Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Get off your buns!

So here's the deal. I was at church Sunday and while listening to the sermon (in between getting gum, making sure my phone was off, asking Mike what we were having for lunch, going to the bathroom, drawing daisies around the border of my program and wondering, "Was I with Lora when she bought Pastor Matthew that shirt? I think I was. Looks new. Looks nice. Was on the rack outside of the nail place. Mike can never fit into a shirt from the big and tall man's store.") I was struck, right between the eyes. Yep, the sermon applied. I HATE IT WHEN IT APPLIES! And I was probably going to cry. I HATE IT WHEN I CRY!!
You see, there has been this huge part of me, or part of us I should say, that we have been handling "the Johnson way". AKA not handling. Mike and I have felt so called to foster parenting and were so gung ho to bring that ministry into our lives, into our home, into our church, and were so on fire for it, and just like many things in life we've let the paperwork give us an excuse to let days, weeks, months go by without making progress in the direction we feel we need to be going in.
All I've had to do for a month now is schedule a first-aid / CPR class and get my cat vaccinated and we'll be pretty much ready to go. But when I get up in the morning and there's laundry to do and dishes to clean and girlfriends to play with...day by day it doesn't get done making me farther and farther away from finishing my goal.
Meanwhile our state (every state) is bursting at the seams for places to put children whose families are not safe for them to be with. These are the children my heart aches for. Bad. And I am not going to let paperwork stand in the way of God using our family to reach out to these children in whatever capacity He wants us to.
So folks, on Sunday I took a stand. No more popcorn and WifeSwap until my paperwork gets done. Friday Gus will get her shots and February 25th I'll become CPR/First Aid/ HIV certified. Nothing else is going to come between what my awesome God has planned for the next chapter of the Johnson household. Hang on tight...it's going to be quite a ride.

Tonight my child sleeps, in a womb or a home.
Are they scared, are they healthy? Sad or alone?
Please Jesus, hold them until my arms can,
and remind me that they too are safe in your plan.
I just wrote this little prayer thinking also of my precious friend Autumn and her Ethiopian baby coming SOON. I love you guys!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Mothers of children beware! Our words can come out anywhere!


I have enjoyed volunteering in Blake's classroom so much. Kindergartners are so fun. Every Wednesday I come home with at least one good story from the day. Blake's teacher is so used to them that she doesn't even laugh anymore. Here are my favorites, and of course the best is saved for last.

Me: "Tanner, what's your middle name?"

Tanner: "Tanner Jones."

Me: "No, that's your last name. Your middle name is between that. Tanner something Jones."

Tanner: "No, I don't have one. "

Me: "Oh, okay."

2 minutes of silence pass. Then he looks at me and says, "Oh I know what it is. When my mom gets mad at me she calls me Tanner Ashton Jones. Is that it?"

Me: "Yep."


Another day Blake's teacher was reading a story to the class about different ways people travel around the world. She was talking about Egypt and how people use Camels there. One little boy raised his hand and with confidence said, "Camels are what they use to make cigarettes." Not quite.


Then there's Blake's buddy Andy (pictured above with Blake). He is a riot. He's the kid who is always saying stories with such excitement, but at the time when he's not supposed to be telling stories, so he's often told to be quiet. Last week after the Inauguration, Blake's teacher asked the class if any of the students had seen any of it on TV. Most of the kids raised their hands. She asked, "Raise your hand if you saw how happy people were to get a new president." The kids could hardly sit in their chairs, they were raising their hands so high.
"Now raise your hand if you saw some people crying tears of joy because they were extra glad that they had a new president. Did anyone see that?" Well, Andy was practically doing back flips because he wanted to talk so badly.
"Ms. Harley," he said as he got out of his chair and stood at attention, "The people who were the happiest were the black people because they never thought they'd see the day that our country would finally be led by a black president! That's what my mom said!" He was so proud.
"That's mostly true Andy," She said. Another girl McKenna was raising her hand very high as well.
"McKenna," Ms. Harley called.

She too stood at attention. "My mom told ME that Mrs. Obama looked pregnant in her dress!"

Ms. Harley didn't even crack a smile. She just patiently explained that was the design of the gown and that she didn't think the Obamas planned to have more children. I, on the other hand, had both hands over my mouth to keep from spitting out the big drink of coffee I had just taken.

It was then I learned that no longer are my words at home safe at home. Anything I say can and will be used against me in the classroom without warning. And I think, no, I KNOW I have already blown it, so the best I can do is pray for Blake to have short term memory problems. Aye, yie, yie!