won't you be my neighbor?

for all of its quirks, my neighborhood definitely makes me smile.

conversation with a little boy down the street who wanted to pet charlie:

"he's soft...what kind of dog is he?"

"he's a terrier."

*gasp* "does that mean he tears people up?!"

and then there's buddy. the lonely dog who sits in his front yard, ever-mindful of his electric fence and what will happen should he step over that fateful line. he likes to "hide" when charlie and i come close, only to run and jump up as if to say hello.

or today...walking home after a stroll around a few blocks...and our favorite latino neighbors standing in their driveway...drinking...and yelling, "bellas! bellas!" (translation: beautiful) followed by some cat calls and other phrases in spanish probably best-left-untranslated.

how. enticing.

finally, a knock on the door today presented kim and i with half of a sausage quiche made by one of our neighbors as a thanks to kim for mowing her lawn. (the other half went to the other neighbor who helped mow the lawn, too.)

i *heart* lakeside.

claiming His authority.

my current process: learning how to trust and believe God for His good purposes for my life.

it's been a rough few weeks. after finally getting hired in the county, i have faced conflict that i didn't anticipate - conflict that i have never experienced before. so now i am interviewing for other positions within the county that will be more helpful to me in reaching my professional goals.

am i ready to be a full-time teacher? i don't know. but He does.

in the face of this stress, my gastroparesis (go to this entry for details) has gotten worse. after a couple of months of treatment, i was doing A-OK. however, my symptoms are back and i am fighting discouragement that this is my "life-sentence"...my desire is to work & function normally...even under stress.

can i push through the pain and still live out my passions? i don't know. but He does.

i have discovered in the past few weeks how much i have missed the classroom. there's nothing like a little one walking up to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and whispering, "i like you" or watching a student struggle with a question and finally reach the right answer. the look on his/her face after an "excellent job!" or "i'm proud of you!" is priceless.

so now i pray for health. for energy to pursue my goals. for clarity and assurance that i am running after what He wants for my life.

and i would love some prayer warriors on my side.

worship + truth = comfort.

there's a place in my heart that is only for you
where the warmth of your touch is what sees me through
the joy and the pain this life always brings
in the darkness i still find myself just wanting to sing about you
…about you.

you are my reason to breathe
my reason to keep on believing
no one can come in between you and me
i will never look away, you will always be all that i see

there's a hole in my heart where only you belong
and where i'm most weak, you will always be strong
your whispering voice will be all that i need
through the valley or over the mountain, i'll run anywhere that you lead me
…that you lead me.

you are my reason to breathe
my reason to keep on believing
no one can come in between you and me
i will never look away, you will always be all that i see...

- jason morant "all that i see"

manna.

oooook.

good news! i have a job! that's right...i'm EMPLOYED!

praise the Lord and pass the bread. amen.

as of tomorrow morning, i will be an instructional assistant in a third grade classroom for the county. as i have been told, i will be co-teaching 29 students for the year. i couldn't be more thrilled. i really like the principal (he's a JMU grad!) and the few teachers i met during the interview process. i have yet to meet my co-teacher, so there's a prayer request wrapped up in there somewhere...but i am confident this will be a good situation.

in other news, however random this may be, a little something to add to my "ooh, i love my neighborhood" post a few weeks ago:

i left town this weekend and returned to a flyer on my desk informing me that my area has tested positive for the west nile virus. waaaaaay to go, mosquitoes. now kim and i arm ourselves with "deep woodsmen" bug repellent. it's manly. i don't enjoy it so much.

and i'm off to make my lunch for school tomorrow. YAY!

harry.

it's been a most uneventful few weeks. the job search continues. it's been an all-consuming affair. i'll let you know when i do. hopefully soon.

so, rather than discuss the boring aspects of my day-to-day, here are a couple of highlights from the past few weeks.

yesterday morning, while walking charlie around 6:45 a.m., i came upon a bus stop full of children loading onto their big, yellow taxi. as it pulled away and a dad started walking toward me, he started skipping...threw his arms in the air...and exclaimed, "it's like Christmas morning!" he was obviously thrilled at it being the first day of school. it made me laugh.

a friend-of-a-friend recently told me that charlie's face resembles that of harry...from 'harry and the hendersons'...the loveable 1987 john lithgow movie about a pacific northwest big-foot character that shacks up with the all-american family. it was one of my favorite movies as a kid. and i have to say, i see what she means. charlie and harry both have amazing facial expressions. don't believe me? check it out:
i think that's about it for now. like i said, not too much goin' on. and i think i am OK with that. for now.