Bmeandering

Bmeandering

Saturday, February 26, 2011

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!

7 comments:

  1. What a week! Glad to hear the evaluation went well, but how frustrating that you have to deal with students and parents like this. And why does it seem that everyone else has "rights" that supersede those of Christians?

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  2. Very good post, Beth, despite what happened at school... I used to teach --as you know--and I wouldn't choose to be a teacher for anything these days. You can't say ANYTHING without offending someone. Drives me CRAZY.. We Christians are in the minority ---and everyone else is protected EXCEPT us..... GADS!!!!

    Your granddaughter is quite good at gymnastics... WOW!!!! I'm impressed....

    Glad you ended up having a great week overall... AND--I'm proud of you for doing so well on your evaluation.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  3. Doesn't a good evaluation boost your confidence?! I never was at my best when I was being evaluated and never looked forward to it. I admire you teachers today; I know it's difficult to do the right thing in today's world. God will use you as you shine for Him.

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  4. That was quite a week Beth. I'm so glad it ended on a happy note. I guess that is life - filled with highs and lows. The blessing is that He is in it with us no matter what the circumstances.
    Have a blessed Sunday.

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  5. what a roller coaster ride of a week. thankful to hear that the evaluation went well and that you had some good time with family and all.

    Love to you
    n.

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  6. Oh wow! But I am really glad the review went well.

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  7. Isn't is wonderful how the creation can illustrate our lives so profoundly? I'm glad you found that bit of blue at the end of a dark tunnel of a week.

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