Playlist for the Week Before Spring Break

This week marks the last five days before that glorious pocket of time known as spring break for my school district.  Here are some tunes (along with YouTube links) to get you through the week:

• "Reveille" made popular by the Armed Forces.  Just a reminder to be up and at 'em.
• "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees.  I'm not a big fan of the Bee Gees unless it's the Fallon/Timberlake sketch on SNL, but this song is so apropos.
• "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry.  And the best part is you can totally change this to fit your students' names. Not that I've heard, "ROBIN! BE GOOD!" more than a few times. ;)
• "Let It Go" from Frozen.  Confession: this chorus is sung daily in my room.  It's a reminder that it's okay to not lose your mind over little things.  Unless some one "cuts" you in line.  Then it's World War 3. And the linked version by Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and Idina Menzel is precious.  And you can watch it with your class. 
• "Survivor" by Destiny's Child.  
• "Wide Open Spaces" by the Dixie Chicks.  Because after attending school since August with only 1 snow day, we pretty much each want our own zip code. 
• "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyonce.  The beat alone is enough to get you going.
• "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder.  Science has proven it's impossible to be in a bad mood and hear this song.  
• "I'll Be There".  When your boss asks if you plan on coming in the Friday before the break, just send 'em this song. 
• "No" by Meghan Trainor.  Because you know it's gonna be every other word you say this week. 
• "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.  For when someone dares ask you why.  (And don't hate on the Backstreet Boys.  You know they're awesome.)
• "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good" by Don Williams.  Not one wasted syllable.  Not.  One.
• "Ready to Run" by the Dixie Chicks.  I won't insult your intelligence by explaining it. 
• "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton.  Sing this internally when that one kid is by your side. Again. 
• "The Waiting" by Tom Petty.  Are there truer words than "the waiting is the hardest part"? Enough said. 

The ultimate hype song for back to school/last week/bad day:

• "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.  The first two lines sum up so much, don't they?

And since my name is Robin, this song will be my personal anthem come Friday at 3.  

Hope you have a great week!  And don't let the fun end-if I've left out a song we need to hear this week, let me know it the comments!

Love Lessons From Beauty & the Beast

Youth is wasted on the young.

Like gobs of other Americans, viewing the ads for the new Beauty And The Beast movie caused instant nostalgia.  Which was abruptly cut short when I head the terrible fact that the animated version was more 25 years old.  I know I've put on weight over the years, but realizing I had gained 25 years put me in a tailspin.

So here are some of the love lessons I learned at the tender age of 11.

• First appearances can be deceiving.  When we first meet Mr. Beast he's ...a beast.  With a major attitude problem. Don't write someone off without learning more of the situation. Give people a chance.
• Being good looking without compassion can be a serious no-no.  Gaston seems to epitomize the opposite of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  He is not patient, nor kind.  He is definitely boastful. And proud.  And rude.  And he totally does not rejoice in the truth.  
• Love involves sacrifice.  Belle took the place of her father in the castle,  And lest we forget, the Beast took one for Belle at the end of the movie.      
• Love involves being vulnerable.  When the Beast was hurt and Belle was trying to nurse him back to health, he had to expose a physical vulnerability.  When he invited her to dinner he exposed an emotional one.
• Love involves being aware of your partner's likes and dislikes.  When they are eating, Belle daintily sips on her soup/porridge/chowder as the Beast wolfs it down.  When he realizes Bell is all but aghast at this method, he tries his own spoon.  But that does no good-it's hysterical to watch him try. 
• Love involves compromise.  After they realized they couldn't eat in the same manner they simultaneously eat soup the same way-by lifting the bowl and drinking from it.  It's the perfect compromise for the two of them.
• It's okay to try new things.  Remember the two of them in the snow?  And the Beast looking like a telephone poll wire because so many birds were sitting on him?
• The things you take for granted are the same things someone else is praying for.  Remember that all but abandoned the castle?  Beast had tons of books but no desire to read.  And Belle would read anything she could put her hands on.
• The Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson version of the song "Beauty and the Beast" is the best.  John Legend killed it on the new version, but their version is priceless.  You could even say "tune as old as time".      
• Brunettes can rock the color yellow like nobody's business.
• Take dancing lessons so you can waltz, fox trot, and do all those other kinds of dancing.  You just never know when you're going to be whisked into an immaculate, ornate ball room to dance the night away.  Thanks to the movie, the precedent's been set.   

So, world, here's the advice for the next generation of kids.  You can thank me later.  

Rocky Road

For a non-living object, the Bible sure talks a lot about rocks.

There's the small, smooth stones with which David armed himself in the battle against Goliath.

There's the rock which Moses struck to produce water to quench the Israelites' thirst on their journey to the promised land.

Jesus knew how cumbersome stones can be.  He saved a woman from being stoned to death.

Jesus even referenced stones and their importance when he told the parable of the wise and foolish builders.  When he gave Simon a new name, he specifically chose the name Peter because it signified how Peter was the rock upon which Christ would build his church.  

And then there's my favorite stone-the one that the angel rolled away to confirm that Jesus Christ is indeed the son of God, that he had been resurrected!  If that stone had not been placed in front of the tomb, people could speculate that someone had merely come and taken away Jesus' body as a cruel, merciless hoax.  But since that stone was not only placed in front of a lifeless body, but sealed, with armed guards around it, that stone becomes even more crucial in relaying the truth of Christ.

I have the You Version Bible app on my tablet and often use their devotionals.  My most recent one is titled "Remembering All God Has Done" and it focuses on just what it says-remembering God's acts.

The first day asked me to read Joshua 4:1-24 and I read it and cannot get the central message of it. The story talks about when the Lord told Joshua to have one man from each of the 12 tribes remove a stone from the Jordan River.  However, these were not just regular stones-they came from the Jordan River the was completely dry as the Israelite priests crossed it.  The Lord flat out told Joshua that these stones would serve as a reminder that the Lord cared.  He cared enough to make sure they had safe passage out of freedom, from bondage to Pharaoh to freedom as God's chosen.  He made a miracle happen.  He didn't want them to forget this occasion so the Israelites had 12 rocks that when their children asked why the rocks were there, it was a way to share that God's undying love and devotion to his people.  The rocks were symbols of God's love, his provision, and his unwavering commitment.

The devotional part asked us to reflect on what God has done for us.  It made me stop and think, "What are the stones that help tell my story?"  What mementos do I have that remind me that God is there, that he cares and provides?

I will readily admit that it took some pondering to think about what those rocks would be.  Then I realized that this is a way I can honor the Lord.  What every day items (like a rock) help remind me that God is there?

How about you?  Are there any rocks in your life that help others understand God's grace in your life? I would love to hear them!