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 Penny's
SAHM Journal
January 7, 2006
Happy
New Year!
Penny reminisces about the start of
her family's New Year and more!
Happy
New Year! I pray 2006 is off to a great
start for you and your family.
My family's New Year began in Orlando,
Fla., with my brother and his family,
my sister and her family, and cousins.
They had flown up from Bermuda for the
holidays. Then, on New Year's Day, my
mom, grandmother, aunts and uncles joined
us for a day of relaxation, reminiscing,
and laughter. We took a "walk"
down memory lane sharing stories about
when Collin and I met and our first date
and such.:-)
Caleb and his cousins spent the first
day of the year swimming. Imagine that
-- swimming in January! There was a heated
pool at the home where my brother was
staying, so Caleb and his cousins, Zuhri
and Mauriq, took every advantage of it.
They swam and swam and swam. Later, their
cousin, Machai, joined in for some swimming
fun.
A few weeks before the new year arrived,
I celebrated that memorable 40th birthday.
Collin and I had a delightful lunch in
St. Augustine at a vegetarian restaurant
I wanted to try. The food was incredibly
tasty. After we ate, I basked in purchasing
organic toiletries for myself. I love
all-natural products. Not only do I feel
they are good for our bodies, but I feel
at peace when shopping for and using them!
Another great gift I received on my birthday
was "Origins -- African Wisdom for
Every Day" by Danielle and Olivier
Follmi. This thick book of inspiring quotes
that includes wonderful glimpses of the
Motherland was given to my from my dear
friend, Charo. Some sweet-smelling soy
candles and a CD of nature sounds accompanied
the book. Charo knew I had been trying
to find a spiritual retreat to visit for
my 40th birthday. However, since the one
I found and really wanted to attend was
unavailable on my birthday, Charo attempted
to bring a portion of such a retreat to
me. Isn't she sweet? :-)
A few weeks after my birthday, Caleb celebrated
his 10th birthday. It's hard to believe
that I've been a mom for 10 years -- 10
full years of incredible purpose! It was
nice to have my nephews from Bermuda here
with us to celebrate the occasion -- a
party of eight boys at Adventure Landing;
the activities included Go-Carts, Laser
Tag and Arcade Games.
In August 2005, Caleb returned to a wonderful
Christian school after two years of receiving
the gift of homeschooling -- an awesome
adventure we both enjoyed! Homeschooling
was a journey I think he'll keep tucked
in his heart for years to come. He now
has an amazing teacher at school whom
I work closely with in my role as Room
Mom. Caleb is doing well academically,
athletically and artistically (piano)!
He participated in his first piano recital
in December and did a stellar job. As
he played, "Little Brave Indian,"
the grandmother of one of his classmates
leaned over and whispered to me, "Tell
Caleb that is the same song that Regis
(from "Live with Regis and Kelly")
played at his first recital." :-)
In November, I began teaching online classes
-- from home -- for Axia College of Western
International University (partners with
the University of Phoenix). Apart from
the pressure I sometimes feel with the
grading deadlines, I am enjoying the job.
I am teaching two classes of COM 210 (Written
Communication) and my students are wonderful
and motivated -- always complimenting
me in my facilitation role and informing
me how much my words encourage them and
make them want to do their best in this
class. Naturally, that warms my heart
and reminds me that I'm touching lives.
I'll conclude this journal entry with
some words I shared with my students at
the start of the New Year -- words from
"Finding God: Spiritual Strategies
to Help YOU Find Happiness, Fulfillment
and Inner Peace."
Here goes:
"I encourage you to look into the
mirror and see your true self, your real
beauty:
~
You are an important person, a rare individual,
a unique creature.
~ There has never been anyone just like
you and probably never will be.
~ You have talents and abilities no one
else has.
~ In some ways, you are superior to any
other living person.
~ The power to do anything you can imagine
is within you when you discover your real
self."
(from
Will Powers' musical album "Dancing
for Mental Health")
Peace and Blessings and Happy New Year!
In God's Love,
Momtoaboy@aol.com
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