Something about the Ocean... (Ps 9:1)

I was born in South Florida; raised in DelRay, Boca Raton, Daytona Beach, Tampa Bay. Some of my earliest memories are set in the sand.


Pretending to be a mermaid.
Building (and destroying) sand castles.
Chasing my sister into the waves.
Backfloating over a giant jellyfish.




When I was 13, I was moved to Jacksonville. There are no beaches in Jacksonville.By the time I was 14, I was in Colorado. Beaches had been traded for mountains.

Disclaimer: Not the Rockies. My old pics are in storage.
 If you want to send me a digital, I'd be happy to switch it out.

"Purple-mountains-majesty," in fact. The Colorado Rockies are positively awe-inspiring.  Towering over everything. Acting as a reference point from most anywhere you stand. Always there. Always constant. Anchoring and fortifying. Steadying. Dwarfing anything else on the horizon.

Colorado is a truly lovely state. I lived there for 7 very important years. High school. My first car. My first job. My first (and second) heartbreak. My first apartment. My first college. In Colorado, I met some of my best friends. People, who are solid. Dependable. Constant. Just like the mountains that provided the backdrop for their early lives.

I learned to appreciate the majesty of the mountains.The beautiful lakes. The tall, tall trees. The wild, ruggedness of the land. The absolute constancy. Once I learned to hear the whisper of the mountains, they reminded me that God is always bigger, stronger, more solid than anything I might have to face.

These are not my 21 year old feet, either. :)

When I was 21, my toes finally found their way into the sand again. The cold grey sand of the northern Pacific, which is nothing like the warm golden sand I was used to. 

But it didn't matter. It wasn't really the sand that spoke to me. It was the sea. Despite the fact that it was fall, and freezing, I had to get my feet wet. I danced with the surf, just like a child. I spread my arms wide and twirled; watched the foamy white waves reach out for my toes, and ran away, laughing. Hair in my eyes, laughing, I ran back, again and again, daring the sea to catch me. Laughing. Always laughing.

At some point it did catch me. Or I jumped in. It didn't matter that it was freezing and not at all sensible. It didn't matter who saw me. I abandoned myself to the joy of the moment.  

The sea is in my soul.
Maybe it is because of those early years. Maybe it is how I was wired when I was "knit together in my mother's womb." Whatever the reason, I didn't have to learn to listen to the ocean. 

Its vastness. Its wildness. The unimaginable depths. The currents. The itty bitty algae and the great whales. The intricacy of the ecosystems hidden beneath rippling, shimmering, ever-changing, surface. The sand. The grains of sand that were once shells; shells that once housed and sheltered some living creature. The way the water smooths the sand, no matter what sort of mess it is. Each grain of sand, each tiny phytoplankton, each annoying jellyfish has a story. And God knows that story, and why it mattered. Because to Him, each story matters.


Yes, there's something about the ocean. Choppy or still, it soothes me. Inspires me. Reminds me to trust.
God is there. He knows my story, too. He sees how it fits into the flow of the universe. He can smooth out any messes I might find myself in. He's there, always reaching out, like the waves. Reaching out to me. Over and over again. Always. Until I fall into Him. 

Oh, and, when I dance with the waves, arms open, I have to let go of the things that worry me. 

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
 I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

-Psalm 9:1

A lily... Diva style! (Luke 12:27-32)

Umm... I'm back. 

Turns out that my verbal-processing-open-journal actually DOES keep me better connected to the folks I love. Because, despite having recently adopted a 45 minute commute, I'm still hard to catch on the phone. And I'm not the only one who's lousy at e-mail. But I simply cannot boil everything down to a facebook update. So, if you like random thoughts and updates from me; if you don't mind the occasional ramble, bookmark me. Check back...maybe weekly? That's my goal anyway. Weekly. We shall see.

It's been a busy summer. 

In early July, I moved out of my home in VA and onto my sister's couch in NC. 

Shortly after that, I had a fantastic trip back to Tacoma. I got to enjoy 80 degree summer in the Puget Sound, spoil a cuddly canine, and spend a ton of quality time with some of the most wonderful people I'll ever meet.

 My trip was restorative and restful. It also affirmed my decision to leave the lovely Pacific Northwest, at least for a while. The reasons I left - sunshine, family, and faith - are still strong pulls. Plus, I'm still adventuring. 

And learning. 

Since school started, I have learned even more about how different education is across the country. As 40+ states adopt the Common Core State Standards for curriculum, and adopt rubrics which tie teacher evaluations to student performance, outcomes are theoretically being leveleld. Yet I see no move to address the input. The disparities in resources - physical, technological, and human - in the three states where I hold a certificate are significant. These kids, their schools, and the districts/states aren't bringing the same things to the table. NC teachers get paid 2/3 as much as teachers in University Place, and yet they have more responsibilities in the classroom. One of the biggest districts in NC has a very restrictive limit on the number of copies teachers can make, because they can't afford paper and toner. At some point we, as a nation, need to have this conversation, too. But teacher stuff will mainly go on my other blog "only the lessons." Look for it there, a couple times a month. 

For now, let me just say that I'm loving my work environment. I have a welcoming and supportive team. The boss communicates regularly. The kids are fun to work with. The challenges are interesting. And, since it's a converted old high school  the campus (and the classroom) is huge. So I'm getting a lot of walking in.

Which is good. 

Because in July the doctor told me that I have pretty bad arthritis in my ankle. Likely predating the broken leg, but certainly aggravated by it. Now that I'm settled in my new district, I'm going to get it evaluated by a local doctor and learn what that means for me, long-term. (Feel free to pray for my medical care).  At first I felt rather...limited by this new development. The doc took away tennis and running (two hobbies I actually wanted to pick up). Although he did replace them with kayaking and walking (I already love walking, and kayaking... a water sport? twist my arm!), it still certainly complicated moving this summer. And vacation. And back-to-school. But then two things happened.

1) As I started walking my campus, regularly, and loosening up, the "predating" finally really sunk in. Meaning this really is the same condition I dealt with in my young adulthood. I dealt with it. Successfully. So I know I can deal with it. (And, for the record, I haven't used the "gimp stick" in at least 2 weeks).

2) I remembered how I dealt with it. I remembered that my God is bigger than the boogey man.  Or the arthritis fairy. I have been blessed in so many ways. And part of this journey was learning to trust God with everything. Everything, I guess, includes my ankles. Funny that. Head-shoulders-knees-and-toes?!

I'm not planning to let some deteriorated cartilage slow me down. In fact, I've some pretty ambitious health-and-fitness goals for the 2013/2014 school year. I'm excited and motivated. Not to mention stubborn. 

Oh, and broke, thanks to the NC pay schedule. But it doesn't cost (much) to walk. So I can learn to live super-frugally, and still have fun in the process. Win!

And you know what? God's got plans for me. It's been a while since I've been so excited to see what they might be. 

I know that for tomorrow, at least, they include spending a sunny morning hanging out with my niece, watching my nephew play PopWarner football, while my sister does her team-mom duties. That's a pretty good place to start.

"I'm a lily." - You Can't Take It With You (1938)

One of my all time favorite chunks of scripture begins with a reminder of the lilies and how lovely they are. It ends with the encouragement that God loves to bless us when we trust Him. It's a little long to type the whole thing here, but you can check out Luke 12:27-32 by clicking on this link. 

I hope you have an amazing week!