And then I sat there and laughed.

Let me take you back to my life about 47 minutes ago.

I was in our Grade 1 classroom, sitting between two little girls who were taking their time finishing up their writing.  Since it is the beginning of the year, these little ones are very much in the early stages of learning to read and write.  However, this little writing activity was still taking far longer than I had expected.

So...I sat there, helping them come up with their ideas for writing.

And then I slightly zoned out...because there was so much random noise going.

Over to my left one little boy was hitting his metal water bottle with his ruler.

One of the girls was singing 'I like to move it, move it', in a strange low voice.

Another girl was humming away at a high frequency.

One little boy was bouncing his pencil loudly on his desk.

If only it were all to the same beat, it might have been musical bliss.

Nonetheless, I sat there for a few moments and gazed around at the chaos.

And then I sat there and laughed.

What Do Human Beings Need To Survive? 

- A Seven-Year Olds' Perspective - 

Perhaps with school ending in a few days (*fist pump*), my posts will revert back to my own personal thoughts rather than comical stories from the classroom.  Or perhaps not.  But until then, here's one more...


We were discussing the differences between 'needs' and 'wants' of human beings.  The students were giving great examples of things they might want, and then we began making a list of the basic needs that all human beings need to survive.  


The answers we were shooting for were: air, water, food, clothing, shelter and space.


At this point once all these were written on the board, I felt like our list was complete and we could move on.  Then another hand shot up.

"Human beings need God."


Alright, I momentarily freeze as I begin processing how to proceed with such an answer, so...yes, according to my perspective and this 7 year old child, I would definitely agree with his statement. However, we are in a public school so this is a bit of a tender issue.




My response... "Well...do we really need God or want God?"


I remember mentally shaking my head as I asked this question...duh - dumb question, of course human beings 'need' God, but technically I was just looking for the 6 things on our list that fit into the curriculum, and God wasn't on there.


His response, "We NEED God."


I stand corrected.  While this particular student would not be one that I would put into the 'Christian' category due to his daily antics, I am thankful for little moments like this when such tidbits of truth sneak their way into life.


To sum up, human beings actually need seven things to survive, and God is number one.

Normally, when the students in my class say funny things, I'm able to stay composed and not laugh out loud at them, but only in my head.  Here are just two recent examples when this was not possible.


We are learning about symbols of Canada...so we discussed the symbols on our Canadian coins.


"Alright, who knows what the maple leaf is on?"  I asked.
"The penny."
"That's right.  And what is the beaver on?"
"A log."




While walking back to the school after a practice drill on the field, the students were suppose to walk back to the school silently.  However, this silence was broken when one of my students hollered from the line, "Miss Jacobson, Andy's pants are backwards."
I froze.  I turned around with raised eyebrows and asked, "Andy...are your pants backwards?"
He stepped out of line, looked down in surprise, and I saw the bum pockets clearly at his front.
I burst out laughing.
Poor kid, this obviously explained why he had been sitting so funny in class all morning.

Mothers are very special people

"Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her."
Psalm 31:25-28

I've been meaning to post for a while...and have another post half written.  However, Mother's Day is indeed in need of a post, because I have an amazing mother.

For those of you who know my mother, you know what a gem she is.  She is a woman of prayer, and woman of love, who is continually giving of herself and blessing others.  She has taught me to trust and believe in the faithfulness of God, solely by the way she lives her life, and I am grateful to her for that.  She is my greatest confidant, and also the woman I fear most, because I never know when she will pop out of a closet or from behind my bedroom door and scare me to death.  

Mom, I love you. :)

Today, as I was sending my students out the door with their Mother's day cards and gifts, I wished some of the mom's 'Happy Mother's Day'.  On their way, one of the mom's also wished me a 'Happy Mother's Day' and then stopped a moment and asked, "Wait, do you have kids?"  I responded with, "Well...kind of...24 of them."  Lord willing, I look forward to being one one day in the future.  However, this time in my life, I'm quite content getting my fill of kids every day at school. 

I also had another conversation with some girls in my class today, who also seem to be in no rush to get married: 

"Happy Mother's Day Miss Jacobson."  
"Haha, well thank you."
"Do you have kids?"
"Nope."
"Are you married?"
"Nope."
Shocked face.
"I know...so, when are you going to get married?"
"I'm going to go my whole life without a husband, and then I'll get one."
"Wow...so you'll live life a bit before you marry."
"Yup."
"Wise girl.  What about you Cathy, how old will you be when you get married?"
"Hmm...probably 30."


All in all, this is my shout out and thank you to my mom, and all the other women in my life who have treated me as a daughter, and have given me their time, wisdom, and love.  Mom's are special people.  

"Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, 

and I will tell of Your greatness.

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness 

and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness." 

- Psalm 145:6-7 -

I have just arrived home from a wonderful evening spent with some beautiful women.  Tonight, our conversation began on what the meaning of Easter is.  While no doubt, the classic Sunday School answer "Jesus!" first came to our minds, conversation began rolling and the Lord directed our chatting in a neat way.

Easter can be a difficult holiday.  Take away the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs, we see the holiday where Christians are encouraged to remember that sacrifice that Christ made for us through His death. I struggle with this every year, to truly grasp the miraculous act that He made.  I don't want to just be swept up in the emotions or force myself to feel a certain way I think I should feel.  Rather, I want to believe without a doubt, in the depth of my soul, that I believe in the man who was willing to die for me, and that that act has radically transformed not only my life, but all of life.

There have been moments in my life where the Lord has shown himself to be extremely real.  He has revealed parts of His character in simple, yet beautiful and unique ways that have been so deeply rooted in my heart that I can never deny those qualities in Him.  These parts of Himself are as real to me as the chair I am sitting on, and as real as the conversations I had tonight with my friends.  Yet, when I reflect upon the historical facts of the crucifixion, that Jesus did indeed live over 2000 years ago, and chose to give His life for me and all humanity...I find it extremely hard to wrap my heart and mind around and really understand and appreciate it all.

But, how can one fully comprehend such a thing without experiencing it?  Yes...hope and faith in the things we have not seen is a huge part of this, yet thus far in my life, it has still proven to be a struggle.

While I have no clear answer, and much of these writings is my own mind rambling and processing, I know Easter still has great purpose and meaning.  My heart at least rests in the truth that I have indeed experienced Christ in my life, that He is a God who is faithful and true.  And while I 'know' in my head of His sacrifice, but cannot understand it in full, I can praise Him for His "awesome acts", "greatness" and "abundant goodness" that I have experienced in full in my own life.

Thus, while it may be hard to reflect on an event that happened so very long ago and feels far removed, may we give honor and praise for the things He continues to do today, and each day.  Because our Lord did not die long ago, He is movin' and shakin' up this world, and I want to be along for the ride.

Blessings on your Easter weekend, may you find the time to reflect and be blessed.

Pencil Shavings...

At school today, we celebrated being at school for 100 days.  It was a whirl wind of a day, and I still feel like my head is spinning a bit.  We crammed a lot of fun action into a day, let me tell you.

However, as I sit here...all I can remember of the day is the small interruption of two of my students fighting over pencil shavings.  I'm pretty sure that when I was in school, pencil shavings were not considered gold...they were garbage...unless they were shavings from my crayons, and that's a completely different story.  Nevertheless, today when I had to console a child who came to me crying after he was caught 'red-handed' trying to steal another child's pencil shavings when they fell on the floor, I could only shake my head.  If only pencil shavings were such a commodity in the real world, I'd be rich.

On a lighter note...I believe I am also 100 days smarter than I was 100 days ago, I hope.

Twenty-12

God is good and He has shown this in many ways this year - both in the large, small and minuscule ways.  Full of surprises, heartaches, miracles, blessings, realizations and all sprinkled with the Lord's faithfulness, hope and goodness.

For a blog post, there is far too much to write without overloading the computer.  And I know once my fingers start-a-typin', a book may appear.  Therefore, I shall keep this snappy and short.

Every new year brings me great joy and anticipation, to begin 'a fresh'.  I feel like I get a fresh start every summer, every school year, and it's nice to have another point of freshness in January.  I am eager to see what great things the Lord has in store for my life, and for those around me.

A few reflections of 2011...
...the passing of my dearest Grandpa, who I still greatly miss and occasionally grab my phone to give him a call.
...the finale to my university career as I finally began my teaching career, and was blessed with a job for the fall
...my dream road trip half way across Canada, where I got to drive through the beautiful prairie flat lands and reconnect with dear friends and family
...turned 24 :)
...a delightfully cute niece, Ella-Sophia, who I still have yet to meet in person, but absolutely adore from afar

New Years Resolutions?  No, thank you.  Yes, I do have dreams and goals to aspire to, however, that happens all year long.  The newest?  To learn ukulele.

Blessings to you all as you start off a brand new year.  May the Lord be your center and solid foundation, your deepest desire and greatest joy.  And may we all have eyes that are open to the world around us so that we may stretch out our hands to love.

JJ