February Reflections on Our Words

It's been a busy February for me, and I have to admit that on some days my words for the year were just hazy thoughts pushed back to farthest reaches of my mind! With too many standards to teach in too little time, and our state testing dates just mere weeks away, my focus has not been on faith and joy. At least not entirely. But moments of joy played all around me, and they're playing again as I post reflections from several of my friends.

Joining me today are AVT Coach, Peggy from Middle Age Ramblings, Annemarie from So I Was Just Thinking, and Octamom. To reflect and share on our words, we decided to write new lyrics for some familiar songs. AVT Coach and Peggy have the playlists on their blogs, so if you need to hear the melody, click on over and enjoy!

AVT Coach chose the melody of "A Wonderful World" for her lyrics...

“An Abundant World”

I hear songs of love…devotion too
I sing along…a few notes for you
And I think to myself….what an abundant world.

I whisper prayers…for friends in need
Some who are joyful…some really grieve.
And I think to myself….what an abundant world

The words of a loved one….so dear to my ear
Are just what I needed…..to take away my fear
I hear people sharing…and it’s more than a few.
They’re really sayin’…I love you.

I see my children….I’ve watched them grow
They work and play…independence they show
And I think to myself…what an abundant world

"A Wonderful World" was written by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele. Louis Armstrong recorded the song in 1968.

For her song, Peggy chose "Where is the Love" by the Black-Eyed Peas ...

"Where is the Balance"

Listen to what your body and feelings are telling you
Like most things in life,
It takes practice and experimentation.
We need to make adjustments,
As we go along.
We need to stop and reflect,
To see which parts of our life,
Are out of Balance.
Then take the steps,
To put them back in Balance.
So remember to stop and ask yourself,
Where is the Balance.....
Where is the Balance.....
Where is the Balance......

"A Few of My Discipline Needs" by Annemarie is sung to the tune of "A Few of My Favorite Things..."

Disciplined living – for this I am searching
“Fly by the seat of my pants” isn’t working
Making a list of the things I must do
This just might help locate my left shoe
Grading my papers as soon as I get them
Clearing my desk off so I won’t forget them.
Grocery shopping for healthier things
These are of few of my Discipline Needs
When I’m tired
I don’t want to
pack a lunch for sure
But when I remember my Discipline needs
A healthy lunch is ... in store!!!

The lyrics to my song are sung to the tune of “Edelweiss,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit from The Sound of Music.

"Faith and Joy"

Faith and joy, faith and joy
These two words will sustain me.
Through the year, far and near
Faith and joy will be mine.

Faith that God will see me through
With joyful days His voice rings true.

Faith and joy, faith and joy
These are the blessings I’ll gather.

Octamom brought in a little extra help for her song about Excellence!

Excellence Song from Octamom on Vimeo.

i love...

It wasn't Cupid's arrow that struck me today. Instead it was inspiration. The carrier? "Artful Blogging." To be more specific, it was Cori Kindred's Partial Post that caught my attention. Titled "love and some verses," this artful blogger simply listed things she loves. I thought it was a great idea and decided to do the same in honor of Valentine's Day. I hope you will, too! Link to my site, or leave a message letting me know some of the things you love. Oh, and happy Valentine's Day!

i love my FAMILY. i love my home. i love hot chocolate on chilly afternoons. i love the sound of children’s LAUGHTER. i love holidays. i love a star-filled SKY. i love sunrises and sunsets. i love book stores and old libraries. i love peppermint mocha frappuccinos. i love the smell of RAIN and of fresh-cut grass. i love snuggling. i love how the WIND felt when i jumped from planes. i love scented bath gels and lotions. i love scout’s DEVOTION. i love scrapblog. i love the sound of the OCEAN crashing against the shore. i love warm BATHS with lots of bubbles. i love containers. i love photographs. i love paper and colored pencils. i love that my HUSBAND takes care of his family. i love finding MAGAZINES in my mailbox. i love GOD. i love finding Orion, Pleiades, and other works of ART in the night sky. i love smooth-writing pens. i love BOOKS with good stories. i love music that makes me sing. i love the quiet of the MORNING. i love four-day workweeks, better yet, four-day weekends. i love balmy SPRING nights at the outdoor mall. i love having FAITH. i love how the yoshino cherry trees look like billowing clouds of COTTON CANDY when they’re in bloom. i love homemade banana MILKSHAKES (my mother's recipe). i love the feeling i get on a good run (i miss that!). i love the smell of breakfast cooking in my kitchen. i love a Hershey’s KISS. i love how quiet the WORLD seemed as i drifted to the ground with only the soft fluttering of silk overhead. i love camping. i love WRITING. i love talking to my SISTERS. i love hearing what HANNAH has to say and just being with her. i love feeling JOYFUL. i love all of the eye CANDY in “Artful Blogging.” i love my blog friends, and i love visiting their sites. i love writing good grades on students' papers. i love clothes that fit. i love looking at PHOTOGRAPHS from years past. i love Valentine’s Day because it reminds me of LOVE.

It's a Match, Part 2

It's a big week in my household. It's not only the week of Valentine's Day, but it's also the week we celebrate our anniversary. Today marks our 18th year of married life!

From the beginning, odds may have been against us. On our first lunch date, his car was packed for a weekend of golf. Mine was packed for a weekend of skydiving. He talked about Alabama football. I talked about... skydiving. He enjoyed running. I enjoyed... skydiving. His family made sure he had a college education. I was still paying my way through school while juggling full- and part-time jobs.

But I liked him. Although I was admittedly confused about his passion for golf and college football.

After a few more dates, we clicked. I even became an Alabama fan, wearing crimson, which I was sure clashed with my hair. And he ventured to the airport with me a few times to watch me jump and to join me on a few flights.

He proposed on his parents' anniversary, right in the heart of 'bama territory. He figured that if I accepted his proposal at a football game, I would certainly understand his passion for Bama football and wouldn't hold it against him in the future.

We set our wedding date for the following April but moved it up to February when we found a house to buy. A small, white frame "cottage," it was definitely not the three-story house on the lake that we had first looked at!

It seems amazing that 18 years have passed since that special February day. Since then we have worked hard to build a home for our family and were blessed to welcome a daughter into our world five years after our marriage.

On the outside, one would not think our marriage was such a monumental event. We met, fell in love, and got married. It happens all the time to other people. But it was even more than that. My husband brought to me the kind of life of which I had dreamed. One of stability, of safety, and of love.

A man of few words, my husband speaks the language of love through actions more so than words. He helps take care of our home, washing clothes, cooking meals, keeping the grass mowed. He wakes up earlier than necessary to prepare my breakfast and package my lunch each and every day of the school year. And it's not just any breakfast or lunch. He is thoughtful enough to vary my meals, so I don't get tired of eating the same thing each day.

And even though he doesn't say much, he has often captured my heart with just a few simple words scribbled at the bottom of a card.

This man of few words is a man of many actions, and his actions speak louder than words. I wouldn't trade my 18 years of marriage for anything. I am blessed and happy to be his wife.

Happy Anniversary!

xoxo