My Momma

Many people think their mother is the best in the whole world; that is the subject of most Mothers' Day cards. On this Mothers' Day weekend, let me tell you about my momma.

You see my momma is not the most intelligent person in the world, not the most beautiful, not the wittiest, the wealthiest, not famous, well-known, or popular. By some standards, my mother might not be considered to be very successful in life as her wealth or influence may not be very far-reaching like those in business, government, or show-biz.

But, my momma is:

• beautiful- I know she thinks I'm a bit strange, but I have always (from my earliest remembrances) admired her hands. She thinks they're just ordinary-looking hands. She's even commented once or twice that they're ugly. But to me, they're beautiful. Those hands diapered my bottom, bathed me, fixed my "boo-boos," took care of me when I was sick, wiped away my tears, held me when I was frightened, hung up with pride my photos, cards, and many other "mementos" made by me, clapped and cheered for me at school concerts, recitals, graduations, squeezed my hand when I was in labor, and so much more than I could think of or list here. Now that I'm grown and far away, she uses her hands to send me cards, to call me, and when I come home- to cook my favorite foods. My momma expresses her love for me through her hands, and when I hold her hands or look at them, I see that love. My momma is beautiful- no matter what she thinks. :)
• intelligent- My momma may never have finished a college degree but to me she is one of the most intelligent people I know. She is self-taught- she learned to play the piano and improved her skills through self-training, practice, and hard work. She has learned to do so many jobs and has so many skills because she is so smart! She has held jobs that many people with "the training" could not do, and she works at a pace that most people can not. She has studied the Bible, and with God's help, gained insight far beyond what I can comprehend. She has lived a life that has thrown her many "hard knocks," but she has always tried to learn a lesson and be better for it. My momma is very intelligent!
• able to laugh- No, she is no comedian extraordinaire, but my momma has shown me that being able to laugh can get you through many tough times.
• rich- She may not leave much $ behind when her time comes, and she certainly doesn't live in a fancy home or drive an expensive car, wear lots of jewels and designer clothes. But, my momma has a treasure stored up for her in heaven that I don't think she even can comprehend. I can't wait until the day when the Lord presents her with her heavenly treasure. I know she will be shocked at what He has in store for her. She has lived a life of giving, sacrifice, and servant hood here on earth- even when she didn't want to or it was hard. I know she thinks she's failed a lot at this and that she hasn't been a good example. But she has; she has taught me that you have to give even when it's hard and even when you don't have it in you to do so. She is also rich because she has a family that loves her and people that care about her and see God in her. You can't trade anything on earth for these riches.
• influential- My momma has an influence that will go on into eternity. She has lived a life that, although not perfect, is still an example of how to walk for God. She has greatly influenced my life, the life of my husband, and now, my children. She has instilled a love for God, for life, for others, on us all. She has shown God to countless co-workers, people in far-away places, family members, neighbors, friends, and only God knows where these little rays of light have gone since she "shone" in their lives.
• faithful- to God and to her family. Even when other family members didn't believe in me, my momma didn't give up on me. She stood behind me when I wanted to get married at a very young age, when I went to college, when I got pregnant and became a mother yet again. She never gave up on me no matter what has come my way- unplanned pregnancies, homelessness (if it hadn't been for my parents), financial problems, car problems, health problems... She has listened to me cry/complain/vent about student's issues and my own kids. :) She has put up with me when I was being a baby, a brat, or just selfish. She has cheered for me when times were good and held me up when times were not. I know that no matter what happens in this life, I can depend on my momma. No, she may not like everything I do or say or choose, but she won't turn her back on me.

You can say what you want about your mother, and of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but as for me, I know that my momma is truly, the best.

I love you Momma! Happy Mothers' Day now and always,

Your Rebekah Rose, Becky-Boo, Beka

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Thank God for our neighbor- the same one we believe was shooting his gun in the street a couple weeks ago over a broken streetlight and that called the city on our cat- but thank God for him anyway. Today, he very neighborly loaned us the use of his tiller so that we could start a garden. Rob tilled the nicest garden patch we've ever had! While Matthew was at his baseball game, Robert and I worked together to plant: sunflowers and marigolds in the back and around the garden, two kinds of corn, three kinds of peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, and lots of tomatoes. I planted some hostas and kind of threw together a flower bed by the carport where Rob took out some half dead bushes for me. I also planted an herb garden; I've always wanted one of those! It's not planted prettily or neatly, but kind of like me- a thrown together, grow where it landed and bloom where you're planted garden. Hopefully it will still be pretty, smell good, and give us some fresh herbs for cooking this summer. I pray that God will bless our puny, and not-very-educated efforts at gardening with lots of fresh food this summer to save us on our grocery bill and to bless our neighbors, pastor(s), friends, and whomever we can.

My garden will never make the cover or even the fine print of Better Homes & Gardens and no one will ever "ooh" & "aah" at my ability or green thumb, but it was fun to work with my son, especially on this Mothers' Day weekend. And it will be yummy and healthy later, I pray and hope.

"It's Okay"

(For my little Denise, who will never know that she was used to teach me one of the most important lessons in life )

If I had forgotten, I was reminded today that even teachers and adults learn! More importantly I learned that the Creator of the universe knows where I am and even with all the things He has on his busy daily planner and to do list, He can still take time to see the smallest, least important person, need, detail... Yeah, God, I know. Even as I type this, He is reminding me of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. He knows even when the birds die. He was watching my classroom today! That is such an awe-ing, humbling thought I cannot hardly wrap my mind around it.

As I've done this "egg"unit with my class, I wanted them to understand a couple really important ideas. First I taught them (and they really got this one) that even though we couldn't see it, there was a baby chick growing inside that egg. We were able to use an overhead projector to "candle" the eggs and we could "see" the chick growing & moving inside the egg. It was a wonderful experience for the kids and for me! According to the "official" national curriculum that I was loaned with the incubator the "embryo" doesn't become a chick until it pokes its little beak through the air space at the end of the shell and begins the hatching process. Well, that may be what the national curriculum writers say, but it's not what I taught my kids. I taught my kids the Truth according to the correct "Manual." I also worked hard to teach the kids that life brings ups and downs, and not all creatures survive in "this old world" of ours. I have taught and retaught and reminded the children many times throughout this unit that not all the eggs would develop and that not all the chicks would live. I have been very concerned that they not be overly upset by the concept of death through this project. I have reminded them that death is "part of life." I am probably overly sensitive to this topic since my own dad died when I was a child, but I wanted to help them understand this in a healthy way.
Well, today when I arrived at school, we had several chicks that had not survived the night, and several that had been born not quite completely developed and ready. The children had not arrived yet so we quickly moved the incubator up out of their sight. Thanks to many coworkers that came to our rescue, we were able to get the kids to a "safe" place, deal with the dead and dying baby chicks, clean up the mess... Throughout the day, we worked to dry off the sick chicks and tried to nurse them as much as we could. The kids were WONDERFUL!!! I am so VERY proud of them! They took all of this in stride, and reminded me (literally) that "this is just part of life."

Here is where the Lord comes in. While trying to play nurse, vet, or e.r. doctor, my little Denise came up to me and spoke to me. She didn't just talk to me like any other of my kids. She really spoke to my heart. Let me explain. Denise is a Spanish speaker. She barely knows any English and cannot, yet, speak English more than to name a handful of objects or colors. She mostly speaks to us in Spanish and is starting to use an English word paired with lots of Spanish words to try to communicate to us. This little child, touched my shoulder to get my attention, looked me deep in the eyes, and said, "Mrs. Thomas, it's okay." I replied something and started back to work. She repeated this once more, smiling at me very tenderly when she said it. I said something about "yes, it was okay..." and gave her a quick little smile and hug and went back once again to my work. But, Denise touched me again, looked at me and smiled, and said, "Mrs. Thomas, it's okay. Okay?" I know this will sound like nothing extraordinary to most people and to anyone that might know the child. To me, it had to be the voice of God speaking through a little girl from Mexico. It was His words and His smile and His heart that he put into my little Kinderchild to tell me that it was okay. I got it that time. I stopped what I was doing, hugged her tightly, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "Yes, Denise it is okay." Then she went on with her day. Once I got it, she was done. It had to be God. It had to be the Creator getting my attention and letting me know that it was okay. Okay? Okay for what? I don't know. Maybe okay to be upset about some dumb, silly chicks; okay to care that the life I watched and helped hatch one day ago had not lived; okay to care that my kinders might be hurt or saddened; okay to care so much; okay to be "tender-hearted" as so many have called me this week; okay to be me; okay to be just the way I am- the way He must have made me for some strange reason that only He knows, but I will understand someday; okay to be Rebekah.

I posted this on my class website tonight as part of today's "summary" for parents- One thing I've been re-taught today- life is hard sometimes, but there is always good if you look. In the end, "it's okay!" Okay to be sad, to cry, to feel disappointment. Okay, to be happy, to cheer, to feel enthusiasm.

I've thought about it some more. There isn't always good if you look. There's always God if you look. May I always find God wherever I look. And may I remember that "it's okay." May I never forget today's school lesson.

Waiting Room Nerves

Please join me in the waiting room. :) I am nervous and excited!!! Today was "Hatching Day" in my classroom, and my children and I (as well as much of the school) have been eagerly awaiting this day. Since I have never done this project before, I was not quite sure what too expect. We all kept checking the incubator every few minutes hoping to see a chick. It must be hard work to break through all that! By day's end (which was 6 PM for me today), I saw six eggs with their first pip marks. I could hear the chicks chirping too through their shells and through the incubator! I can't wait to go back and see what we have in the morning. We did have one early hatcher that didn't survive, and we had to talk about life today. I was very proud of my students. I was more upset about this death than they were. One little kinderkid told me, very sweetly, "It's okay, Mrs. Thomas; that's part of life." :) Guess they do listen to me, huh? :) I am so grateful and thankful that a couple coworkers came and helped me. One lady, LeAnne, did the "dirty" work of opening up the eggshell a bit and looking at the baby chick. And Sarah helped me make the decision of whether it was alive or not. I hated that part!!! But, as my little one reminded me, this is part of life. Not all creatures survive or live a full life.
Thanks God, for the life you've given me and the opportunity to be a part of my kinderkids' lives!