Jarvis

We went to see "Blind Side" the night before Thanksgiving. If you get a chance to see it, do. I thought about my Jarvis throughout the whole movie.
My first teaching job was in Fort Worth, Texas, at a poor, black school in Como--one of (if not THE) scariest neighborhoods in the city. I didn't know any of that when I took the job, I just knew it was kindergarten, and came with a paycheck. It was a difficult job, but ended up feeling like home, oddly enough.
My second year there, a boy named Jarvis was put in my class. Everybody warned me about him--crack baby, emotionally disturbed, out of control.  The first day of school he walked in with his big brown eyes, looking terrified, and I led him to a ball of play-dough on a table.  He picked it up and started playing with it, as sweet as pie.  That may be when I fell in love with him. He rarely talked--was very shy--pulled his arms and head into his shirt a lot, and occassionally hid under a table, but was never a big problem. 
He lived with his mom, who was still on crack. One time he was out for a few days, and when he came back I asked why he was gone, and he said he was sick (throwing up). I asked who took care of him: "my brother." I asked how he helped him, and he said, "Gave me potato chips and Coke." :(
The day I just about called the state and begged them to let me adopt him was when I sent the kids out to recess and he didn't go, but just stood by my elbow looking at me. I asked him why he didn't go play, and he just shook his head. I asked if he felt bad, and he shook his head again. I asked if he wanted to go talk to Mr. Williams (counselor) and he shook his head again.  Then tears just started streaming silently down his cheeks, one after another. It broke my heart--I had to pull him onto my lap and just hold him. He never would tell me what was wrong. Oh, I loved that boy.
The year after that, when school started I saw him, and he didn't know where to go, so I was showing him, and he reached out to hold my hand! That was very rare for him, too. That was a great moment. I think that was also about the time he started living with his aunt, who was a good woman, and a good mom (I had her son one year.) That was great for Jarvis, but meant I would never get to adopt him--and I had been seriously wanting to, single as I was.
He was finishing the 3rd grade when we moved to Idaho. Before we left I took him to McDonald's for lunch. I picked him up from his grandma's, and bought him a kid's meal, and let him play on the playground. I can still see him, a great big 9-year-old grinning ear to ear laying on his back in the ball pit. Then we moved to Idaho and that's the last I know about him. Why didn't I get more involved with his family, so I could keep in touch with him? Why didn't I at least get his address, for heaven's sake, so I could write him? Why didn't I do more to help? I have prayed for him faithfully, but my fear robbed me of a blessing.
The year before last I went to Fort Worth for a funeral and was able to visit our friends the Lasiters and go back to Como for a visit during the school year, which is something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. One of my fellow kindergarten teachers was still there, and the secretary, Mrs. Leonard. I think Mrs. Leonard has always been and will always be at Como. So I asked her if she knew anything about where and how Jarvis was (he's 24 now) and she said she thinks she heard he was in the military--maybe the Navy. I was thrilled to hear it--that would be great for him. I hope someday to know for sure that he's okay. But for now I'll just keep praying for him...and looking for him every now and then on facebook...

Look what we did this week!

Now we're in Texas for a Sandusky Thanksgiving--happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy List!

Happy List # 52: listening in on my children's pretend play. (Mikayla had a friend sleep over Friday night, and they wrote and acted out a play. So cute!)

#53: Daughters reading together in peace and harmony

#54: Kindergarten Thanksgiving feasts

Fun times

We had a lot of fun this week. The sun was shining, and we had fun raking leaves, and walking and riding our bikes around our neighborhood.



 

On Tuesday Jessica, Mikayla, and I took a long lunch and went to our church to wrap a few Operation Christmas Child boxes. It got me ready for the season!
That night we went bowling in El Dorado with the BCM. We had a good turn-out. First-timers got to come free, and we had several! We all had a lot of fun.  The girls all want to have their birthday parties there next year.
Wednesday night was Cubbies and don't even get me started. Sigh. I had a meeting of the wills with a 3-year-old.  I won.
Thursday I woke up tired and had a headache all day, but still had fun that night. My Bible study girls came over for supper, and we sat around talking and laughing for quite a while. Then a few of them stayed and watched August Rush with us. 
Friday was our home school co-op Thanksgiving party, which I was co-in-charge-of.  Parties are really just not my thing.  I would make a terrible room mother. Which is why I've never been one. It was fun, though, and after they ate and skated a little they made paper-cup turkeys which we took to the nursing home for table decorations. I enjoyed watching Jessica and Mikayla have fun with girls their ages.
That night we went to watch the Magnolia Panthers' play-off football game...they lost. But we enjoyed it anyway. We saw a lot of people we knew; in fact, Rebecca sat with a friend from school, Jessica and Mikayla hung out with friends from church, and Mike and I sat with some home school co-op friends.  It was cool enough to feel like football, but not freezing. I really enjoyed watching the band. :)
Today was just a good ol' Saturday when I never even put my contacts in! Slept late, watched home movies from MY childhood while I ironed, and stayed home all day.  And that wraps up a week in the life of the Sandusky family.
(After 16 years of marriage, I still don't know how to write the plural of Sandusky.)

10 on the Tenth

10 Things I'm Thankful for:
1.  America! We're studying China in school right now, and it really makes me realize how blessed we are.  Even before Communism, they had little to no freedom. Thank you, Lord, for freedom!
2. My family--my husband, who loves God and me and our kids, and works so hard; 3 amazing daughters, when there was a time I thought I'd never have a child; a mom and dad who loved each other 'til death did them part, and raised me in complete love and security; 2 big brothers who looked out for me and never really understand how I looked up to them; plus all their families and aunts and uncles and cousins and, in heaven, grandparents. Even though we only saw each other once a year or so, I always knew they loved me.
3. Forgiveness in Christ.  I guess that one should have gone first, huh?  Please forgive me!
4. Modern conveniences.  With as many missionary friends as we have, I am beginning to appreciate "little" things like plumbing, clean water, dependable electricity, appliances big enough to be useful, heat and a.c., cell phones, and the internet (thanks, Al Gore!)
5. The chance to home school.  I never in a million years planned to home school, but God moved us to a place and time that it became evident that it was the best choice for our family, and I'm SO glad He did. I have loved getting to spend time with my girls, and feeling like we can take time to learn about things like manners, and a Biblical world view, and missions, and house keeping, and cooking, and purity.  Now I hope I use this chance to the fullest.
6. Friends! I have been blessed with friends who love me and understand my weirdness my whole life, and I don't know why or how. But I'm thankful! From Donna Doyle in Mission Friends in Pensacola, to Mendy and Julie and Jenny in Virginia (and Mendy & I still talk on fb!), to Alyssa in San Diego, to Amanda and Heidi and Malinda and Lisa in Conway, to Angie and all of Flippen First and OC Bailey 3rd West at OBU, to my single &  newlywed friends at Wedgwood, to Denise and Tami and Siri in Idaho, to Rebecca and Holly in Magnolia--what fun we've all had.
7. My husband has a job.  With a salary that allows me to stay home. And benefits. And a very flexible schedule. And working with college students, which is my favorite age outside of kindergarten--and much less responsibility. He even gets paid to study the Bible--how cool is that?
8. Changing seasons in a beautiful world.
9. All the places I've been able to go in my life, due to being raised in the Navy then marrying a college minister--because we drove most of the time, I've been able to see so much of this country, and a couple places outside of it! I love seeing new things, and appreciate the differences in places.
10. Unexpected gifts.  The last couple of weeks I've had a few! First, my Mom came to visit (we had so much fun together, just playing dominoes, shopping, getting a manicure, watching TV) and while we were antiquing we found a little shelf we both liked and she bought it for my birthday...which is January 24! What a surprise. :) Then, Mike went to our state convention and met my friend Lottie Lydia, who with her husband Sean is a missionary in Poland, and when he came home he brought gifts from her! An embroidered tablecloth and 3 painted wooden eggs.  We were all just delighted. See what great friends I have! Thank you for being one of them.

My new shelf

Polish gifts

It's November 5 again

I thought this year was going to be easier, but I find myself crying again.  It's been 8 years since that horrible day I wrote about here, and it still hurts so bad.
But I wanted to share a piece of my dad with you.  My mom was cleaning out a desk and found some graph paper she thought I could use with home school.  I found Dad's writing in it, and was able to decipher some of it. (ha) On one side was a plan for a vegetable garden--he LOVED gardening, and was very good at it. 

On the other side was a plan for what I assume is a Sunday School lesson--he LOVED teaching, too, and was very good at it, too!  This was just an outline, and was pretty rough, but still gave me food to chew on.
Here it is:
Subj. 1 Thess 1:1-9  Exemplary believers 

1. Elements of an example
2. Following an example
3. Becoming an example

My opinion--Feeling--attitude toward subject?  positive--a lot to learn in 10 verses


Goal (Class should...)

1. understand that each believer is "in" Christ and Father God
2. be able to demonstrate a work of faith
3. tell an unbeliever "my life is an example" you can follow
4. show a labor of love
5. realize all believers are role models: what do we imitate? who do we imitate? what do we tell the world they will be if they imitate you?
6. tell others their hope--what is your hope?

Lord = Master, John 20:28
Jesus = Savior, Matt. 1:21
Christ = Messiah, John 1:41
What does this teach you?


Benefits

1. motivation to works, labor, and patience will be silver, gold, and precious jewels, not wood hay, and stubble
2. lead others to see Lord in our actions--preach the Word always, use words only when necessary
3. lead other to imitate Christ by imitating you

I can only imagine...

Storm pictures

I tried to get some pictures of the "river" gushing through our carport, but it was too dark.  But here are pictures of the tornado damage less than a mile from our house.

That is one trailer on the right, split in two by a tree.  Notice the uprooted trees and downed power lines. It's pretty mild compared to Arkadelphia in the 90's or even last year's record setting tornado in north Arkansas.  But it was still scary to be driving in!

I'm still amazed we didn't even lose power.  The bayous and rivers are just now cresting, so even though we haven't had rain since Friday, some houses in Bossier City are just now flooding.  One elementary school there just reopened yesterday.  Even here, when I walked my mile yesterday there was water still running across the road at one point!