You may remember me mentioning around this time last year (or the year before) that I like to finish the school year with a questionnaire for the kids. It helps them reflect on everything we've done and I like that it's a bit of a time capsule for them to read about later. It also helps me see where they are at overall so that I can strive to be a better parent and teacher in the coming years.
I want to share with you some of the answers they provided to this year's reflections.* Parts in parentheses are my personal comments and/or additions.
1. Name, date, grade completed.
S - 5/24/13, 12th grade
H - 5/23/13 (they all did it today, someone didn't check his calendar), 7th grade
I love to know that we are raising kids who seek out pure stuff to put in their eyes and ears. Let's face it, there is plenty of impurities in this world and they are inundated with that every day whether they seek it or not. Sometimes the darkness seems appealing and I'm not saying that our kids don't ever seek that stuff out for themselves -- we live in a sinful world and we all fall into temptation at times.
But this post is about an awesome moment I had with H this morning. He was listening to the radio through his iPod this morning and came running into me (writing the end of the year questionnaire for them to complete today -- nothing like last minute, ha) and asked me to listen to a song that was on at the moment.
In classic idiot-mom form, I said to him, "Do I have to do this right now? I'm trying to finish my stuff up."
I know my blogging lately has been sparse. I think mostly it's just been spring and lovely weather and I have a need to be out there doing stuff, enjoying the days and haven't had as much need to sit by my computer and write. Everything has a season, right?
The blogging season will return, I am sure of it.
In the meantime, the Lord has been bombarding me with a lot of good music and videos and other messages that draw me closer to Him. I'm loving it. So much I wish I could share here, but then don't take the time to do it.
For Mother's Day. my family got me, among other things, the new WOW 2012 CD compilation. I love the WOW CDs because they are like a compilation of my favorite songs from the year (last year).
I got through listening to disc two in the set today while driving N to school and near the end was the bonus track. The song is I Wonder by Leeland.
Honestly, I'd never heard of this group until today. Now, I can't wait to look for more of their songs.
There is something about this song, I Wonder, that because of the moment or where it caught me in my train of thought that just really moved me. I love the vulnerability of the lyrics and the music and now I'm anxious to hear my husband sing this song in his style and voice.
To me, the best songs are only made better by listening to him sing them. So hopefully, he'll jump at the opportunity to impress me (ha -- he does that every day) and learn this song. I'm hopefully anticipating the results.
In the meantime, here is the official video of the song to tide me over...
Listen. Enjoy. Don't mind the background people paid to sway (or so it seems in my cynical heart).
Update: I had heard of Leeland, I just didn't know it! They sing Follow You featuring Brandon Heath (another favorite of mine). See Leeland's website here. Take the About tab to read about their background. The three on stools (in video above) are siblings. How cool.
Say what you will about Amy Grant, but she was one of the first contemporary Christian artists and my preference for that kind of music is largely based on listening to her as a teenager (and Michael W. Smith). I can still go back to her early songs and just really reflect on points in my life where her music and life impacted me greatly.
Right now, she's got a new song out on the radio and once again, it matches me in this season of life. It's a great reminder for us as mamas (and as wives, daughters, sisters and friends). I heard that Amy wrote this song as a reminder for herself. Like her, I am definitely wired to please and I have to constantly remind myself of the theme in this song and that is that grace is given freely -- we cannot earn it.
Here's a video of Don't Try So Hard by Amy Grant for you...
So my readers probably all know by now that I enjoy writing. Some of you also know that I can go on and on in my posts, too. Fewer of you know that I also enjoy taking pictures -- mostly because I post so few of them here on my blog.
I have spent the past ten years or so, taking a lot of pictures. When the kids came, C upgraded my 35mm Pentax camera to a digital HP camera and I began documenting pretty much every day of their lives. I missed so much of their lives already that I didn't want to forget a single day that I got to spend with them. Well, I don't take pictures every day anymore (but still most of them) because the kids are older and less cooperative and they don't really change in appearance as much at this point from one day to the next.
Over the years, I've been blessed to go from that first HP to a Nikon Coolpix to a Nikon D90 DSLR with three lenses and a great tripod (add a couple video cameras in the mix). When people see my camera as almost a permanent fixture around my neck, I tell them that C doesn't get me jewelry like some husbands get their wives, he gets me camera equipment. It really suits me better anyway -- I like the usefulness of it and I'm not allergic to it like I am most jewelry.
In all this time, photographing our kids and wildlife and landscapes as opportunities arise, then adding in church and sporting events just for something else to do in my slow-paced, un-busy life (ha), I have been satisfied being a picture-taker. I snap pictures and photo journal, if you will, the goings on of life.
Over the years, I distanced myself from the word photographer. The word terrifies me.
