The long week and end of the week Psalm

 i started the week with a good weekend behind me:

a walk around the town lake/reservoir on saturday

and on sunday

a gymnastics meet in the near-by town

 my son and his family call home

my husband and I were part of a group of 18 people

who came together as a quite diverse extended family

to see my son's daughter peyton

perform with the local YMCA gymnastics team

of which she is in level 4

at age 7.

4 other teams were performing

and parents were there representing each child

but the local team always has the most support

because of the traveling required

well, peyton blew them away with the largest contingent of supporters

she was THRILLED!

she kept looking up and noting when more came

waving and smiling widely

(the following pictures are for family reading this)

 

(we weren't allowed to use our flash on our camera--some pics just didn't show up well at all--
 and we were up high in the bleachers)

we sat behind my ex and his wife and looked at their phone pics

of the shared granddaughter in texas

they had been there taking care of her older brother

my ex and i spoke as parents of the same child

proud and happy

at how life had finally turned up for our daughter

all in all---great

then the school week began:

evaluation by principal

i was nervous for some reason

stuffing too much into the time frame

rushing moments that should have been savored

i sensed something was about to explode

and it did

the week went sour

i felt like i was walking on thin ice

and the shore was distant and unfriendly

when shore was reached

the terrain was wild and tangled up

the lake dark and menacing behind me 

 at one point i saw a glimmer of light

a brilliant blue beckoning me

but i couldn't reach it

when i finally found a path

i was alone

and weary

questioning 'my calling'

not knowing what lie ahead for me

and

wishing i didn't have to find out

on that particular path

you see:

i made the 'mistake' of requesting

that a student choose another word to express her anger

than Jesus

turned out she and her family are staunch agnostics

and she became belligerent

stating separation of church and state

forget the fact

that the Christian students (the majority here) were offended

it was her right that mattered

i subsequently moved her one seat up---right in front of me

 for mumbling under her breath

a habit of hers

of which i had been told usually involved calling me names like bitch

i told her that if she were going to mumble words

she needed to be where she would actually be saying them to my face

she went home angry

mother went ballistic

and i was taken on a short trip to hell

i'm back

(and my evaluation was good)

the week ended with a birthday party

again the diverse extended family gathered

to mark colton (peyton's older brother) turning 12

the pizza and cake party was at 6 on a friday night

i left  the party in a good mood

happy that i was leaving with mike

happy that i was a teacher

(despite the week)

thankful for us all being able to get together

in unity

to celebrate the next generation

of this mixed family

Here's the End of the Week Psalm

It is more of Psalm78 (the Isrealites' journey to the promised land)

 For more on the 'manna' in the first part of this Psalm, check out Cheryl Smith's God's testimony

and Glynn Young's The Bread and the Body.

35) And they [earnestly] remembered that God was their Rock,

ans the Most High God their Redeemer.

36)Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouths

 and lied to Him with their tongues.

37)For their hearts were not right or sincere with Him,

neither were they faithful and steadfast to His covenant.

38) But He, full of [merciful] compassion,

forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not;

yes, many a time He turned His anger away

and did not stir up all His wrath and indignation.

39) For He [earnestly] remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that goes and does not return.

(The next verses: 42 - 51 tell of all that God did to Pharaoh and the Egyptians

in order to free His chosen people).

then:

52) But [God] led His own people forth like sheep

and guided them [with a shepherd's care] like a flock in the wilderness

53)And He lead them on safely and in confident trust,

so that they feared not;

but the sea overwhelmed  their enemies.

54) And He brought them to His holy border,

the border of [Canaan] His sanctuary,

even to this mountain [Zion] which His right hand had acquired.

55) He drove out the nations also before [Israel]

and allotted their land as a heritage,

measured out and partitioned;

and He made the tribes of Israel to dwell in the tents of those dispossessed.

(The next verses: 55 -67 tell of the Israelites disobedience and God's subsequent wrath).

then:

68) But He chose the tribe of Judah [as Israel's leader], Mount Zion,

which He loved [to replace Shiloh as His capital].

69) And He built His sanctuary [exalted] like the heights [of the heavens] 

and like the earth which He established forever.

70)He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; 

71) From tending the ewes that had their young

He brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob His people,

of Israel His inheritance.

72) So [David] was their shepherd with an upright heart;

he guided them by the discernment and skillfulness

[which controlled] his hands.

Whew! Long Psalm! Long Post!

Blessings to you this weekend!