His eye is on the sparrow.

Today was a great day.  School was so much fun.  My geometry classes worked on Tessallations.  Projects are always a nice break from the normal classwork.  One of my students went to the restroom and came back with a baby bird.  It was out of the nest and some of the other students were bothering it.  He brought inside to the safety of my classroom.  After that little guy got over the shock, he hopped around the room and chirped all day.  Two students took it home to nurse it for a couple of weeks until it could survive on its own.  They named it "Angry."  Think about it for a minute; "Angry" Bird.  (If you have a smartphone, you will understand what a creative name that is!)

This afternoon, within a thirty minute timeframe, I went from feeling happy, peaceful and excited about my weekend to depressed.  I don't mean down, I mean depressed.  Sometimes there is no explanation for why we feel this way, but this was not one of those times.  My afternoon just went downhill and left me sitting here, staring at the den wall, not even realizing that an hour had passed.

When we come to moments like this, we have choices to make.  Unfortunately, the easy choices are not usually the ones that are in our best interest.  So, as I sit here thinking about the rest of the afternoon and evening, I have decided some things.

Even though I desperately want to do these things, I am NOT going to.....

• Climb into the bed and call it a day.
• Sit on the couch staring at the television.
• Allow my mind to be a harbor for the negative thoughts.
• Skip dinner and just forget about eating.

Even though right now I don't feel like doing these things, I AM going to.....

• Read some Psalms.
• Eat something healthy. 
• Go for a walk with Lulu.  (She has the ability to lighten any mood!) 
• Start cleaning my house. 
• Go to the late movies with Lily and her friends. 
• I will go to bed around 11:30 and give myself the pleasure of sleeping in tomorrow.

If birds can be depressed, I am sure that Angry was feeling a little down when he fell out of his safe nest this morning.  He was so fortunate that a kind hearted teenage boy came along and ushered him to safety.  He could have so easily been the target of a teenager with issues who was cruel to him.  He is now safely in the home of two great kids who will do their best to take care of him and get him ready for the world.

In the same way, when I am frightened and saddened by the world I am in, I know there is One who is holding me safely in the palm of His hands.  He is nuturing me and caring for me as I travel the difficult paths of this life.  I trust that with all my heart.  I will cling to His promises and let them give me the strength to do the things I NEED to do and not the things I want to do.

I bet you can guess what scripture I will reference today!

Matthew 10:29-31 (New Living Translation)
What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

I once was lost, but now I'm found!

It was Spring Break 2011 and for a few moments, I missed being married.  I don't think about that often anymore, but on this particular day, I did.  Anna, Savannah and I made a mad dash down to Orlando so that they could spend the day at Islands of Adventure.  Everything was under control and going great.  Tickets were purchased, a hotel reservation was made and meals for my two little vegetarians were packed.

The gates had opened and I prepared  to drop them off at the park.  I thought it would be easy enough.  We were staying less than two miles from the park.  There was a problem.  Since I didn't want to pay $15 to park, I had to find drop off parking which was the same place as bus parking.  The nice attendant kept saying, "Go straight and then go left."  When I got in the lane to go straight, there were cones blocking the way.  The attendant was still friendly, but losing patience.  She kept saying, "Go straight and then go left. I was exasperated.  I rolled down my window and said, "I am so sorry, but there are cones here."  At that point she walked to the front of my car and led me in the right direction.  She wanted me in the lane that curved sharply to the right.  That was the lane that she was calling the straight lane.  Granted, that lane was the flow that the painted lines followed, but I am a very literal person.  When you tell me to go straight, I think it means to literally go straight.  Finally, I went in the attendant's straight direction and exited this parking lot.

My next directions were, "Go to Kirkman, make a U-turn, take a left and then take another left."  Let me just pause here and say that I am directionally challenged.  God gave my portion of those gifts to my sister!  At that moment, I was thinking I would never find my way to bus parking, much less, find my way into the park and pick up the tickets.  If I was able to manage all this, I seriously doubted that I would be able to find my way back to where I parked!  At that point, I looked at Anna and said, "Right now, I miss being married.  Your dad could have navigated us through all this without a moment's hesitation."

I thought about a saying that I have quoted at least a couple of times on the blog.  "Life goes on."  I found this picture yesterday when I was looking for a new background for my phone.  It reminded me of a road that I could so easily get lost on.  But, even when I am lost, at least I am going somewhere.  I have not hit a dead end.  It may take me a little time to find my way, but I will get there.

I finally made it to drop off parking.  The adventure did not end there.  We had to wait in line for almost an hour to pick up the tickets I had pre-purchased to save time.  I had to show proof of residency since I had opted for the Florida resident discount.  I had this sinking fear that my car would be towed.  I called customer service at the park and the wonderful security people assured me that they would not tow the car.  Finally, almost two hours later, I was back at the hotel.

So, yes, for a few moments, I missed being married.  And, for those moments, I was tempted to be angry about  being thrust into this situation through no choice of my own. Thankfully, the moments passed.  I drove, I turned and I conquered.  Two crazy girls were safely delivered to the park and there were helpful people all along the way.  I made a couple of unnecessary twists and turns on the adventure, but I made the destination.  I realized something in the process.  It was more than just a destination to a park, it was a destination a new place within myself.