Did you ever ask God why something bad happened to you? I think we've all been there at least once, and many of us have been in that predicament numerous times. Tonight I've been thinking about the talents and gifts God has given me and thanking Him for them. Then I began to wonder when it was that I knew I had these gifts, as I had never experienced them before I knew Him as my Savior. Let me explain.
On February 26 of 1981, I was working second shift at Frigidaire in Greenville. My husband worked first shift and our son was 4 years old. Each day, I would load my son in the car about 2:45 p.m., head a couple of miles east to pick up my step-daughter who also worked there, and then meet John in the parking lot to give him Brandon and touch base on what had happened during the day. I would then go on into work and John would come back home with Brandon.
Well, on one particular balmy day as I picked up Valerie and pulled back out into the road, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a car EXTREMELY close to the back of my car. There couldn't have been more than 12 inches between our cars! I said "Look at that fool," and Valerie turned around to look. She got a horrified look on her face and said, "Oh my God, it's Pat!" Pat was her husband; they were in the midst of an ugly divorce proceeding. She went on to say "He's going to kill me!"
I immediately slowed the car to about 40 mph and determined I'd lead Pat straight to the police station. About that time, he pulled his car out around mine to pass. As the back of his car drew even with the front of mine, he leaned over and pointed a gun out of the passenger window, aiming it straight at us. I didn't think; I just reacted. I pulled into a driveway that was right there. Valerie pulled Brandon out of the seat and onto the floor behind my seat. We both rolled up the windows (remember it was very warm...in the 60s that day). Pat ran to the passenger side of my car, pulled the gun to his shoulder and standing about 6 inches from the door and with an ugly, smiling smirk, shot Valerie twice through the window. As she slumped over in the seat, he headed back to his car that he had left running in the middle of the road and I fought to get out of the car, grab Brandon and get to the door of the house where we were. Of course, there was no one home.
I got back into the car and returned the way I had come; I'm not sure why, other than that there was another girl from Frigidaire that lived directly across the road from Valerie's house and I knew she'd be home getting ready for work. Needless to say, Valerie died that day. She never regained consciousness, which I am thankful for, as she didn't experience the pain of the wound and the mental agony either. I could not really describe Pat or the car to the policeman, but Brandon was able to give a complete description to the police and they caught him several hours later that night. He went to trial and was found guilty and sent to prison. One of the hardest things I've ever done was to look him in the eye and indicate that he was the one I had seen pull the trigger. He died in prison last summer. This might not be a Christian thing to say, but I was greatly relieved. I had tried in my heart to forgive him over all of those years, but I'm not sure I was sincere. I was always concerned that he would be paroled and come looking for Brandon and me, as we were the witnesses that put him behind bars (well, not exactly...it was his own evilness that did that).
At this time in my life, I didn't go to church and didn't know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Oh, I truly believed in God, in Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit, but it was all head-knowledge. I didn't have a relationship with the God of this universe. About four years later, I walked in the door of Victory Baptist Church (a small church about 4 miles from my home) and have been there ever since. I gave my heart to Christ on June 2, 1985 and have determined to serve Him and glorify Him in all I say and do (even though I do fall far short from that goal on many days).
As I grew in my faith, I recalled many times what had happened several years before and truly felt that God had not orchestrated that event, but that Satan had. I believe God used what Satan had planned for evil and brought good out of it in my life. I developed a lasting relationship with Jesus, gained a faith in Him that I could trust in, and learned that I had been blessed with talents and gifts that God wants me to use to glorify Him. Two of those gifts involve the ability to organize and lead others and also the ability to teach others.
As I learned to use the gifts God has blessed me with, my life changed for the better. I reached out into uncharted waters at the factory where I worked and became a trainer and later the training manager for the plant. I went back to college and completed my Bachelor and Master degrees. I applied for and was hired as the Director of Workforce Development for the local community college where I worked for 12 1/2 years. Last fall, I started my own business and I am currently the Executive Director of Leadership Montcalm, a non-profit that helps develop leaders in the community and educates and improves the skill base of those who are already in leadership roles.
I truly do not believe that I would be where I am at today, if February 26, 1981 had been an ordinary day like any other. I believe I would have continued on thinking I would go to heaven because I was a good and kind person. How wrong I was! Not only have I had the opportunity to lead an interesting, exciting life here on earth, but I am assured that I will spend my eternity in the presence of Jesus because I have accepted the free gift of salvation that He offered to me.
Have you?
Until we meet again,
Leslie
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Gettin' Your Red Flannels On!
Yep, it's October and it's time to dig out those red flannels! And let it be known that Cedar Springs, MI is Red Flannel Country! Everyone here has to have red flannels. A couple of years ago, my son bought them for himself, his wife and all of his kids. Of course, the kids have outgrown theirs, but Brandon still sports his. In fact, this is Red Flannel weekend and he wore his (along with a pair of jeans) as he took the kids to the parade this afternoon.
I love this time of year! September and October are my two favorite months. I can't handle the heat of summer, but fall, oh yes! It is perfect weather. I love the smell of the leaves, the wind, the cooler temps. The kids raked leaves this week and jumped into piles. How I remember those days too.
So, this is short and sweet tonight. Here is a picture of Brandon in his red flannels (taken a year or so ago during winter).
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
I love this time of year! September and October are my two favorite months. I can't handle the heat of summer, but fall, oh yes! It is perfect weather. I love the smell of the leaves, the wind, the cooler temps. The kids raked leaves this week and jumped into piles. How I remember those days too.
So, this is short and sweet tonight. Here is a picture of Brandon in his red flannels (taken a year or so ago during winter).
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Friday, September 28, 2012
No Time, No Time ... I Got, Got, Got, Got, Got No Time!
Wow! I can hardly believe September is almost gone! And I haven't blogged all month. My life is so busy, I can hardly find time to STOP! No time to STOP and smell the roses. No time to STOP and chat. No time to clean house (oh no!). No time for my friends and family! And that's what I want to write about today!
We live in such a busy, hectic world that it takes time to STOP! And, thinking of the word, STOP, when did Michigan change it's driving laws. When I went to school (I know, back in the dungeon days of the Dark Ages), we had to stop when we came to a corner with a STOP sign. Have you ever watched people nowadays. Approximately 75% DO NOT STOP! And about 10% of that number barely slow down for the corner. It's no wonder there are so many accidents or close calls! And it's no wonder our insurance rates have skyrocketed! Where is a policeman when these people are running STOP signs? But, enough about that for today.
So, we don't think we have time. But do we really? I recently taught a segment about time management in my Efficient Studies class at MCC and will be teaching more about it soon. So, am I practicing what I teach (not preach, but teach)?
What would you do if you were given $1440? Would you spend it all at once? Would you purchase something you've wanted but didn't have funds for? Would you pay it on your bills, maybe an outstanding credit card debt? Would you put it in the bank? Or would you carry it around in your wallet or purse and let it nickel and dime you to death?
Well, just think of that 1440 in terms of minutes. We have 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in each of those hours. That's 1440! Now, what would you do with that 1440? What DO you do with it?
I daresay we often squander it away without giving it a thought. That's just like carrying 1440 dollar bills in our purse. We spend $5 here, $10 there, and before you know it, it's all gone. It's the same with minutes. I sit down for a minute and it ends up 15. I check my email and I end up on Facebook and I spend another 30 minutes. We typically sleep for 400-500 of those minutes. We spend another 150 eating, 60 getting ourselves ready for the day, and perhaps 120 watching television or movies in the evening. How many minutes do we spend in the car commuting, sitting in drive-thrus?
Yes, everything we do takes time. So, are we using our time wisely? I know I'm not. I waste time. I use it up unknowingly many times; other times, I waste it deliberately. What about you? How are you spending your time?
We live in such a busy, hectic world that it takes time to STOP! And, thinking of the word, STOP, when did Michigan change it's driving laws. When I went to school (I know, back in the dungeon days of the Dark Ages), we had to stop when we came to a corner with a STOP sign. Have you ever watched people nowadays. Approximately 75% DO NOT STOP! And about 10% of that number barely slow down for the corner. It's no wonder there are so many accidents or close calls! And it's no wonder our insurance rates have skyrocketed! Where is a policeman when these people are running STOP signs? But, enough about that for today.
So, we don't think we have time. But do we really? I recently taught a segment about time management in my Efficient Studies class at MCC and will be teaching more about it soon. So, am I practicing what I teach (not preach, but teach)?
What would you do if you were given $1440? Would you spend it all at once? Would you purchase something you've wanted but didn't have funds for? Would you pay it on your bills, maybe an outstanding credit card debt? Would you put it in the bank? Or would you carry it around in your wallet or purse and let it nickel and dime you to death?
Well, just think of that 1440 in terms of minutes. We have 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in each of those hours. That's 1440! Now, what would you do with that 1440? What DO you do with it?
I daresay we often squander it away without giving it a thought. That's just like carrying 1440 dollar bills in our purse. We spend $5 here, $10 there, and before you know it, it's all gone. It's the same with minutes. I sit down for a minute and it ends up 15. I check my email and I end up on Facebook and I spend another 30 minutes. We typically sleep for 400-500 of those minutes. We spend another 150 eating, 60 getting ourselves ready for the day, and perhaps 120 watching television or movies in the evening. How many minutes do we spend in the car commuting, sitting in drive-thrus?
Yes, everything we do takes time. So, are we using our time wisely? I know I'm not. I waste time. I use it up unknowingly many times; other times, I waste it deliberately. What about you? How are you spending your time?
Friday, August 31, 2012
What Am I Thankful For Today?
I shared a post online on Facebook earlier today. It said something to the effect of "What if God gave you today only those things you thanked Him for yesterday?" Where would I be? What would I have?
That's a pretty sobering question. Sometimes I'm very guilty of not spending much time talking to my Lord; at other times, I'm busy asking Him for help and don't do too much thanking Him for everything He's already done or provided for me.
So, what would I have today? Well, I think I would have:
John
Brandon
My grandkids (Annabelle, Brandson, Caleigh, Donna Jo)
My salvation
My home
My health
Food!
So what about all of the other things? What about my sisters, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my church family, my friends, my neighbors, the people I meet on the streets? What about my country, my freedom, the sun, the moon and stars, the weather, the rain, the cooler temps, the ..., the ..., and the list goes on and on.
And many times, when I am thanking Him, I'm thanking Him for the big stuff, but what about the little things too? What about that sore toe where I stubbed it last night? What about my kitties and doggies? What about the food I've been able to can and freeze and store for future use? What about my computer and electricity and propane and a fan and an air conditioner and my car and money to buy gas and the great deals I got at a yard sale and the neighbor guys who come for coffee every morning and the fire department and the pastors I've had over the years and my grade school teachers and my ability to speak several languages and my closet full of clothes and my office that John built for me and the hugs from my grandchildren and the air that I breathe and ... oh, there's just so much more.
Yes, EVERYTHING I have and all that I am, I owe to God. Have I thanked Him? Yeah, but not nearly like I should be thanking Him. Can I thank Him more? Most certainly; He wants me to commune with Him about those types of things as well as sharing my hurts and wants, my woes and needs, my victories and struggles. He wants my fellowship and I want His. So, I need to talk to Him and I need to listen. I need to take time for Him. After all, He's given the whole world and His Son for me.
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
That's a pretty sobering question. Sometimes I'm very guilty of not spending much time talking to my Lord; at other times, I'm busy asking Him for help and don't do too much thanking Him for everything He's already done or provided for me.
So, what would I have today? Well, I think I would have:
John
Brandon
My grandkids (Annabelle, Brandson, Caleigh, Donna Jo)
My salvation
My home
My health
Food!
So what about all of the other things? What about my sisters, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my church family, my friends, my neighbors, the people I meet on the streets? What about my country, my freedom, the sun, the moon and stars, the weather, the rain, the cooler temps, the ..., the ..., and the list goes on and on.
And many times, when I am thanking Him, I'm thanking Him for the big stuff, but what about the little things too? What about that sore toe where I stubbed it last night? What about my kitties and doggies? What about the food I've been able to can and freeze and store for future use? What about my computer and electricity and propane and a fan and an air conditioner and my car and money to buy gas and the great deals I got at a yard sale and the neighbor guys who come for coffee every morning and the fire department and the pastors I've had over the years and my grade school teachers and my ability to speak several languages and my closet full of clothes and my office that John built for me and the hugs from my grandchildren and the air that I breathe and ... oh, there's just so much more.
Yes, EVERYTHING I have and all that I am, I owe to God. Have I thanked Him? Yeah, but not nearly like I should be thanking Him. Can I thank Him more? Most certainly; He wants me to commune with Him about those types of things as well as sharing my hurts and wants, my woes and needs, my victories and struggles. He wants my fellowship and I want His. So, I need to talk to Him and I need to listen. I need to take time for Him. After all, He's given the whole world and His Son for me.
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Monday, August 27, 2012
Winter of My Life
Well, my post tonight is not something I've written, but borrowed from one, Arthur Miller. I received this as an email. I spent some time reflecting on it and thought you might too. I've been feeling old lately: tired all the time, migraines, bones ache, hip is getting worse which makes walking and other activities difficult, have little patience with the grandkids, and the list goes on and on. Then this comes across my desk. So, I sit and reflect ... and think ... and wish ... and pass this along to you so you can do likewise. If you're young, then act; if you're older, then do what you can.
Winter of My Life
You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly
And catching you unaware of the passing years.
It seems just yesterday that I was young,
Just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.
And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,
And I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all...
And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...
But, here it is... The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...
How did I get here so fast?
Where did the years go and where did my youth go?
I remember well...
Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those
Older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off
That I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...
But, here it is...
My friends are retired and getting grey....
They move slower and I see an older person now.
Some are in better and some worse shape than me...
But, I see the great change...
Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant....
But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those
Older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!
And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!
'Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared
For all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability
To go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come,
And I'm not sure how long it will last...
This I know, that when it's over... Its over...
Yes, I have regrets.
There are things I wish I hadn't done...
Things I should have done, but indeed,
There are many things I'm happy to have done.
It's all in a lifetime...
So, if you're not in your winter yet...
Let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.
Whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!
Don't put things off too long!!
Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today,
As you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...
So, live for today and say all the things you want your loved ones to remember...
And hope they appreciate and love you for all the things
You have done for them in all the years past!!
Life is a gift to you.
The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.
Make it a fantastic one.
~ And, Remember ~
"It is health that is real wealth
And not pieces of gold or silver."
Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.
~Arthur Miller
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Winter of My Life
You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly
And catching you unaware of the passing years.
It seems just yesterday that I was young,
Just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.
And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,
And I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all...
And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...
But, here it is... The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...
How did I get here so fast?
Where did the years go and where did my youth go?
I remember well...
Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those
Older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off
That I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...
But, here it is...
My friends are retired and getting grey....
They move slower and I see an older person now.
Some are in better and some worse shape than me...
But, I see the great change...
Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant....
But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those
Older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!
And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!
'Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared
For all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability
To go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come,
And I'm not sure how long it will last...
This I know, that when it's over... Its over...
Yes, I have regrets.
There are things I wish I hadn't done...
Things I should have done, but indeed,
There are many things I'm happy to have done.
It's all in a lifetime...
So, if you're not in your winter yet...
Let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.
Whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!
Don't put things off too long!!
Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today,
As you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...
So, live for today and say all the things you want your loved ones to remember...
And hope they appreciate and love you for all the things
You have done for them in all the years past!!
Life is a gift to you.
The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.
Make it a fantastic one.
~ And, Remember ~
"It is health that is real wealth
And not pieces of gold or silver."
Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.
~Arthur Miller
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Fixing My Temple
I just finished reading my friend Carla's blog. She told about visiting her mother who is suffering from COPD, due mainly to lifestyle habits that she never overcame. Carla went on to express that she didn't have those particular habits as part of her lifestyle, but that she had others that could eventually result in debilitating illnesses later in life. I can relate!
I also have some habits that need changing. No, I don't smoke, never have. I did drink for a period of a year or two in my early college years, but those days are since long gone. No, my habits are those that we have a tendency to often smooth over or totally ignore. They're ones that many people have and many see no problems with. I'm speaking of the addiction to sweets and carbs and also my tendency to be sedentary.
Yes, I love sweets, always have. Grandma and Mom used to bake endlessly. I loved Gram's molasses cookies and Mom's date-filled sugar cookies. We regularly had cakes, especially a chocolate malt cake! And no bakes, yum yum good! Ice cream was regularly known to be an integral part of our diets too. And of course, our main meals focused on meat and potatoes, goulash and macaroni & cheese and other types of casseroles. We would have a cooked vegetable at dinner and supper and we rarely ever had fresh fruit, unless it was bananas. I hardly ever remember eating salads and those we did have were often laden with salad dressing, marshmallows and bananas. We really did eat way too many starch-rich foods. And one look at my middle today only affirms that.
The other habit that has slowly creeped up on me over the last 15 years is lack of exercise. When I worked at Gibson's as floor inspector, it was typical for me to walk 8-10 miles in the course of my day. Plus, I would come home and walk for another hour at night. But once I moved away from that job and into the training department, much of the opportunity went by the wayside. As I returned to college, I had little time for myself in the evenings, so the hourly walks soon ceased as well. Then, as I transitioned to my job at MCC, I took even less opportunities to be active, nor did I make opportunities. I can't just blame it on my job though. I would come home late, bring home some type of takeout from town, eat, and go to bed. Again, I've paid for it as I've watched the needle on the scale continue to relentlessly move to higher and higher numbers.
So, what's a girl to do. Well, I need to get serious about making some changes in my life. John has diabetes, so we really need to eat better. I am trying to do more cooking at home and less eating out. I'm also avoiding bringing home takeout meals. (Mr. T's, the local pizzeria in town, knows me by voice! I may be a regular there, ya think?) I'm trying to incorporate more vegetables into our meals and less starchy foods. That's hard because we like our macaroni and potatoes, we like chocolate and ice cream, we like cakes and cookies. And we don't particularly care for salads! But, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't learn to like them.
I am looking more closely now at portion control as a starting point. I know (intellectually) how much is a portion of each food group. I am able to judge closely the amounts that I put on my plate. I just have to learn to stick with those portions I'm alloted and not overindulge and not grab seconds. I am doing less baking and also learning to pass up ice cream at night. That's a biggie for me!
The next thing I am doing is working on drinking more water. I love Diet Coke, but even with that, I typically only drink 16-24 ounces a day. And I may only drink 10-12 ounces of water daily. That is not enough liquid! I've heard that you need to divide your weight by 2 and then use that number as the number of ounces of water you need to drink daily. For me, that's about three quarters of a gallon or 12-14 glasses daily. So, I need to begin by drinking more water. As I start to do that, I intend to cut back on the soda. My goal is to wean myself away from soft drinks entirely. I know I can do that.
The last obstacle is to get moving. That one is more difficult right now, as the ole hip just won't let me do that. But, I can start by doing some weight bearing exercises. I do have hand weights. I intend to start doing several repetitions of exercises with these daily. I know that gurus say you should do aerobic exercise one day and weight exercises the next and keep alternating. But, until I can do the aerobic, I've got to get in the habit of doing something. And one more thing, the MCC pool will be reopening soon. I intend to get there a minimum of once weekly and do 30-45 minutes of water walking, provided my hip can handle it.
Well now, I've written all of this down and posted it for the world to see. So, I encourage each one of you that is reading this to ask me how I'm doing once in awhile. I need someone to hold me accountable and that someone is you. Will you help me to make my "temple" more pleasing to God?
Monday, August 13, 2012
Perseids?
So, did you watch the Perseids meteor shower Saturday night? It comes around about this time every year. I sat out until I had counted 50 "shooting stars!" That took until about 2:00 a.m. and I'm sure I didn't see all of them that were out there during that 1.5 hour time frame. I think it's supposed to continue for a few days yet.
Those shooting stars were so pretty! Some of them were so quick and light that I had to think about whether I was really seeing anything or not. Others were so vibrant that I felt stirred to my core. One in particular was a bright orange. It was thick and long and came straight down toward the earth, leaving a glowing tail for a couple of seconds. There were several others that glowed bright white and I even saw a green tinted one and a blue one.
I remember one August night in 1973. We had taken the kids to the drive-in movie just south of Greenville. We had a pickup truck then, so the kids were all piled in the back. Well, they caught sight of a shooting star, and then another and then another! That's all it took. None of us watched the movie, but spent the rest of that time watching skies. How delightful!
Now, let me tell you, many folks believe in the Big Bang theory. Well, it's much harder to believe in that than to believe that God created all of this beauty, majesty and wonder Himself! After all, if you do believe in the Big Bang, who created the building blocks? Who created the atoms and ions, the protons, neutrons and electrons? God did! And I totally believe that He formed those atoms and ions into planets and stars and placed them in certain positions in the universe!
In any case, I am so thankful that God placed Earth right here and placed me on it. And I know that some day He will return to set foot on this earth. After His rule of 1000 years, He will destroy what we know of it and will recreate it into a new earth, one with perfectness and no sin, one where the lion will lay down with the lamb. I can hardly wait!
Those shooting stars were so pretty! Some of them were so quick and light that I had to think about whether I was really seeing anything or not. Others were so vibrant that I felt stirred to my core. One in particular was a bright orange. It was thick and long and came straight down toward the earth, leaving a glowing tail for a couple of seconds. There were several others that glowed bright white and I even saw a green tinted one and a blue one.
I remember one August night in 1973. We had taken the kids to the drive-in movie just south of Greenville. We had a pickup truck then, so the kids were all piled in the back. Well, they caught sight of a shooting star, and then another and then another! That's all it took. None of us watched the movie, but spent the rest of that time watching skies. How delightful!
Now, let me tell you, many folks believe in the Big Bang theory. Well, it's much harder to believe in that than to believe that God created all of this beauty, majesty and wonder Himself! After all, if you do believe in the Big Bang, who created the building blocks? Who created the atoms and ions, the protons, neutrons and electrons? God did! And I totally believe that He formed those atoms and ions into planets and stars and placed them in certain positions in the universe!
In any case, I am so thankful that God placed Earth right here and placed me on it. And I know that some day He will return to set foot on this earth. After His rule of 1000 years, He will destroy what we know of it and will recreate it into a new earth, one with perfectness and no sin, one where the lion will lay down with the lamb. I can hardly wait!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Coming Full Circle
Yep, I came full circle today. In August of 1970, I started working in the Montcalm Community College science department as a work study lab assistant. Today, I am back at MCC in the science department (Chemistry to be more exact) working as a lab assistant! Talk about deja vue! It has been so long that I've forgotten lots of stuff, but it amazes me that I do remember some things.
So, what will I do as a Chemistry lab assistant? Well, basically, a lot of cleaning! Now doesn't that sound exciting?!! But, beyond cleaning and organizing, I will be responsible for the set up and tear down of all of the chemistry lab experiments for up to 8 stations for every class they have. So, if they have three sections of Chemistry with 24 students in each section, I'll have to set up equipment and materials for 24 stations (8 stations x 3 classes). That will be once a week. And that's just Chemistry. There are a couple of other higher level classes too. I'm really excited!
Last week, I received information about an open job position with our local Michigan Works office doing a very similar job as to what I've done for the college the last 12 years. It is a 40+ hour/week job that bases in Isabella and Gratiot counties. I was giving it strong consideration for a couple of days, but then decided that I did not want to commit to a 40 hr/wk position and especially one where I'd have to drive an hour to Mt. Pleasant daily. It would be nice to have a solid, consistent income, but I don't think I'm that willing to give up the flexibility that I have right now.
My Leadership Montcalm position is going extremely well. I have filled all of the available openings for participants and have made great inroads on gaining the needed sponsors to help keep participant costs down. I think my Board is happy with my efforts. I know I am pleased with where we're at.
Well, guess I'd better wind this down for tonight. My eyes are getting very sleepy!
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
So, what will I do as a Chemistry lab assistant? Well, basically, a lot of cleaning! Now doesn't that sound exciting?!! But, beyond cleaning and organizing, I will be responsible for the set up and tear down of all of the chemistry lab experiments for up to 8 stations for every class they have. So, if they have three sections of Chemistry with 24 students in each section, I'll have to set up equipment and materials for 24 stations (8 stations x 3 classes). That will be once a week. And that's just Chemistry. There are a couple of other higher level classes too. I'm really excited!
Last week, I received information about an open job position with our local Michigan Works office doing a very similar job as to what I've done for the college the last 12 years. It is a 40+ hour/week job that bases in Isabella and Gratiot counties. I was giving it strong consideration for a couple of days, but then decided that I did not want to commit to a 40 hr/wk position and especially one where I'd have to drive an hour to Mt. Pleasant daily. It would be nice to have a solid, consistent income, but I don't think I'm that willing to give up the flexibility that I have right now.
My Leadership Montcalm position is going extremely well. I have filled all of the available openings for participants and have made great inroads on gaining the needed sponsors to help keep participant costs down. I think my Board is happy with my efforts. I know I am pleased with where we're at.
Well, guess I'd better wind this down for tonight. My eyes are getting very sleepy!
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Forty Years and Growing
Forty years and growing! How can it be? John and I have been married 40 years today! Now, that's absolutely a miracle, truly God's grace and love in action. It's been a rough time, to say the least, but we're still together. I'm reminded again of that song I posted last earlier this week, "Through It All." Yep, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God! I've learned to depend upon His word!
So, after 40 years, let me reminisce a bit. I met John when I was 12 years old; he came to break my pony, Princess. He worked with my Mom on the evaporator line at Gibson's. He was married to Bev at that time and had five kids. He and Bev would often take me to horse shows and horse auctions. After several years, they got divorced, he asked me out, and the rest is history.
After our wedding, I learned that he had never attended a "wedding" before, that is a church wedding with all the works! That was an eye opener for him. And after the reception, when we went to the truck/camper to leave, we found that his friends had cut down the preacher's clothesline and tied up our truck. They also slathered it with several comments in shaving cream. We had to find a car wash and take care of all that before we could leave! We soon learned that shaving cream eats into the pain. Our truck said Congratulations on it for many months afterwards!
We went to Niagara Falls for our honeymoon. It was fabulous. Only spent a couple of days there, but it was a memory in the making. When we got home, we found that our friends had shivareed our house. They had had a party while we were gone and turned the house topsy turvey! The tv was in the shower; the kitchen table was in the living room; we found the bed completely disassembled and spread throughout several rooms; they filled our cupboards with rice; they tied up everything with toilet paper; they vaselined all the door knobs! I'm sure they did much more, but those are what I remembered. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed at the mess and sat right down and cried! But, it didn't take too long to clean it up.
We were married a year when Marie, John, and Eric came to live with us. Here I was, 21 years old and had three teens in the house. That was an eye opener for me! Those were difficult years. In looking back, I was a poor mother because I tried to do just what my mom had done and these kids had been raised much differently. But, I got along the best I could.
Four years later, Brandon came on the scene! I am so thankful for my son. It's no secret that I really didn't want to have kids, but let me tell you, the moment I felt that flutter of movement in my tummy, I was in love! And I'm still in love with my son. He is the best thing that John and I have done! And now the grandkids, well, that's the frosting on the cake.
Yep, the years have been difficult, but we've stuck together. Life is more like an old slipper now. We're getting old, getting forgetful, slowing down, and just overlooking each other's idiosyncracies. At times, we've just learned to ignore each other! No, we've not had the storybook romance and marriage that some may have had, but we've weathered 40 years. There numbers of couples who can say that in this day and age have certainly dwindled.
And so, here's to more years together. I pray that God will truly have His hand in our marriage, that each of us can and will surrender our will to God and that, in doing that, we can and will surrender our will to each other.
So, happy anniversary to us today!
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
So, after 40 years, let me reminisce a bit. I met John when I was 12 years old; he came to break my pony, Princess. He worked with my Mom on the evaporator line at Gibson's. He was married to Bev at that time and had five kids. He and Bev would often take me to horse shows and horse auctions. After several years, they got divorced, he asked me out, and the rest is history.
After our wedding, I learned that he had never attended a "wedding" before, that is a church wedding with all the works! That was an eye opener for him. And after the reception, when we went to the truck/camper to leave, we found that his friends had cut down the preacher's clothesline and tied up our truck. They also slathered it with several comments in shaving cream. We had to find a car wash and take care of all that before we could leave! We soon learned that shaving cream eats into the pain. Our truck said Congratulations on it for many months afterwards!
We went to Niagara Falls for our honeymoon. It was fabulous. Only spent a couple of days there, but it was a memory in the making. When we got home, we found that our friends had shivareed our house. They had had a party while we were gone and turned the house topsy turvey! The tv was in the shower; the kitchen table was in the living room; we found the bed completely disassembled and spread throughout several rooms; they filled our cupboards with rice; they tied up everything with toilet paper; they vaselined all the door knobs! I'm sure they did much more, but those are what I remembered. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed at the mess and sat right down and cried! But, it didn't take too long to clean it up.
We were married a year when Marie, John, and Eric came to live with us. Here I was, 21 years old and had three teens in the house. That was an eye opener for me! Those were difficult years. In looking back, I was a poor mother because I tried to do just what my mom had done and these kids had been raised much differently. But, I got along the best I could.
Four years later, Brandon came on the scene! I am so thankful for my son. It's no secret that I really didn't want to have kids, but let me tell you, the moment I felt that flutter of movement in my tummy, I was in love! And I'm still in love with my son. He is the best thing that John and I have done! And now the grandkids, well, that's the frosting on the cake.
Yep, the years have been difficult, but we've stuck together. Life is more like an old slipper now. We're getting old, getting forgetful, slowing down, and just overlooking each other's idiosyncracies. At times, we've just learned to ignore each other! No, we've not had the storybook romance and marriage that some may have had, but we've weathered 40 years. There numbers of couples who can say that in this day and age have certainly dwindled.
And so, here's to more years together. I pray that God will truly have His hand in our marriage, that each of us can and will surrender our will to God and that, in doing that, we can and will surrender our will to each other.
So, happy anniversary to us today!
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Friday, August 3, 2012
Move Over Michael Phelps!
So, what do you think of Michael Phelps? I'm not sure I like him as an individual. That may be because of his ADHD tendencies and aloofness, I'm not sure. But boy can he swim! I wish I could swim like that!
We never went swimming as kids. Neither Mom nor Dad could swim, although we sure did an awful lot of fishing over the years and spent a lot of time in boats on many, many lakes. I'd ask Daddy about it every now and then. He always claimed he could swim if he needed to. I don't know, maybe he had done some of that as a kid. After all, they lived really close to a lake and had to walk around the end of it on their way to school every day. I'm sure he and his siblings stopped and played in the water more than a time or two!
In any case, we didn't learn to swim. One summer, Mom signed us up for lessons at the "Cow Pasture," Lakeview's public swimming hole. I remember being petrified of the lady letting go of me. I could hold my breath just fine. That part wasn't hard. It was just the letting go part I could not accept. So, I didn't learn to swim.
Finally, at the age of 32, I signed up for swim lessons at MCC. By that time, Brandon could swim; I had made sure of that. But, boy was I ever scared that first time in the big pool at the college. I have since learned that it is an Olympic size pool. The size is enough to scare any novice! Well, so I signed up, got a suit, and went to Sidney. And, I got in the pool!
There were lots of us there that day. Lots of grown up people didn't know how to swim. And, bless their hearts, the "teachers" (actually a bunch of young kids!) were very kind and very patient. We all lined up along the wall on the shallow end of the pool. And then the main teacher moved down the line and had us lay back and float. Her name was Shelly; she got to me and said, "Okay, just lay back into the water and pick up your feet. The water will hold you. You'll float." Yeah, right! Like that's gonna happen. I sink like a rock! I was terrified! But you know what, I laid back and floated. Shocked my own senses, I did! I didn't know I could do that! How DID I do that? I don't know, but I did. And that was the first step. After that it was fun. In fact, later on, we were asked to swim underwater. The funny part is that I could not get my body to go under the water. I am just so buoyant! My mind went under, my upper part went under, but my fleshy "buttercups" (as my granddaughter calls that area) stayed firmly floating on the surface! That must have been a sight!!!
So, I guess Michael doesn't have to fear losing his gold medal status to me right away. Even my grandchildren don't have to worry about Grammie beating them in the pool. I haven't been in quite awhile. But you know what? I'm gonna start again. Well, I might not take right off swimming, but plan to start doing some water walking and maybe some water aerobics. I'm guessing that I might be bold enough to try a few breast strokes to see if I can still get my feet off the bottom of the pool, too.
But, I don't think I'll be diving off the board anytime soon. And I'm sure you might still be able to find my "buttercups" floating on the surface every now and then!
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
We never went swimming as kids. Neither Mom nor Dad could swim, although we sure did an awful lot of fishing over the years and spent a lot of time in boats on many, many lakes. I'd ask Daddy about it every now and then. He always claimed he could swim if he needed to. I don't know, maybe he had done some of that as a kid. After all, they lived really close to a lake and had to walk around the end of it on their way to school every day. I'm sure he and his siblings stopped and played in the water more than a time or two!
In any case, we didn't learn to swim. One summer, Mom signed us up for lessons at the "Cow Pasture," Lakeview's public swimming hole. I remember being petrified of the lady letting go of me. I could hold my breath just fine. That part wasn't hard. It was just the letting go part I could not accept. So, I didn't learn to swim.
Finally, at the age of 32, I signed up for swim lessons at MCC. By that time, Brandon could swim; I had made sure of that. But, boy was I ever scared that first time in the big pool at the college. I have since learned that it is an Olympic size pool. The size is enough to scare any novice! Well, so I signed up, got a suit, and went to Sidney. And, I got in the pool!
There were lots of us there that day. Lots of grown up people didn't know how to swim. And, bless their hearts, the "teachers" (actually a bunch of young kids!) were very kind and very patient. We all lined up along the wall on the shallow end of the pool. And then the main teacher moved down the line and had us lay back and float. Her name was Shelly; she got to me and said, "Okay, just lay back into the water and pick up your feet. The water will hold you. You'll float." Yeah, right! Like that's gonna happen. I sink like a rock! I was terrified! But you know what, I laid back and floated. Shocked my own senses, I did! I didn't know I could do that! How DID I do that? I don't know, but I did. And that was the first step. After that it was fun. In fact, later on, we were asked to swim underwater. The funny part is that I could not get my body to go under the water. I am just so buoyant! My mind went under, my upper part went under, but my fleshy "buttercups" (as my granddaughter calls that area) stayed firmly floating on the surface! That must have been a sight!!!
So, I guess Michael doesn't have to fear losing his gold medal status to me right away. Even my grandchildren don't have to worry about Grammie beating them in the pool. I haven't been in quite awhile. But you know what? I'm gonna start again. Well, I might not take right off swimming, but plan to start doing some water walking and maybe some water aerobics. I'm guessing that I might be bold enough to try a few breast strokes to see if I can still get my feet off the bottom of the pool, too.
But, I don't think I'll be diving off the board anytime soon. And I'm sure you might still be able to find my "buttercups" floating on the surface every now and then!
Till we meet again,
Leslie Anne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)