My Heart Is Full

I was listening to my iPod this evening (I have it set to shuffle through the songs) when the song below came on. I have the version that was performed by Kenneth Cope. My emotions are high and my heart is full today.

If you would like to hear the song, it is listed on my playlist. There is also an amazing video on YouTube. Just follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq7IwPj2-kY

Thank you for such a beautiful song.

Come To Jesus

Weak and wounded sinner,
Lost and left to die,
O, raise your head for love is passing by,

Come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus and live.

Now your burden's lifted,
And carried far away,
And precious blood has washed away the stain... so

Sing to Jesus,
Sing to Jesus,
Sing to Jesus and live.

And like a newborn baby,
Don't be afraid to crawl,
And remember when you walk sometimes we fall... so

Fall on Jesus,
Fall on Jesus,
Fall on Jesus and live.

Sometimes the way is lonely,
And steep and filled with pain,
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain... then

Cry to Jesus,
Cry to Jesus,
Cry to Jesus and live.

O, and when the love spills over,
And music fills the night,
And when you can't contain your joy inside... then

Dance for Jesus,
Dance for Jesus,
Dance for Jesus and live.

And with your final heartbeat,
Kiss the world goodbye,
Then go in peace, and laugh on glory's side... and

Fly to Jesus,
Fly to Jesus,
Fly to Jesus and live,

Fly to Jesus,
Fly to Jesus,
Fly to Jesus and live.

-Lyrics by Chris Rice

Where Do I Go From Here?

Patience is not one of my virtues. I've seem to have lost more of my patience since I have had children. Not necessarily because of my boys but because of those who are teaching my children.

When my oldest son entered the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind (USDB) the first year of preschool was rough. His second year of preschool and then kindergarten were pretty good. We finally found a teacher that we liked and seemed to actually take teaching visiually impaired children seriously. By first grade he was mainstreamed our of USDB and in regular school. All has gone well, so far.

My third son entered USBD last year. This is his second year of preschool. His teacher last year was pretty good. At the end of the year when we had his IEP (Individual Education Plan) my husband and I felt that we were being pushed out of USDB because our son was too smart for the school. Oh, they told us it was because it would be difficult to develope his social skills with the students in his upcoming preschool class.

We decided to have him stay at USDB. I'm not so sure that was a great decision. He has been through, I think, three teachers since beginning in September 2008. His current teacher, I can't say too much about because I haven't met her. Yes, I need to go to the school and spend some time however, she also seems to avoiding my requests for a new IEP for Aaron.

My baby will be three years old in March. He is suppose to start preschool at USDB. Needless-to-say, I am reluctant. I want my boys to be educated in Braille and white cane use and I want it to be an education they receive on a daily or every other day basis. If they are placed in a regular school, that won't happen. This is why I chose USDB for my boys for their first couple of years of school.

I write this because I am frustrated. I'm not sure where to go from here. I've become a little involved with Utah Parents of Blind Children but there are never any meetings, that I know of. I attended one meeting that was open to the public to hear and express concerns/opinions about USDB, the future of the school and the future education of our children. I expressed my concerns in the open forum as many others, am frustrated by the whole thing.

That's it!

My sweet husband has invited me to attend the National Federation of the Blind convention this year. I am going to try to get some answers. I'm going to try to find something better for my boys.

Until then, I'm not sure where to go from here.

Winter Fun

When I was growing up and living in Utah I remember my parents packing up the family and heading to the mountains with our sleds and inner tubes to spend the day doing some serious sledding. We made a day of it. Mom made sure we had thermos after thermos full of hot chocolate. We were decked out from head to toe in sledding gear and spent the day hiking or pulling ourselves up the hill on a tow rope and then sledding down over and over again.

When we moved to Washington we lived across the street from some vacant land. There were some pretty good hills for sledding but one small one in particular with a killer ramp/jump on it. The day I flew off of that ramp and lost my inner tube causing me to land with no cushion other than the packed snow is still vivid in my mind.

This Christmas our little family traveled north to spend the holiday with Grandma Dd and Grandpa Gd. We arrived on Christmas Eve afternoon and found them at a local park with a decent sized hill for sledding. My brother and his family had come up from Southern California to spend the week.

My nieces were not used to the cold and snow but loved every minute of the sledding fun. My boys jumped on the first sled available and didn't stop until it was time to leave. My dear husband had never in his life, that he could remember, been sledding before. He was quite reluctant but once he was on the sled, he was gone, over and over again.

After just about an hour KD said, "Okay, I'm done." To which my father replied, "We used to do this for six hours." I must admit, I was ready to be done as well. I'm not as young for fit as I used to be nor was I outfitted properly.

It was fun playing in the snow but not as fun as I remember from my childhood. I guess the older I get the more boring I become.

Healing Power

The first picture I ever saw of my sweet husband was of him standing next to country singer Rhett Akins. That describes my husband to a tee. Music is his life and for that, I am grateful. He has been a great influence in my music choices and has taught me more than I ever thought I would know about any artist or genre of music in my lifetime.

Almost every story KD has told me has a song related to it somehow. I can call him up and ask him who sings almost any song and he can pretty much tell me. KD has taught me to really listen to the words...really listen to the message.

Some of the best memories I have had with my dear husband to date have been from concerts we have gone to together. My favorite is when we saw Mr. Randy Travis in concert at Kingsbury Hall in October 2005. Mr. Travis has helped KD through a lot and in fact, he sings one of KD's favorite songs of all time, "Forever and Ever, Amen." This song means a lot to KD and to his mother.

We recently lost KD's uncle and best friend to cancer. It has been difficult for all of us. Tears still fill my eyes when I think of sweet Uncle J. One of John's favorite songs was "Angels Among Us" by Alabama. Every time I hear this song my eyes swell as I think about our dear friend and uncle. We miss you J!

Music heals!
If you browse through my playlist on this blog you will see a pretty eclectic collection of songs. I love it all. I owe my husband a great deal of thanks for introducing me to such a large variety of music. Thank you my love!

I hope that as you listen to the radio in your car or your iPod, MP3 player, or whatever it is you enjoy, you listen closely to the words. Find a song that inspires you. Grow from it. Let it heal was ails you.

Tis The Season...

As much as I complain about the hordes of people that seem to come out of the woodwork and the cold weather, I really do love this time of year. I love that, for most people, the attitudes change and the generosity is overflowing.

I have been fortunate to witness an abundance of generosity in my workplace. From simple every day kindness to donations for a family who lost a loved one and have found it difficult both emotionally and financially to provide a Christmas for the four young boys in the family.

I've watched person after person bring in food for the local food bank knowing this is an especially difficult year for so many.

Not only have I been blessed to participate in this kindness, I came home from work last night to fine that my little family has also be blessed by an anonymous Samaritan. To this person I say THANK YOU!

May each of us at this wonderful time of year, as we remember the birth of God's precious Son, remember His generosity and love. And may we act in a similar manner.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!