Dear Green Eyed Monster

Dear Green Eyed Monster,
       Jealousy.  It's a challenge that I have tried to overcome for a lot of my life.  I have always wished for things, and a lot of the time those things are things which belong to other people.  I am not poor.  I joke often about "being poor" which is really not the case.  I have a lot of bills and a lot of debt, which is no ones fault but my own.  There is a long story behind some of my debt and a bunch of bad choices behind the rest of it. It doesn't really matter what the reason is now, the point is that it exists.  I see other people my age or at my same stage of life or people who have the same job as me and they have things I wish I had.  People are buying houses and sometimes I wish we were buying a house.  I see people going on nice vacations to places I would like to go to, and I wish I could afford to take my family to those places.  I see people buying new cars or toys or whatever and I wish we could afford to buy those things.  I wish I didn't have my debt and my credit was better and I had a surplus of money like some people do.  I wish I could put aside more for retirement or my husband made enough so I could stay home with our kids.  I look at other people and wish I could have things they have.  I have to stop and remind myself of the things that I DO have, rather than the things I do NOT have.  Someone is jealous of what I have.  I don't want to envy other people.  I have so much, more than I feel I deserve most days.  I have to keep reminding myself about all of the amazing things I have, instead of dwelling on the "stuff" I don't have.  In reality, that's all it is, "stuff."  I've got things that money can't buy. I have a man that loves me, children that love me and a God that loves me.   It's a lot more than many people.  I have friends, good friends, friends that care.  I have a job I enjoy.  I have my health. I have family(the family I was born into, and then another amazing family I married into).  I also need to remind myself that those people who have "things" might not have it all.  It's hard to imagine that those people don't have everything, or they could be struggling in some other way.  Sometimes I just need to remind myself that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, you still gotta mow that grass too.

Dear God

Dear God,
    Well Lord, you know as well as I do that I am not in the place where I should be.  I know this each and every day, and yet I find it hard to get to that place.  What I am amazed by each and every day is that you still take into consideration all of my requests, even when I am not good about fulfilling your requests of me.  Even though I don't follow all of your rules like I should, you continue to provide for me. Last night I was reminded that changes in the seasons of our life are not meant to be a punishment for what we've done right or wrong.  You are a loving Lord.  I pray I continue to grow as a person, and as your servant, in every season of my life.
 Ecclesiastes 3

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Love,

Theresa

Dear High School Students

Dear High School Students,
     I know that you look at me and see a teacher, therefore, you think I must not have a clue.  In reality, I might just have an idea of what's going on more than you think.  I was speaking to some of my dear friends that I had in high school recently.  The same comment came up again and again.  "If I had known then, what I know now." As a high school student you are pretty much certain that your parents do not understand what it's like to be a high school student now.  Well guess what, they don't!  Yep, they don't know exactly what it's like to be a high school student in 2012.  What YOU don't realize is that while they might not get the exact stuff you're going through, some things in high school remain the same as they were 20, 30, and 40 years ago.  There have been people picking on other people as long as school has been around.  Guess what, those mean girls...they were around when your parents were in high school too.  The popular girls who made life hard on you, they were there too.  The guys who picked on the other guys in the locker room, yep, they were there too.  Oh, the guys who made fun of people(because really they were trying to take the focus off themselves) they were there as well.  The loners, the popular people, the music people, the geeks, the freaks, the people praying to fit in or just be invisible because they just would rather not be noticed than be the butt of a joke...they were all there.  I know with the advances of technology things are SO much different now, and the pressures to get into college or get good grades seem a lot higher.  My point really is that I might be a teacher, but I see what's going on every single day.  Students don't think we teachers notice, or care, or really understand.  Truth is, we care more than you know.  We care.  We want to help, but some students are so stuck on assuming that we'll never get it, they don't even give us a chance.  Parents are the same.  You are so stuck on assuming that parents CAN'T understand, you don't even give them the chance to try.  You know, you might be surprised to find out, once in a while, an adult CAN relate.
If I could go back to high school knowing what I know now, things would be a lot different.  I would be kinder.  I would realize those "perfect" kids didn't all have it perfect.  I would care less what people thought about me, and just try to be a good person.  I would pay attention to school work more.  I would try harder in my classes.  I would try something different, like a club or a sport, just to meet new people...even if I assumed that all the people in those "groups" wouldn't like me.  I would have shared more with my Dad.  I would realize the gossipers would eventually be gossiped about, but not judge them, because I have no idea what they are going through.  Did I mention I would be kinder...to everyone!  No one ever felt badly for being kind.  Overall my dear high school students, someday you'll look back at high school and say the same thing, "If I had known then what I know now."  It's a good thing though, because it means you learned something along the way.  Of course, right now some of you think you know it all, but I promise you this...you will NOT be the same person 12 years from now, so think twice about life changing decisions you make while you're young!
Hope that this school year is amazing for everyone!
Love,
Your Teacher

Where does the time go?

Dear Life,
     How do you become so crazy so quickly?  Well we are about 6.5 weeks away from bringing our little girl into the world.  No she doesn't have a name yet, and no I wouldn't tell even if we did have it picked out!  We have thrown out some options.  It's kind of a surreal feeling knowing that in a little over a month we'll have a second child.  I don't even know if I'm doing okay with this child?  Well, what I do know is he seems happy most of the time and I guess that's got to count for something.
     At this point in the day, I am hot and tired and ready to go home.  I don't have a whole lot else to write about, but I thought if maybe I wrote more often I would remember to do it!

Dear Baby,

Dear Baby,
    I know you've only been growing inside my belly for 6 1/2 weeks, but I'm already VERY attached to you!  I hope you know how much I already love you.  Now that you know how much I love you, please stop making Mommy feel so nauseas, it's keeping me up at night!
Love you little baby!
Love,
Mommy
P.S. If it's in the cards, I'd really like you to be a girl please!

Dear Life,

Dear Life,
  Well you’ve done it again.  You’ve become crazy busy without my realizing it...again!  I had a beautiful vacation with my family.  My favorite part had to be taking Hayden to see the ocean.  I know there are million things that Hayden has not seen, and so most of his experiences are new, but I just loved watching him put is feet in and try to walk out further and further.  Of course I took a million pictures, I just have to find time to post them!  

Basically I have been very busy lately.  I have two graduate school classes, a baby, a husband, a full time job(that has students who I very much care about) and lots of other family and friends.  I really do try to make time for everyone. It can be hard.  
There is one thing that was I have been thinking lately and that’s church.  I have always thought I “tried” to make it to church.  Really I feel like I have let other people be my excuses.  I really do feel odd going to church without my husband.  This is likely because my husband grew up in this church and if he doesn’t come with me I always get asked where he is.  This makes me feel kind of awkward I guess. I’m sure no one thinks anything of it besides me.  Well, anyway, I am going to really put forth more effort to go on Sunday morning, or Sunday evening.  I need to not let OTHER people be my reason that I don’t show up.  So baring any illness or being out of town I am going to try harder.  I won’t be perfect but I will try harder.  I have also been trying to get in one of the prayers from “the power of a praying wife” book nightly.  Some people just have a gift with words, and my goodness that woman has a gift of writing great prayers!  
I have also been thinking about my close friends lately.  My dear life, you have managed to get hold of them too!  They have all been so busy and it’s hard to coordinate all of our lives together to spend time with each other! I look forward to my time with friends more now than ever.  It might be few and far between sometimes but I love those dinners or breakfasts or quick coffees or whatever! I enjoy the football games or belly dancing classes.  It’s all just good for my sanity, no matter how often it happens!
Well life, thanks for being full.  Thanks for having a ton for me to do, and giving me beautiful people to do it with!
Love,
Theresa

Dear Bed,

Dear Bed,
     I miss spending time with you.  I remember the times we used to spend all day together.  Since Hayden came into my life I just don't have the time to devote to our relationship I used to have.  I would say I am sorry, but I love spending time with Hayden.  Hopefully we'll have time to get together again soon.
Love,
Theresa