Spiritual Potty Training

I’ve been processing the maturity of Christians recently and came up with an analogy I think works pretty well. I was thinking about what would equate to the maturity of Christians which would be outrageous if we did this in our current society. I started to think about potty training. Maybe I’ve cared for children a little too long when I can create an entire analogy based around the excretion of body fluids, but the more I thought about it the more I saw the connection in the analogy. 

I began thinking about how infants don’t know better than to relieve themselves at any moment and any time. They have yet to gain control over themselves and find nothing wrong with making a mess of themselves. As a society we provide a socially acceptable solution to their lack of control by diapering the infant. In the same way I was thinking of non-believers who have never heard of the word of God. Not that we physically diaper them, but we realize they are going to defecate and understand how they can see no problem with this act, but want to help them. They do not see it as disgusting and not a problem - after all, this is how they were made.

Then when the individual becomes a Christian they notice the sin they have lived in and committed and become disgusted with their choices and would like to change. This is the start of potty training where the child becomes aware that when they relieve themselves it is uncomfortable and want to be changed, but are still unable to change themselves. The training begins at this stage. The child is shown the potty is the place to go in order to not make a mess of themselves. The trick now is to go to the potty BEFORE they relieve themselves. As a Christian this is where we realize what leads to sin and change the way we live to not commit sin. 

Occasionally there are accidents and fortunately for the child they have loving parents who will help them clean themselves as well as help them recognize the early signs before they have an accident. The awesome thing is our Heavenly Father is the same way. We may still have a consequence to our sin, but the Holy Spirit is here to help us learn to avoid sin and what to do with sin that is committed - take it to God and let him flush it away.

Think now of the mature Christian who is able to recognize when they have sin and what they do with it - they immediately take their sin to the toilet and flush it away by asking God for forgiveness and letting go of the sin. Once a child is potty trained the child should have fewer and fewer accidents the older the child becomes until they are fully potty trained. This is process is the same for Christians.

I began thinking about the age of when children are potty trained. I began thinking about how most children by the age of two have began potty training, usually by the age of four have very few accidents, and hopefully by age six (hopefully sooner) have mastered controlling their bowels. Imagine if there were a twenty year old who has been toilet trained, but refuses to use the toilet. This would not only be a huge societal faux pas but society members would not be as patient with them as we would with a three year old. Unfortunately there are people who never reach the spiritual potty training because they are okay with their occasional accidents, let alone don’t mind to master what needs to be done to prevent accidents.

I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad I’m physically potty trained and have fewer and fewer spiritual potty training accidents. 

Life

As my 29th birthday approaches next month I begin to think back to when I was 12 years old and someone asked me what I thought my life would be like in 15 years. Of course my idea of living on a cruise ship traveling around the world married to a chef who would bring home wonderful dishes he'd prepared for dinner was a bit out there in dream land, but at the same time when I realistically thought about where I'd be has ended up not nearly as close as I thought it would be.

I guess that's the hardest part about growing older... the realization life will not be as perfect as we plan it to be. I think it was the movie Curly Sue where the main character tells his daughter how they can dream themselves into a million dollars and a mansion, but until they start acting it's not going to happen. It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but the point is a good one. Of course sitting around making wishes isn't going to accomplish much so getting up and acting is going to be more beneficial, but there is something else the main character in Curly Sue missed... seeking God's will.

I can think about where I wanted to be and how far away from this dream I actually am, but then I have to stop myself from feeling sorry for myself and realize where God has lead me and how I've been obedient. No matter how far from my own dream I may feel I am I know I'm right where God wants me.

When I think about my obedience to God I can't complain about where I am in life and how far away from my own plan I've ended up. I've learned I can have a plan, but when God chooses to change it I know to follow his plan. I choose to make this choice for two reasons: (1) in the end God's plan is always better than what I've planned and (2) I know I'm going to end up where God leads so I might as well go the first time I'm asked. I've read about Jonah... I know what God can do and, frankly, I don't want to spend any time inside a fish.

"Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."  

Jonah 1:17

If you've read Jonah you know Jonah ended up going where God asked, but resented the reason he was sent. This is another area where I'd like to part ways with Jonah. I'd like to recognize the ways God is using me in places I'd rather not be.

Nail Designs

I was once told I have a story for everything. The more I thought about it I realized I do have a story for everything. Maybe it's because I want to share the meaning. Maybe it's because I like to talk. Maybe it's a combination of both. Regardless of the reason here are some nail designs I've done in the past few months and a little meaning behind the design. 

Cow Spots

My sister likes cows (well, specifically their spots) and had asked me to paint her toe nails. We've experimented with the spot colors, but we both like the traditional white with black spots the best. On this occasion she was going on a week long vacation so I decided to paint my nails to match. We both had so many compliments on our nails. Who knew so many people would like cow spotted nails?

Plaid Nails 

This plaid design sparked my creativity. I've even created a how to video to instruct my niece how to copy this design. Start with a solid color. Add a plaid design with 3 stripes going in each diagonal direction. Add a second color of strips in between the first stripes. Simple, yet it looks so complicated at first. A steady hand is helpful, but if you look closely, you'll see not all the stripes are perfectly straight, but you can't tell because there are so many stripes. 

Princess Nails 

I started with a solid pink as the back drop to this design. I added pink glitter plaid (just like the first color in the Plaid Nails design) and then used a magenta pink to add the dots in the middle of the plaid formed diamonds. I loved the way my nails sparkled. I felt like a princess all week with my sparkly pink nails.  

Ladybug Nails

This little girl likes ladybugs. How could I not put a rainbow of ladybugs on her nails? I've copied this design on my own nails. It is so easy to do and gets so many compliments. I like when the ladybugs go in different directions, but they are just as cute if they all go in the same direction. 

Vintage Rose Buds

The Vintage Rose Buds is a design I copied from Pintrest. I'll do my best to describe how I made the rose buds, but I'm not sure how well I can paint the picture with my words. For each rose bud start with  your lighter color and make two "C" shapes so the tails of the "C" interlock with each other. So you end up with a lopsided circle-ish shape. Then do the same thing with the darker color on top, but 90 degrees of the original interlocking "C" shapes and spaced out a little so they are not so close together so you can see the first "C's" interlocking. I liked this design. The only down side is it takes a while to master the design and it takes a while to do. This is one of the longer to complete designs I've done recently.

Broken Arm Nail Design

Okay, I know the title of this design is not very creative, but it is what it is. When I had a cast on my arm I still wanted to paint my nails. After all, I was sitting around doing nothing, so I might as well paint my nails and then sit around and let them dry. My doctor requested I not paint my right nails because he needed to see if my nails were changing colors and not with paint. To compromise my desire to paint my nails and to honor my doctor's request I used clear polish as my starting base. With the limited motion of my casted arm I knew my design had to be fairly simple. I had three stripes in one direction and two stripes in the other. The picture is hard to see the details, but with a casted arm this was the best I could do. This design allowed my doctor to look at my nails without having to remove my polish. Not to mention the nurses all raved on my creativity. 

Vanuatu Flag

My friends are missionaries in Vanuatu and their family is going to celebrate their completion of translating the Bible in Naavar. The 11 year old asked for the Vanuatu colors and I suggested we paint the flag. We googled the flag and I copied what I could (the blue is actually green, but the lighting changed it to a blue color). After talking to my friend in Vanuatu via Facebook she told me a little about the flag. Here's what Wikipedia says about the Vanuatu flag:

The flag of Vanuatu was adopted on February 13, 1980.

When the Vanua'aku Party led the country to independence as Vanuatu in 1980, the colors of the party flag - red, green, black and yellow - were chosen to be the basis for the national flag. A parliamentary committee chose the final design based on submissions from local artists.

The green represents the richness of the islands, the red is symbolic of the blood of boars and men, and the black of the ni-Vanuatu people. Vanuatu's Prime Minister requested the inclusion of yellow and black fimbriations to make the black stand out. The yellow Y-shape represents the light of the Gospel going through the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean (Vanuatu is approximately 90% Christian).

The emblem in the black is a boar's tusk - the symbol of prosperity worn as a pendant on the islands - along with two leaves of the local namele fern. The leaves are supposed to be a token of peace, and their 39 fronds represent the 39 members of Vanuatu's legislative assembly.

Cool, right? I love the Y represents what my friends have been doing for the past 10 years!

American Flag

My sister and I will be in Washington DC for the 4th of July and figured we might as well show our patriotic side with American Flag nails. Here I was experimenting with a few different ways we could paint our nails. It worked out well and we will be sporting our patriotism in our nation's capital this 4th of July. Happy Birthday America!

Tasty Strawberries

Okay, okay, these are not real strawberries. In fact they aren't all that tasty, but they are super cute! A fun summer design.

Thank's Pintrest

I found this design on Pintrest and loved the concept. The picture doesn't do this design justice. The pointers are silver (which you can clearly see) and my other fingers (and thumbs) are pink. What you can't really see are the dots in a swirly pattern in the opposite color. Super cute and hard to make a mistake. If you make a dot where you didn't want it, just add another dot to follow along. Simple and fun.

Rainbow Nails

This little girl loves to have Miss Alice paint her nails. On this particular day we didn't have much time, so we decided to paint her nails while she was in her car seat waiting for her siblings to get out of school. She had to stay still long enough she ended up falling asleep while I was painting her rainbows! Talk about a challenge - tiny 4 year old nails while she is sleeping and kept clinching her fists! In the end they turned out so cute. When she woke up she was so happy to see her rainbows! 

Boston Red Sox

My sister is a Boston Red Sox fan. When she was heading out to go to Boston she asked if I could paint the Red Sox logo on her toes... apparently I can.

Cupcake Nails

Another Pintrest inspired nail design. A lot of the cupcake designs on Pintrest included a cherry, but who puts cherries on their cupcakes? Cherries are for ice cream, not cupcakes! I figured I'd give this design a try for my birthday and I'm very pleased. 

Pick A Color Any Color...

Here is just part of my nail polish collection. The top row are special stripe polishes with thin brushes. My collection is ever growing because I think of a design and need to add a color or two. I think I may have a problem with how many nail polishes I have, but then again if I didn't have this many I couldn't create my fun nail designs. 

Glass Bottle

I have tried using many different bottles to help with the eco factor as well as the save money by refilling the same bottle factors. My trouble came when I tried a few different kind, but I don't like them for various reasons. 

I started with the plastic bottles, but I don't like the aftertaste they leave not to mention the funny smell. I had friends tell me it was because I wasn't getting the right one (I needed to make sure they were BPA free). I got the ones they suggested (as in more than one because there are quite a few out there), but still no luck on the after taste and funny smell. Another friend suggested using metal water bottles. Although those were better, they still had a funny aftertaste. I did like how the metal water bottles I got came with a sleeve so it helped with the sweat my cold drinks would give off, but I couldn't get past the funny smell and after taste.

I had heard glass bottles don't give off the funny smell or have that icky after taste. The downside was I had became so frustrated with the cupboard full of water bottles I gave up searching for a water bottle I could use to be eco friendly. A few months ago I was visiting with a friend who had been diagnosed with cancer and had made life altering decisions to help fight her cancer. Among changing her diet and consuming an insurmountable amount of pills she is also very aware of anything chemically that can aide in the spread of her cancer and avoids it at (almost) all cost. One of those things is only drinking from glass containers. At the cancer treatment center they have the lifefactory glass bottles and after a discussion about how fantastic this bottle is I made a comment on how I would love to have a bottle that wouldn't leave the funny after taste or have that water bottle smell that makes me not want to drink anything from that bottle. She told me she would get one for me, but knowing all that she is going through I figured she would forget, which is totally understandable, not to mention she doesn't need to get me anything. After all, I could be doing more for her and her family during this time - even if she insists I do so much already - there is always more I can do to help.

It's now a few months later and I was so excited when she gave me my bottle tonight. I haven't had a chance to drink from it, and realized I should have waited to make a blog post about my new glass bottle, but I'm just so excited I had to share.

My new pearl white glass bottle.

I am SO excited about my new glass bottle! I love that it has a wide mouth to it so I can add ice cubes and easily pour into the bottle. I love the pearl white color. Although there were many other great colors to chose from - I love the white color. I do love white and it's a pearl color so it has a shiny tint to it... what could be better? I guess the fact it has the dots in the silicone sleeve which are like the polka dots I love so much (heck, I wrote a whole blog about polka dots!). I'm so excited about my new glass bottle and I'm excited to have a reminder to pray for my friend every time I use my new non-funny smelling, non-yucky aftertaste glass bottle.

Thank you friend (you know who you are)!

UPDATE:

Oh, how I love this glass bottle! It is so wonderfully awesome I can't tell you how much I love it!

First of all, the handle on the lid is amazingly awesome. I can easily hold on to it with three fingers - or one finger if I'm holding other things. Then when I take it off to drink it easily fits on my three fingers while I hold onto the bottle with the same hand without any drops of my drink getting anywhere... awesome! I was a little concerned about having to take the top off each time I drink and juggling with the cap and the bottle, but it was so easy to do... even while driving! Again... AWESOME! The design of this bottle is amazingly wonderful.

I loved drinking from it so much I needed to refill it by the time I got to work! I'm getting more liquids than before... bonus! In the morning I poured in some tea and thought, "Dude (yes, I call myself dude), I could totally add some cranberry juice and have some awesome tea right now!" FYI, it was SO delicious! Try it! I also loved how at lunch I was able to fill it with soda from the soda machine - with ice and all (of course I paid for it, although I had a few dirty looks from onlookers -  I had my receipt to show I paid for a drink, but didn't need the paper cup)!

The only downside is I'm still getting used to the wide mouth while drinking. While driving I was overly excited about drinking and holding my lid all in one hand I didn't notice the break lights ahead of me and in the process of drinking I slammed on my breaks all the while still drinking. Needless to say I had tea all down the front of me, but it dried and no one could tell (except I'm now telling the world... but you won't tell, right?). I'm hoping I will learn how to drink from a big girl bottle soon and won't need to get the flip top lid or the sippy lid they offer on the Lifefactory website (which is amazing, right?!).

What I'm super duper excited about is the taste of my drink... it's the taste of my drink! All day yesterday I was trying to use my bottle for different things only using water to rinse it out... and you know what... I only tasted the new drink I poured in! How fantastic is that? With my old water bottles I'd use water to rinse it out, but the new drink would taste like the old drink plus the icky taste. The true test came when I put water fountain water in my bottle. I'm not a fan of water fountain water. I don't like the taste (it's got that metal worse than tap water taste), but last night I wanted to try it out. It wasn't my favorite, but drinkable. It was so drinkable I actually didn't pour it out and get something else. This morning I looked at my half drank water bottle with water fountain water and thought, "Man, I wish I could drink you and you'd be drinkable like last night, but you'll probably have a funny taste and be REALLY gross." I figured why not go for it and try it... I was so surprised to taste and see it was the same as last night! Still not my favorite water to drink, but it didn't have the yucky taste like my other water bottles would have the next day! I then was thinking about how it's actually not THAT bad and if nothing else I could drink that water fountain water again.

The only down side is I am a little concerned about dropping it - it is glass after all. I know there is the protective silicone sleeve, but I'm still worried about dropping it. Last night I was caring a lot of things in from the car: my phone, laptop, and glass bottle in my hands among other items. As I'm juggling all these things I rank what I would want to save first, second, third and so on if I needed to drop something. I then laughed at myself as I thought, "Save the bottle, then computer, then phone..." WHAT??? A glass bottle I can replace for $8 (lid and sleeve would probably be okay), but drop the $2,000 computer???? Obviously it's not like I'm choosing what I'd drop, but if I'm willing to mentally save the glass bottle before the computer I either really love my water bottle or have lost my mind! Fortunately, I was able to make it to the house without dropping anything and mentally scolded myself for not thinking computer then bottle.

Moral of the story: I love my glass bottle!

The Blanket

If you know me then you know I've been one busy woman lately. I'm trying to blog more often, but I can hardly find the time to sit down and think of what I'd like to say let alone actually formulate what I'd like to say and actually post it to my blog! When I blog I like to include a picture, so most of the time when there is something for me to blog about and I don't have a picture I just don't blog about what ever it was going to be. There was one thing this week I thought was interesting and figured it might be worth blogging about. I didn't get a picture, but I found one on google to help me out.

I was babysitting this week for a family I've known for a while. When their now four year old was a new born I would put her in what we called "the blanket" - also known as a baby wrap. She would want to be held, but I would need to help the older kids with homework or make lunch or do anything else that would need a hand or two. The baby wrap was great! So great in fact I got two of them and put one in the church nursery where it has been used and borrowed by many. When the now four year old was about two years old she would call the wrap "the blanket" and the name has stuck. 

I haven't used "the blanket" in a while because the babies have grown up to be big kids. I have loaned out "the blankets" to friends with new borns and even used it once while dog-sitting when the dog was afraid of the wind and wanted to be held all day.

Okay, so here it is. The baby wrap with a dog in it. 

Sure this may be the silliest thing you've ever seen, 

but if it works why not go with it!

Anyhow, I had "the blanket" in my car to return to the nursery from a friend borrowing it, but hadn't had a chance to remember to put it away. This past week I was babysitting and while driving around after taking the kids roller skating (which would be another blog in itself - try taking a 4 year old skating and try not to fall yourself!) the four year old who named "the blanket" fell asleep in her car seat. We needed to go into the store and I was faced with waking her up, leaving her in the car with her 11 year old sister (which I was highly debating against), or using "the blanket" and taking her into the store to continue her nap. 

I wasn't sure if she'd be too big since it has been at least a year since we've last used it, but figured why not try the side hold. I wasn't going to leave her in the car with her sister, so she'd be woken up either way, but at least this way she might get more of a nap (she was SO warn out from skating... or should I say falling and getting up only to fall again). The 11 year old helped me get her into the wrap and off we went.

The side hold with a baby wrap for those 

who have NO idea what I'm talking about.

With the wrap there are multiple holds you can use

and on this day I used the hip hold or side hold.

It wasn't until we were in the store she groggily wakes up and asks where we were. I told her we were in the store and we are almost ready to leave. She then lays her head back on my shoulder and mumbles... "I like the blanket." 

I love baby items you can use from infancy to 4 years old! I wonder how much longer I could use "the blanket" with her. I'm guessing not much longer considering her feet were dangling at my knees! (Again, for those who know me and know I'm not the tallest person you'll ever meet this isn't surprising. In fact I've had many conversations with this four year old on how little I am. One of our conversations included a debate on why I should have a car seat when I'm driving because I'm so "little.") I think it's time for "the blanket" to be passed on to new babies, but it's good to know I can use it with a four year old if I need to! 

Trust with "BLIND" Faith

Tonight I had a very personal object lesson in trusting the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on my own understanding. Let me explain a little background before I get into the actual object lesson.

I have a friend who is blind. His name is Daniel and he's an amazing guy. He is more than just a blind man. He has a heart to serve and seeks every opportunity to help. People often ask how he became blind and I don't remember exactly what it was that caused him to need a surgery when he was an infant, but the scar on the side of his head implies it was a major surgery. The result was he was healed of what caused the need of surgery, but he is now blind. I knew of Daniel a few years ago from church, but our friendship has really blossomed in the past few months. We attend the same service and when he was asked about coming to Bible study he informed us it's difficult for him to come to church because he needs rides and someone to guide him. Myself and others in the young adult Bible study worked out a way for Daniel to be a part of our group no matter when or where we meet. This has been a blessing for not only Daniel, but our entire group.

Part of having Daniel in our group allows us to ask questions about being blind and learning of the tools he uses to help him live life. For example, a few weeks ago we were in a restaurant and the topic of signing for a credit card came up. For us sighted people we take for granted we can see the little line on the paper and give our signature. We asked Daniel what he does in this instance (he usually pays with cash and uses a special system for his money by folding the bills different ways and has learned the different feel of coins to distinguish between them - imagine counting out your money with YOUR eyes closed!). He said he has learned how to write his initials when asked for his signature, but has a credit card sized card with a rectangle cut out to use as a guide.

When Daniel needs to sign his signature he asks the clerk to place the card where he needs to sign and uses the rectangular cut out as a guide. Curious we asked if he would show us. We pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and placed the card on the paper. He then blew us a way when he moved the card after signing his name and gave his same signature without the card and it was written just as neatly as it was with the card - if not neater! We asked if we could try to sign our names with our eyes closed using his special card. A few of us did a decent job with only being a little crooked in writing our signatures with our eyes closed and only used the rectangular shape as a guide. We all laughed at the person who wasn't able to judge the spacing and could only sign half of his name. It has been fun and interesting to learn of the tools Daniel has to help him with everyday activities we take for granted. Most of the time we just watch and listen in awe of all the tools and the special systems he has. Tonight I had the opportunity to be "blind" and fully depend on someone else for five minutes. 

After our Bible study at a restaurant we were walking to the parking lot when the conversation came up again, for the hundredth time, of the time I led Daniel off a curb because I forgot I was leading him (I'm sure I will never live this down!). As we were all laughing, for the hundredth time, Daniel starts reaching for his cane and says, "Why don't I lead you? Then you will know what it is like." Instantly I find myself closing my eyes super tight so I wouldn't be tempted to peek and saying, "OKAY! Let's do this!" 

Side note: I didn't get permission to use other names beside's Daniels in this blog entry, so I will use initials for the others who were in the group. 

At this point I hear C, A, and K laughing and then saying things like, "Oh, we are really going to do this through the parking lot?!?" and "Here's your chance to get her back for leading you off the curb!" Before I could even really process what was going to happen I hear Daniel tell me to hold his hand. The only problem was my eyes were closed and I could tell he was near, but I couldn't tell exactly where he was. So, on one arm I have my purse in the crook of my arm and am holding three Bibles to return to the church. The other hand is franticly searching for Daniel who at this point has clicked his cane into place. Although we hadn't moved I could have sworn the world was spinning around me. I couldn't tell which direction I was facing and a tinge of panic overcame me. After finding Daniel's arm and holding onto his elbow (like he does when we lead him) he starts moving. 

Here it goes. There's no turning back now!

My eyes are tightly closed and I'm holding onto Daniel with one hand and Bibles with the other. What more can I do, but walk? So, off we went. One step, then two. I'm getting the hang of this. Another step followed by another. I hear C, A, and K talking and giggling at the sight of the blind leading the "blind." I hear the clicking of the cane tapping the ground as I'm being pulled into a direction I could have sworn was the wrong way! I wanted to open my eyes to make sure, but thought, "No! Don't do it! Daniel doesn't have the choice to open his eyes and see what is going on. You better not open your eyes!" I then hear A or K yell out, "YOU'RE HEADED FOR A PARKED CAR!" and I'm jerked into another direction as the clicking of the cane finds the car. I knew we had made it past the main crossing of the parking lot and now we're near the cars. At this point I'm a little concerned as my mind starts thinking about being led into the busy street by a wrong turn to avoid a car or a car speeding through this quiet parking lot. I'm now realizing what I've just gotten myself into! I'm fully trusting someone who can't see to lead me through the parking lot! My mind starts racing at what could go wrong! I then realized I hear Daniel talking to me. I realized I can't focus on my thoughts because I need to be paying attention to the little direction I'm being given by Daniel.

Daniel is telling me there are cracks in the ground coming up. There is "something" to the left of me. Another "thing" to the right of me. I can tell C is in front of us to ensure we are headed in the right direction, but not really telling us what is coming up. I can tell A and K are following behind us. I wanted to focus on what they were saying. I was grasping for anything that might give me a hint as to where I was going and what was coming up. Again, I quickly realized I can't focus my attention on anything except for Daniel because I need to be paying attention to the little direction I am being given from the one who is leading me.

I hear Daniel say we are now between two cars. I yell out for him to slow down! I feel like he's going too fast! He's gaining more confidence because he can tell what is ahead. He is using his cane to determine where things are and listening to C tell him the direction to walk in. All I can do is walk faster to keep up. I'm trying to listen to C so I can know what to expect, but I'm also trying to listen to A and K who are commenting on the whole experience, but not giving any specific directions. 

C calls out, "There's a slight raise in the road." I thought, "Why would you tell me this? I won't be able to tell a slight raise in the road. That's not good advice and direction! Tell me if there is a curb or something that can cause me to fall!" About three steps later I feel the slight raise in the road. I wouldn't have normally noticed this slight rise, but tonight I did. Even though I originally thought it was silly advice I could tell this was helpful. If nothing else what he's saying is true and we can continue to follow his lead (not that he would lead us astray, but that little advice had a larger meaning). 

About this time I realized my stomach was clinched and knotted. I realized I had been holding my breath. I realized how scared I really was in walking through a parking lot with my eyes closed being led by someone who can't open his eyes at a moment's notice if he get's confused at where he is going. I knew I'd be okay, but I didn't have control of the situation. I had to fully trust in Daniel to not lead me into danger. I had to trust C, A and K to direct Daniel away from danger. I didn't know if we would go straight to the car or take a detour around the shopping center. I had no control over this situation. As one who likes to know what is going on and take control this situation was VERY difficult!

Just as I'm reminding myself I need to breathe normally I hear C call out. The car is right here and a tapping on the car. I feel a final jerk to the side while taking a few steps and C, A and K yell out, "YOU DID IT! Look how far you went! You made it to the car!" I couldn't open my eyes any faster. I let out a sigh of relief and then realized I'm the only one who could open my eyes to see how far we went. A little guilt came over me when I realized how relieved I was we were at the car and I could open my eyes where Daniel doesn't have that luxury. I immediately tell Daniel I have a new appreciation for him. 

While I'm telling him how scared I was because I wasn't sure what was going to happen I instantly thought about all the times God has asked me to trust him and follow where he leads. I realized how so many times I'm so eager to follow God's plan, but as I get going and realize I'm not in control how fear comes over me and I stop walking so quickly. I ask to slow down. I allow fear to turn my stomach into knots all the while trying to figure out where I am and what I'm doing from others who are not the one I'm holding on to. 

The more I thought about this scenario I began to think about how Daniel is like Jesus (although Jesus can physically see where I'm going) and C was like God keeping us in the right direction. Without Jesus we can't come to the Father. I need Jesus to bring me to the Father. Although Daniel didn't sacrifice himself in this scenario, Jesus did 2,000 years ago. Jesus gave his life on the cross so I can be with God. Jesus says in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." All those times where God leads us into things where we think it is silly and not as meaningful as something else or even those difficult times in life where it is painful and confusing - these are the times we trust and learn we can depend on God. God knows the direction we need to be going and he'll lead us one step at a time. We can trust Him. We can trust with blind faith God will not let us fall.

Polka Dots

Remember Retro Wednesday I had a few months back? My cute polka dot dress with the red ribbon, red shoes and my hair cute and retro? Well, I believe I've already told the story how the then 3 year old came into the office and commented on how we were not matching (in the blog titled Potluck Blog Post) because she has a red polka dot dress.

(Her face has been blurred to protect her identity)

The following Sunday we both wore our polka dot dresses to church and I've never seen a smile so big! The next Sunday she told her mom she had to wear her polka dot dress because I'd be wearing mine. Her mom had to explain Miss Alice won't want to wear her polka dot dress every Sunday, but maybe once a month we can match in our polka dot dresses. She was so patient in waiting a month until we could match again. Her mom and I got to talking and realized her birthday was coming up the following month and that would be a good day to match. 

I thought of getting her blue shoes for her birthday so she'd have a red polka dot dress and blue shoes and I'd have a blue dress and red shoes. While shopping for blue shoes for her (which I was having trouble finding the right pair) I found a blue polka dot dress. I knew I had to get it. I gave it to her at her party the Saturday before we were planning on matching on Sunday. The week before her party I reminded her we were going to match the upcoming Sunday. She had no idea I had gotten her a blue polka dot dress and to match her I found pink glitter shoes in my size (which I know doesn't make sense I couldn't find simple blue shoes in her size, but pink glitter shoes in mine, but it was what I could find!).

Again, this little girl was so happy. What I hadn't thought ahead on was I'd look like a 4 year old because I was wearing glitter pink shoes with a blue polka dot dress all day because I didn't bring another pair of shoes! At the same time it was worth it to make a little girl happy.

I have so many hats I wear (or as someone pointed out I wear many purses and bags because each purse/bag holds another thing I'm heading up) I needed something to keep me organized and the calendar on my phone wasn't cutting it because I needed extra note space. While I was shopping for a day planner at Franklin Covey (which if you've never heard of them you should check out what they have to offer... for those who are organized you need their products... for those who are not organized you NEED their products!), anyhow, while shopping I was trying to decide on which planner to choose. My sister has a plain black one that zips up and although that seems awesome because you can then have loose papers, pens, etc. I didn't want to have the same as her because that would be a horrible mess to try to figure out if we set them next to each other. I looked at the pink one (because I LOVE pink!), but it just didn't scream "Alice," not to mention it was made of a canvas material and I thought it might get dirty and would be hard to clean. Then I saw this:

What a perfect planner that screams Alice! This clearly says, "I belong to Alice and if you see me and Alice is not near by there is trouble!" Then because I respond to color better than just notes scribbled all over I use my pens I had in college to take notes with that are 9 different colors (well there are 10 colors, but the yellow doesn't show up very well so I use 9 of the 10) to represent each hat, or bag, I wear.

The colors and what they represent are as follows:
Office - electronic: ie. email, website, Facebook updates
Office - print: ie. bulletin, newsletter, calendar
Education Director - Nursery
Education Director - Children
Education Director - Youth
Education Director - VBS
Bible Studies/General Church
General Work: ie. babysitting, housesitting, wedding coordinator, etc
Personal/Family/Friends

In college I'd use each color in my calendar to represent each class/activity I was involved in, but then realized when I'd take notes having the different colors helped me to remember because I could imagine what was written easier if I could imagine where it was on the page and the color I used (I'm a VERY visual person). There wasn't a real rhyme or reason in colors I'd use in taking notes, except I'd use one color that class session for what was on the powerpoint, another color for what the teacher said, another color for charts/tables, and another color if there was something a student said. People laughed at my system... but it worked and I'm all for what works.

I'm excited about my new day planner and what it is going to do to keep me organized, not to mention it's polka dotted and who doesn't like polka dots?