Things I have learned today:

Things I have learned today:
1. Oil is not "oil" - it's red kerosene
2. If you let your "oil" tank run dry, however inadvertently, it will exact revenge  on you by refusing to restart. (they claim it is air in the lines, but I think it's deliberate revenge...)
3. It is possible to find instructions on the internet on how to bleed the lines and restart the furnace.
4. Furnaces are stubborn things; it is possible to bleed it more than the recommended three times and NOT call for a service call - your furnace will not blow up.
5. Kerosene kills your hands (well, I knew that one already)
6. It would have been helpful if I had known to stay home so that the oil delivery man would've started it for FREE.  We won't mention who forgot to tell me this useful tidbit of knowledge.  :)
7. It was definitely worth the aggravation of restarting the furnace on my own because I had a delightful morning of coffee with a good friend.

And as we know, any excuse for coffee is a good thing.  :)

Soup Redux

Making soup is usually an easy and successful task - it's really hard to mess up soup. However, when you do so, and inadvertently freeze the remainder, you are doomed to occasionally heat up a serving of your disaster to eat. Tonight is one of those nights. I am tempted to toss all portions of soup in my freezer to eliminate this possibility in the future. Because you know, it required a piece of cake (or two) to get the taste out of my mouth. And now I'm full.

Scheduling Fun

Yesterday was the beginning of my last full semester of grad classes and the last segment before my practicum and internship.  As if I didn't have enough to do, today I added another thing to my schedule.  Yes, I made my life even more complicated --- and on purpose.

The amazing thing is that I made it better, too.  I added in some fun.

Now, many people would not consider agreeing to teach knitting to four people as something fun.  Four people calling out with assorted problems in deciphering the loops and tangles with two sticks; four people at various stages of mastering the complicated process of getting their brains to tell their fingers what to do; one person reveling in the knowledge that she enjoys being a teacher.

In the process of teaching, you remove yourself from the center and focus on the student.  Only when you can see things through the eyes of another person are you able to teach them, and in doing this, I was momentarily free from my own obsession with studies and grades and the future.

For two hours, I simply had fun.  Thank you, ladies.  :)  I look forward to next week.

Merry Christmas and thoughts about the greeting

I've been thinking (I know, that can be dangerous, but anyway...) and I realized that while I'm not the least bit offended by someone wishing me Happy Holidays, Happy Solstice, a Merry Yule, or whatever... I am offended by my fellow Christians who are militantly telling other people to get used to hearing "Merry Christmas" and that they don't care if others are offended by the phrase. Really? You don't care?

Somehow, I don't think this is how Christ would have dealt with it all. Is this how we love others? By being insensitive to their traditions and beliefs? Would Christ have shown offense over being snubbed? He didn't on the cross, when He pardoned the thief. While it may seem as if you are standing up for Christianity, you aren't. Christmas celebrations are a tradition, not a doctrinal position. I truly embrace the faith focus of Christmas as the date we celebrate Christ's birth; but Christ never celebrated birth days, and really, Easter is a more fitting tribute to the reason He came.

If you're looking for an example of how we should act at Christmas, He gave us one: He humbled Himself to be born among the animals and the poor. We don't exhibit any humility by militantly insisting that others say "Merry Christmas" to us. Okay, that's the end of my lecture. You may disagree with me, and that's okay. I'm not the least bit offended by that.

Merry Christmas to all my friends, and may the New Year be blessed for you and your families.

The Myth of the Perfect Parent | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

The Myth of the Perfect Parent Christianity Today A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

This caught my eye - I've been known to obsess over my track record as a parent (don't deny it - you have, too!) and I found it strangely reassuring.

Daydreaming...

It's winter time in PA, so that means COLD.  Not Alaska cold (most of the time), but colder than I like. 

I'm dreaming of summer and working in my garden.  There's nothing I like better than to putter about in the garden and care for my flowers and vegetables. 

And on that note... goodnight!

Fresh Start

The thing about "grace" that most people don't get is that it is free and unconditional.  I am part of "most people".  In my head, I understand grace and the implications; in my heart, I still dredge up my shortcomings and failures.

Why do I ruminate over long-forgiven sins?  Why do I dwell on what I didn't do instead of what I can do right now?  Why do I pick at the scabs in my heart and refuse to let them heal?   [sigh]  I could probably come up with some psychological explanation to satisfy those who like that sort of thing, but the real issue is pride.  I am prideful. I want my life to be perfect, and when it isn't I think that others notice my failure to do so. 

I have never kept a single New Year's resolution, not because I didn't want to, but because they were so impossibly abstract and lofty that it was impossible.  But this year I resolve to "take each day as a fresh start."

Each day is a new and precious gift from God, and I resolve to make the most of it.  Forgiven sins will be pushed aside to make way for the gifts of today.  I want to notice the little glint in my husband's eye instead of the gloom in my heart; to experience the wonder of silence instead of the drum beat of failure; to walk with a sense of anticipation instead of dread.

May twenty-ten bring you many blessings from God!