely and lightly. Matt 11:28-30 The Message and thus no longer having those days of the slums, or less of them anyways.   After that night I once again realized I needed to make my walk better. 

Today hit the slums again.  After thinking I had things figured out, or the things I want to deal with figured out, the parts of life that I so conveniently push under the rug started to emerge.   #1 the issue of Alltel now switching over to AT&T.  #2 I have the opportunity to possibly change service providers and get off on my own.  Issue #3 (aka the big one) I needed to make a monthly budget.  #4 I hate money! 

I started to talk to my accountant, my best friend who loves money and is good with money.  This is about our fourth conversation in one week dealing with money.  Every time it ends with him saying, you need to make a budget Krystal.  Not in so many words he chooses to be kind.  I also know that my father would say the same thing.  As a matter of fact if he is reading this he may be slightly disappointed to find out I didn’t have on yet.  (Don’t worry dad, it was made prior to writing a blog)

What has life taught me?  Problems don’t go away.  Deal with them sooner rather than later.  Budgets are not scary; they simply knock you on your butt, but will in the end hopefully keep you from drowning in debt.  It is easy to recover from getting kicked on your butt, drowning, although the hope of being able to be revived may be present, it doesn’t usually end up so great. 

Food!  What has life taught me about food.  Buy firm tofu rather than soft if you are a texture person.  That is right I cooked with Tofu!  Not horrible might I add.  I made a stir fry with it.  Allow me to share.

 When you buy tofu it comes in a square, sealed container that has water in it.  You need to cut off the amount that you want and squeeze out the water.  This can be tricky however, I took a portion, put it on a paper towel on a plate.  Took another plate and placed it on top with a can of spaghetti sauce to squeeze.   There is a tool you can buy for this if you become a tofu fan. 

Next cut the tofu into small squares and put it into a skillet with olive oil to sauté it for a bit.  While sautéing the tofu take a bag of frozen stir fry mix and put it into another skillet. I added onions and a bit of garlic to this pan as well. 

When your Tofu is ready about 15-20 min. of being stirred around in the oil, add it to the veggies.  Add your favorite stir fry sauce, I used A taste of Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce, found at Hy-Vee.  Let it simmer for another 10 min.  BAM a delicious meal!  Oh, oops, while your waiting it might be a good idea to eat the leftover Halloween candy that the trick-or-treaters didn't get. 

Ingredients:

·         Firm Tofu

·         Bag of frozen Stir Fry Veggies

·         Some onions

·         Favorite stir fry sauce

  

“Therefore do not freak out about tomorrow, for tomorrow will probably freak out about itself. Each day has enough problems of its own.  Dance with God today, He will help you with tomorrow.” My interpretation of Matt. 6 :34