Changing Ourselves, Changing Our World

     The school year is coming to a close.  I am really going to miss my little mentors.  I have learned so much from them this year.
     There are so many wonderful memories from this year but I have to say there is one experience that will stay with me for a long time.  At the beginning of the year we started talking about our strengths and weaknesses.  The kids gradually shared, one-by-one, what their personal struggles are.  We vowed to pray for each other and encourage each other as we went through the year.  One of the kids overcame his fear of performing on stage and did a fabulous job during the graduation program.  Other children overcame their challenge of not being able to ride a two-wheel bike and many of the children shared they wanted to be able to read and now they are!  I feel blessed to be able to watch the kids grow and overcome challenges.  God has really worked through them.
     Joni and Friends highlighted the kids as, "The Little Class That Could."  They could and they did!
Congratulations, Bridge class!  You have helped change the world!

The Response A Challenge Deserves - Part II

     If you are reading this post I hope you have already read Part I.  Since I wrote that post I have been thinking about how to help someone if the midst of your own crisis.  Here is what I have come up with so far...

1.  Just as someone else doesn't know the details of your journey and you wouldn't want someone to make assumptions, don't do that to someone else.  On the surface you may not agree with their reaction to a crisis, but you also don't know the road they have walked.
2.  When you are in the midst of a crisis, think of someone that is going through something harder and pray for them.
3.  Send an encouraging note or e-mail to someone else that is in a crisis.
4.  Pray, pray, pray...even on your knees for a friend...then let them know you did.
5.  Reflect on the hard things you have seen God bring you through and share them with someone
that is needing some hope.
6.  Leave a nice surprise on the doorstep of a friend that needs your support.
7.  Expect a miracle but be open to whatever form it comes in.  You may have a blessing right in front of you.
8.  Journal your journey.  Remember to write the end of the story though and the things you learned.  You can even share some of it on Facebook or in a blog.  You never know who it will help.
9.  Extend grace to the person that is grumpy.  You never know what they are dealing with.
10.  Reach out to a hurting stranger.  Give them a compliment.  Buy their lunch.

     Know that God loves you so much and has a plan for you.  "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:10-12

The Response a Challenge Deserves

     Not very long ago I was looking back over the last ten years or so.  There have been many beautiful blessings in those years, but there have also been some challenging times.  I said goodbye to the last of my grandparents, we grieved the loss of my father-in-law, I said goodbye to my beloved daddy and then we said goodbye to my brother-in-law and brother.  All of their passings were tragic in one way or another and all of them were much to soon.
   I find myself in another interesting time of life.  My home is wonderfully full of people, activity, and new dreams coming to fruition.  At the same time I am closing another school year and saying goodbye to fifteen lovely mentors and their encouraging mommas.  I am saying the longest goodbye you can imagine to my mother-in-law with dementia and watching my own mom face the harsh realities of aging.
     Last night I treated myself to Andy Andrews latest book, The Noticer Returns.  I heard Andrews speak at a "Women of Faith" conference a number of years ago and I have read every one of his books since then.  I love the way he tells a story as well as the way he puts a "zinger" line in once in a while that changes me for the rest of my life.
     For the last couple of weeks I have been busy finishing up projects for school, running back and forth to the hospital to see my mom, and squeezing time in to play with my precious grandchildren.  This morning I took a few moments to sit in my beloved sanctuary, my deck, to drink a cup of coffee and start reading, The Noticer Returns.  As always, Andrews made me think.
     In the story there is a young homeless man with a chip on his shoulder.  With him is an older man that seems to resurface when the young man needs him the most.  The two are walking along a beach and take a short cut through a hotel.  The old man pushes the young man into the pool and the following conversation takes place,

     "Every single day for the rest of your life, somebody is going to push you in the pool.  And you'd better decide now how you're going to act when it happens."
     Jones squinted and leaned toward me.  "Are you gonna come out of the water whining?  Maybe crying or complaining?Will you come up mad and defiant, threatening everybody?  Will you throw your fists or worse?
     "Or will you come out of the water with a smile on your face?  Looking to see what you can learn...who you might help?  Will you act happy through you feel uncertain?"
     He stared at me for a beat or two before lowering his chin and speaking in an earnest tone.  "It's time to decide, son," he said.  "Almost every result that your life produces from this moment forward-good or bad-will depend upon how you choose.  Every day, in one form or another, whether you like it or not, you will be pushed in the pool.  You might as well decide right now how you'll act when it happens.

     I guess what struck me is that you can decide how you are going to react to challenges before they happen.  I can respond rather than react.  I have had many friends with special needs, as well as many parents of children with special needs, do this.  They have responded rather than reacted.  They haven't whined or complained, rather they have looked for something to learn and for someone to help.
     During the challenges I have faced in life, I have learned many things and I hope I have helped someone along the way.  However, planning a response to a challenge is something I never thought about.

Don't Miss Who They Are

I just read a quote from Dr. Temple Grandin that I love,

"There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do instead of what he cannot do."

Dr. Grandin is an amazing woman who happens to have autism.  Thankfully her incredible skills, gifts, and talents were developed and not overlooked.  I encourage you to watch the movie, Temple Grandin.  It will broaden your perspective and understanding of autism.

Bill and I have often been asked to meet with families that have been given the recent diagnosis of autism for one of their children.  Although there may be some things to be grieved over, there are also so many things to be celebrated.  With all of our children we need to be careful to not miss who they are because of who they aren't.  God has blessed me with many friends over the years with autism and they are loving, gifted and talented people.

Wheelchair Donation

One of my heroes is Joni Eareckson Tada.  Her organization, "Joni and Friends," has a ministry called "Wheels For the World" that I love and support.  Her organization collects wheelchairs from all over the United States, sends them to prisons to be refurbished, and then redistributes them to people in need all over the world.  The recipients are loved on, cared for, and fitted by a physical therapist to a wheelchair that is appropriate for them.  There is nothing like giving someone the gift of mobility!

I often have people ask me how to donate a wheelchair that is no longer being used.  Below is a link for "Wheels For the World."  Through their website you can find a location to donate an unused wheelchair.  My students and I raise money for "Wheels For The World" every year.  It is a worthy and trustworthy organization making a huge difference in people's lives, both physically and spiritually.

http://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/unused-wheelchair/

If you have a wheelchair to donate, please contact them.  They will appreciate your contribution!

Blessings-
Deana

You Are So Beautiful

I have watched this video several times.  I always marvel at how children have such a deep understanding and compassion without any walls.  It is amazing how compassionate dogs can be as well.  The little boy in the video has Down Syndrome but more importantly, he has a true friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgtd5TrUaY

I hope you are blessed by it...

Deana

Empowerment in Aging: Part II

On April my post was about "Empowerment In Aging."  Since then I have been thinking about suggestions for the senior years.  I hope at least one of these will sound fun!

1.  Organize your photos and write names and relationships on them because your children aren't                 going to know.
2.  Write or complete a book about your life.  There are many books available that you can just fill in the blanks or you can write your story in a journal.  Tell your family all those tidbits of information you have never shared before.
3.  Prepare a genealogy chart to pass on to your children and grandchildren.
4.  Send letters to people that have made a big difference in your life.  Remind them of what they did and tell them how it impacted your life.
5.  Make a board on Pinterest all about you and let your family know about it.
6.  Do something that was important to a loved one that has passed on.  Add to their legacy.
7.  Take a trip and visit a residence from your childhood.  Take pictures while you are there.
8.  Donate money to the high school you graduated from.  You could even specify it for a club or organization you were involved in.
9.  If you have walked a difficult journey in your life such as cancer,  visit with someone on that journey now.  Be sure to be encouraging!
10.  If there is a classic book you missed reading in your youth, purchase or borrow a copy and read it.  I am planning to read Great Expectations this summer.
11.  If you can, contact a former teacher and let them know how your life turned out.  Be sure to thank them for their part in it.
12.  Go to a restaurant and look for a youth that appears to be struggling.  Tell them how valued they are and buy their dinner.
13.  Buy a blank journal and write down the special possessions you have.  Write down who you want to have it and why.
14.  If you are a believer, write out your testimony and share it with family and friends.  If      appropriate, share it on Facebook too :)
15.  Visit a different church this Sunday.  God can be found in many places in a variety of ways.
16.  Write a "bucket list" and get started!
17.  Do something that makes you smile on a daily basis.  Plant a garden, for example.
18.  If you have extra time on your hands, visit a nearby elementary school and volunteer to help children that are learning to read.  Both of you will be blessed!
19.  If you hurt or wronged someone in your past, contact them, tell them how sorry you are and ask for forgiveness.
20.  Pick up a new hobby.  Surely there is something you have always wanted to learn how to do.
21.  Buy your favorite book as a child and then find a child to give it to.
22.  Go through your old pictures and then send them to someone else in the picture.  They will love the remembrance!
23.  Look back over your life and spend some time thanking God for all of the wonderful things He has done for you.
24.  Go to a park and find a young mom to encourage.  Remind her to enjoy whatever stage she is in with her children and then remind her of what is important.
25.  When you complete one of these, send me a comment and let me know how it went.  I love to hear other people's stories!