All I Have To Offer...

... are tidbits right now. My poor neglected blog. A few years from now I'll look back on these weeks and wonder what I was doing in November, 2011 that cut my blog posting in half.

So, what have I been doing?

Working! It's progress report time. One of the main reasons I put working in the schools further down on the list of preferred work settings. I have 65 students on my caseload but I also had to write the progress reports for a co-worker who is out on maternity leave. That made the count somewhere up around 90. It's also been a crazy month for scheduling meetings since there are so many no-school days, half days and I'm missing three days for the ASHA Convention. No complaining, that's the rule.. I'm just saying, I've been busy writing.. just not here!

Nothing. For some reason I don't feel like doing anything when I get home from work. Sure, I might make dinner, but after that... I seem to have no desire to read, write, knit or bake. I just want to sit or sleep. I've never been this idle. Usually I try to cram too many activities into my evening. Not lately though. I seem to come home and turn into a vegetable.

Thinking. So many thoughts so little motivation to finish them, organize them and type them. Mostly I've been thinking about these things:

• Our plans for the future, vs. living in the now. We have a plan for getting out of debt and saving. I know that this is a good idea and we'll never regret paying things off early and saving... but sometimes I wonder if we should be equally focused on living in the here and now. Supporting our community more and giving more while we are both working. It is something I continuously pray through.
  
• "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matt. 12:34) I've been challenged lately by the things that come out of my mouth when I'm being really (too) honest. I struggle with being positive and loving as a baseline, but isn't this my flesh... aren't I replacing these things with fruit from the spirit? It doesn't seem like it sometimes. Why is the abundance of my heart slightly bitter and so critical? This is something that the Lord has been working on in me lately. All too often I think back over a conversation and see the ugliness that came from my heart. I hope that someday my heart's abundance will be filled with love and kindness for others, and maybe that will overflow out of my mouth instead.
  
• "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." (Matt. 12:36) This coincides with the above. Not just the too honest words, or the flesh-filled words but the idle words. All those words that are sent out with no real purpose. I'm challenged to make them count a little more each time I have a seemingly unimportant conversation. 

Celebrating. I went to Boise, Idaho this three-day weekend to help celebrate my goddaughter and cousin's little girl's third birthday (Blake was hunting for five days in North Dakota). Joie is a doll and full of life and sparkle. She is such an articulate little three year old and that makes this SLP's heart glad! Here are some pictures: 

So excited for her castle party!

She really wanted to eat that cake.
See the fork!?

And she loved the balloons :). There
was also a castle jump house outside!