March Musings

There's something about the changing of seasons, much like the beginning of a new year, that brings to mind new beginnings and making a fresh start. The spring is the perfect time to review those goals and see where you stand, what needs changing and what you've accomplished before looking ahead and pressing forward. One of my new year goals was the write on the blog more often this year. I didn't do so well in March, but it's always a good time to start again.

The school projects continue for Natalie; some she can do on her own and some that require a bit more parental involvement. She made this poster at school illustrating the importance of having a growth mindset. It was a perfect fit for Natalie because she naturally has this sort of attitude. You can see it clearly in her poster - even when she made mistakes she just kept working. Some of our other girls would probably have balled the paper up to start again or given up entirely after any little mistake. Natalie is a positive young lady who sees the good and opportunities for learning and growth in every situation. We all could learn a thing or two from her!


Her second project did require some help, but it was still ridiculously easy because it was a family tree project and logging into Family Search gave us all the information we needed. Natalie simply selected her name and chose to view her tree in fan view. Then we downloaded the populated fan chart, took it to a local printer, and the project was complete! The assignment was for three generations but we went ahead and used the seven (almost, we've still got a few names to fill in) that were there in Family Search. Picking up the completed chart was even a missionary opportunity as the clerk at the print shop wondered how we'd found all the information. Just one of the many benefits of being a member of the church.
We took advantage of a sunny Saturday and finally went to Thetford Forest.  We drive through/past it every time we go to church so it was nice to go check it out and see if it was as cool as everybody says and it was! There were paths through the woods for walking or cycling with some pretty sweet play structures for climbing, balancing, and swinging along the way. In the woods along the paths there were piles of timber that you could use to build shelters in the trees. I was amazed by the creativity and building skills of the people who came before us. What a great place to spend the odd sunny day that we are blessed with now and again. I'm sure we'll be back in the future!





Spring has sprung and one of the first signs of its advent was the appearance of clusters of daffodils everywhere. Really everywhere - in yards and in flower beds but also growing along roadsides and in ditches. Almost anywhere you look you can find a bunch of daffodils. I have loved these cheery yellow flowers since I was a child and lived in England once before. It's not spring until the daffodils have bloomed!


My willingness to run outside is another sign that spring is here. I find it difficult to be excited about going for a run under the best of circumstances and when you add in dark, frosty mornings I'd much rather stay inside.  Jared and I are registered for a 10K in May and a half marathon in July so I have to get out and run, regardless of the weather! It's always nicer to run when you're surrounded by nature because the view takes your mind off the run.


Here's to fresh starts, spring flowers, sunny days, and an end to school projects!



SaveSave

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Faith?

Image
What would you say if someone asked you what faith is? In Hebrews 11, Paul defined faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The assurance of things hoped for - faith is knowing that because of Jesus Christ, we can hope for a brighter future. I feel as if hope and faith are one and the same. Life can be heartbreakingly difficult sometimes and even though I know that challenges are there to help us learn and grow, I sure wish I didn't have to go through those hard times. When I have felt surrounded by struggles and I couldn't see any way that things would ever get better, the only thing that has kept me moving forward is hope. Not the kind of hope that is sort of wishful like hoping your team wins a World Cup game, but hope that is sure because it is based on Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ is having hope and knowing that His promises are sure.  The evidence of things not seen - faith in God grows when we see Him working in our...
Read more

Anxiety, Friendship, and Insecurity

This post has been kicking around in my head for a while now. My emotions have been closer to the surface lately - which can be both good and bad.  For a couple of weeks last month it was a bad thing and I found myself crying at pretty much everything and feeling alone and friendless even when I was surrounded by people. You'd think I'd be better at making friends after almost forty years of moving and having to form new connections at each new place. Instead, the older I get, the more difficult the process becomes. Even after I make friends deep down I question if we're really friends. I think these feelings of insecurity are part of what makes me willing to do almost anything for my friends. If I do nice things for you maybe you'll continue to tolerate my presence? I think I do a pretty good job hiding my insanity. I can fake confidence really well - smiling and laughing and making small talk. And then I go home and overanalyze and question every little thing I said...
Read more

Four Decades

Image
Birthdays are markers in our lives. Moving from one decade to another is a milestone that is not marked by an accomplishment or an important decision, but simply your age. That's something you can't control as time keeps moving forward whether we're ready for it or not. I can honestly say that I'm not bothered by turning forty and that I still look forward to my birthdays. But there's no denying that those milestone birthdays (you know the ones, they end in zero) are a big deal. A time that, for me, leads to some looking back to see if I've accomplished anything worthwhile in the previous decade of my life or in any of the decades of my life.  So I found photos of myself at all those other ages that end in zero. Maybe if I take it a decade at a time it will be easier to see what I've learned? Seriously, whose dog is this? Italy, 1981 Okay, this first one is already breaking the rules as it's not from a milestone birthday. I have two pictures...
Read more