The deep deep LoVe of Jesus!

I LOVE THIS SONG!!

I heard this song for the first time yesterday in church. If I would have allowed it I would have broke down into the ugly cry. I will never fully understand the deep love of Christ this side of heaven, but I feel I grasp a tiny glimpse from time to time. It is truly overwhelming to me.

A character in a book once said, "I cling to the promises of Christ. That HE alone is enough, that HE is all I need. That serving HIM is all the life, all the love I could ever want, all by itself." I remember reading those words a few years ago and becoming deeply grieved. For in that moment, I knew the Lord was asking me if I could say the same. Sadly, I knew I could not say wholeheartedly that HE alone is enough. It broke my heart!! I so desperately wanted it to be true of me, but I also knew that God could not be fooled. He knew my heart and HE was holding it up saying, "Ok, let's deal with this. You've gone on like this long enough!"

I would like to say that was the beginning of great things, but actually it was quite the opposite. I chose my own rebellious way for a while. I decided to be stubborn and dig my heals in because HE wouldn't give me the one thing I wanted...a husband. This realization proved to me that I never believed that He ALONE is enough, that He is all I need. Nothing would do, nothing would make me "happy" but God AND a husband!! It took about four years...lots of tears...lots of crying out to God...repentance...before I could see and know deep within me that HE truly is all I need.

I'm certainly not where I want to be in life, but I praise Him that I am not where I was four years ago. I am deeply amazed at the deep deep love of Jesus. I know my rebellious ways of the past and still His love for me is immeasurable!! I stand in awe.

>>♪ Oh the deep, deep love...All I need and trust...Is the deep, deep love of Jesus ♫

I hope you experience it today.

Reflection

Yip, today I am celebrating the big 3-2!!

As I think back over the last year there have been a lot of changes. I moved to a new town, started a new job, a new church (actually, that took a while to find! but now finally feel settled in). Everything seemed new and a little frightening at times. I survived my first year as a "Wacoan." I have enjoyed the fresh start and have met some fantastic people.

I can honestly say, life hasn't turned out exactly how I had it planned in my childhood mind and THANK GOD for that!! I take comfort in knowing that HE knows what is best for me and....it is an amazing life!!

So, in reflecting over my 32 years of life...I am BLESSED beyond belief. I have seen God's hand at every twist and turn. I am excited about this year and anxious to see what the Lord has in store for me.

LIFE IS GOOD at...

Embarking on a Journey!

I have always thought it was quite ironic that I became a reading teacher. My whole family can attest to the fact that as a child I HATED to read. (I blame it on the whole language approach...I believe I would've been a much better reader had I learned phonics, but that is beside the point!) My mom was the best! She tried everything to help me love to read, especially in third grade. I had to read every single night. Even thinking about it now brings back memories...not very pleasant ones. Some mornings mom would wake me up early and we would go to Dairy Queen where she would order biscuits & gravy (my favorite) and have me read to her. I still didn't like the reading part but cherish the memories and her dedication as a mother. I never became the fastest reader and to tell you the truth, I hated reading all the way through college. It wasn't until after I graduate from college and no longer had "required" reading that I picked up a book and read for enjoyment.

Now I take great pleasure in picking up a good book. I have so many books that I don't have enough shelf space. Some books are packed away in my closet and others are stacked neatly under my bed. Because I struggled so much as a child in reading, I believe it has made me a better teacher. I can identify with those who "can't stand to read!" Sadly, they are the majority!

So...In my (almost) 32 years, I realized that I have NEVER read a classic novel. Yes, you read that correctly...never read a classic novel!! I don't know how I got away with it. Oh wait, we read "Grapes of Wrath" together as a class in high school, but I can't really claim reading it because Mrs. Mills read it out loud. Sad but true!!!

This is where the journey begins! A few nights ago I asked people on Facebook to post their favorite classic novel. The number one choice seemed to be "To Kill a Mockingbird," so I went to Barnes & Noble today and bought it. This is going to be the first of many classic novels I read this year.

My reading list:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Moby Dick
5. Emma
6. Of Mice and Men
7. The Red Badge of Courage
8. Gone with the Wind
9. The Great Gatsby
10. Grapes of Wrath

I'll write a book review after reading each novel just to share the book through my eyes. I am actually very excited!! Having been a reading teacher for years, I have to admit I am embarrassed that I am not "well-read." There's only one way to solve that problem. So, signing off to pick up the first book on my list....To Kill a Mockingbird. (I really don't have a Mockingbird problem, so I really don't know why I need to know how to kill one, but everyone says it's a good book. ha!)

Be Bold!

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

I recently heard a story that I can't get off of my mind because it touched me so deeply. It is a true story and it happened just a few days ago. Although the details may not be written down perfectly (because I was not an eye witness...even though I wish I would've been), I think it is the big picture that counts.

Someone very dear to me was in the hospital for a few days. As you can imagine, it was a very stressful time for all who were involved. We are very blessed to know that our hope comes from the Lord and that He is the only one who can give us strength for each and every day.

And the story starts here...
As this couple was leaving the hospital something amazing happened. They were in the elevator with several other people; a little seven year old boy was among them. As he asked what floor each person was going, he followed with..."Does everyone in here know Jesus?" Then he and his mother asked if anyone was in need of prayer!

WOW! I am amazed at the whole situation. I LOVE how this mother is teaching her son to be bold in sharing Jesus to strangers at such a young age. I love how they purposefully sought out to encounter people who were hurting and in need of prayer or more importantly...a SAVIOR!

If a story like this does not call us to action, then I don't know what will! I have to admit that it was very convicting to me on many different levels. What am I doing for the kingdom of God? How many times have I been bold enough to say within a crowd of people, "Does everyone in here know Jesus?" Let's step up to the plate and make a difference. And if you have children, there's not a better time than the present to teach them how to stand up and be bold for the Lord.

Can you imagine what kind of man of God this little boy will become?! What a blessing he has in his mother for training him in the way he should go.

And she shall be called...TIA!

I have several different roles in life and each one plays a very special part of who I am...daughter, sister, sister-in-law, teacher, colleague, friend.

BUT...On June 3, 1996, I was blessed to add one of my favorite roles to the mix...TIA. (For those of you who don't live on the Mexico border, that means aunt.) Little "Mana" was born three days after my high school graduation and I couldn't have been more thrilled! Since that day, 5 more little munchkins have been added: Mana, Kater Bug, Libby, Sweet Pea, Teeny, and Brother.





The last 14 years have gone by so quickly. Seems like yesterday Mana was born and now she is a whole head taller than me. I am so glad that I am secure in my "shortness" because I am the measuring stick of the family and two have already passed me! I love it. Sweet Pea looked at me the other day and said, "Man Tia, you're short!" I replied, "Yip, I bet you will be taller than me when you're 10." She quickly responded with a slight giggle, "Probably when I'm 6!"

Favorite things about being Tia
I LOVE:

~that all of them still run up to me and hug me when I walk through the door

~all of them still sit in my lap or come jump on me when laying in bed

~talking to them on the phone

~getting emails from Mana (eager to get emails from the others when they are able to get an account)

~that 5 out of the 6 have bitten me at least once (give brother a couple months, I'm sure he will be added to the list) We got Kater Bugs chomp on video---Yes, I think it is funny! It is called what-goes-around-comes-around. I bit my great-grandmother's face!

~sitting by them in church

~tickling their backs, faces, and arms and especially when they play with my hair or tickle my back. Thanks Libby ;)I have been know to pay $$ for it because it feels so good!

~that they keep me in line!
I took my brother's two girls out on the town a few days ago. When we were heading home we were listening to Rise and Shine and give God the glory, glory! Well...I have my own dance moves to the song and thought I should teach them the moves. Teeny looked at me from the back seat and said, "Tia, you need to keep your hands on the wheel and watch the woad (road)." Then Sweet Pea chimed in..."Teeny, I'm with ya on that one!"

~that they make up their own names for me: Tia-pia-Santa Maria, Tida, TT

~watching all of their tricks (sports, rodeo, trampoline, dancing, skunk spraying etc)

~going swimming, four wheeler rides, Mayborn Museum

~making cookie dough and eating all the dough

~playing mama/baby, horses, and being the jungle gym

~getting little ones in and out of the car

~listening to their laughter

And the list could go on and on!

Each one of them has such a special place in my heart. I love them all so much and am thrilled to be their TIA!


Mana sporting her "I love Tia" heart.



Feeding little Kater Bug



The day Libby was born!



Being Silly at Alamo Village



Christmas Fun



Little Bundled up Brother



Ranch Divas



The real us!

Thanks for all the wonderful memories! I can't wait to make many many more :)

Be HaPpY! :)

As you can tell, I changed my blog design. I don't know if it will stay like this indefinitely, but for now, I really like it. It is a great reminder to look at my life each and every day and be happy! I know I am known in "blog world" and on Facebook as being the girl who overuses smiley faces. That's me! I wasn't nicknamed Smiley when I was young for nothin'! :)

I have always tried to find humor in day to day things. I have been known to laugh at inappropriate times. I do have an excuse for that one though...I believe it is in my genetic makeup; it is something that can't be helped. (thanks mom!) Although, I guess I can't blame all of my laughing skills on mom because I really do have a dumb sense of humor and Lord only knows that that comes from my dad. He and I have the same sense of humor and it really does crack me up. I am blessed to have grown up in a family where laughter was something that was heard on a daily basis. Even when we get together now we give ourselves a hardy ab workout. My sister's girls have fallen right in to the mold as well. They have commented on many occasions, "Mom, your family is crazy!" We would never deny it.

Unfortunately, there are many things in this life that try to suck the life and joy right out of us. In those hard times we have to chose to find those things in life(even if we have to create them) that make us smile, chuckle, giggle, laugh hysterically. The JOY of the Lord is our strength!



PS...If you are down and out and can't find a single thing to laugh about, come to my house. Even if I have to stick you in front of one of the many mirrors in my house and make you watch yourself ugly cry...you will leave my house with, at the very least...a smile :)

My Job

I went out to eat with some of my friends from school tonight and came home thinking about my job. I will admit that the beginning of the year was very tough. It was rough for many different reasons...new place, new boss, new expectations, new students, new coworkers, new atmosphere, having to prove myself...EVERYTHING was different except for the 100s of files that I brought along with me. Stress was an understatement! But, now that I am nine months into it, things have begun to fall into place and become familiar.
About a month ago, I was very torn as to whether or not I should find a new job. I sent resumes, went to a job fair, and prayed a lot! One morning I woke up and was totally at peace knowing that I would spend another year at my current position. Sure there are challenges, but that's life. I have a calling to work with the more difficult kiddos. I truly love them! Yes, some days they make me want to pull my hair out or scream at the top of my lungs, but deep down I would really like to bring them home and raise them as my own. It makes my day when that student that I have had to get on to a million times (in one day!) comes up to me in the hall and gives me a hug or fist pump OR goes out of his/her way just to make sure I smile at them and say, "Hey hon...have a good day. or How's it going today?"
You see, this life is not all about me and my comfort. Some of my students have a tough life and I realize that my smile and my hug (or fist pump) might be all they have to look forward to in a day. That thought can literally make me start bawling. Sure, my purpose is to teach these children how to read and write, but more importantly...I pray that I teach them what love looks like! Do I blow it sometimes? Of course I do! But, do I ask them to forgive me when I'm wrong?...I sure do, and it blows them away every time.
People wonder why I continue to do what I do; I have to admit that there are days when I wonder the same thing. But then I think back over the years about Aaron, Curtis, the two Kyles, Monika, Donnelle, Eduardo, Daisy...and the list could go on and on...and I wouldn't change it for the world. I know the Lord has placed each one of them in my class for a reason and I pray that through my life they can feel HIS love!!

Life is Good!

I was just sitting here propped up in my bed trying not to be too distraught about the headache that continues to linger. I am sitting here sucking down my first cup of coffee and eating my ever famous pb&syrup rollover thinking about how good life is. I had some inspiration...In an attempt to enjoy this beautiful morning while still being warm and cozy in my bed, I opened my blinds to find three squirrels eating nuts and playing in the tree. I don't know why it made me laugh, but I stood there for a while watching and even grabbed my camera. A scripture quickly came to mind while watching not the birds but the squirrels: Matthew 6:25-26
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air {squirrels in the tree}; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Don't you just love it when the Lord speaks and you know without a doubt it is Him?

If you know anything about me at all you know I can be "slightly" random at times...This is no exception! If you are family I'm sure you can connect the dots with squirrels and funny/unreal stories in my life. ha!

Funny/Unreal Moments in Life:

~Maternity Home stories: Having to be on guard until the cops showed up to watch a girl with HIV who had just downed a bottle of pain pills...all I was thinking was..."Dear God, please don't let her bite me!" ha! or
~Being cussed out while driving because she decides she no longer wants to go to her NA meeting but to her "baby-daddy" house.
~Sleeping on a hospital floor for 5 nights praying the little premature baby would make it through the night.
~Not to mention all the things I saw and other things I heard...I have a very HIGH shock factor these days!


~Dating stories: Like...he's nuttier than a two p squirrel! or asking inappropriate questions or being stalked at school where I had to turn off the lights during lunch and hide behind my plant so I wouldn't be bothered. :D

~School stories: (this will probably become a whole other post) from being poked in the butt with a pen, writing several kids up for sexual harassment, bathroom walls, one wedging himself underneath his desk screaming, being called the reading b*tch, asking me if I was going to read the book "Puss in Boots" but not in those exact words...and the list could go on and on. There will be many names that are ruled out when I finally have a children...names with such negative connotations.

~Adventure stories: being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon puking my guts up is certainly number one! ha! Spelunking in a dark cave, with water and having to lay on my stomach and shimmy through this tiny little hole called....the birth canal!...makes me breath hard just thinking about it. Then there is repelling off a cliff, white water rafting on the same river the Olympics were held, and doing the Sky Screamer not once but twice (I chalk that up to peer-pressure!)Oh and I almost forgot scuba-diving (another one that makes me breath hard) where I could've gotten my fingers bitten off by an eel!

I think about these from time to time and it cracks me up. I have lived such a wonderful and blessed life!! Full of opportunities that I would never have imagined.

Living Mi Vida Loca!! :)
Pictures are taken from Life is Good on-line store http://www.lifeisgood.com/