Life Goes On!

It has been a busy week once again. On Sunday, Dad and I went to New City - both for Sunday School and church. The service was oriented to the students, welcoming them back for their year, so Randy had them all stand up. It seemed to me that easily two thirds of the congregation are students! Amazing! It made me wonder how they manage to meet expenses as students would not be big donors and they have many inner-city people attending who would not only not give, but need help themselves...Such a unique congregation! We thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday School class and hope to become regulars...After the service, we picked up Andrew and went to Justin's cousin's house, so his wife and I could, together, buy airmiles tickets for Susanna and her children to visit us in October. That is all taken care of and we are so excited to be seeing them well before Christmas, then will have the added bonus of seeing them again in December! A huge thank-you to Betty! Andrew came back here with us so that he could go and visit Tim Ryan, Tom's brother the next day for a couple of medical needs...Now, BLOW THE TRUMPETS!...Tim told Andrew there is now a generic product on the market to cure .....fungi-nail!!!! It is a three-month course of oral treatment which costs only a few dollars!!! He gave Andrew a prescription - imagine Dad and I will soon get going on it as well. Hooray! I drove Andrew back to Chattanooga that afternoon, so Monday was full up!

Tuesday I took the younger Ryan children to the library, reading them stories for several hours. Cartersville Library is a delightful place in which to spend time - a nice morning for all of us, and allows Jeannette uninterrupted time with the two older kids. I found an interesting book which I think was a true story - about an old Orthodox woman caught in the battle area of the Russian Civil War. Each evening she prayed that God would build a wall around her that night, and each morning was disappointed to see that hadn't been done. Eventually, the battle came extremely close to her. She and several refugees she had taken in went to bed as usual. When they woke up, her cottage had been almost completely covered up by a snowfall. When the soldiers came by later that morning they saw no trace of it and went right by! Quite a story!...I played with the girls in the afternoon while Jeannette took the boys for haircuts. AS usual, I was the bad guy, trying to deceive and trick them in every possible way...I have been type cast!

Yesterday, I did busy work, then went into Cartersville to do errands, and hang around until I could see a local hairdresser. I wanted to discuss letting me hair grow out - that is, to stop dying it - with her. I think we have come up with a good plan of action, and I will give it a try. If I hate it, I can always start the dying process over again, but doubt I will. It is such a pain in the neck! (and the head, and the pocketbook!)

This morning I went to our local elementary school to observe various classrooms, in order to prepare for substitute teaching. I was very impressed with everything I saw. The building was immaculately clean. While I was in the kindergarten classroom, a custodian came by with warm cookies for the staff, who ate them eagerly, on the spot!..There were team teachers in Kindergarten as it included several children with disabilities. They were so effective in their discipline, but so gentle. I do not understand how good teachers attain such control, with little obvious effort...As I mentioned this to the principal later, she siad that several years ago, Adairsville Elementary performed poorly. They then had many meetings searching for solutions, and have been systematically implementing them since then, with wonderful results. I would like to talk with her further to understand exactly what they found most important, but know at least a couple of practical outcomes. As they have many low-income children with fragile families, they try to emulate a family atmosphere in the school itself - something I could see and they have truly realized to a substantial degree. As she walked down the hall, children were hugging her, loving her in every way. The teachers chatted, drank coffee etc. as they worked, but certainly kept the kids on task as they did so...The teachers try to go to extra-curricular activities of children they know need this extra attention...Isn't that amazing? ...The other thing she has tried to do is reduce expectations that children without parental support can't meet, not blaming them for things they can't control. The outcome was a school which I can only categorize as "gentle"...The principal reminded me very much of Sharon Browning - really liked her... Hope I can get regular work there...

Tomorrow I go to the Ryans again, Saturday I will have to clean...And this is all on an average of perhaps, four hours of sleep. I am in the midst of one of the worst times I have ever had with insomnia. God truly helps me to get done what I have to, but life would be more comfortable with more sleep. Please do pray for this!!!