Colorful Time Management

So many colors on my pallet-
How do I paint my day?
With loving strokes and thoughtful brushes- I painstakingly stay within the lines, scribble freely and form meaning from random blobs of color.
Morning teacher colors, afternoon student colors, evening wife colors...
I lace up my new purple running shoes- and time out the rest of my day - up early to school, 2 hours of class, and hour to lunch, 3 hours of wiki building, an hour of house cleaning, then 30 minutes to campus, then 2 hours of class, then 30 minutes of cardio, then home to out-of-town house guest...
I lug a black school bag
I sip a clear glass of water
I click the silver keys
I fold the whites and colors piled on my brown leather couch
I scarf yellow cheesy chicken
I dash out my big black doors
I kiss my husband's sweet red lips
I thank the good Lord as I lay my head down and drift peacefully and quickly into sliver-lined cloudy dreams...

What is Social Justice?

The first week of school is complete... and we all survived. Excited, intimidated, and ready for more... :)

Here is a little video I made from a chalk talk about social justice we did in class...

Alberta "Maggie" Hanson - My Grandma

My Grandma passed away this morning. She is in heaven now with her beloved twin sister- Roberta, "Bobbie," and her two beloved sons- Billy and Scott.

I wish I could have had more time with her. I will always cherish the memories I have of her and our time together. She loved this poem and loved the color purple. She loved to be silly like a clown and had a very mischievous laugh. She loved to make a big deal out of every event or even out of nothing. She loved to collect the things that made her happy. Everything she bought me for a long time was "our favorite color - lavender."

I feel sad and tired. My husband and my kitties are a blessed comfort. I am so lucky to have them. How lucky we are are for each of our days- how lucky we are to always look forward to tomorrow in this life and in the next.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples' gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

by Jenny Joeseph

And it begins...

The summer in review...
Moving to San Antonio
Setting up House
Parties in the Pool
Rides in the Hills
Blissful Married Days
Feathering the Nest
Fixing my Broken Nose
Healing my Fixed Nose
Exploring our New City
and NOWWWWWW

Beginning my new job at UTSA!
Training and meetings have begun and I have clicked away all day at my planning for my courses I will teach to university students.
Introduction to Teaching and Learning in a Culturally Diverse Society
And
Student Teaching Supervisor
I am excited about both courses- they will certainly keep me busy in addition to my three doctoral courses. YES, they certainly will.

My goals for this semester... are very simple
1. To survive and do my best
2. To take time to meet and get to know new friends and associates
3. To Exercise 5 out of 7 days a week and eat healthy
4. To connect with one extra-curricular activity- hopefully a christian exercise group. Lord knows I don't need to eat or drink anymore than I already do! ;)
5. To write

It's been in the hundreds for the past few days and boy do I feel the heat. I am looking forward to cooler days and meeting my students.

I know the dynamic of the high school classroom, the middle school classroom and the adult classroom... but I think this will be different. A young adult classroom of students- my hope it to connect with them and support their journey into the world of education, protect their precious inspiration and foster their fresh perspective. It will be good. I can just feel it.

A re-occurring dream...

For the past four nights, I have had a re-occurring dream.
I approach an antique trunk or a packing box, I reach inside and pull out a beautiful antique bottle wrapped in white paper.
I remove the paper and admire the bottle. Every night it is a different color- red, green, blue and last night it was white.
The bottle is empty and in my dream feel as if I have found a treasure no one else knew about.

I wonder why I have this re-occurring dream. Does this have a meaning? Or do I just want to find an antique bottle?

Have you ever had a re-occurring dream? Did you find a meaning in it?

God is Simple

From one who can sometimes get bogged and wrapped up in the details, I am sweetly reminded that- God is simple.
When your head is in a tizzy- stop the noise and remember that God is simple. period.
God is simple, any child can understand- God is Love.
Thoughts and illusions can sometimes carry one away from truth and reality and this is a waste of precious time...
God guides our steps. God loves us. God will always take care of us.
Taking time today to appreciate the perfect simplicities of the Lord's work-
Rain falling on a hot summer day
A family who cares for each other
Cool breezes and vibrant skies
A promise for today and a hope for tomorrow

God is good.
God is love.
God is simple.

Staycation

The quiet healing continues.
Time for my mind to clear and think and clear and think again.
This morning, counting blessings and praying for God's continued guidance as Neil and I begin to connect more and more to our new community.
Prayer finds me as soon as my eyes open each morning. With no alarm demanding, I dive into a deep solace of prayer and meditation to find a refreshing lens that lasts throughout the day.

I admire the view from inside these walls around me.
While there will always be work to be done and places to explore on the outside... sometimes life allows you a staycation- a time to focus on what's inside your own heart and home.
And this week, the view can't be beat.