Brooklyn's Anger Management Plan

Every now and again Brooklyn gets a little ticked. I can't say I blame her. I mean who doesn't get mad when Ken won't fit in Barbie's car because his legs won't bend?! Whatever the antagonist, over the years I have tried to teach Brooklyn to manage her anger in a way that is not explosive or toxic to others. When she was two, I taught her to blow air out of her mouth and wiggle her fingers. That made all of us smile or laugh a time or two. And now that she is 5, she thinks that she's just too big for that method of anger management. I agree.....although it would still bring a laugh if she would do it. She's not a fan of anyone laughing at her these days though, and I'm sure it would invoke more anger. So, we've been working on taking taking a time out away from the problem whether it be an activity or people that she may be playing with. Until today, I've had to instruct her to do so. She had a friend over and they were playing in Brooklyn's room until Brooklyn got angry with the friend. Brooklyn told her that she needed time by herself and she left the room and went to sit on my bed. I did not intervene. I wanted to see exactly how this would play out. The friend did not understand and came to me crying. I explained the situation and told her Brooklyn was just trying to find a way to put her happy pants back on. The friend understood and went to play in Brooklyn's room in the meantime. After Brooklyn was feeling a little better, she came to me and asked me to draw a flower on a piece of paper. She then instructed me to write, "I'm sorry" on it. I did and she took the flower to her bedroom door, quietly knocked and waited for her friend to answer. When her friend opened the door, Brooklyn gave her the "I'm Sorry," flower and apologized! I love my girl! It was so good to see her practicing this new skill. It makes a mama proud!

God's Hand In Your Life

This morning I read an email devotional that is delivered to my inbox daily. It talked about how, "it is a delightful and profitable occupation to mark the hand of God in the lives of ancient saints and to observe His goodness in delivering them, His mercy in pardoning them, and His faithfulness in keeping His covenant with them." And then it asks if it would not be more interesting and profitable to look at our own lives to see God's hand at work. So I began to ponder.
Looking back, I can say there are many many times God's hand has been noticeably at work in my life and I'm sure there are countless times that I didn't even realize He was there. One particular thing came to mind this morning though. And at the time, I would not have told you that I thought God had anything to do with it.
I was 15, and my mom kicked me out of our house. That resulted in me moving to Saint James to live with my dad. Most of you already know that I was moving there from Union where I had only lived for one year. Before that I had lived in Cuba. But I was in love with Union. The school had so many amazing opportunities that Cuba did not. The Choir and Band went on trips and the teachers showed, with incredible enthusiasm, their belief in their students. I couldn't have been happier. I had made new friends that were also amazing and unlike some of my friends from Cuba, had no desire to drink or get high. Some might think moving to a new school would present a lot of pressure, but I found it a relief. I was able to reinvent myself for the better and excel in areas that had once been stagnant due to lack of opportunity. I was IN LOVE with Union. Still to this day, when I think about having to leave the new found friends and school, my heart actually hurts. However, I think this is one of the moments in my life that God's hand was at work. After I got to Saint James and made a few phone calls to the school, I found out that summer band camp would be starting the next week. What timing!? John and Molly said they had been praying for a trumpet player....I'm not sure if God was answering their prayer or saving me, but somehow he worked it out for all of us. And to top it off this band was going to the Bahamas for their band trip!!! lol So again, God was presenting opportunities that I would not have had in Cuba and again giving me amazing teachers that inspired me to grow personally, musically, and spiritually. The biggest blessing that he had in store for me in Saint James though is one that has lasted a lot longer than the few years that I had left in high school. It was and is the amazing friendships that I formed. I think it is so amazing that God gave me so many wonderful christian friends to be surrounded by. I can't even tell you the magnitude of this blessing. And still to this day, I know that I can go to these people for guidance and prayer. I love you all. God only knows what would have become of me if I'd stayed in Cuba, and honestly, I may have grown musically in Union, but I don't think I would have grown in my faith. God's hand delivered me and gave me you. Where have you seen God's hand in your life?