Bit and Pieces

• I had my 20 year reunion this past weekend.  It was very fun and enlightening on many levels.  I had a great time because I have finally arrived...as in, I like me-you can like me too OR NOT and I will still be OK.  AND then the flip side of that coin which is, I like you.  You can take it or leave it but I like you despite the past or any other hurdles.  This is in no way related to my 20 year reunion, it just happens to be my mental state at the 20 year pow-wow.  This frame of mind allowed me to visit with many, have enjoyable conversations, make connections and then say goodbyes and leave with the wonderful man I married.  I won't see most of those people again for a long time but they still are a small part of who I am and I savor the contact I have with them-even if it is infrequent.
• I had a really great support group meeting tonight.  It was only 3 of us 'regulars' and so we skipped alot of formalities and cut to the chase.  Our basic issue was power.  The power we give away to others and the power we try to have over others.  Ridiculous if you give it much thought.  God created us to be souls with free will.  So why is power such an irresistible force?  I struggle with it and yet fully realize the futility.  My way is just so much easier.  Power struggles are rooted in selfishness and selfishness is the root of nearly every conflict and sin that exists.  I feel very blessed to have such an amazing group to meet with and be influenced into making better decisions for myself.
• Co-op is stretching me in ways I could not have predicted.  I am being forced into some creative problem solving.  I am often required to slowly examine all sides of an issue and then slowly and methodically work with several other people to find solutions. My default is making quick decisions with little thought and then trying to deal with any issues that crop up later, so this is new terrain for me.  I am enjoying it though.  It's not an easy teaching year as I am doing research papers with the older kids.  If any of you have tips on how to make that fun, let me know!!  AND the younger kids just want to play...so I am going to try to be more fun and games, less bookwork.  That is very hard for me because I believe in the power of grammar.  AND I love it and want others to love it as well. I should be about settled in to a routine by Christmas.
• My other school work is almost in a really good groove.  I just have to realize that I MUST hold my children accountable to their assignments.  This is easier this year than any other because I am spending so much of my time getting them all neat-like on a paper for checking off.  That does not mean it is easy in any way, just easier than other years.  ( :
• Now, to end on a fun note.  Most all of my clothes are reaching the point of being REALLY too big to wear.  What a wonderful blessing.  The good thing is that I have recently purchased a few things here and there on the small tight side-foreseeing this day.  However, none of those things were shorts and it continues to be 90 here.  I have smaller jeans passed on to me by a friend...I have no shorts.  I need cooler weather please. 

Getting back to blogging on a regular basis has cleared my thinking in such a noticeable way.  Funny how those words swimming around in my head all the time need to get drained on a regular basis to prevent being all jumbled up.  Blogging is good for my mental health.  (Now I'm gonna go listen to Quiet Riot and bang my head.  Mental Health will drive you mad!)