Hello, Beautiful!

There that proudest and most humbling moment in which you realize that your student is so brilliant and motivated, you are compelled to wonder:

 "Why am I teaching this person?"

It is a good moment. It is an eye opening moment. You feel a sense of achievement. Then, an overwhelming flood of emotions: Pride. Happiness. Concern.

How can I be the teacher each these individuals need?

I pray for grace and strength. And I love my job. :-)

16 ounces of happiness

"Oh dear, how undignified!"

= 1 lb of joy

1: Sleeping in an hour this morning with my beloved. (Oh happy mistake!)
2: Eating leftover peach cobbler. (The dumplings were soggy... :happy sigh:)
3: Making pastry for apple, lemon meringue and banana cream pies. (Lydia is making and eating the last mentioned because Jesse and I :dances of joy: are adults and don't eat bananas.)
4: Cleaning up our room. (It really needs it.)
5: Sitting at the table, talking with my sister Lydia. (We've nearly covered every topic under the sun.)
6: Anticipating Cilla's visit on Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7: Getting a $65 cheque from Homespun in the mail. (We never win anything and this Homespun found us winning twice: once in Jesse's name and once in mine.)
8: Helping someone print nearly a thousand wedding pictures this morning at Pharmasave. (Yes, I LOVE looking at wedding pictures.)
9: Getting ready for students and teaching and all things music. (Beginning of October, here we come.)
10: Listening to Liszt on the radio and daydreaming about someday...

11: Having running water and electricity in our house. (Makes my day every day.)
12: Kissing my husband goodbye (sad) and knowing we'll see each other again in 9 hours (happy).
13: Having a boss and coworkers who understand. (They are amazing... each and every one of them.)
14: Opening my kitchen cupboards and seeing the dishes my Grandma gave me for my hopechest. (I love you, Grandma.)
15: Buying ingredients for Lasagna. Enough said.
16: Thinking about one's life and realizing how wonderful it is. (Jesse, I love you.)

Jesse

Love is the silent saying and saying of a single name.  Mignon McLaughlin

March 10th -- Something That Sparkles

I must admit to feeling a little disgruntled about this picture. There is a slough on the side of our house and when the sun shines on it, it's gorgeous. But by the time I got home from work this evening, the sun was already sinking beneath the hills and the slough looked as despondent as the one depicted in Pilgrim's Progress.

After looking around the house, I realized the only thing that really sparkled were our stainless pots and pans we received as a wedding gift from the Weatherl side of family... and my ring. The ring won. :-)

Jesse and I both love our ring. He gave it to me on January 31st, 2011, after he proposed to me and I was like, "Yes! Yes!" It still makes me excited thinking about it!

For those wondering: Champagne diamond and reclaimed silver.

Today, Jesse and I have been married for 6 months. I love every minute we spend in each other's presence. He is everything I prayed for. 

Even though this picture is not what I wanted for today, I must say, it is very fitting. Oh such reasons for celebration!

Grandma Irene

Last January, Jesse took me to visit his Grandma. My first impression of her was the quiet voice... wrinkles... blue veined hands...  many years lived. She was 95 years old and very frail looking. Her husband of many decades had passed away several months before, leaving her a widow. I felt it must have been hard being alone for the first time in so many years. But as each person greeted her, she looked so very pleased and happy to see us. When Jesse introduced me as his girlfriend, Irene looked up at me kindly and smiled. Then she gave me a hug as she welcomed me.

It was a delight that her fragility of body never extended to her mind. I listened to her infrequent comments to Paul and the others... each word was purposed; she never spoke sharply or out of turn. In fact, watching the others react to her, and to each other, in her presence, I began to see where my boyfriend's gentle, loving nature had stemmed from. "Ma" was queen of her home and her law was kindness; everyone felt it and everyone obeyed it.

The visit lasted a couple hours, then we donned on our heavy winter coats and shoes and got ready take our leave. Irene bade each of us farewell: as she stood by her door with her walker, she grasped my hand and pulled me to her. She gave me another hug and looked into my eyes. She asked very quietly, "Are you happy?" 

The concern and .... love? ... for me caught me by surprise.. This woman had just met me and she knew only a little bit about me. But I know now that she had been observing me all evening, trying get an idea of what kind of a girl her grandson had chosen to be his girlfriend. And her only question? "Are you happy?" 

It was that way the entire time I knew Irene. She was always kind, always thoughtful. My only wish is that I could have known her a little better. 

January 26th, 2012: Jesse woke me up saying that he had just gotten a phone call. Grandma was not doing well. As soon as I out of bed and dressed, we picked up Jesse's dad from the shop and headed down to Oxbow. As soon as I walked into the room, I felt the vibrancy of her spirit... missing. She lay there, a tiny form on the bed, her raspy breathing filling the room, eyes closed to the world. I don't know how much she was aware of as her three sons and loved ones sat around her. I don't know if she could hear our voices or see us when she half opened her eyes. I think she could sense the love that flowed from us all towards her. I hope she took comfort in it. 

When she passed away, late Saturday evening, there was mourning. We all felt a sense of loss and finality. But there also was a feeling of gratefulness that she was no longer suffering. The woman who loved is experiencing the great mystery of eternal life... eternal existence. We don't know exactly what she is knowing... living... having... right now. But we do know that the world was brightened by Irene Twietmeyer in those 96 years that she walked the earth. 

Thank you, Irene. 

Odds and Ends... Wedding preparation! Day ... End! :D

Be Strong and Of Good Courage

I don't have much time for an update but I was reading this link off of Luke Baer's (hacked [by younger, mischievous siblings: hint! hint!]) FB page and realized how very blessed I am. I needed Jesse and he needed me. We both knew this (though I fought it quite forcefully for what seemed like a very long time). And even though he was scared to death he did what his heart told him was right: he chased me, caught me, told me he loved me, then let me decide.

Each of us is called to a different purpose. When I posted something similar to this on FB, a friend (happily married and expecting their first child) said she pursued her hubby and by the grace of God, landed 'im! I don't believe their is any right or wrong way. But we must be prayerful.

Only by the grace of God am I to be happily and very legally married to my man in 20 days and some odd hours. Only because I prayed and he prayed and God answered.

I wish everyone the happiness and peace we have with each other.

Jesse, I love you. And I can't wait to change my name to Naomi Twietmeyer. :-)

mysteries and great joy

Today. Tuesday. May 31st, 2011. 25 years.

25 years of laughter, joy, sadness, struggling, growing. I sit here with my computer resting on my lap thinking, "It has been worth every moment."

I have learned some hard lessons in the past few years. The joy in my life was hard to find. So many times I just felt empty. There was one thing that I knew, however. I clung to it. I could find joy through it.

God loves me. God loves me. God loves me.

These past few months, I have realized some truths around that love.
1: God also uses joy and peace in our hearts to draw us closer to Him.
2: I don't have to be afraid that I'm going to have to pay for the joy with the equivalent of sadness.
3: Love is a mystery. I don't understand the way I feel about Jesse. I don't understand the way he feels about me. There is no explanation for us. It truly is a mystery and a gift from God.
4: In the same way, there is a mystery to God. Knowing this has helped with my search for peace. I am able to rest more content in Him than I have in years.

Yes. I am brimming with joy and thankfulness. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
And thank you all, my dear friends and readers. May God also bless you this coming  year. :hugs:

Hello 2011!

I suspect this year holds great things... exciting things... happy things... prayerful things... sad things... amazing things... stupid things...

But guess what? I get to walk this path with those I love most. :-) May we all take great comfort in the love of each moment. God's love never fails. :-)

Happy New Year!

"Driving Legally" and "Insanity Isn't Always a Negative"

Tomorrow morning, I'm scheduled to write my Learner's Test at the courthouse in Carlyle. :-) Talk about a mixture of emotions. :-) :-) I've been studying. People have been encouraging me.

I am learning about not thinking negatively. I am learning about not worrying. I am learning about God's love. I am learning about legally driving in Canada. ;-)

Perhaps I will have a chance to write more about my life in a little while. It's been an insane two plus weeks. A good insane. ;-)

Happy Thoughts

There something that makes me very happy and that is discussing spiritual truths with someone. It is nice when someone agrees with me. But I just enjoy the Truth I pick up in discussions. I love seeing something I have never seen before or thought of in that light. :-) It's an amazing feeling to finally understand something that's been puzzling me. "ohhh, that's what the Bible meant when it said..." ;-)

Today, if all works out as planned, Nathan and Jenn are going to pick me up and take me to their place in Deloraine, MB. I am looking forward to this visit very much. Music, good food, laughter, happiness, awesome conversation, cute kids, etc, etc. :-) :-)

What has been happening in your life lately? Happy things? Sad things? Regular things? :-) :-)

Overflowing

You know how easy it is to get caught up in myself? Really easy. Let me see... what are my goals again? :-)

Serve God.

Be a blessing to all those whose lives are connected with mine... specifically those who are daily laid on my heart to bless.

I am daily amazed with how truly blessed I am. Truly and wonderfully blessed. God, I don't deserve any of this joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :-) :-)

Will you pray for me? I am in need of an open heart and eyes.

A friend posted this song on FB and I really appreciated the lyrics. I needed them right now.

God is too wise to be mistaken 

God is too good to be unkind 

So when you don't understand 

When you don't see His plan 

When you can't trace His hand 

Trust His heart. 

Odds and Ends

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

--John Burroughs

I was updating my quotes and found this treasure. I have had a good day. The last day of teaching for this week. I walked to town in the morning and taught in the afternoon. I love days that I sit back at the end of them and am up to the brim in happiness. 

Three students today. The first was my most advanced. That lesson always goes over the allotted half an hour.. simply because it can and it's so much fun. Lol. I find such joy in learning and teaching and learning. I am discovering so much about music and people... and myself. I am discovering how much fun life can be. :) 

My next two students are sisters. They're pretty awesome. The oldest is quiet and shy but her eyes light up when she's excited. She laughs like my sister Ellie... just a faint sound but the mirth dances through her entire body. Her sister is the exact opposite. She giggles and chatters and basically enjoys life. But they are the same in many ways... one of them is that they are both in love with music. Today, Rylan opened her book and showed me a song she and Rese had written and played together. I was so excited. I couldn't wait for Rese to arrive so they could play it for me. :) :) When Rese did come for her lesson, they played it and... it was wonderful. That's all I can say about it. I was so happy, I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. ;)

I am amazed at the amount of creativity that comes from people. I am also amazed at how much they begin to enjoy music when they realize they can create. I think it makes them feel that the music is their friend. A healthy friendship is something we must work at but it is also something brings us great freedom (to be ourselves) and joy. I think these things are beginning to shine through for these girls. It makes my heart so happy. 

So many things to remember... Names. Ages. Siblings. How many years playing piano. How fast the learning curve is. How they think about me. (Should I be more teacher than friend or more friend than teacher?) Where they are at in life. What will benefit them most.

Names are especially hard for me sometimes. Especially since I have so many girls around the same age and size. Had a funny experience yesterday... I asked one of my students if she knew Taris R. She gave me a funny look and I realized I was speaking to Taris R. Lol! :P 

Well, off to Swan River tomorrow for my orthodontist app. Have to get up early... so I should close this up and get it posted. Here's to a beautiful weekend! Gotta love this November weather. :) 

Something else that makes me happy: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return until the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7 

God loves us. It's a fact of life... right up there with the birds and the bees. 

Time Out From Happiness

I've been thinking about being sad. I've been thinking about guilt. I've been thinking about judging.

And my conclusion is...? That I have a lot more thinking to do. Haha. Well, one thought did cross my brain: I know for sure that there were moments Jesus felt emotions other than happiness.

Thoughts?

Bounce in My Step

The past few years have been interesting... especially regarding my health. As most of you know, I've been doing so much better the past few months. This summer, I had to work, teach kids and be around amazingly energetic people 24/7. I kept up. It was wonderful. :-)

As most of you know, this fall I had a bout of bronchitis and I'm just getting over the tail end of it. I feel amazing again!! I have energy. I can teach kids all afternoon and still feel patient enough to smile at them when the lesson is finished. (Btw, YES patience and good health work hand in hand a lot of the time...) ;-) I can work at DQ for 7 hours and have a bounce in my step on my way home. I can go to theater practice for three hours and have fun chatting up a storm with Michele at midnight while we're eating our snack. (You get absolutely famished after theater. Believe me.)

So, I appreciate all of the prayers and I just wanted to write an update about how I was doing since I have posted requests of prayer in the past. :-)

Today, we're off to Regina to do some shopping and to see my sisters, Ellie and Lydia. We're also going to the symphony. ;-) I am so excited. :-D

Happiness

Thought of tonight:

I want God's will above all else because my life is nothing without Him.

Regardless of what life holds for me, I will be happy. Because I am His and His love is mine.

There are moments when I am afraid of the future, but then I realize I have nothing to fear. He loves me.

Ok. So that's three thoughts. ;-)

Joys of Now

Yesterday morning somewhere between 5:00 and 7:30 (at which time my alarm clock rang) I had this interesting discovery:

I have been so caught up in trying to change people's lives for the better that I have forgotten about simply enjoying people for who they are. They all have their special qualities; all give me thoughts to think; humorous moments to laugh about; memories to treasure...

So around 9 am yesterday morning, I went into DQ, not knowing what the day was going to hold. I was nervous  but I realized that God had been in those thoughts I had been thinking earlier. I decided to do my best, yes! however, I was going to make very sure I enjoyed myself thoroughly in the process. Regardless of what happened.

My job at DQ is creating ice-cream cakes. I would like to reassure you that my first cakes are nothing to be excited over. ;-) (I did one that I was really pleased with, which made me happy, but I know all creations after yesterday will be much more to my liking... experience :-)) But it was a good day, none-the-less. One of the most beautiful things was that DQ has hired natives of the Philippines. They are amazing people. They appreciate the work. Their joy is expressed in their diligence. Or maybe it was in the fact that they smiled most of the time.

When they were working within speaking distance, we chatted up a storm. They come from such different backgrounds than I do. And their minds work so differently than the typical western culture young people. All of them have left loved ones behind and you can see how lonely they are sometimes. But they all love Canada... except for the winters. This is amusing because when I asked Jane why she came to Canada, she said it was because she wanted to see the snow. I guess she didn't realize the pretty white stuff comes with cold. She said if she was to move back to the Philippines, that would be the reason.

So I spent the entire day just concentrating on my job, enjoying the people around me and talking to God. My job is in this little nook in which I was left to myself over 50% of the time so I had lots of time to think and pray. (Cake decorating only takes one part of my brain. ;-)) I was so uplifted and encouraged... resting in the love of my Savior.

It's interesting that after spending a day in much prayer, negativity fights hard for a place in my mind. I was almost asleep last night and suddenly, I was panicking over some things I did/said in the past two or three days. Things that may have come across wrong. Things that I had no clue about. Things that were not of my intention to say/do... and just as suddenly, "Don't worry about it." The past is the past. Now is what exists. All I can do is pray that God will bring the sunshine of Truth into the lives that are connected with mine.

Because my focus is Him. My focus is others. Right now.

(At camp, there was this adorable little gal ... her name is Hannah.)

Computer fixed!!!

I am using my own computer, at last. I'm so happy. :) :) It's so nice to be able to feel the familiar keyboard under my fingers. :)

We're at the N's today... it's been so nice to see them again. :) Doing lots visiting, eating, playing music, sharing stories and smiles. :)