Book review and update

For those of you that read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I do not blog everyday. I just don't have the time. I blog when I am processing or when I have the time. I admire those of you that have a word of wisdom everyday - it just isn't in me.

Anyway, I have been busy grading a huge individual lab project that we assign. It takes forever or seemingly forever to grade. And then I must field the many phonecalls from parents about the grade the student got. My teaching team has even created a rubic (grading scale) that addresses why they get the grade they do. It isn't enough that the student completes the project if the answers are not correct. How is it different from a test? Just because a student completes a test doesn't mean that he will get a good grade on it. But, now that is done and I am ready to start fresh with a whole new bunch next week.

In the midst of this, I have been reading (don't I always), going to the YMCA and helping out at church in our coffee shop. I am including a review here because of the impact this book had on me in relation to so many things!

I found this book for $.50 at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago when I was shopping for new jeans. Why is it a get "used" jeans and my daughter gets brand new? Sacrifices I tell you! Anyway, I couldn't pass up a Kingsbury book that I hadn't read yet.

I started reading it right away then had to set it aside. The unresolved conflict in this book was agonizing! The premise behind the book revolves around adoption. The main character Molly is living a blessed life - great husband, nice house, no financial worries and a great son Joey who is adopted. Her world is turned upside down when she gets a phonecall from the adoption agency saying that the adoption was fraudulent. Molly and her husband, Jack, will need to hand over custody to a couple a thousand miles away. How could God have this happen? If there was a God - Molly and Jack were not sure about that. Joey takes the step to trust God through it all and brings his parents along as they fight to be his parents forever.

Kingsbury does a great job of setting the stage of hopelesses on one end and the joy of the birth mom to get her son back. My heart was just torn. The thought of having to say good-bye to my son - I think that I would do everything that I could to keep him with me. The ending was a little abrupt, but possibly realistic. I was rooting for both mom's.

It made me think about how precious time is with your children. I would miss the big hugs that my son gives me everynight before bed. I would miss my daughter singing in the car to whatever song is on her ipod. I think of her especially because she was almost somebody else's. I would have missed so much!

To make all of these things in my life connect to God's plan, the sermon at church was about making choices that will affect you 20 years from now - play the movie forward. Our church is doing a series based on Henry Cloud's "9 things you simply must do" - and condensed it down to 7 things. They played the music video for "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney. Our pastor loves country so it is no wonder that he choose this. It made me tear up. Here are the lyrics to the chorus.

Don't blink, just like that you're six years old
And you're taking naps and you wake up and you're twenty-five
And your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink, you just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads
Next thing you know your better half of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

Hug your husband and kids - life moves quickly. Enjoy the noise of little kids, the arguing with teenagers and the middle of the night feeding with infants. Soon enough, they will be gone and the house will be quiet. Don't Blink...