What in the Earth? Actually, in the oceans. It is the scientific name for the Sawtooth Penshell.
Becky discovered two of these perfect shells, each about 6 inches long, on the high tide line at our favorite St Johns County beach. On the ride home, Becky researched them and we learned all about their life, their predators, how they likely died (based on their skeletons aka shells), and how they are cooked.
Yes, these particular bivalves are a seafood with a taste and consistency “quite like a scallop” according to the articles Becky found.
We have a rule of never taking living shells for our collection (this particular beach time would have been a great harvest of beautiful specimens if not for that rule!) but Becky said that now when she is ever stranded on a desert island (been watching too much Gilligan’s Island, I guess), she will know one good item to eat.
Perfect specimens have full shells and these both are broken on the fan edges. The bumps are actually raised sharp points like spikes. Their texture is almost leathery for a shell, and when they are in the sun, they shine with an oil-like sheen.
Beautiful.
A lovely addition to our seashell bowl (we may need a bigger bowl)!
Hope you enjoyed this educational tidbit (and maybe you can find some Atrina Serrata skeletons yourself on the lovely Florida beaches)!
Our gym has an after-school program where our comfy vans pick up from several area schools and bring little athletes back to gym. They do gymnastics, crafts, eat snacks, and do homework. Thea and her other gym baby friend sometimes hang out there. Thea loves it and thinks she’s a big kid! Just like at home, she tries to do school with them!
Especially when someone wants to play teacher! Ellie loves to play teacher and Thea loves to “learn” and she likes the chalkboard.
At home, Thea knows not to eat coloring tools like pencils, crayons, markers, and even paints! At Aunt Becca’s she got introduced to big sidewalk chalk and tasted it. Sister-cousin Anastasia laughed and said, “eww, gross Baby Thea, you color with it like me!”
Once Thea saw that, it was like “aha! this is an outside coloring tool!”
Sitting with Becky one day, she pulls up a pencil and paper and says “yeah!” and starts babbling in her own way, giving us serious glances as she explains what her work is. Jillian said, “Thea thinks she’s doing school!”
Thea and Becky are quite alike. Becky understood before her first year that coloring tools were not to be eaten too. Baby Becky never ate Legos (except for the black squishy tires, she called them gum and we had to remove them temporarily – I think she still secretly stashes them somewhere and chews them). Baby Becky was my earliest potty trainer (at 14 months telling us when she had to go & by 18 months in regular underwear – I have no clue how!) and Thea is already potty training herself. She got super excited when I bought a baby potty for her tiny self – and knows exactly what it’s for (showed us by pulling at her diaper so we took it off & she used the potty, I teased Becky that she may lose the designation of youngest potty trained).
I love watching my little love get more independent. Each one of them unique and special. Each has different strengths and weaknesses. Each helps the other in various tasks to make us a cohesive team – we build on each others’ strengths.
This is how we all should be. Learning, assisting, encouraging; each doing what we do best and helping when and where we can. It isn’t just for siblings or families. This understanding of the learning and growing and maturing process is an important life skill.
And Thea is playing in the grass without eating it – amazing! She is totally a little Becky… until Uncle Buddy came along and taught 2-year-old Becky she could eat dollar weed (and then she wouldn’t quit eating them!).
A birth story of our little angel (and a slideshow of proud siblings & family!)
February 22, 2019
The Story of Baby Thea
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I was growing my seventh little angel.
Today, I get to write the story of her arrival!
On February 19th, a beautiful Tuesday morning, my day started normally. During my 32 minute drive to work, the Baby started thinking there was not enough room and my body did the stretching contractions (Braxton-Hicks) that is very normal for me in the last month or two before birth. I didn’t think much of it, really. After my boss left for appointments, one of my office companions, Lily, a beautiful brown and white pittie belonging to my boss, started laying at my feet and wouldn’t let me go anywhere without her! This was a bit of a warning to me because Sheba (my Aussie mix) always does this to me when I’m in active labor. I left at one (normal time) to get to Christina and then my midwife appointment.
Christina had been babysitting, finished some errands at the college so she would be ready for the summer semester, caught the bus to 207 (the road I take into town), and was waiting for me. Along the way, my midwife texted to reschedule the appointment to Thursday and I laughed during my voice-text because I was very tired and that worked great for me. I added, “or when Baby is ready,” as a joke because my babies have all come on or after the due date. Everyone had been rooting for a February birth since the official “due date” was February 24th, and except for Lucas, my wee ones were between 9 and 13 days “overdue” so I usually ignored the due date and just gave a general month (in this case, I’d been saying March).
I got Christina, teased her about driving (she’s recently received her learner’s permit), and we headed home. Sheba was acting odd, I was starving; Louis had made lasagna Monday so I ate a huge plate and took a short nap.
When I got to gym with Becky (her class is on Tuesday, the others are all Wednesday), the contractions were still there, but, like I said, that is normal for me. It had been happening off and on already for about a week and a half, so I just went about work because they were easy to ignore. Some friends and I chatted about babies as I was leaving, and someone said, “you know about your body by now, right?” I laughed, “each is different, but I’m still thinking March.”
Wow, was I wrong.
As Becky texted Christina and Louis to tell them we were off & headed to pick up Christina at CAP, Becky said, “Mom, I can’t drive us home, but if the baby keeps contracting like that, maybe Christina can.”
We laughed. Part of the driving restrictions on a learner’s permit forbid night driving for the first few months; but we always teased Christina that she’d have to drive home in the dark if I was in labor.
Home, I was starved, but my belly felt full after four strawberries. I took a shower and crashed. I kept waking up every couple hours, but I’m a light sleeper so that’s also normal. Each time, though, I noticed contractions. I’d check my phone just to see what time it was. Midnight. 1:40. 2:30. 3:50. At almost 4, I realized I was sweating and I decided to wait for fifteen minutes (so the water softener cycle was finished) and take a shower. The next glance at my watch showed 4:19. I took a shower and the first contraction after the water hit was very strong. I felt movement inside me. “Wow, you sure you’re ready?” I asked. I was sure that was just a fluke and usually the warm water calms contractions down. When the next two made my legs feel like jelly, I got out of the shower and crawled back into bed. The phone said 4:35. I wasn’t about to wake anyone or call Misti for three oddly strong contractions.
I tried to sleep. I had about two hours before I had to get ready for work.
At somewhere before 6am, I tried getting ready for work. I had to stop and breathe through contractions that were easy to time and I felt the baby moving slowly down inside of me. I was about to wake Louis but ended up stretching through a contraction. We have a mind link, I think. Louis woke up as I was stretching. He goes into mega cleaning and question mode. This is his serious mode. He has been through it enough to know we were going to have a baby this morning – or at least today. He told me to call Misti, he woke the kids up to help clean (normally, we clean before bed, but they had been in a non-cleaning mood the previous night), and directed the house with efficiency. I was restless, so kept walking around in between. Christina and Becky didn’t want to get out of bed. I went into the barracks to find out why not.
“Mom! You can’t have the baby in here!” Christina shrieked, covering her head.
“So, get up please and help Daddy with cleaning. Y’all should have done that last night. Once you finish, you can go back to bed, but he’s really stressing about the house and people coming so please help.”
No answer. I could feel another contraction creeping up. “Okay, you have about 20 seconds before I get another contraction and…”
Christina bolted, “MOM! I’m up! I’ll help Dad! GET CONTRACTIONS OUT OF MY ROOM!”
Becky was up too. Kimberly was definitely awake. Mission accomplished. I went back to the kitchen table. My “leave” alarm reminded me to text or call my boss. 6am though, I figured I should just text – plus I didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment.
Misti showed up (can’t remember if the house was clean, but based on the voices and giggling and a movie being on, I’d guess it was straightened). Mom was on the way, she told us she had to be at one of my brother’s promotions at 8am. The girls had turned on “The Two Towers” and as Louis walked by during the Uruk-hai production scene and he ordered, “Turn that off, you can see a real birth soon enough.” I can’t remember if the result was “Wild Kratts” or “Dumbo” but there was something far less messy on the tv a minute later. (I did hear one of the teenagers or preteens quip, “Mom will sound like an orc.” Louis and I laughed. We’re nerds.)
By 8:30, I was immune to the world. I heard Misti’s voice, smelled Louis (I was leaning on him), and faintly heard background voices. I was focused on this job.
8:42am and our little one came into the world, veiled. Misti took the bag off and the Baby screamed to test the limit of her lungs! (We didn’t know Baby was a “she” just yet!) Baby opened her eyes fully and stared up at me. Then she screamed to rattle the roof again. The dogs were barking. We discovered our Baby was Thea!
Welcome to our crazy world, Theadora Taliesyn Tart. You are loved and cherished!
Theadora (after her great-grandfather Melvin Theodore Pearson) means “gifted by God” and Taliesyn (feminine form of your grandfather’s favorite character from a Celtic legend) means, “one with the shining brow, one who sings wisdom.” And Daddy chose the nickname “Thea” because he likes it. (Your uncle texted that he’d call you “3T” – yes, Daddy searched for two “T” names we both liked!) I kept both names the same length, since that’s what we’ve done – all of the children’s names have the same number of letters in the first name and middle name. Theadora 8 letters, Taliesyn 8 letters – told you we are nerds.
Mom (Grandma Joanne in the pictures) came back with a shower of baby girl goodies! (And, yes, this is why she’s in such cute clothes once we managed to get them on her!)
Theadora, I pray you always feel the love of your family as you wiggle your way up to adulthood. I pray you feel the warmth and see the light of God’s love reflected in the faces of your sisters and brother, mother and father, aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins. We have accepted the honor of being your guides to lead you to Jesus, to raise you in love, and to give you room to find, develop, and follow the passion of life God has rooted within you. You are a daughter of God, a precious gift to us, and chosen to bring light through your smile.
Becky said I can’t post a baby story without her pictures! So here is a little slideshow:
Lucas kept trying to “pet” and “kiss” Baby Thea
Christina & Thea (oldest & youngest)
Lucas said “you are my love, Baby Thea!”
Grandma Joanne & Thea
Christina and Becky are already vying for who gets the baby
Some of my odd deep thoughts on animals, their importance in children’s lives, and the responsibility and love they teach.
February 16, 2019
Little Cuties
Becky is in love (again)! Every time there’s a new baby animal around our little farm, Becky falls in love with it.
This time, it’s our little Guinea Piglets. This one, named “Grizzly,” is a female who we get to keep (she gets to stay on our little farm)!
So Becky has been making cute little pictures, drawings, and plans for this cute little piglet. She is a mottled brown color all over with a sweet disposition. (I’m waiting for a video haha!)
All of our piglets and baby animals end up with sweet, loving, friendly dispositions because they are raised by loving caretakers! The girls make this a solid priority! No one can mistreat any of the animals in their care, not even by accident. Lucas wants to play with the babies as soon as they are born, but because he doesn’t know his own strength, he has to wait until they are old enough to not get squished! (Or has Christina, Mom, or Dad with him.)
Their little piglets are never nippers. They love to cuddle instead of bite. What usually causes piglets to be biters is that they have been scared as babies. If they think fingers are poking tools, they will bite them. If they know fingers as gentle places to snuggle and get petted, they snuggle instead. The girls make sure to teach their piglets that fingers are gentle!
Just like in our lives, our experiences shape who we are! Often, if we feel scared or hurt, we draw ourselves into isolation and distrust others. If we feel love and affection, we feel safe enough to be ourselves and trust others.
Where a snuggly, loving animal is, there is a loving caretaker.
In life, we are expected to shower those we are responsible for with affection and keep them safe. The same as when we are caretaking animals.
I think raising animals is a vital part of growing up; it teaches children responsibility. It also teaches them a basic understanding of how their influence on others reflects back. Goodness returns goodness. Gentleness breeds gentleness. Love reflects love. God gave us the animals to tend and love – just as some of us will eventually lead and influence people (parents, teachers, leaders, co-workers, etc.). Early life lessons from these cute, furry little creatures who are so dependent on their caretakers help to mold a caring tender heart from whom compassion grows.
(Okay, maybe that’s a little too deep of a thought from watching children tend animals, but it’s what I see.)
New Year, New Work Routine! I’m feeling so blessed!
January 20, 2019
New Routine
After so many years of not being officially employed, in my job search I often felt like the only way I would ever get a job was purely if God made it happen. (I know, running one’s own business is employment, but even the government doesn’t see it as that! Because we rolled almost all our income back into the business trying to build it, the government was like, “no W2, you had no job” oops.) No one was looking at my strange resume (last 5 jobs… including my “co-owner of…” went back to my second teenage job – Disney!) and thinking, “cool, let’s hire this person.”
At least, that’s what it felt like for 2 years – well, a little more than two years, but let’s not get technical.
Then I answered an ad to what I assumed could be an office position at a gym. Big surprise – and dream job! I’ve been there since late October 2018 and have become the Preschool Director – I love coaching! I’ve been working with the preschool teacher and coaches to help reorganize the educational aspect of the Preschool Program. (Lucas loves “going to school” when he gets to tag along – three hours three times a week of preschool learning plus gymnastics coaching plus lots of fun! Coach Bailee is so awesome at that!)
I felt a nudge to answer another part time ad. Now I’m the Operations Manager at Dog Face Electrical Contractors… a awesome business with a positive future. I’ve only been working there for going on two weeks, but – my word – do I love discovering and learning! I’ve been testing my skill at learning to read electrical building plans, understanding the electrician’s jargon, and forming expandable options for efficiency as this business grows. I’m so excited to be a part of it!
I’m just one of these people who say “my gym” and “my office” and I want to see the businesses I am a part of grow and flourish. I want to be an integral part of their team. I want to never have to leave the places I’ve chosen to work.
Strange in this day and age, maybe, but that’s how I feel.
I know God has put me in these positions at this time. I want to shine my light wherever I can! Positive attitude is everything. I’m feeling a little tired (driving is 30 minutes to either job one-way) but I use the time to talk to God and worship, but am totally blessed and in awe of how perfectly God lined these amazing jobs up for me in the perfect timing!
Teaching the girls to research to make educated food choices at the grocery store.
January 14, 2019
The Off-Brands
What is in a brand?
Kimberly and Jaquline were discussing how they liked a certain Aldi off-brand snack better than the name brand one. Christina commented that she didn’t remember how much better she liked said off-brand snack over the original until she’d tasted the original again that day.
Honestly, I love the new Aldi store because most of their off-brand stuff is healthier than the name brand it is replacing; one of their colored cereals actually is colored with natural pigments, has less sugar, and contains more vitamins and minerals per ounce than the name brand we could buy elsewhere.
Because of the arrival of this Aldi store, our healthy options seriously improved without demanding more on our budget. In most cases, we were leaving with more groceries, healthier choices, and a smaller food bill. A full cart with more than half of it filled with bargain fruits and vegetables? Oh yes.
We studied some about brands. In some cases, the girls discovered that only the outside label is changed! This was surprising. For several items they researched, the only change between certain off-brands and their competitive name-brand item was seriously a label.
Jaquline heard an ad on the radio station and said, “there’s another name-brand making us think they are better than the store kind because they pay for advertising.”
She’s nine.
They are convinced there is nothing as good as Oreos brand cookies, but then I think there is nothing as good as Christina’s chocolate chip cookies and Louis’ oatmeal cake cookies.
Who else is excited for 2019? Who else looks at the new year like a child on Christmas morning looks at presents around the tree?
December 31, 2018
Fresh New Year
“It’s still 2018, right?” asks Kimberly, working on her History.
“Yes, it’s the last day of 2018,” I respond. Christina pipes in with, “and our Aunt’s birthday!” (One of their aunts is born on December 31!)
This makes me think: (uh-oh, I just heard two kids say “Mom’s writing another blog in her head.”) Yes, my children know me!
Tomorrow starts a fresh new year. We are given a new beginning each day as the dawn warms our skies and the sun rises to dry the dew.
In the service industry, all days blend together and all the New Year has meant for me in the past 8 years was a barrage of people calling to order reservations at 1am on New Year’s Day from the Bayfront downtown or 11pm from the Saint Augustine Beach peir (two locations at the times we can never promise) so then it turns into irritated people who don’t understand the simple line, “I can’t guarantee that time at that location, you can try to call us at the time to see where our cabs are.”
I’m so glad today does not involve dispatching! I’m only answering questions from the school table – awesome!
In 2018:
I started working at WGV Gymnastics as a coach (LOVE this job).
We closed our taxi company in December. It feels awesome to be able to shut off my phone and not worry about missing a reservation call!
I’ve rejoiced with the addition of my best friend’s 10th baby!
I’ve rejoiced with my sister who is due about the same time I am! (They will be close cousins!)
I’ve mourned and rejoiced with my family after my Daddy passed.
I celebrated the first Christmas ever without him – that was his favorite holiday.
Christina achieved CAP rank of C/CMSgt, become Red Cross certified, started officially babysitting, started working as needed at what she calls “my somewhat part time job,” and completed her third college semester.
Becky completed her second college semester, bred and raised a few dozen chicks up to “independence” for clients, raised her batches of “babies” (aka Guinea Piglets), joined gymnastics classes (finally finding something to encourage her fitness!), and has taught most of her siblings the Latin terms for every body part since she’s been dissecting animals in her biology labs!
Kimberly joined gymnastics classes with her gung-ho attitude and is expecting great things from herself, was gifted a bunny (she’s been saving to adopt one for almost a year but her awesome big sisters beat her to it) and Minuit has never left her side.
Jaquline discovered the amazing world of Geometry and everything is now interpreted in shapes or gymnastics skills!
Jillian started losing teeth, is studying sketching (she’s getting rather good actually!) and digital art along with Becky, and getting herself lost in the world of reading!
Lucas started trying to write his name!
We are all expecting amazing things to come in 2019. God has paths lined up for us that we may not even be able to see yet – if you’d told me at the start of 2018 that I’d be teaching gymnastics for an awesome Christian boss, be pregnant again, and have no taxi company, I would have laughed.
But (positive!) God knows the desires of our hearts! He knows I love children, love teaching, and that gymnastics has always been a dream. (Dream job come true? YES!) He knows Lucas loves babies and is super excited about getting to “take MY BABY home from church.” (All the other babies he’s been around are those of church family, so he can’t take them home.) He knows that rebuilding hybrid batteries is something else I love – tinkering with electronics as Daddy taught me & a niche few offer around here so maybe that will be our main income soon!
I’m about to polish and release a few more children’s books (maybe an entire new series working around my budding illustrators’ work!) and my goal for this year is 12 releases.
Who else is excited for 2019? Who else looks at the new year like a child on Christmas morning looks at presents around the tree? I see each day as a gift from God to be opened at each dawn. I see gifts we can’t even dream of yet sitting there, waiting God’s perfect timing for us to unwrap and enjoy. I’m praying that certain things are there – which day holds the gift of my child’s birth? Does a gift in that pile include a property or home of our own? Is there a gift of being able to read my books before a class, teach a grammar workshop, or tutor another child? Only God knows what each gift holds. My Daddy loved seeing the smiles and squeals of excitement on Christmas morning as his children opened presents – I love this part of Christmas morning as a parent too. I can only imagine God smiling as we open each gift and yelp with excitement!
Enjoy your daily gifts in 2019! Happy, blessed New Year!
My pregnancy brain thoughts about Mary in her culture and her time – and how it relates to us in our time.
December 24, 2018
Pondering in My Heart
It’s Christmas Eve.
Usually, at this time, my mind overflows with thoughts about Mary, Jesus’ mother. I think about her boldness when she says “let it be to me as you have said.” I think about how the Bible always adds this little line after something she hears or watches; “and Mary pondered this in her heart.”
I especially feel empathy over the Christmases when I’ve been pregnant. (2009 and 2011 when my babies came a few days into the new year were very busy with my pondering… so much that I wrote a children’s story about Jesus’ birth one of those years!) This year, my little blessing is due to show up in about eight or ten weeks.
I like to study the culture of the person I’m trying to study: the historical significance of their world, the turmoil they faced, the cultural norms that differ from what we have today. These little details help me to step into their shoes and wiggle my toes around. I like to imagine what it would have been like to be Mary, likely between 12 and 14 years old, among her Jewish community controlled by an Empirical Roman government when highways were roamed by soldiers and bandits, family and community were everything (so doing something against the community would have been horrid), and the talk of sedition (rebellion) was strong and swiftly crushed. I wonder about her life: her childhood, her struggles as a parent, wife, and community member. I remember that when she said “let it be unto me…” she was just a normal girl allowing God to use her.
She was like any one of us.
She had to humble herself before God and she doubted; as she even said, “but how can this be…” questioning the miracle before agreeing to be part of it.
She must have been a logical thinker like me. “…pondered this in her heart…” That is what I do all the time. Whether or not I speak, write, or pray about it, I think about everything that God surprises me with in life. I want to put the puzzle together, but realize that God knows far more than me so I relax and resign myself to just “pondering” (thinking) and praying about what I don’t understand.
I love how the Bible uses real, authentic people. People just like you and me are scattered in every story. Every one of them has doubts, challenges, questions, obstacles, and life choices just like us. Every one of them must make their own decisions, just like us.
We like to think of them in their glory – after they’ve moved to where they are in victory. We remember David killing Goliath, Samson destroying the false temple, Mary as Jesus’ mother at or after his birth, Peter evangelizing, Paul traveling all over the known world, etc. But each of them started as a normal person who had to make his or her own active choice to give of themselves and allow God to take the lead.
During Christmastime when I’m constantly rereading the story of Jesus’ birth to my children, I’m reminded that I have to humble myself and allow God to continually take control in my life so I can be and do what God has planned for me. I encourage you to give God control over every aspect of your life – He designed you, He knows you best! He knows the desires of your heart and sometimes you may not even know them yourself!
Finding Teaching Textbooks, a new style for a different learner
August 2, 2018
Teaching Textbooks
I’ve used Pearson, A Beka Book, Nelson, and pretty much any textbook I can find. Most of the textbooks seem to be aimed at a traditional learner. One who can read and remember. This worked well for Christina and Rebeccah. With a little teaching and a few explanations as needed, they understood.
Kimberly has been a different type of learner. She is more tactile; she has to hear, see, watch, and do.
Another parent who has several learners like Kimberly, suggested I try Teaching Textbooks. I found a used copy of Geometry because I was about to help tutor another student who was using it and I like to understand the curriculum so I can help in a style they are used to.
Oh my goodness!
Kimberly was beginning to struggle with math in A Beka’s Basic Mathematics. She’d tried “Life of Fred” but that was only more confusing to her.
When the box arrived with Geometry everyone was excited… until Christina and Rebeccah saw it was textbooks and were like “MOM!” and went back to the Game of Life. I went through the first two lessons to see how this textbook worked. Kimberly got really excited, “Mom! I get what he’s saying!” and asked if she could do that as math instead of Basic Mathematics.
Kimberly loved it and seriously started to understand the concepts presented. I was so excited that I researched Teaching Textbooks further, hounded EBay until I found used complete sets of Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, and Algebra II. Kimberly was super excited when Pre-Algebra arrived and is now doing both Geometry and Pre-Algebra. Jaquline watched (her learning style is somewhat tactile, and her abstract thoughts lead her to overthink lessons she reads) and is now doing Pre-Algebra with Teaching Textbooks too. The material is presented so thoroughly and with clear explanations that anyone with a good understanding of basic math operations can understand and retain the subject matter well.
I will certainly be checking out any used Teaching Textbooks course I find. Check out their site at www.teachingtextbook.com for more information! (I buy everything used, mostly from homeschool book sales or from friends, 2nd place is EBay when hunting something specific, and lastly, I order from A Beka Book, or Apologia when needing a specific title quickly and can’t find it used.)
From plants to chicks to rising bread: we all grow at a different rate!
June 18, 2018
Watching Growth
Have you ever watched bread dough rise? It takes FOREVER!
Have you ever planted a seed or set out a new plant in your garden? You sometimes don’t see the slow growth – sometimes you don’t notice until, “Oh, wow, there’s a red tomato on that bush!” The plant was watered, de-bugged, and looked after for about 100 days but never really watched.
I planted my elephant ears in spring… now they are taller than me!
Our baby chicks were cute little fluffs of fur, totally dependent on us to keep them safe, feed, and water them. Now, they are nine weeks old. Fully feathered, they look like miniature adults. They don’t need us to pamper them and hide them from the rain or help regulate their body temperature; just some food, water, and a cat-proof shelter is fine.
My oldest daughter is almost considered by the state to be old enough to command a 1-ton vehicle! I still see her as the tiny bundled angel in the picture on my wall. Of course, I literally see that she’s grown. Sometimes she doesn’t see it.
Sometimes I don’t see my own growth.
God is always working on us. Since none of us are dead, we are still improving. Sometimes we get frustrated at ourselves because we don’t see any growth. Maybe instead of imagining ourselves as rising bread, we should think of ourselves as growing plants. Maybe not elephant ears – okay, sometimes we do grow quickly. But with some things we are like the White Cedar (growing about 6 inches per year) or the Saguaro cactus (gets only one to two inches tall in the first 10 years!)
Sometimes slow growth is hard to see.
A wise man plants trees under whose shade he will never sit.
Wow, that thought says to me that those who choose to invest in long-term growth are wise. So rather than expect instant results when I’m allowing God to work on my life, I understand that sometimes tiny steps in the right direction eventually lead to the finished product. I will choose not to be frustrated with myself for not being a fast enough learner; I will choose to rest in His care and allow time for growth.
