What's Up January

  Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

Every month we answer the same list of questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

Thanks to a gift card from a friend I’ve been enjoying my fill of Taco Bell during this trip. A couple nights ago, I finished out the gift card by treating my mom and nieces to a yummy dinner after we sent the girls’ mom and dad out on a date night.

What am I reminiscing about?

Memories with my dad... I so miss him.

 What am I loving?

I have loved the extra time spent with my family. I hate it took an injury to make it happen. But I have definitely loved it!

What have I been up to?

I've been doing a few intensive Physical Therapy sessions each week. Oh my word, y'all... They've hurt. But it's been good. And I can definitely tell a difference. I'm still not at 100%. And according to my Physical Therapist, it's possible that I may never be. But it's definitely much better than it was. So for that, I am definitely grateful.

What am I dreading? 

30ish hours of travel... Sitting is not ideal for me at the moment. Even with the improvement I’ve made, my ankles still do not like me sitting for long periods of time with my feet hanging down. And lots of walking still hurts too. So long flights/layovers when I can't really prop my feet up for very long are a (literal) pain.

What am I working on?

Giving myself permission to rest... My goal is to do better at this in 2021. 

 What am I excited about?

Seeing my students’ faces again next week...

What am I watching?

Very little...

What am I reading?

I'm currently reading my 5th book of the year. Having lots of "down time" helps with that. That's for sure... I'm hoping I can keep it up when I get back to work. We'll see. :)

What am I listening to?

I’ve been listening to one of my most favorite sounds in the world... I love hearing these girls’ sweet little voices/giggles. They’re growing up so much. It hurts my heart to miss out on so much of their sweet little lives. But I am so grateful for all the time I have with them, listening to them chat about all the things. It definitely does my aunt heart good. 

What am I wearing?

Two of these bracelets...

 What am I doing this weekend?

I leave early Friday morning, heading back to Senegal. I’ll arrive there on Saturday morning. So I imagine I’ll be spending the weekend, unpacking, working at the school, and at some point... Crashing from jet lag.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Not sure what February will hold... So we’ll see.

What else is new?

Lesson planning across two continents... My sub is still in Senegal, being awesome and working with my students, checking in with them, sending me texts full of information and pictures of various textbook pages and worksheets, grading their assignments, holding video chat meetings for students to present their projects, emailing back and forth with them, etc. I’m here in the US for the rest of this week, so I did what I'd ordinarily do in modifying my original sub plans to upload/create virtual learning lessons instead, since our school is doing that this week. And my sub and I will chat each day about how things are going and see if we need to make any changes as we go. I've said it before and I'll say it again... This woman has been a lifesaver. My teacher heart is so happy, knowing my people are taken care of. And I can continue to enjoy my last few days in the States with my family, and not have to officially work while still being on unpaid leave for the rest of the week.

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Currently

 Happy Thursday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

January's prompts are...

  * beginning *  feeling * organizing * resolving * wondering *

I'm currently beginning to remember why I hate watching the news. If they could just share an unbiased/truthful report... Wouldn’t that be nice?

I'm currently feeling relieved that I don’t have to have surgery. I’m still experiencing some pain and occasional swelling when I walk or sit for long periods of time. But at least I don’t have to have surgery...

I'm currently organizing nothing. But after seeing some of the cute (and super cheap) baskets at Dollar Tree last week, I’m looking forward to organizing my pantry and bathroom. Yay for things that only cost $1 :)

I'm currently resolving to extend more GRACE this year to myself and to all those in my life.

I'm currently wondering when Jesus will return. With all that’s going on in the world these days, it surely can’t be that long...

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more :)

I'm currently enjoying all of the time I am able to spend with these two.

I'm currently heading to Physical Therapy on my ankles. It’s a rainy, yucky day too. Bleh...

I’m currently reading, journaling, and praying through the Bible again for the year. I look forward to all God has in store this year.

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

My Word for 2021

Happy New Year from my sweet home Alabama!

A few years ago, in place of the more traditional New Year's Resolutions, I decided to start choosing a word (or words) for the upcoming year. Words that would guide my thoughts and actions throughout the year... Words I could focus on as I moved throughout the year ahead. 

In 2017, I chose the words joy, move, write, read, and rest.

In 2018, I chose the word growth.

In 2019, I chose the words grace and rest.

And in 2020, I chose the word care.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I have prayed and thought about my 2021 word for quite some time. And one word kept coming to mind. I would see it in the Bible passages I was studying. I would hear it in sermons and songs at church and on the radio (or on iTunes). I would see quotes, containing the word, shared on Facebook. I received not one, but two, Christmas gifts (a planner and a devotional book) with the word on it. And no one, but God and I knew this word was one I'd been thinking about. 

My word for 2021 is going to be

GRACE

In Christian circles, this word is used a lot. It is the unmerited favor, given to us by God, by which we are saved through our faith in Jesus Christ.

It's kindness.

It's a desire to serve others.

It's extending mercy.

It's realizing that perfection is impossible.

It's reacting out of facts and not just emotions.

It's accepting faults and working through/past them.

It's choosing patience.

It's less criticism and more compliments.

It's less judgment and more understanding.

It's forgiveness.

It's loving others.

It's loving yourself.

In 2021, I plan to extend more grace to everyone in my life. 

And I also plan to extend more grace to myself.

I'm not perfect. I need to accept that. 

I need to love me for who I am.

I need to love me for who God made me to be.