Posted by John David Anderson

Every once in a GREAT while, I find a book that makes my top ten. Okay, top 5. I'm still working to find ten books that I can truly recommend with confidence. I will be honest and say I currently only have 3 books that I would love everyone in the world to read. Okay, not counting the Bible. I mean, that'a a given, right? The Bible is THE book! However, since that's a given, I have three that are worthy of making my top book list of all-time. I've blogged about the other two in the past. They are Wonder by RJ Polaccio (and the additional ebook chapters), and The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. I highly recommend those books. Today I want to introduce you to a new book. The title is Posted by John David Anderson.

I have been fascinated by Young Adult, and Early Readers books, for years. I truly believe it's because I have a heart for kids with character-building experiences. I also like that it's fiction, so I can stomach the stories while relating to them on some level. *grin*

Posted is a book about friendship and bullies. While I was bullied at times as a kid, it is NOTHING in comparison to what kids often experience today. I was blessed to be able to go home and not have the internet to remind me how many people enjoyed being mean to me. (In all honesty, it was one or two kids at a time for me. Overall, kids liked me and I was blessed.) In this book, cell phones are banned and kids are left with sticky notes to pass notes or put on each other's lockers.

I was hooked from page one, and struggled with wanting to finish and and not wanting to finish it. If you don't like to read, you won't understand that struggle, but it is a real thing for book lovers of all ages. *grin* I don't find books like this very often, which is why I wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to this book.

This book is fictional, but every part of it was believable. I could see each part of it happening, and kids emotions being as transparent as they are in this book. I love the phrase, "You find your people and they become your tribe." That quote has proven true to me throughout my life. Truly. *grin*

So, I encourage you to download it, buy it, or check it out at your nearest library. You won't be disappointed.

So now I'm on the hunt for recommendation #4. I'll keep ya posted.

Until then, HAPPY READING!

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
FUN...WITH A GOOD BOOK!

Christmas 2017--Love, Laughter, & Family

Today was great from start to finish. I can't believe I'm ready to crash and it's only 10:00, but, then again I love sleep, so it works. *grin*

Today Jay turned 10 YEARS OLD! Yes, he was born on Christmas Day! It's hard to believe that he's ten, as it feels like it was just yesterday I brought him home. *grin* He's been spoiled rotten today, and it's been fun to watch. Not only did I give him birthday & Christmas Gifts, so did my parents, brother, and sis-in-law. *giggle* What can I say? We also bought gifts for their dogs too. Yes, our dogs are well taken care of. *giggle*

I spent the day with my family, and with every passing year, I find holidays even more special because we still have all of my immediate family with us. While the gifts were precious, spending time together was even more important to me. I loved it. It was tons of fun!

I will say it was so much fun to watch everyone open their gifts. I think that's my favorite part of our gift traditions. We take turns and each person opens one at a time. I love the way we do it because we get to see what everyone gets, and it lasts more than five minutes. *grin* I love my family. Truly. *grin*

I came home to cuddle with Jay. He's come and gone from my lap all evening. That's kinda how he rolls, so I love it. *grin* He and I have had fun playing, and I've loved it. The biggest source of joy is when I let him outside. We have enough snow to cover the ground, and he HATES the cold. I will say that I'm enjoying the shorter trips outside. *giggle* He's precious.

So, while I didn't say a lot in this post, it's okay. I wrote it more for me than for you. Every year feels like it goes faster than the last, so I wanted to remember today.

Sidenote: My sister-in-law can make my next birthday cupcakes (or cake)! She makes a mighty chocolate cupcake! *grin*

Tomorrow: I won't set an alarm and I have zero plans. I think I'll stay home in my new Pajamas and hoodie while I read a bit. *giggle*

LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My Favorite Time of Year--Blessed Beyond Measure

So, this week was a whirlwind, and I am blown away by the love that surrounds me on a daily basis. The first part of the week we had school, which was character-building in some ways, but so full of love in other ways. I'm always amazed at how much my students want to bless me at this time of year. While the gifts were fun, the cards and hugs were even better. I was amazed at each of them. I was blessed beyond measure. *grin*

The gift that showed who knows me the most came from my para. She gave me a YARD full of M&M's. Yes, 18 regular packs of M&Ms. I laughed so hard when I saw it. That's what I asked for, Pepsi and M&M's. It's that easy to make me happy. Seriously. *grin* Oh, and I have Pepsi waiting for me too. *giggle*

After kids left Wednesday (They had a half day, we had a full day) we were put into teams to work on various projects. I was amazed at the team I was on. We all would have LOVED to have that time to prepare for grade cards, but, we had Professional Development (PD) instead. I found myself pondering how blessed I am to be on a team of hard working staff members that do what's right consistently. We worked on various tasks and created a gingerbread man with supplies that we were given throughout the afternoon. I'll admit it was fun and we laughed a lot Wednesday afternoon. *grin* There was a contest, of course, and my team WON. *grin* We earned JEAN coupons, which made me grin ear-to-ear. Yes, it is that easy to make me happy. *grin*

I spent all day yesterday in my pajamas, and even took a nap on my couch. I've been in need of some down time and it's always fun when it's a weekday and I'm at home. *giggle* I loved it. Totally.

This morning I got up and saw the new Star Wars film with my brother and sister-in-law. My brother does such a great job of taking care of me, even when I don't ask. I loved the movie and the fact they drove south to see it at a theatre nearby was amazing! It was a lot of fun seeing the movie with the two Star Wars Fans in my family. *grin*

Now I'm cuddling with Jay (in between his trips upstairs) and have a book to finish.

I'm blessed. I love this time of year. Totally. *grin*

LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME.

O Come Let Us Adore Him

There's something that has encouraged my heart all week. Okay, well, several things encouraged my heart this week. *grin* However, one was a reminder of how much He loves us. Let me attempt to explain this to you. This post is probably more for me than for you, however, I pray it blesses you. *grin*

One of my favorite, FAVORITE songs since I was saved is "O Come Let Us Adore Him". I also love that isn't limited to just Christmas. I love being in a service in June, for example, and singing it. It pretty much sums up what we should do daily. I remember my first year after I accepted Jesus how the Holiday Season meant something more than gifts to me. In that, I now love Christmas in a new way. Kinda cool, if you ask me. *grin*

Fast forward to this past Sunday. *grin* I was a smidge late for church. Music had already started, and I was excited because they were opening with one of my favorite songs of all time, "O Come Let Us Adore Him". As I was walking to my seat, I told God how much I wanted to hear the medley version that I LOVE. Meaning, you can go from one song to another song and back to the first song...or a version of that. *grin* I didn't think much of it at the time, but then it happened.

THEY DID A VERSION OF "O COME LET US ADORE HIM" mashed with another song. *grin*

I was truly in awe.

I wasn't shocked, as I've had a lot of moments like that over the years. It's been a while, though, I'll be honest.

I grinned the whole time and thanked Him for that.

Yeah, you can sit there and say, "The worship team had that planned ahead of time." While that's true, God knew what I would ask for before I did. I think he did that just for me. *giggle*

I'm kidding, I pray others were blessed by that too. *grin*

However, it has encouraged me all week as I have served His kids.

He's listening, and sometimes a little reminder is all it takes to keep my heart steady in the moments when life this side of Heaven is character-building. *grin*

I pray I get to do that song several more times before the Holiday Season ends. Truly.

I'll smile every time I sing it too. *grin*

LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME, especially when He speaks to me like that. *grin*

"Are There Days You Wish You Didn't Have the Limp?"

Today I was walking with a student at the end of the day to his classroom, because it was on the way to my end-of-day duty. We were about to leave my room, and the following conversation transpired:

Student: "Are you going to Car Rider Duty now?"

Me: "Yep."

Student: "Will you be late?"

Me: "Um, most days I do cut it close, but I should be good."

Student: "...are you late because of the limp?" I could tell he was scared to ask, so I took a moment to talk.

Me: "Well, yeah, kinda. But, it's just because it makes me walk slower than most people, but that's okay. It's part of my charm." *giggle* We both chuckled.

Student: "So, are there days you wish you didn't have the limp?"

Me: "Hmmmmm. Yeah, sometimes. But overall, I like it. People remember me with the limp."

Student: "...oh....."

Me: "Remind me tomorrow to tell you about my experience of learning I could never be a criminal (with a limp) and get away with it."

Student: "uhhhhhh okay."

Me: "It's always okay to ask me questions about the limp. I'm not ashamed of it."

Student: "Yeah, I know."

(Full Disclosure, I am not a criminal in any way, shape, or form. *wink* I'm actually kinda boring.)

#daymade

I love working with young people.
It's conversations like that that make me smile.

LIFE.
IS.
GOOD.

Dear God

Dear God,
I don't typically post my thoughts and prayers to you, but today I feel like I want to do so. My mind runs especially fast during this time of year, and I think I'm doing so even more this year. There is SO MUCH this side of Heaven I don't understand and simply won't until I'm with You. I love how you know my heart and thoughts before I do, so you know where I'm coming from and I don't have to ponder how to "package" things with you. Truly. *grin*

You took SO MANY good people Home this year, and my heart aches for the families that have this Season without their loved ones. I pray that you will give each family what they need to be at peace with how things are instead of dwelling on how things should be. I have always wondered why we have to lose people we love, and then you'll show me something to remind me that it has to be this way if humans are to continue life on Earth. *grin*

I've also come to believe this year that those of us alive today are here because we're strong enough to still be here. I think about the teens that left us, and can see them welcoming others into Heaven. Each teen you took I can see being amazing there, and the party will be worth waiting for. *giggle*

You've been showing me so much recently that I realize how much I take for granted. I think that's part of the living in America experience, but over and over again I find myself in awe of all you've done for me. My dreams haven't all come to fruition but you've touched my heart in ways that have made me realize how thankful I need to be for what I have. *grin*

I find myself in awe of how much I don't have control of, and how it's been a lifelong experience to let go of those things. You've got everything, I just need to stop and let go. That's hard, and it's a process, but I'm working on it. *wink*

Recently, you showed me how blessed I am to have the people in my world that I do. I am blessed beyond measure. Thank you for each person in my world. You knew who I would need before I did. THANK YOU.

Please give each teacher what they need to get through the next couple weeks. While this time of year is amazing, it has its moments too. Please be with each teacher as we walk through these last couple weeks of the semester. I want to finish the semester strong, and I know all of my colleagues do too. *grin*

I don't know what 2018 has in store for me, us, everyone. At the same time, I have come to a place where I know You have everything in Your hands.

I also have the coolest dog on the planet, so I'm content beyond words. *grin*

I love you, In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen