Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

  As a preschool special education teacher, I travel to a lot of preschools in my area.  At one particular preschool, I had finished therapy when the teacher informed me of sending home three children after profusive vomiting. Of course, I did what every good teacher does. I pulled out my travel-sized Bath N Body Works hand sanitizer from my car and practically bathed in it. It's fighting germs with 5% alcohol and 95% glitter.  My whole car filled with alcohol-infused berries. I stopped off for a soda at a local gas station and received the weirdest compliment I've ever received. The attendant took my cash and ended our transaction with, " You smell really good. " I gave an awkward thank you and continued on my way, but it made me realize how easy it is to simply pay a kind compliment to someone. I felt great after receiving the compliment. How easy it is to improve someone's day by simply being kind. " I love that shirt. You're rocking that hairstyle. ...

  Tonight, we celebrated Labor Day with a luau party at our church. As I prepared for the festivities, I chose yellow tablecloths. No big deal, you may think. But any of my friends know that I really dislike the color yellow. It all goes back quite a few years to when my son had appendicitis. I rushed him to the doctor after he was in so much pain that he couldn't walk. When we got to the waiting room, I knew I had to take action to make sure he was seen quickly since the waiting room was crowded, and his pain was increasing. He had vomited so much that only bile was coming up, so inspiration hit. I gave him a clear Ziploc bag and told him to throw up in that bag. It took one time in the very crowded waiting room for the staff to rush him back before a chain reaction could begin. He had his appendix taken out within two hours, but my lasting dislike of yellow still exists . All I see is the Ziploc bag of bile. This brings me to my point. Our past experiences affect our lives. You...

  After being sick for days, I finally started to feel better last week. As I laid on my couch, moaning about how bad I felt, something occurred to me. I can be sick but still be blessed . It all depends on what I focus on. If I focus on the pain, that's what becomes the center of my life. To focus means to place all of your attention on the object of your focus. I began to think, " What if I focused on the good things still present in my life instead? " I focused on my wonderful children. No matter what they do, they are wonderful because they are a gift from God, and God doesn't give bad gifts. Matthew 7:9-11 confirms this. My job is a blessing because it is proof that God provides. My husband is a blessing because when I am sick, he is a helper that steps in to lead our family. My breath is a blessing. Without breath life would end. As I focused on the good, the pain faded. I'm not saying I was instantly well. I am saying that it didn't matter as much bec...

  I've made some bad decisions, but I made a big one this week. My husband and I were getting ready for a kid's service at the church Wednesday. We didn't have time to cook dinner, so we decided to grab something to go. If you are in education, then you know the paycheck doesn't come until the end of the month, so we were thinking cheap. My husband thought the grocery store was best, so we ran in and I found a pack of deviled eggs that were marked down. I know you're thinking this is a bad idea. What is worse is that I thought the same thing and ignored it. I grabbed the eggs and gobbled them down, only to to start feeling a little under the weather. By the next day, I was starting to feel really sick. I made it to the end of the day with my coworkers mentioning I should see a doctor. By evening, my husband and daughter were adamant that I needed to go to the ER. They wanted to make sure it wasn't a heart attack. After sitting in a waiting room and then a room ...

  This was a hard weekend. A dear lady who has attended our church for the seventeen years we have pastored died. We held her funeral on Saturday. When we moved to our church, our children were all very little. Both sets of grandparents lived hours away, and I felt very much on my own. This woman recognized the struggles and stepped in as designated grandma. She picked my girls up from school, baked cookies with them, and took them along on many of her family birthday parties. She became what they desperately needed. So much so, they made sure she was on the family row at high school graduation. She didn't do this with just my children. She saw every child that walked through the church door as a child worthy of love and her devotion. When faced with difficulty, she always had kind words to say, no matter how she was treated. This woman was a mentor and someone who's qualities I hope to reflect in my own life. I have no doubt where she is spending her eternity, and I can guar...

  Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. Some may wonder, "Why the flamingos?" Our church has been running with the flamingo theme of "Our flock rocks!" for a few years, so my husband embraced it. Here's the origin story. For our anniversary a few years ago, we decided to go on a big trip to Puerto Rico. My husband was a teacher at a local public school at the time, so he had the idea to combine a high school chaperone for the Spanish club and an anniversary trip. Chaperones traveled free. We loaded up with a dozen or so students and some friends- one being the Spanish teacher.  As a little visual treat for each day of the trip, my husband bought a tropical shirt with the most bold designs he could find- enter the flamingo. We thought we would travel with the students and then sneak away for a little alone time. In reality, the flight to Puerto Rico had overbooked. Since the students could not be left behind, our friend, their teach...