Lesson's Learned . . .

Today I had a talk with a young friend of mine.

There was some profound sadness going on in his young mind.  Things just seemed so, so unfair.

And so we talked about it for awhile . . .

I can’t remember when I learned some of the truths I know now, but they are a part of me.  I had to stop and think . . .oh, my!  I didn’t always know what I now know!

So I took a few minutes and shared a couple of things with him:

1.       Many times we think “Everybody is looking at me!  They all think I’m stupid!”   In reality, they are all thinking “Everybody is looking at ME!  They all think I’M STOOOPID”.  Actually, you aren’t that important to them . . .they’re thinking about themselves, not you!

2.       Not every thought that pops into your head is the gospel truth.  In fact, if that thought is making you feel really bad, you’d better double check it.  We people tend to BELIEVE the voices in our heads that tell us horrible things . . .I mean, the voice is in your HEAD.  Why wouldn’t you believe it?  But trust me, double check the voice.   Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and sometimes we are our own harshest critics.

One more thing . . .if you do talk to somebody and they tell you mean things about somebody else, you can almost be guaranteed that they are saying mean things about you to other people.  

Well, it's always good to think about what we know, isn't it?  And to pass it on.

May you remember your lesson's learned as you move through your day, and may you share ( nicely!) with those who may need to learn from you.

Be well,

~ Jenn

A Whale of a View!

From my deck I can see for miles.  I see little bitty cars driving along, colorful houses and roofs,  and I see boats at sea.  And I see lots and lots of blue water.  The blue water stretches on forever.  There’s a handful of cays and islands scattered out there in the deep blue sea.

And today there was a . . .a . . .LUMP!

What was this lump, out in the ocean?

 It was a Humpback Whale!  It was bigger than a pick-up truck, black as could be and moving rather fast through the water. 

I have seen boats and this was NOT a boat.

I have seen rocks, and they don’t move. 

And this is “whale” season.

It felt like a gift, this glimpse of something extraordinary.

It reminded me that the world is much bigger than me and the flotsam and jetsam that make up the worries in my life.

Yay for the Whales and Yay for God, who made them.

~ Jenn

President's Day; link to a GREAT story about Abraham Lincoln

Today is President's Day in the United States!

It's a day that was created to honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

I went through a "jag" when I read a lot about Abraham Lincoln.  One book in particular really struck me.  It was more about Abraham Lincoln as a husband and a father than as a President.  In my mind's eye I can see the cover of the blue book and it seems to me that it may have been written as a biography about Mary Lincoln and not Abraham at all, but I can't remember the title!  I just know that it is buried in one of the boxes that we have in storage miles and miles from here!

I read about President Lincoln's inability to keep the fire going in his house.  He was always having to go out and borrow coals from the neighbors to relight his own fire.

I read about Mary Lincoln and how she took the baby of a woman who could not produce her own milk and breastfed that child to keep in alive.  Back then there was no running to the corner store for formula and it was not always easy to procure a goat or milk cow.  Knowing what we know now, it was probably her milk was probably the best option for that little bundle.

I read about President Lincoln walking down the sidewalk with his nose buried in a book.   Behind him he pulled his two boys in a wagon.  They must have been quite small.  One of them fell out and Lincoln didn't even notice!

I remember another book about the Lincoln's and how their boys were known as "little terrors!" by some of the people who visited the White House . . .it is interesting to view people through different lenses, isn't it?

I remember stories about George Washington, too.  Did you know that he never had children of his own?  He married Martha Washington and she already had children.  He loved them dearly, but Martha refused to let him "interfere" with the children.  Some people say that they would have been better people if Martha would have let George teach them a bit, but Martha feared that he would "hurt their feelings" and did not allow him to influence them very much . . .

How interesting that he was known as the "Father of our Country" and yet was not allowed to father the children in his house.

But that was only one way of looking at it, and perhaps that was not the way it REALLY was.  Who knows?

Today the kiddos and I are reading about these men . . .

This link is to a wonderful story about Abraham Lincoln and his stepmother.  I cried when I read it to my children.  I had read it when I was a child and was surprised to think that our famous President came from such a humble beginning.  I read it again, as a mother, and thought of what it must have taken for Sally Lincoln to live with grace and compassion and strength in that wilderness . . .

It's inspiring!

Enjoy the link.  http://2rbetter.org/pipermail/mailing/2008/000065.html

More links for you to check out  . . .but I must say that the story about Abraham Lincoln had a rather bloody bit about Native Americans in it.   And these stories were written before "political" correctness, so just keep that in mind as you search for interesting bits about our Presidents.

Abraham Lincoln  http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=hamilton&book=lincoln&story=boyhood

George Washington http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=pratt&book=ahs1&story=george

The Appointment with Love

This Valentines Day I was reminded of a story I read long, long ago.  Some stories are worth re-reading!  :)  Enjoy,

~ Jenn

The Appointment with Love

by S.I. Kishor

Six minutes to six, said the clock over the information booth in New York’s Grand Central Station. The tall young Army officer lifted his sunburned face and narrowed his eyes to note the exact time. His heart was pounding with a beat that choked him. In six minutes he would see the woman who had filled such a special place in his life for the past 18 months, the woman he had never seen yet whose words had sustained him unfailingly.

Lt. Blandford remembered one day in particular, the worst of the fighting, when his plane had been caught in the midst of a pack of enemy planes. In one of those letters, he had confessed to her that often he felt fear, and only a few days before this battle, he had received her answer: “Of course you fear… all brave men do. Next time you doubt yourself, I want you to hear my voice reciting to you: “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of Death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me…” He had remembered that and it renewed his strength.

He was going to hear her voice now. Four minutes to six. A girl passed closer to him, and Lt.Blandford started. She was wearing a flower, but it was not the little red rose they had agreed upon. Besides, this girl was only about 18, and Hollis Maynel had told him she was 30. “What of it?” he had answered, “I’m 32.” He was 29. His mind went back to that book he had read in the training camp. “Of Human Bondage” it was and throughout the book were notes in a woman’s handwriting. He had never believed that a woman could see into a man’s heart so tenderly, so understandingly. Her name was on the bookplate: Hollis Maynell. He got a hold of a New York City telephone book and found her address. He had written, she had answered. Next day he had been shipped out, but they had gone on writing.

For thirteen months she had faithfully replied. When his letters did not arrive, she wrote anyway, and now he believed he loved her, and she loved him. But she had refused all his pleas to send him her photograph. She had explained: “If your feeling for me had no reality, what I look like won’t matter. Suppose I am beautiful. I’d always be haunted that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me. Suppose that I’m plain, (and you must admit that this is more likely), then I’d always fear that you were only going on writing because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don’t ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your own decision.”

One minute to six… He flipped the pages of the book he held. Then Lt. Blandford’s heart lept. A young woman was coming toward him. Her figure was long and slim; her blond hair lay back in curls from delicate ears. Her eyes were blue as flowers, her lips and chin had a gentle firmness. In her pale-green suit, she was like springtime come alive. He started toward her, forgetting to notice that she was wearing no rose, and as he moved, a small, provacative smile curved her lips. “Going my way, soldier?” she murmured.

He made one step closer to her. Then he saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl, a woman well past 40, her graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump. Her thick-ankled feet were thrust into low-heeled shoes. But she wore a red rose on her crumpled coat. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. Blandford felt as though he were being split in two, so keen was his desire to follow the girl, yet so deep was his longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and upheld his own, and there she stood.

He could see her pale face was gentle and sensible; her gray eyes had a warm twinkle. Lt. Blandford did not hesitate. His fingers gripped the worn copy of “Of Human Bondage” which was to identify him to her. This would not be love, but it would be something special, a friendship for which he had been and must be ever grateful… He squared his shoulders, saluted, and held the book out toward the woman, although even while he spoke he felt the bitterness of his disappointment.

“I’m Lt. Blandford, and you’re Miss Maynell. I’m so glad you could meet me. “May, may I take you to dinner?” The woman’s face broadened in a tolerant smile. “I don’t know what this is all about, son,” she answered. “That young lady in the greensuit, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said that if you asked me to go out with you, I should tell you she’s waiting for you in that restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test.”

Sharing a Great Link about Countries with You . . .

Just stumbled across this great link and thought I'd stick it in my blog.

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/country_of_the_week.html

So many times the kiddos and I find ourselves grabbing the globe to see exactly where something is, and sometimes we have conversations like "If we wanted to have supper from India, what would we eat?"

We will be using this site as we work our way through The Jungle Book and Heidi.


Enjoy!

~ Jenn

Hunting Lionfish in the Caribbean

The Lionfish is as threatening as its name.  The Lionfish is native to the Indo-Pacific and arrived in the Atlantic after Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992.  Because aquarium owners did not have electricity, they dumped their fish into the sea.

In 1994 a Lionfish was spotted off the Coast of Florida.  Now it is eating its way through the Caribbean and man is his only predator right now.

Divers are encouraged to carry Lionfish markers because the Lionfish tends to stay in the same area.   That way someone can return and capture this fish.

A Lionfish marker is easy to make and easy to use.  Check out this article for more information.

http://stthomasre.com/st-thomas-virgin-islands-news/juvenile-lionfish-found-on-st-john

Happy hunting to all of those out in the beautiful blue sea!

~ Jenn