Thyme to Worship: Ephesians 2:10

Encouragement for Monday: It's About Thyme!

Seven years ago a little seed was planted in my heart and I have had that seed covered for many years while I felt like God was telling me to wait.  I am so embarrassed to admit that I have held on to this dream for seven years, but I guess between single parenting, working to provide for my family to get us back on our feet, homeschooling, losing both of my parents within 20 months of each other, my husband of 17 years abandoning us, and being without a home of our own for 14 months, I guess I should not be so hard on myself.  Well, it is time for me to put words on the screen and press publish.

Last month, I had the pleasure of hearing Liz Curtis Higgs speak at a conference.  She said that “the words are in you, they just need to get out.” Oh, how true, the words have been in me, but life fear got in the way of allowing them to come out.  Truth be told, it has been fear that has been holding me back.  What fear?  I’m not quite sure even at this point what the fear is really all about, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown, fear of responsibility, or fear of moving forward.  All I know is that fear has to stop running my life and I need to move forward.

Do you ever choose a word of the year or a verse of the year?  I do.  I have done it for a number of years now, but I usually do it around my birthday as that is my “new year”.  This last year my word of the year has been Kadima, it is a Hebrew word for moving forward.  Moving forward would have been my word of the year, but technically that would have been 2 words of the year, so I chose Kadima.  

The thing about choosing a word of the year is you become very aware of it  and seems to get brought up in every aspect of your life.  I am working very hard right now to move forward by getting rid of a lot of “things” that are from my past, mainly books!!  Oh, it is so hard for me to do, but I realize that storing books in a box and not enjoying them any more doesn’t do me any good.  They need new homes and new eyes, new hands to hold them and new hearts to receive those words.  But it is so hard for me to do!  Many of them were from my mom and dad, with their handwriting, their notes, and the date that it was given to me.  I miss them so much and anything I have of theirs with their handwriting on it, I feel like I am giving away one of the last pieces of them.  I know that might sound strange to some, but if you have ever experienced the death of a loved one, it is strange how we grieve.

So, I have made my decision, I am moving forward.

I need to write.  I need to get my words out.  I need to share them with you.  I hope and pray that during the upcoming days, weeks, months, and Lord willing, years, that you will be uplifted and encouraged as you read the words that God has planted in my heart and soul, just for you to hear (read) at the right thyme:)!

If you find yourself in a time of waiting, I know what that is like, it is not fun.  My waiting period wasn’t actually waiting around, I was so swamped with my home and work life, I never had a moment's rest, I still don’t, but it is getting better as my children are growing up as well.  A waiting time feels like the whole world is happening while you are going nowhere, or so it feels like you are going nowhere.  But just like the tulip bulbs that get planted in the fall, they rest and wait for the warmth of spring to get them to come out and display their simple beauty.  They needed to go through that dormant time or what appears to be dormant.  But if you were to try and plant that same bulb in the spring, nothing would happen, well at least up here in Minnesota.  Tulip bulbs actually need to be chilled, so when they are in the ground during the winter, it doesn’t seem like they are doing anything, but they do need to go through that chilling process to grow into a flower.

Oh, friend, none of us want to wait or to be “chilled”, but just know that God has not forgotten about you.  He knows that you needed this time so that when your spring comes, you will blossom into the beautiful you He created you to be.

Living a Full Life!

Linda

Thyme to Worship: Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2b

Sensory Saturday: Sensory Bin with Kinetic Beach Sand

A few years ago, I splurged on some kinetic sand and a container for my youngest two boys, Anthony and Isaac.  Anthony has special needs and definitely enjoys sensory bins.  I was floored!  He played with it for over an hour the very first time.  For someone who is highly distractible and has a lot of energy, this was worth every single penny spent!

This past fall, I made a very quick decision on a run through the Target toy department and purchased a bag of Kinetic Beach Sand.  I was a little upset with myself as I usually don’t make those types of decisions, but when we got home and they started to play with it, ahh, it was worth every single penny again!  

Over time, the original Kinetic Sand, fell to the floor a lot and we kept losing more and more each time.  It was hard to keep it all together and then there was nothing left.  I purchased another bag, only this time it was a colored kinetic sand and was really disappointed with that one.  I tried another version of “kinetic sand” and that was really bad.  We didn’t even keep it for more than a few weeks.  And of course, it all started out with the DIY Kinetic Sand, which worked, but definitely messy!

I purchased a plastic container right away (Sterilite Large Clip Clear Box) so that my boys would understand that it was meant to be kept in there and played in there.  Well, it didn’t always work to play it in the box, but it has stayed well in the box.  It has grown to house Anthony’s construction trucks as well.  These were a gift for him at Christmas and fit perfectly in the box.  I have included measuring cups and spoons as well and also a spatula, but he plays so rough with his toys, that the spatula broke!  He used it to flip “pancakes” and “sandburgers”.  

This box gets used 3-5 times per week.  It is something he uses when we work on our therapy as well.  He gets to divide up the sand between the three of us.  He usually lets us know what we should be making.  Many times it is pizza, he gives the assignments of who makes the crust, the sauce, and the toppings.  He “bakes” it and shares it all with us.  We have also made s’mores, hamburgers, and cookies.  It helped with fine motor skills, sharing, social skills, and even math (fractions!).

We just replaced our Kinetic Beach Sand a few weeks ago.  Our first batch lasted about 6 months and we still have it.  The sand seemed to be just a little damp, so I put it away for a while and will try to “dry” it out.  

What I love about this sand is that it doesn’t stick to anything.  Anthony has put it on his bed and the rug, without permission, and thankfully it comes right up.  The other sand we have had falls apart much easier and I would sweep up blobs of it after his playtime.  But the beach sand is very different and we have had no issues with it.

Does your child play with kinetic sand?  What sorts of things do they do with it?  I would love more ideas!

Living a Full Life,

Linda