A Good Addiction

I'm hooked. Found this through a link at Michelle's blog, she got it from a friend of hers. You go to this site and play a vocabulary game. For every right answer, they donate rice to countries in need.

Wanna play? I got to level 42 before I was stumped and then spent another half an hour going between level 38 and 41, never made it back over 42 but earned over 2,000 grains of rice today. In the words of a famous governor, "I'll be back . . . "

Mr. Positivity

J. had his first indoor soccer game of the season tonight. He's playing with his old coach and a few players from his rec league and some new guys getting ready to transition next year to a higher level of play (classic). So the boys started off the game, many of them not even knowing each others' names. They were playing a team of boys a year older than they were, a team who had been playing together for a few years, and the team was a ability level a couple of steps higher than our team had ever played. Things didn't look good.

The boys held their own but by half time the other team was up 4 to nothing. J. went in as goalie for the second half and my heart dropped. Would he get discouraged as this very talented team continued to rack up goals? He did good on a couple of saves and then went to kick the ball out to his teammates. After a scramble for the ball, a teammate of J's kicked the ball to him in the goal box and J. reached down to pick it up - an apparent violation in Indoor soccer. The other team was given a direct kick, where they basically get to stand about 15 feet back from the goal and try to kick it in the goal. J. took his position and at the last second, Brad called to him to put his hands up. Number 7 from the other team took a few steps and then drilled the ball right at J's head. The ball deflected slightly off his hands but hit his face and neck hard enough to split his lip and leave marks on his neck from the stitching of the soccer ball. (He probably would have been knocked out cold had he not had his hands up.) He saved the goal but unfortunately as he was stunned and trying to catch his breath, another player caught the rebound and kicked the ball in the goal before J. could get his wits about him.

Brad was fortunately right by the goal box and motioned for the coach to pull J. from the game for a break. The trooper was back in about 5 minutes later, playing mid-fielder and hustling just like nothing had happened.

After the game and after making sure he was really ok, I asked him, "Do you know who that was who kicked the ball at you?"

He looked at me confused, "No."

I pointed at number 7, now talking with his mom and coach. It was Jacob Roloff, of "Little People, Big World" the TLC show about the Oregon family that lives just a few miles from us.

A huge smile came on J's face. "Cool. It's kind of like he autographed my face. Do you think they filmed it?"

My son, my hero. What an incredible attitude - the kid hasn't met a person he couldn't see the good in. While we don't hold anything against Jacob, I certainly could have understood my 10-year old being a bit put out with the kid who nearly knocked him out cold with the soccer ball. I am so proud of J. and the young man he is becoming. Let's just say the girl who ends up with this kid as a husband someday is going to be one lucky chick!

Are you busy?

I've been asked to speak at my weekly women's Bible Study and the title they gave me is "Are you busy?"

It's a topic they've given me a couple times in the past. I'm still trying to figure out, is that because I have good things to say or because my life is such a textbook example of a 21st century woman who hasn't quite figured this one out? Needless to say, God has prepared me for answering this question by giving me one of the most challenging years of my life (pace-wise, keeping up with everything).

In the past, I've often approached this topic from the place of we all need to slow down, pace ourselves, take a break, etc. But I feel a change in my heart and soul these days. I'm not sure the answer is learning to say "no" or putting boundaries around ourselves. I look at the examples that God gives us in the Bible of men and women who made a difference and the thing I keep coming back to is that they were available when God called. I think it's not bad to be busy, but the more important question is what is it that I'm doing and why am I doing it? I know for myself, I can spend hours shuffling things around my house, starting and stopping different projects and generally just "looking" busy without really accomplishing much. I'm coming to realize, especially when it comes to wanting to do what I really want (writing) the fear of failing at that task is easily tempered by the excuse, "I'm just too busy right now." This equation can fit in any area of my life - marriage, parenting, church, work, etc.

So what about you dear blogging friends? What do you do to make sure the business of life doesn't take over your lives? How do you make sure what you are doing is the real thing and not just filling the minutes and hours of our days with "stuff". What are some of your best strategies you've discovered to keep your schedules in line. Especially around the holidays, what do you do to keep yourself from being over scheduled? I promise you'll all get credit for your answers and I'll be bragging about the great wisdom of my blogging friends!