Last night was our first night of Student Leadership for 08/09.
Rory and I led the two groups in back-to-back mode, which is so cool. The JHers are so young and squirrely - but have these amazing insights that constantly surprise me. We have 10 (out of 17) new faces on board - I can't wait to see if a year mellows out the squirrels, and I can't wait to see these guys in all new situations - camps, Sundays, and hopefully Mexico!
The HSers of course were way more chill and sophisticated. :) They are such superstars too - as I looked around the room I could tell stories in my heart of the way they have served so much already - they are indeed the cream of the crop.
This could be my last year with SLeadership....in my heart I've purposed to finish with Abby's class which would make it a full 10 years in ministry with that group. Granted, the other classes tend to worm their way into my heart eventually too - so it might turn out that I can't leave until they're ALL gone! Anyhow, that will be interesting - this time next year will I be in SL? I wonder how clearly/strongly God will lead me on that one.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Graduation Countdown
365 days and counting until Abby graduates from high school.
We went to Legacy's graduation ceremony over the weekend. What struck me as we watched the baby-pictures-morphing-into-young-adult-pictures, and as we listened to the parents' exhortations and the graduates appreciation...was that next year that will be US. It will be slides of Baby Abby on screen - shots of her sweet childhood, sibling times, lisp-singing...and then the metamorphosis to this graceful, musical and radiant teen....
It will be Jon and I who have to nutshell her into 150 words. And then somehow manage to articulate through tears. And then stand there as she delivers 100 words back to us....
And then she'll leave us.
I think homeschooling might mean even more to me this time next year than it ever did. I'm wondering if there really is a saturation point in parenting - do you ever get tired of them? Is there ever a moment when you say - "OK! DONE! They know all they possibly could know and so WHOOSH! off they go." I think this time next year I will be glad to say - "I chose to use each moment to be with them - watch them grow - read with them - share adventures and laughter with them....not waste the days with them gone....because too soon they leave, regardless."
We went to Legacy's graduation ceremony over the weekend. What struck me as we watched the baby-pictures-morphing-into-young-adult-pictures, and as we listened to the parents' exhortations and the graduates appreciation...was that next year that will be US. It will be slides of Baby Abby on screen - shots of her sweet childhood, sibling times, lisp-singing...and then the metamorphosis to this graceful, musical and radiant teen....
It will be Jon and I who have to nutshell her into 150 words. And then somehow manage to articulate through tears. And then stand there as she delivers 100 words back to us....
And then she'll leave us.
I think homeschooling might mean even more to me this time next year than it ever did. I'm wondering if there really is a saturation point in parenting - do you ever get tired of them? Is there ever a moment when you say - "OK! DONE! They know all they possibly could know and so WHOOSH! off they go." I think this time next year I will be glad to say - "I chose to use each moment to be with them - watch them grow - read with them - share adventures and laughter with them....not waste the days with them gone....because too soon they leave, regardless."
Monday, June 9, 2008
So, here is a "before" and an "after" picture of my jawline. The "before" was taken the night before the surgery - my small group went out for "formal night along Kirkland waterfront", so I got to be happily distracted from my upcoming disfiguration. :)
They say "a lot can happen in a year" so I'm hoping my scar will shrink and fade in a year's time.
Friday, June 6, 2008
My Scarlet Letter
I have a scarlet letter to wear for the rest of my life. It is an "L", right on my jawline.
L is for LAME....someone who slathers themselves with baby oil and lays on the beach to fry, day after sunny day, year after year growing up in Newport Beach....oh, and without sunscreen....they are LAME.
L is for LOST....I lost a chunk of skin cancer yesterday and got 15 stitches instead.
L is for LAUGHTER....the kids still have that, and tease about finally getting to qualify for college scholarships because their mom "has cancer."
L is for LOVED....I feel that way because Jon is far more worried about my health than about my appearance. Sweetly and surprisingly encouraging to such an old woman as myself.
L is for LAME....someone who slathers themselves with baby oil and lays on the beach to fry, day after sunny day, year after year growing up in Newport Beach....oh, and without sunscreen....they are LAME.
L is for LOST....I lost a chunk of skin cancer yesterday and got 15 stitches instead.
L is for LAUGHTER....the kids still have that, and tease about finally getting to qualify for college scholarships because their mom "has cancer."
L is for LOVED....I feel that way because Jon is far more worried about my health than about my appearance. Sweetly and surprisingly encouraging to such an old woman as myself.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Goodbye Pastor Dave
Today at church I will wish I wore waterproof mascara.
I know I'll cry during Pastor Dave's "tribute service" or whatever the term is....it's his last service to lead worship before he leaves OCC. In honor of his 27 years there, the choir and orchestra will be reuniting and worshiping one last time together. I got a sneak peak at their rehearsal on Wednesday night and was bowled over by the amount of people on stage...amazing!! Amazed to think of that amount of people once having been a part of the OCC family... and now... gone - that's how I read the full stage.
I'm trying to be a big girl and recognize this moment as a glimpse of heaven - that when we are there, we will be reunited with faces that were precious to us, and we will worship together and it will be good and crowded and musical. (no tears then though!)
Anyhow, I think I grieve Pastor Dave's departure on a few levels. One, the immature level of me that hates change. :) Two, the level of me that recognizes a Good Man and the benefit of having one around. You really can't ask for a more righteous man than Pastor Dave, and sitting under his teaching or basking in his presence is really a blessing. I am SO GLAD that Katie got to work under him this past year as the choir pianist - God really saw ahead of the game on that one and knew to put her in that spot for a brief but blessed season! Thirdly, I think genetically I have a grief for losing part of the arts at our church - choir and orchestra. I think, being the granddaughter of a choral conductor, that my appreciation for a broader range of music transcends into a broader range of worship style (said conductor grandfather was also a worship pastor).
So, on all those levels - the immature, the respectful and the genetic - I will be wishing I had waterproof mascara today at church.
I know I'll cry during Pastor Dave's "tribute service" or whatever the term is....it's his last service to lead worship before he leaves OCC. In honor of his 27 years there, the choir and orchestra will be reuniting and worshiping one last time together. I got a sneak peak at their rehearsal on Wednesday night and was bowled over by the amount of people on stage...amazing!! Amazed to think of that amount of people once having been a part of the OCC family... and now... gone - that's how I read the full stage.
I'm trying to be a big girl and recognize this moment as a glimpse of heaven - that when we are there, we will be reunited with faces that were precious to us, and we will worship together and it will be good and crowded and musical. (no tears then though!)
Anyhow, I think I grieve Pastor Dave's departure on a few levels. One, the immature level of me that hates change. :) Two, the level of me that recognizes a Good Man and the benefit of having one around. You really can't ask for a more righteous man than Pastor Dave, and sitting under his teaching or basking in his presence is really a blessing. I am SO GLAD that Katie got to work under him this past year as the choir pianist - God really saw ahead of the game on that one and knew to put her in that spot for a brief but blessed season! Thirdly, I think genetically I have a grief for losing part of the arts at our church - choir and orchestra. I think, being the granddaughter of a choral conductor, that my appreciation for a broader range of music transcends into a broader range of worship style (said conductor grandfather was also a worship pastor).
So, on all those levels - the immature, the respectful and the genetic - I will be wishing I had waterproof mascara today at church.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
A Year Ago
Speaking of "a lot can happen in a year," I am remembering this time last year. It was a weekend full of nostalgic pain, as a former student of mine was killed in a car accident.
Amy was 25 when she died - a young bride heading off to UCLA's MBA program...full of life and hope and dreams and zest like no other. Dimples, strawberry blond hair, something in her eyes far more than a twinkle - almost a lightning bolt? or a shooting star? So bright - so magnetic for Christ - it's still hard to believe that a mere accident could snuff out a light like that.
So in a year's time my grief has gone from acute and piercing and confused....to a little duller and more "achy..." but still confused. To visit her memorial page and see her pictures (http://groups.google.com/group/remembering-amy) is to scratch the wound and let it bleed - so it's easier to not go there.
One thing I've taken away from her life and death is to really savor my children since there are no guarantees that we all see our 80th birthday. Too often we forget that - we think we are immune to the unexpected. Katie in particular reminds me of Amy - brilliant in mind and spirit, dimpled and zesty - I think in honor of Amy, Katie will be getting some extra kisses and hugs from her mom this week.
Amy was 25 when she died - a young bride heading off to UCLA's MBA program...full of life and hope and dreams and zest like no other. Dimples, strawberry blond hair, something in her eyes far more than a twinkle - almost a lightning bolt? or a shooting star? So bright - so magnetic for Christ - it's still hard to believe that a mere accident could snuff out a light like that.
So in a year's time my grief has gone from acute and piercing and confused....to a little duller and more "achy..." but still confused. To visit her memorial page and see her pictures (http://groups.google.com/group/remembering-amy) is to scratch the wound and let it bleed - so it's easier to not go there.
One thing I've taken away from her life and death is to really savor my children since there are no guarantees that we all see our 80th birthday. Too often we forget that - we think we are immune to the unexpected. Katie in particular reminds me of Amy - brilliant in mind and spirit, dimpled and zesty - I think in honor of Amy, Katie will be getting some extra kisses and hugs from her mom this week.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
After Five Years - New Chapter
Last night might have been my last night as a small group leader in Student Ministries.
I've led a group for the past five years, and have loved spending my Wednesday nights with junior highers - mostly 9th grade girls. I love being a part of the leadership, the laughter, and having that midweek shot-in-the-arm of worship and refocus. I love being inspired by the spiritual growth in young people, which is quite humbling and incredibly real. I owe whatever is young and fresh about me to the youth in NW3 - without them I would be undoubtedly a cranky crone.
However, I had felt a sense of change even before Pastor Jake posed a new opportunity before me. I've "felt my years" in a sense - felt that my age was more of an asset to the leadership (perhaps) than to your typical 9th grade girl. Understandably they want someone young, fun and cool....and I definitely only fit one of those qualifications!
Next year I think I'll like being the Small Group Floater Chick for both Fuel and Deeper. I'll get to connect to ALL the Student Ministry leaders and stay connected to ALL the students, which truly is a dream come true....I absolutely hate when students leave and they become a memory instead of a reality in my world. (no, I am not good with change!) In my wildest dreams/prayers I wish I could go to Houseboats AND Wenatchee, both retreats and Mexico too! For sure I will keep on with Student Leadership as my best connection to actual students.
But with every new phase in life you look at the old phase and wonder what parts about it you will painfully miss. I'm wondering if I'll miss that sense of belonging with all the other small group leaders - will my presence seem natural or awkward in my new role?
Next week might cement my resolve to move on to that new role: our last activity as 9th graders is to dress up in beautiful "prom dresses" (good night nurse! mine is 25 years old and a size 3 - no way in heck is that fitting), and we will walk around the Kirkland waterfront with ice cream cones. The "cement part" is that most of the girls are planning to jump off the dock into Lake Washington, and I'm sure the young, fun and cool leaders will jump too. I'm pretty sure it will be at that point where I KNOW it's time to move on! I'll tell you next week if I jump as well.
I've led a group for the past five years, and have loved spending my Wednesday nights with junior highers - mostly 9th grade girls. I love being a part of the leadership, the laughter, and having that midweek shot-in-the-arm of worship and refocus. I love being inspired by the spiritual growth in young people, which is quite humbling and incredibly real. I owe whatever is young and fresh about me to the youth in NW3 - without them I would be undoubtedly a cranky crone.
However, I had felt a sense of change even before Pastor Jake posed a new opportunity before me. I've "felt my years" in a sense - felt that my age was more of an asset to the leadership (perhaps) than to your typical 9th grade girl. Understandably they want someone young, fun and cool....and I definitely only fit one of those qualifications!
Next year I think I'll like being the Small Group Floater Chick for both Fuel and Deeper. I'll get to connect to ALL the Student Ministry leaders and stay connected to ALL the students, which truly is a dream come true....I absolutely hate when students leave and they become a memory instead of a reality in my world. (no, I am not good with change!) In my wildest dreams/prayers I wish I could go to Houseboats AND Wenatchee, both retreats and Mexico too! For sure I will keep on with Student Leadership as my best connection to actual students.
But with every new phase in life you look at the old phase and wonder what parts about it you will painfully miss. I'm wondering if I'll miss that sense of belonging with all the other small group leaders - will my presence seem natural or awkward in my new role?
Next week might cement my resolve to move on to that new role: our last activity as 9th graders is to dress up in beautiful "prom dresses" (good night nurse! mine is 25 years old and a size 3 - no way in heck is that fitting), and we will walk around the Kirkland waterfront with ice cream cones. The "cement part" is that most of the girls are planning to jump off the dock into Lake Washington, and I'm sure the young, fun and cool leaders will jump too. I'm pretty sure it will be at that point where I KNOW it's time to move on! I'll tell you next week if I jump as well.
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