Kindergarten Wisdom

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work everyday some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder

 

Well it's not all we need...but I thought this a pretty good picture.  As some of you know, I taught kindergarten when we lived in New Mexico and I loved it! - five year olds, art, music, eager phonics students, playtime...  I must say though that my favorite job God has given me is that of wife and mother.  It is probably the toughest, but it is also a very worthwhile investment and blessing!

Ellen

This Is The Day Which The Lord Hath Made;

 Honey in the making

Wild plum blossoms 

"Suzanna"

Fern in the woods

In Wisconsin you need a double greenhouse and heat.

Basil for Victoria's pesto.

Let the sun shine in.

"Apollo"

Californian bunny 

One of the many graduation banners I have been working on this year

A view from our driveway

 

Flowers from Grandpa and Grandma

 

  

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm  118:24

Ellen

Miracle of the Human Body

I had to remind myself again today, that my body is not my enemy.  It often feels like it is because of the limitations it imposes on my life.  My body has endured many things over the years, but, my body also does amazing things each day to keep me alive.  Some things are obvious, like a beating heart, breathing lungs, etc.   Other things seem less "good" and seem more problematic such as how my body stored away something covered in mucous in a large mass attached to my ovary.  That seems like a bad thing on the surface, but we don't always see or understand the whole picture.

Our bodies were designed to survive.  They prioritize without us even knowing it.  Fever, colds, diarrhea are all ways the body cleanses out toxins. What we put into our bodies, how much we move them, the amount of stress we carry , genetics, all impact how well our bodies are able to function.   Whenever I study the body and learn more about how it functions, the more I see of the amazingness of our Creator.

I thank God that he blessed my body with the gift of pregnancy and childbirth - a miracle beyond my dreams.  I try to remember to thank God for his creation of my body despite its shortcomings, dysfunctions, disease etc. (By the way, don't forget that before sin entered the world, the human bodies God created were absolutely perfect - we messed things up, not He).

I thank God that today I can see, walk, hear, think, talk, read, feed myself and more.  Not everyone can do all those things.  And remember, we are not guaranteed that we will wake up tomorrow with the ability to do everything we can do today.

Ellen

Marching Forward

Thank you for praying for me.  I appreciate it so much.  Some days are discouraging and I weary of suffering.
The viruses are mostly gone - thank you God!  There has been some improvement in the infected areas, but still lots of problems especially in the intestines.   Pain, weakness, exhaustion continue.  Since I don't intend this blog to be a place to complain, I don't share all that's going on.  I do try to share enough for you to be able to know a little better how to pray.  I am still sleeping 10-12 hours and waking up totally, deeply exhausted.

Thank you for caring and continuing to pray; many people give up when a need is so chronic.  It helps me to know you care.  I often think no one is reading this anymore so I should quit.  Then I get encouraging comments that let me know some still read this and I am thankful.

My Prayer Requests

~God's priorities in our family and our relationships with others
~Spiritual discernment in evaluating and choosing healing modalities
~Financial provision
~God's Word to transform me
~Clarity of thought - for the mind of Christ to rule in my perspective of suffering and in ALL of life
~Energy to heal and to be a godly wife and mother
~That I would let the peace of God rule in my heart even in the midst of change, caos, grief etc.
 
Ellen

2+2 More

Thank you for your prayers...Please continue.
I have been down for some time with two viruses - stomach/intestinal with vomiting and diarreah and nasty cold with sinus, chest, throat, headaches etc. plus the bronchial infection and now an intestinal bacterial infection too.  My head feels a little clearer this morning after coughing up some more yucky stuff.  I am hoping these challenges are all on their way OUT soon. 

P.S. Yes, this weather has been wonderful.

Ellen 

Updated Prayer List

I have attempted several blog posts the past few weeks, but after rereading them and trying to change them unsatisfactorily, I have decided to just condense my scattered thoughts to this partial list of  prayer requests.

~structural strength:

• hernia is problematic again (this is not fun) severe bloating does not help either
• incision area and deeper is still painful - sharp nerve pain
• deep, long, vertical incision has weakened muscle integrity in my abdomen and is putting further stress on my lower and mid back and hips...PAIN

~bronchial/lung health    I have been fighting a bacterial infection for a couple of months now

~nervous system overload- to the MAX

~still gaining weight

~extreme exhaustion  and weakness

~endocrine system - Dr. changed thyroid med from 50 mg to 500 mg last week and is NOT going well

~wisdom for doctors, tests needed, healing, financial provision etc.

~emotional/hormonal/amino acid balance/health

Ellen

In Sickness and in Health

-  "Love is not a feeling, it's an act of the will."  -
My husband and I have been married 28 1/2 years.  Little did we know when we said our vows, that we would be learning so much of the "in sickness" part of our promise.  Many people with chronic or fatal illnesses lose their spouses.  The stresses and pressures are great. Chronic illness is a lonely road to walk and requires a lot of time and energy which are taken away from other things. Communication becomes even more challenging and there are usually added financial burdens. Meeting each others needs and putting each other first takes great strength as the pain, exhaustion, time and energy are spent on seeing doctors, having tests, going to physical therapy, taking medications and supplements, traveling to specialists, researching etc.  Priorities of husband and wife do not always match. Misunderstanding is common. A person who is in pain and not sleeping well is not always patient.

All lasting marriages require hard work.  I have been extremely blessed with a husband who takes his commitment to our marriage covenant very seriously.  He knows that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, and strives to put Jesus first and our marriage second.  He is not a perfect man or husband, but he is the one God has joined me to and I rejoice and thank God for him.  The reason we have been able to stay together in sickness and in health,is NOT because either one of us is great or because we are a perfect match and so "in love" all the time.  Love is a choice.  Love is action.  Our marriage is built on the foundation of Jesus our Savior and HE keeps us together.  Below are the lyrics to a song we had sung at our wedding (this is from memory so may not be exact).

I could never promise you,
On just my strength alone.
That all my life I'd care for you,
And love you as my own.

I've never known the future,
I only see today,
Words that last a lifetime,
Would be more than I could say.

But the love inside my heart today,
Is more that mine alone
It never changes, never fails,
Never seeks its own.

And by the God who gives it
And lives in me and you,
I know the words I speak today,
Are words I'm going to do.

So I stand before you now
For all to hear and see,
To promise you in Jesus' name
The love he's given me.

And through our years on earth,
And as eternity goes by,
The life and love he's given us
Are never going to die.

I thank God I am not alone even though at times I feel lonely.  I thank Gregg for loving me in sickness and in health, till death do us part.  

Ellen