"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms and put his hands upon them, and blessed them." Mark 10:13-16
Did you ever wonder what it means to receive the kingdom of God as a little child? I have. Sometimes it seems clear as mud. I mean, how does a little child receive the kingdom of God? I guess we have a clue where Jesus told Nicodemus that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3b. He further explains in verse 5: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
So we are all born of water, as far as I know. I have heard people explain that this means you have to be baptized, but I am not convinced of that. I mean, what comes out with the baby at the time of birth? Water! So maybe Jesus is talking about our physical birth into this world. But the Spirit, that's a different matter. That doesn't just happen to everyone, now does it? Plenty of us go our whole lives completely wrapped up in our physical lives. It's very easy to do. As physical beings, the physical world is all we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. We are taught as children that these are our five senses, and it is implied if not stated that these are the only ways that we can perceive anything. And if we can't perceive it, it doesn't exist. It must be our imagination.
Aha! This is my revelation of the night. Imagination. Little children, before they are taught all that about the senses, have great imaginations. Some lucky ones keep it even after being taught, choosing to believe that there are some things that simply defy the physical laws.
As I was tucking Lily in to bed tonight, a few amazing things happened. First of all, some plastic ponies came to life, carried a book through the air, and proceeded to have a birthday party on the bed complete with plastic cupcakes. Then, I was informed that Lily's doll (named Lily, of course) could fly. See? Then, I found out that Lily herself can fly. When I said "I can't fly, how do you do it?" I was told that you have to put out your wings first. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?
Three-year-olds have no problem at all understanding that there is more to life than what we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. They don't have to explain everything scientifically. They don't have to see it to believe it. They haven't learned that they are limited by their age, sex, social status, or even gravity. I think this is what Jesus may have meant. In order to enter the kingdom of God, we have to accept that there are things we don't know. There are forces we can't perceive through our physical senses.
We have to truly believe that God exists. That He sent his only Son to walk this earth as a physical being who could bleed and die. That that same Son defied both death and gravity by being raised back to Heaven, where He is sitting at the right hand of God, interceding for all who believe in Him. That He is coming back one day, maybe soon, to take His kingdom. And, that the God who created the heaven and the earth is interested in each of his tiny created beings called people so much that he knows how many hairs each of us have on our heads at every minute of every day.
Now, how can we believe all of this? None of it can be proved by science. We can't see God. I know of several people who have read the Bible cover to cover and still don't believe. The truth is, we have to be born again. Don't be like Nicodemus and get a picture of starting over in your mother's womb, now. This second birth is not physical. But you can perceive it. It is spirit. And suddenly, the spiritual world is real. Sometimes it is more real than the physical. This physical world is not permanent. Even the atheists understand this, and are trying desperately to slow down the process of decay that we are seeing in the planet, our bodies, and our societies. But God is eternal. And this world is not the end. If you skip to the end of the Book, you realize that there is something better coming. Revelation chapter 21, verses 1-5 state: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write; for these words are true and faithful."
We are all used to hearing John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But we don't often hear the next two verses: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
See, it does matter. This world is not all that there is. There are some frightening descriptions of what will happen to those who are condemned, but be sure that they will not be enjoying the new heaven and new earth. There is a teaching in some churches that there is no Hell, but you cannot read the Bible and believe that Hell doesn't exist. There are just too many passages describing what it will be like for those who are condemned by disbelief.
You can't save yourself, and you can't save the planet or the whales or polar bears or anything else by yourself. Or even along with the rest of the people in the world. God is in control, and think about it: if he could speak things into existence, he can speak them right back out. The Bible is called the Word of God. Word is also one of the names of Jesus. None of us can make something happen just by saying it. But the words of God are power and life. Our only chance. So please, if you haven't done it before, get down on your knees and start over. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." John14:23 Welcome to your new life.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Too Much Information!
In the last two days, I have learned that the pharmaceutical companies are trying to make everyone sick, that Facebook is an invention of the CIA so that they can keep tabs on everyone, and that some of the richest men in the world are using their billions to fund organizations who will "depopulize" the world, because all of these extra people are destroying the environment. I've also learned that stress causes disease, and this from the same book that explains that the medical community is trying to kill us. Now, that's not at all stressful to think about, is it?
I fully realize that this world is messed up. I think most of us realize this. If I really thought about it, I could probably list pages of issues this world is facing. I could probably list pages of issues that my immediate family and friends are facing. What is a person to do?
Here are the options as I see them:
I guess that says it all.
I fully realize that this world is messed up. I think most of us realize this. If I really thought about it, I could probably list pages of issues this world is facing. I could probably list pages of issues that my immediate family and friends are facing. What is a person to do?
Here are the options as I see them:
- Run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to remedy all of these problems at once.
- Make a list of all of the problems and try to remedy them one at a time.
- Make scary videos to post on You Tube.
- Write scary blog posts.
- Move to the mountains and live off the land in a yurt.
- Hide under my bed until it's over.
- Pray the Serenity Prayer.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Monday, January 23, 2012
For God and Country?
I've been enjoying a Ladies' Bible Study at my church for the past few months. The main study has been on prayer, but we sometimes end up with side conversations that are just as involved as the lesson. A while ago, the question was brought up whether God deals with countries as a whole, depending on their collective actions. The consensus at the time was that we really didn't know. I know that different people have suggested that the woes of the United States are a result of God's judgement, from the attack on the World Trade Center to the various natural disasters that have taken place inside out borders. But is this true?
A search into the Bible reveals that God did indeed judge nations in the past. If you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the only people who escaped total destruction were Lot and his two virgin daughters, you could believe that the cities were judged as a whole. However, it is clear from the conversation Abraham had with the LORD in Genesis 18 that those cities were totally corrupt. Abraham had bargained the LORD down to saving the cities if there were only ten souls who were righteous, and apparently that was not the case. Both cities were burned.
It is generally thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their perversions, but Ezekiel 16 actually reveals a deeper problem. Verses 49 and 50 read: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me; therefore I took them away as I saw good." Notice that the main complaints seem to be pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness. In the NASB version, this reads "arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy." The abominations seem to be a result of these, rather than the cause.
I think I've found a pretty good passage to answer my question. It is from Ezekiel 14:12-23. It's rather long, so I'll paraphrase: God is telling Ezekiel that He is going to send four judgments upon Jerusalem: the sword, the famine, the wild beast and the pestilence. These are a result of their collective sin. He says several times that though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they would only be able to save themselves with their own righteousness, not even saving their son or daughter.
So, here is my tentative answer to this question, though I don't pretend to know if specific troubles are from God or not. I believe that He does deal with countries as a whole. However, He also deals with individuals. If you are in a country that is committing sins against God, especially those decreed by the government, you may expect to have trouble as a whole. However, if you are not following the corrupt laws of the government, and are instead following God's laws, you can be saved yourself.
In the Old Testament, everything was dealt with on a very physical level. Death meant bodily death. In the New Testament, though, I believe this changed. Jesus changed the rules with His own death. Physical, bodily death is no longer the punishment it used to be. Jesus said in Luke 18:29-30 "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." And of course, there is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This life we are promised is beyond the grave life. Not just full life now, but perfect life forever. Our human minds can't even comprehend that much time. But we can have a glimpse of that kind of life. I know I try very hard not to lose anything. I am afraid that if I lose it, I won't get it back. But Jesus asks us to lose our very selves. Matthew 16:24-26 reads: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
This is the deliverance we are promised. Not deliverance from difficulties in this life, or even from physical death, but deliverance from eternal punishment. And we are not saved because of our connection to our country, or our family, or even our church. We are saved because of our connection to Jesus Christ. He is our King, and our government is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is where our allegiance must lie. Not to any of the fallen governments of this world.
This is an election year in the United States, meaning that the country will be voting on a new president and congress this November. It is very easy to get caught up in the frenzy of trying to pick the best men and women to lead us. Christians have differing opinions about our duty to vote, and our involvement in politics. Some feel that we have to try to make a difference, and bring our country back to God through our votes and our activism. If God does in fact judge countries, I can see this point. However, the stakes are even higher than that. God judges each of us. No matter what our country chooses to do, we have to answer for our own actions, and our own hearts. We cannot follow laws that are against our Kingdom. We cannot follow leaders who are leading us to destruction. We cannot compromise by picking the best person for the country. We cannot vote based on the economy or health care or political party. And we cannot continue to have "arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but... not help the poor and needy." Our activism has to be to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.
A search into the Bible reveals that God did indeed judge nations in the past. If you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the only people who escaped total destruction were Lot and his two virgin daughters, you could believe that the cities were judged as a whole. However, it is clear from the conversation Abraham had with the LORD in Genesis 18 that those cities were totally corrupt. Abraham had bargained the LORD down to saving the cities if there were only ten souls who were righteous, and apparently that was not the case. Both cities were burned.
It is generally thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their perversions, but Ezekiel 16 actually reveals a deeper problem. Verses 49 and 50 read: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me; therefore I took them away as I saw good." Notice that the main complaints seem to be pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness. In the NASB version, this reads "arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy." The abominations seem to be a result of these, rather than the cause.
I think I've found a pretty good passage to answer my question. It is from Ezekiel 14:12-23. It's rather long, so I'll paraphrase: God is telling Ezekiel that He is going to send four judgments upon Jerusalem: the sword, the famine, the wild beast and the pestilence. These are a result of their collective sin. He says several times that though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they would only be able to save themselves with their own righteousness, not even saving their son or daughter.
So, here is my tentative answer to this question, though I don't pretend to know if specific troubles are from God or not. I believe that He does deal with countries as a whole. However, He also deals with individuals. If you are in a country that is committing sins against God, especially those decreed by the government, you may expect to have trouble as a whole. However, if you are not following the corrupt laws of the government, and are instead following God's laws, you can be saved yourself.
In the Old Testament, everything was dealt with on a very physical level. Death meant bodily death. In the New Testament, though, I believe this changed. Jesus changed the rules with His own death. Physical, bodily death is no longer the punishment it used to be. Jesus said in Luke 18:29-30 "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." And of course, there is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This life we are promised is beyond the grave life. Not just full life now, but perfect life forever. Our human minds can't even comprehend that much time. But we can have a glimpse of that kind of life. I know I try very hard not to lose anything. I am afraid that if I lose it, I won't get it back. But Jesus asks us to lose our very selves. Matthew 16:24-26 reads: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
This is the deliverance we are promised. Not deliverance from difficulties in this life, or even from physical death, but deliverance from eternal punishment. And we are not saved because of our connection to our country, or our family, or even our church. We are saved because of our connection to Jesus Christ. He is our King, and our government is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is where our allegiance must lie. Not to any of the fallen governments of this world.
This is an election year in the United States, meaning that the country will be voting on a new president and congress this November. It is very easy to get caught up in the frenzy of trying to pick the best men and women to lead us. Christians have differing opinions about our duty to vote, and our involvement in politics. Some feel that we have to try to make a difference, and bring our country back to God through our votes and our activism. If God does in fact judge countries, I can see this point. However, the stakes are even higher than that. God judges each of us. No matter what our country chooses to do, we have to answer for our own actions, and our own hearts. We cannot follow laws that are against our Kingdom. We cannot follow leaders who are leading us to destruction. We cannot compromise by picking the best person for the country. We cannot vote based on the economy or health care or political party. And we cannot continue to have "arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but... not help the poor and needy." Our activism has to be to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
How to Get it all Done when you're Sick!
Haha! Maybe you thought I actually had the answer to this. Nope! I've had a terrible cold/flu/respiratory infection/crud/whatever you want to call it for about a week and a half, now. I'll spare you the gory details, but I haven't felt this bad in a really long time. The good news is, I've been able to stay awake all day since Tuesday. Believe me, this is reason to celebrate when I think of what was going on before Tuesday. The thing I noticed was, when you are home all day by yourself with two little kids and can't get off the couch, nothing actually gets done. Hmmm. I mean, nobody starved or anything, although I vaguely remember one meal consisting of pickles, crackers, and raisins on the coffee table with a movie. Poor Hubby ended up having to do three dishwasher loads of dishes on his day off, when it finally came. So, I thought, there has to be a better way.
The Idea: Forced Child Labor! Why didn't I think of this before? I have an almost-nine year old and a three year old here. It occurred to me that if this happens again, they need to be ready to take over.
The Plan: Teach the kids to cook and clean!
Now, I don't want you to think my kids are helpless. Here is a list of their current skills:
Rory: Dress self, put clothes in hamper separated by color, make bed, pick up room, vacuum and sweep, wipe dishes, get breakfast (cereal or toast), bathe self, feed dog, cat, chickens, collect eggs, shovel snow, make sandwiches, get mail from box.
Lily: Dress self, put clothes somewhere, get in bed, play in room, look cute, wipe 2 dishes, eat breakfast, sit in bathtub, feed dog, cat, self, get things out of pantry and refrigerator, get mail from box.
So, I have once again set up a daily schedule (I know, I know, but I try at least!). This time, it includes time for me to actually spend teaching each kid to do housework and cooking. We've been doing it since Tuesday, yes, the day I could actually stay awake, and it's amazing what you can accomplish in 3 days! Lily has learned how to make her bed and clean her room with only verbal directions from me, and Rory has learned how to completely clean off the dinner table and wash the dishes. Lily has helped me make quesadillas and egg drop soup, and Rory made tacos with just a little help (he later claimed that he can make anything, as long as he has a recipe, ingredients, and a mom!) We also managed to keep the living room cleaned up, get our regular school work done, and make and paint a volcano - and I'm still not feeling quite as good as normal. We did skip a couple outings that we usually have during the week, but I think we've done pretty well, all told. I still have to figure in the laundry, though.
Maybe if I don't get sick again for another two years or so, things will go better!
The Idea: Forced Child Labor! Why didn't I think of this before? I have an almost-nine year old and a three year old here. It occurred to me that if this happens again, they need to be ready to take over.
The Plan: Teach the kids to cook and clean!
Now, I don't want you to think my kids are helpless. Here is a list of their current skills:
Rory: Dress self, put clothes in hamper separated by color, make bed, pick up room, vacuum and sweep, wipe dishes, get breakfast (cereal or toast), bathe self, feed dog, cat, chickens, collect eggs, shovel snow, make sandwiches, get mail from box.
Lily: Dress self, put clothes somewhere, get in bed, play in room, look cute, wipe 2 dishes, eat breakfast, sit in bathtub, feed dog, cat, self, get things out of pantry and refrigerator, get mail from box.
So, I have once again set up a daily schedule (I know, I know, but I try at least!). This time, it includes time for me to actually spend teaching each kid to do housework and cooking. We've been doing it since Tuesday, yes, the day I could actually stay awake, and it's amazing what you can accomplish in 3 days! Lily has learned how to make her bed and clean her room with only verbal directions from me, and Rory has learned how to completely clean off the dinner table and wash the dishes. Lily has helped me make quesadillas and egg drop soup, and Rory made tacos with just a little help (he later claimed that he can make anything, as long as he has a recipe, ingredients, and a mom!) We also managed to keep the living room cleaned up, get our regular school work done, and make and paint a volcano - and I'm still not feeling quite as good as normal. We did skip a couple outings that we usually have during the week, but I think we've done pretty well, all told. I still have to figure in the laundry, though.
Maybe if I don't get sick again for another two years or so, things will go better!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Study the Sheep!
Our pastor told a pretty good story in church this morning. It was about two sheepdogs who were supposed to be protecting a flock of sheep from wolves. The first sheepdog had spent a lot of time studying wolves. He knew all about them, and he set himself to watch carefully for wolves that would come to hurt his flock. The second sheepdog had never seen a wolf before. He had no idea what a wolf was, so he spent his time watching the sheep. In a short time, he knew all about them.
One day, a wolf decided to disguise himself with a sheepskin. Now, he didn't look as much like a wolf, so he easily got past the first sheepdog. The second sheepdog, however, started barking, and ran that wolf out of there in no time. After he came back, the first sheepdog asked how he knew there was a wolf, especially because he had never seen one before. The second sheepdog said that he might not know much about wolves, but he knew everything about sheep. He knew how they looked, how they sounded, and how they moved, and when he saw that wolf, he wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it wasn't any sheep.
The point of the story is that we can spend all sorts of time studying the "evils" in the world. We can look for boogeymen behind every bush, but if we really want to keep from following the wrong way, we have to be sure what the right way looks like. So many of the things that are bad in this world are masquerading as something good. If we are only looking through our human eyes, we aren't going to see past the sheepskin to the wolf underneath. It is only when we know what God really looks like that we can see through the disguise. And the only way we can really know what God looks like is to spend time studying Him through His word.
Aha! This simplifies things quite a bit, doesn't it? Instead of trying to identify every danger by its own merits, we can simply see when things don't look like God. We don't even have to know what they are. We just have to know they're not of God, and we can avoid them easily. The tough part may be having the strength and courage to run them off, especially if we find they are something we enjoy. I find it hard sometimes to avoid the wolves, because they are really old friends. Or, they are "friends of the family." What do you do in cases like that? Hmmm. I'm going to have to think about this one.
One day, a wolf decided to disguise himself with a sheepskin. Now, he didn't look as much like a wolf, so he easily got past the first sheepdog. The second sheepdog, however, started barking, and ran that wolf out of there in no time. After he came back, the first sheepdog asked how he knew there was a wolf, especially because he had never seen one before. The second sheepdog said that he might not know much about wolves, but he knew everything about sheep. He knew how they looked, how they sounded, and how they moved, and when he saw that wolf, he wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it wasn't any sheep.
The point of the story is that we can spend all sorts of time studying the "evils" in the world. We can look for boogeymen behind every bush, but if we really want to keep from following the wrong way, we have to be sure what the right way looks like. So many of the things that are bad in this world are masquerading as something good. If we are only looking through our human eyes, we aren't going to see past the sheepskin to the wolf underneath. It is only when we know what God really looks like that we can see through the disguise. And the only way we can really know what God looks like is to spend time studying Him through His word.
Aha! This simplifies things quite a bit, doesn't it? Instead of trying to identify every danger by its own merits, we can simply see when things don't look like God. We don't even have to know what they are. We just have to know they're not of God, and we can avoid them easily. The tough part may be having the strength and courage to run them off, especially if we find they are something we enjoy. I find it hard sometimes to avoid the wolves, because they are really old friends. Or, they are "friends of the family." What do you do in cases like that? Hmmm. I'm going to have to think about this one.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Happy New Year!
Here we are. It's 2012. Yes, I know it has been for five days now, but this is my first post for the year.
This is also my first post since I took a holiday two months ago. It has been a rather busy two months, so I'm glad that I had decided to take a break. The holidays are always busy, of course, and this year we added to the general chaos by including a house remodel.
I'm happy to report that we have two new rooms in our home. The first one, and the most important, is Rory's own bedroom! The poor kid has had to share a room with his baby sister for 3 1/2 years now, and finally has his own space again. He is one happy little boy! We're still trying to organize his multitude of "stuff," but little by little we'll get it done. We're trying to bring things in in a purposeful way, and making sure everything has a place, rather than just stuffing it all in.
The other room is a combination piano room and office. It sports a new desk which actually has room for the printer on top, and a keyboard tray, cabinet for the computer, and hanging file drawer. My plan is to step up my piano teaching schedule, so this will be very helpful.
My favorite change (other than the computer desk) is that we now have a lovely bamboo floor in place of the really disgusting carpet that had been in the living room (the area's former use) since we bought the house.
My second favorite change is that the new living room is accessible from the kitchen. It has been nice to be able to talk to Hubby while I cook dinner or clean up afterward, rather than having to stop what I'm doing and running to the other room to ask him something. It's also a little easier to keep track of the kids. Especially since I can be pretty sure that Rory is in his new room!
Lily is getting used to having her own room now. She was a little upset for the first couple nights, because she missed her big brother. She's starting to enjoy having her own space to do things, though, so I think she'll come around. She's been spending a lot of time bothering Rory in his room, though.
We haven't gotten a lot of school done the last couple of days, but I think that taking this time to get things organized will be worth it in the end. Every time we get a little corner cleaned out, I feel like I can breathe a little better.
So, I'm ready to begin the new year with a new slate. How about you?
This is also my first post since I took a holiday two months ago. It has been a rather busy two months, so I'm glad that I had decided to take a break. The holidays are always busy, of course, and this year we added to the general chaos by including a house remodel.
I'm happy to report that we have two new rooms in our home. The first one, and the most important, is Rory's own bedroom! The poor kid has had to share a room with his baby sister for 3 1/2 years now, and finally has his own space again. He is one happy little boy! We're still trying to organize his multitude of "stuff," but little by little we'll get it done. We're trying to bring things in in a purposeful way, and making sure everything has a place, rather than just stuffing it all in.
The other room is a combination piano room and office. It sports a new desk which actually has room for the printer on top, and a keyboard tray, cabinet for the computer, and hanging file drawer. My plan is to step up my piano teaching schedule, so this will be very helpful.
My favorite change (other than the computer desk) is that we now have a lovely bamboo floor in place of the really disgusting carpet that had been in the living room (the area's former use) since we bought the house.
My second favorite change is that the new living room is accessible from the kitchen. It has been nice to be able to talk to Hubby while I cook dinner or clean up afterward, rather than having to stop what I'm doing and running to the other room to ask him something. It's also a little easier to keep track of the kids. Especially since I can be pretty sure that Rory is in his new room!
Lily is getting used to having her own room now. She was a little upset for the first couple nights, because she missed her big brother. She's starting to enjoy having her own space to do things, though, so I think she'll come around. She's been spending a lot of time bothering Rory in his room, though.
We haven't gotten a lot of school done the last couple of days, but I think that taking this time to get things organized will be worth it in the end. Every time we get a little corner cleaned out, I feel like I can breathe a little better.
So, I'm ready to begin the new year with a new slate. How about you?
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