Monday Prayer, Aaron's birthday, and OGTs

This was Aaron on his first birthday. 
This past Friday he turned two.
When I get an emailed photo of
him on that day, I will post it.

You can check him out on Aaron's Day

Here are pictures of his birthday party.
I was supposed to be there to help
out, be a part of this celebration,
 and see my newest grandchild.

But God told me "No."  He said
this quite a few times--I felt a check
in my spirit every time I'd get online
to get plane reservations.

I did ask for the reason, so that I could
better explain it to my daughter as this had
been set up early in her pregnancy with Abby,
his now new little sis.

Sara knows of my 'gut feelings' and knows them to be on target.  Still I wanted a definitive
reason besides "I have a check in my spirit--God is telling me not to come." 

 I revealed and she understood and respected/appreciated that I was obeying. 
 Obedience has not been a strong point of mine in the past.  It's an area in which
 God and I have been working together on improving. 

So Aaron turned two with me in Ohio.  I called him on his birthday and made a
special e-card with photos and music that he can watch on the computer.
 Some gifts are on their way.  Mike and I hope to go down there in June
 and spend some vacation time in Dallas with Sara and family
and go on down to Austin for a few days.  I've never been to Austin
 and have wanted to go, so this might be a good time for that also.

Therefore my newest grandchild, Abigail Elizabeth Allen will be four
months old before her fourth set of grandparents see her. 
But that's okay---it has to be.  I will be able to be much more relaxed
and will also be able to spend more time being grandma to her and her big brother.

Anyhow, it's time for the Monday Morning Prayer. 
We begin OGTs (Ohio Graduation Tests) today and they will be for
two hours each morning all five days.  Only the freshmen and
sophomores will take them, so the juniors and seniors get to
sleep in and come to school at 10 instead of 8.

The freshmen will take a half of a practice test and then grade
 their work with the teacher.  This helps them know what to expect
and helps us teachers get it graded.  We have a stat sheet set
up to record the data to help us know what to work on to get
 them ready for the 'REAL ONE.'

The sophomores have five grueling mornings covering science,
social studies, math, and two tests English:one in reading and one in
writing.  They have to pass all five to graduate at the end of their
senior year.  They can retake them multiple times.  We presently
 have five students who 'walked' last year with their class,
 but their diploma case was empty.  And until they pass that one or
 more OGT, they will continue to not have a high school diploma. 

It will be approximately two months before we know who passed what.
 We handle these test like their gold bricks from the US Treasury
Department. They must be sent back to the state with no mistakes
in how we handled them.
 It's all in paper form; no computer testing for us.
  
Mrs. E's. state has it done on computers and
they know the results almost immediately.
 Oh and their testing time is much shorter.

To say I don't agree with Ohio's system is putting it mildly.  However, the tests
 are much better than the ones we used to do.

Please pray for patience for me and the other staff members.
 This week is tough on us all.

Here's the Monday Prayer by Stormie Omartian:

Lord, I commit my work to You, knowing You will establish it. 
 May it always be that I love  the work I do and be able to do
 the work I love.  According to Your Word I pray that I
will not lag in diligence in my work, but remain fervent in spirit,
serving You in everything I do.

Establish the work of my hands so that what I do will find favor
with others and be a blessingfor many.  May it always be
glorifying to You.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

------------------------GOD'S PROMISE----------------------
Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. 
     When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy,
                            and it shall be well with you.
                                       Psalms 128: 1-2

Praying for a blessed week for us all!