Deep Thoughts

Living a good life might be easy as it looks but harder than you thought. -JT

Wow. Profound? Confusing? What is a good life? I kind of like this quote...it makes me think. Or maybe it's over my head! ; )

Thanks Giving

You have shown me favor unending,
You have given your life for me.
And my heart knows of your goodness:
Your blood has covered me...

There is so much to be thankful for, but I forget it all so often in the mad rush to keep up with my life. What a mistake I make when I forget to be thankful! When I think it's all about me. It's not, and it's not! How can I learn that there is WAAAAY more to life than what I do every day?

I could create a long list of just a few of the many things I am thankful for: Pete; Qerrat'; a warm home; a friendly community; wonderful students; a good-paying job that I love; a chance to really know Jesus every day; a great staff to work with; kind, loving, generous parents (and grandparents for Claire); the technology (tengsungs!) to travel and visit our families; a healthy body; many, many supportive and loving friends; a God who never gives up on me, but likes me and loves me right now, for whom I am, even though I'm far from perfect...

Of course, that is just a start.

I think that making a list can be good, but it's also good when I just remember. When I REALLY remember, I mean, in my heart. And when my heart remembers and is full of thanks. It helps me know where I stand: that I do not create the days, and I actually have a rather small part to play in the world. And that loving is more important than achieving.

Today I remember some of the gazillions of things that Jesus has given me, and I am thankful. I remember that he created me for life: to love and live and have joy and worship him and spread it all around...and to celebrate the goodness of God and all that he does, and not just to be driven by all that I have to do.

I remember and I am thankful. And it is good to be thankful. I give thanks for a thankful heart.

I will arise and give thanks to you,
Lord, my God.
And your name I will bless
With my whole heart.
You have shown mercy,
You have shown mercy to me...
I give thanks to you, Lord.

Irniaruunga

I created my first podcast today! Here I am, introducing myself, my life, and my likes and dislikes in Yup'ik. Here's a transcript (in English) of what I'm saying (more or less)...

"I am Irniaq. I work at Akiuk School. I am a teacher. I am from Kasigluk. My husband is Peter and my daughter is Claire. When I have nothing to do, I play with my baby, hang out with Sugturneq (Pete), play with my cat, kayak and read. I like living in Kasigluk and teaching at Akiuk."

A Tribute to Pete

(I originally wrote this to model a before & after essay for my students, so you might notice a different tone to it. But this essay turned out to be something that I needed to write in honor of my wonderful husband, whom I love with the strength of God's grace.)


Before I got married, I was afraid that maybe I wouldn’t be able to love Pete enough to stay married to him for my whole life. Now that I’m married, however, I know that I just have to try again every day to love him, and God can give me the strength and love to be a good wife.

Before I got married, I had loved Pete for a long time. I had a crush on him when we were in college, but I never told him then because I was afraid he would think I was dumb. After college, we moved to California with some of our friends, and one day I finally got up the courage to tell him I liked him. I think he was scared of me at first, but then later he told me he liked me, too. After that we started “going out."

I loved spending time with Pete, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, but when I thought he might as me to marry him, I was so scared! Of course I wanted to say, “Yes!” but somehow I was still scared. And on the night he asked me to marry him, I actually cried because I was so scared. I think maybe I was scared that I didn’t have enough love inside me to last for our whole lives. What if I got mad or hurt too many times, and I couldn’t forgive him and really love him anymore? This is the question I kept asking myself, and even God.

The day we got married was a beautiful day. Our wedding was outdoors, at a park near the beach in southern California. The sun was shining, and I was so excited to be celebrating with our friends and marrying my best friend. But maybe the most important part was that I had learned that I didn’t have to be perfect to get married. Somehow I realized that if God is Love, then he is the one who can give us the love and forgiveness we need to keep on loving one person for our whole lives. On that sunny day, May 29, 2000, I knew when I promised myself to Pete that I could keep my promise because God would help me.

Now we have been married for 7 ½ years. I can’t believe it’s been so long! It’s wonderful to be married to my best friend, and I can still stay up way too late at night just talking with him and enjoying him. Sometimes I get mad at him, but so far we’ve always been able to talk about our fights or our problems, and I feel better afterwards. He’s a good husband to me. And I still love him! I love him as much as the day I married him, and I think I know him better now. Maybe I even love him more: I definitely appreciate him more.

I guess I’ve changed a lot since I first had a crush on Pete. I’m still the same person, but maybe I’ve grown up more. And now I know that I can love him just one day at a time, and with God’s help, that will be enough to last us for our whole lives.

Halloween

Here in Kasigluk, everyone turns out for Halloween. On the Saturday before, we had a carnival at school (followed by the infamous "haunted hallway" and kids' games run by the junior high). There were silly games, folks in costumes, and loads of people. Qerrat' was dressed as a dalmation, and I was Cruella DeVil. Here are some pictures from the festivities: a crowd shot, mom and Bev dancing with an apple between their foreheads, and Qerrat' in costume & pj's. It was a crazed time, and we're still recovering from it, but the Halloween festivities are one of my favorite things we do at Akiuk. It's cool just to have fun and be with our neighbors.

Yum Yum: Lip Gloss!

Meet Qerrat'aq.

She's my piipiq--18 months old and what a sweet she is! She makes us laugh every day. Lately it's been the lip gloss. Her love for lip gloss makes sense: the weather is cold and dry, and our lips are all chapping. She's been watching me use it with great interest for a while now, and when she finally got her hands on it, she spent about 20 minutes applying the stuff. Of course she also had to experiment with poking her finger into it, and tasting it, but mostly she just used it.

She also likes lotion. ; )