Smile!

It was one of those days…

It Couldn’t Be Done

This poem by Edgar Guest is one of those that motivates me no matter how many times I’ve read it. Regardless of difficulties and even scoffers, it’s a good reminder to pay them no heed, but to do it anyway!

It Couldn’t Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.”

Why English is so Hard to Learn

See if you can read these without messing up even once. I got confused once or twice myself!

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8 ) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Finally, some pictures!

The kids had loads of fun preparing the 350 (about 1000 soaps) packages with soaps for the cyclone affected area we’re helping.

Dress up for Maria’s birthday!

He’s officially walking now!

They all had great fun chosing their characters (and mine!).

Finding Balance

Yesterday, I was going through some discouragement as a parent and teacher. While I feel it’s good to see how we can do better in both, discouragement and defeatism should never be an option. But, it was difficult for me to snap out of it right away. I felt that if I had been a better mother and teacher, Jordan would be doing better in his reading, be able to write all his letters and numbers correctly (he still writes a lot of them backwards from time to time; he’s not dyslexic, it’s just that childish mix up). He’s 5 ½ and by my standards, behind in school. Most of the delay is because of all the moving we did in the 2 yrs prior to coming here, making it difficult for me to be consistent with him while also keeping up with the girl’s school (including helping CC catch up to her grade level).

This morning, during my prayer and meditation time before starting the day (on Saturday, I tend to sleep in, meaning the kids are often awake and up before me or at the same time), Jordan, who had also just woken up, came and gave me a hug good morning. He then asked if I was thirsty and proceeded to pour me a cup of water without waiting for my reply. The Lord used that little interaction to speak to my heart. Yes, he might not read everything yet, and he mixes up ‘b’ and ‘d’ constantly, but he has qualities that go beyond the school room and book knowledge. He aims to be a gentleman (many thanks to the good samples of this he’s seen in his little life so far!), thinks of others, is considerate and at the same time has a hilarious sense of humor. Yesterday Aman and Jordan got into a discussion because they both wanted to prefer the other and do a job neither of them wanted to do. Jordan has also been honing his gift of prophecy and won’t give up until he hears from the Lord.

Those are life-long qualities I want my children to have; the Lord showed me that he gifted them in ways that go beyond just learning during school. Yes, it’s very important for them to learn to read, write, and count and I’m by no means putting that down (just to make myself feel better, ha). However, it did me good to have the Lord pull me back from the trees a bit to see the bigger picture. I really am thankful that He gave them those gifts and qualities that balance all that out.