Small

Small.  Little.  Tiny.  It's the small things.  Don't sweat the small stuff. Just a few initial thoughts.

Small is my littlest girl. Phoebe, Doodles, the rabbit. She's small. She doesn't want to be small. She wants to be big like her (also little to me!) sister. She wants to  be 4....she'll tell you she's nearly 4. She's wishing time away, always striving to be bigger, older, more like her sister.  Less small.

But small is good. It really is the small things. They are the things that make a difference.

Listening.  Really listening.....not just being there in body. That makes a difference.

Smiling at someone. Smiling a real smile. Noticing when someone needs something.

Those are small things, but they mean so much.

I'm lucky to have friends who do the small things........and also do the bigger things, but it is the small things that can make such a simple difference.  What small thing could you do for someone today?

At a very small person's dedication service today, the preacher (the fabulous Pete Phillips) spoke about shining for God. Stars look small. I know they are not (there's a scientist in me somewhere!) but they look small out in the night sky. Like a small candle flame which can give off so much light. Small but definitely not insignificant. I want to encourage my small girls to let their light shine, to shine for God. To do the small things. To make a difference.

Maybe I need to lead by example. Let's try.......

Garden

This week's post from Lisa-Jo included a surprise. A huge fundraiser for amazing things. See here for more information.

So this week's prompt is garden.

My garden is a mess. We didn't have a garden before we moved here, and we've done ok with it. In the summer it yielded mountains of vegetables. Its sheltered spot with plenty of sunshine and making sure it was well watered produced great things.  But it was all thanks to my mum who started all the plants off, whether from seed, or by nurturing the first young plants. I'm very grateful to her, and hope she will do the same this year.

I guess that's a bit like life. I want the crops, the end product, the vegetables. But I'm not so good at starting things off. I need someone to give me a kick start. Maybe I worry too much,  maybe I dont have the skills, or maybe I'm too lazy. The kickstart though, gets me going and I can see it through.

My new job is an example.  My wonderful friend Ruth found it and told me to apply.  My great friend Claire helped me fill in the application form and cheered me on my way, and the same friends and my husband encouraged me to be myself at interview,  where they offered me the job.

From the seeds God places in our hearts, great things can happen. I encourage you this week to see what seeds are being planted, and how you can nurture them and make them grow. Good luck, and let me know what's growing in your heart.

God bless x

Write

Writing. Writing's hard. I teach it all the time (well, not for much longer, but maybe that's a whole other post!), and the kids find it hard. I find it hard. I don't think I'd pass the year 6 SATs. I certainly wouldn't make the holy grail of the much coveted Level 6. I only got a level 6 in my Y9 SATs (and no, I'm not that old, I was the first year to do them!).

So apart from teaching it and writing mountains of stars and wishes on children's writing, when else do I write? Well I write text messages to friends. I write on Facebook walls. I even write notes to my husband.....shame they are things like, "Get milk", "Move the carseat", or the latest, stuck to the spare room door, "Close Me". I'm very profound.

Yet I write myself notes a lot. I have no memory. I believe I squeezed it out when I gave birth to the girls....at least it was around then that it was last seen. So I write notes to keep myself going. To remind me where I need to be, what I need to do, or of the million things I haven't done. One day I'll even reach the bottom of the 'To Do' list. Well, let me dream anyway.

Write. It's what I do here. I do it in the privacy of this blog. And then, to be honest, not many people read it. Yes, some lovely people come from Lisa Jo's blog (where this all started), and someone always comments. I'm really grateful for that. It's a fab thing to do (sign up, I dare you!). But who else reads it? Who else would want to?! The inane ramblings of a Mooble.  So today I'm going to be brave. I think. I'm going to link to it on Facebook. Oh, time's up. Hey there Facebook friends. Sorry for the randomness. But do pop back. See what I write next.

Writing's fun!

Visit

Visiting people is like a breath of fresh air for the soul. I love visiting friends and find there isn't enough time to do it.  I also love hosting people. Love being surrounded by friends. We have a, now annual, gathering of a big bunch of friends who all met online (I thank the Lord for a certain parenting forum!) and there can be up to 30 of us. It was lovely to have all those people in my house.

I love going to see people. I have lots of friends who like visitors. I love those places where you feel at home and can happily make your own drink or wander round feeling at ease. I miss some of those friends who now live further away.

I know I don't invite people in as much as I should. So if you're a friend who is reading this, please pop by. I if haven't directly invited you recently, then take this as your invitation. Let's get a date in the diary, or just pop in one evening - I'm usually here! Maybe this will inspire me to contact people. Perhaps when this 5 minutes is up, I should contact some people. And I should also invite Jesus into my home more often. I should make sure He feels welcome and that I feel at ease in his company.

So pop in,come visit. Can't wait to see you x

Encouragement

Encourage. To encourage. Encouraging.

It's something a parent tries to be to their child. I like to encourage their inquisitiveness...until they ask too many questions! I like to encourage their creativity.....until they make too much mess. I like to encourage their tastes....until they ask to listen to One Direction!  No, truly, I want to encourage my children.

I want to encourage my own two girls, and also the children I teach. I have one or two with low self esteem so I try harder to encourage them. They all work so hard and make great progress. I'd love to have more time to encourage them further.

Encouragement is something that can be so badly lacking between adults. My family are very  encouraging. My girls are a constant source of encouragement, and my husband encourages me (as long as it fits in with basketball!!), but within work there is little encouragement. Not just in my school, but in so many. It breaks my heart to hear teachers feeling so depressed, being treated so badly, and feeling so bad about themselves. One of the members of management at my school constantly tells me I have low self-esteem. Yes, they are right. It's a product of constantly being told I'm doing everything wrong.

So in order to encourage me to encourage the children I'm working with, maybe I need to be encouraged. God encourages us. He asks us to love Him, and to love others. Some people are much harder to love than others, but we should try. And keep trying.

So I'm trying.....hard. And I promise to keep trying, so do keep encouraging both me and each other.

See

What do I see when I look at you, little bear? Tonight I saw tired eyes, crying eyes, eyes that wanted Daddy when Daddy wasn't there. Eyes that pleaded with me to understnd and to see more than the stroppy, shouty six year old. Eyes that wanted me, but didn't want me in equal measure.

I looked at you and was cross. I could see the giant pile of marking in my mind's eye, the hours of work I needed to do, and the lack of patience I have.

I stepped away. Giving you space to calm down, but really giving myself the space. Then I saw how God sees me. How He doesn't step away. How he looks on and never leaves me.

I saw you afresh.  Looking broken and sad. My arms went around you, your little arms went round me and we held each other until you stopped sobbing and your breathing slowed.

 I saw you. Beautiful, sensitive, innocent you. And I saw the love I hold for you, and for your sister. And I saw agaim the love that Father God has for all of us.

Fly

Fly. I'd like to fly. I don't like flying in aeroplanes, they scare me a bit. Well, a lot. Ask Chris how terrified I was on our honeymoon.

But I'd like my life to fly. I'd like to fly into something new. Like a butterfly flying out of its cocoon I guess. Or like a baby bird having the bravery to jump out of its nest for the first time. That must be terrifying. This little scrap has never flown, but has seen its parents and friends do it. Why can't it have a go? What makes it try?

I want to be like that little bird. I want to jump out of the safety of the nest, safe in the knowledge that my Father won't let me fall. Something does hold me back though. And I wish I knew what it was. One day I shall fly. I shall make that leap out of the safety of the nest. I wonder where I shall fly to. Will it be far away? Or just nearby? Either way, it would be flying.

An interesting metaphor for my life right now. I feel tied down, held into the nest. It's not a terrible place to be, it's warm and safe and I know it. But is it time to fly? To make that leap.

I pray for answers, for clear answers, for the wings to fly. Strong wings, powerful wings, and ones that can take me to where I should be. Let's go. Let's fly.