Restoration

Iron bacteria. Until a few days ago I had never heard of Iron bacteria. Iron bacteria is found in well water. It leaves household fixtures, dishes, and clothes looking brown or a rusty color. Fortunately it is harmless to humans.

Last Monday we had a company stop by to look at our water. Our white dishes were no longer white. We had stopped buying white t-shirts because after a few washes they wouldn't be white any more. The company suggested that our problem was iron bacteria. Iron bacteria could be treated by shocking our well, treating your water with chlorine, or using Iron Out.

We had some iron out in our house. I had used it to clean the bathtubs. However, the worker said to use it on our dishes and clothes as well. Sure enough, there were directions on the side of the bottle for using iron out with dishes and clothes. I had never noticed them before. So I decided to try the dishes first. I put all of our white dishes in the dishwasher along with some iron out. I opened the dishwasher once it was finished to find that the dishes had been restored. They looked as white as they did when we purchased them. Yesterday Michelle put some iron out in with a load of white clothes. The directions said to let the clothes stand in the water for 5 minutes and then to wash as normal. After 5 minutes the clothes were restored to their original color.

This got me thinking about the ''iron bacteria'' that we have in our lives. I am sure that we can all think about something that causes us to be stained or less than what we were created to be. Often times we just accept the bacteria as our new norm. Sort of like we had done with our water. But it is also comforting to know that we all have access to "iron out". It is called grace. And just like my bottle of Iron Out, grace has always been there. Sometimes we just need to look a little closer.

Fresh Starts

As the new year approaches everyone is always looking to make fresh starts. Some people have fitness goals, some have financial goals. Other have educational or relationship goals. During this upcoming year I too have some goals as I look for some fresh starts.

One area of focus for myself is blogging. This year I attempted to start blogging. It didn't go very well. I had a grand total of 8 posts during 2013. I could give you an endless list of reasons and excuses for why I failed miserably at blogging. However, I won't. With the new year I have a chance for a fresh start. 

Now I don't claim to be a great writer. In comparison to my wife you could say that I am horrible. My wife seems to have a way of making the words flow onto the page. This is a gift I don't have. For me it will take more work. However, this shouldn't stop me. Having to work hard in order to be good at something is a message that I give to my children and students every day. It is time that I start leading by example. 

During 2013 I did a lot of consuming of information. I was able to glean information from educational blogs and social blogs. I also got information from Flipboard. Flipboard is an app which gets different news items based on your interests. It is now time to make the leap from consumer to producer of information. I know I don't currently have a lot of readers, 1 to be exact, but it isn't necessarily about the number of readers you have. I have found that the information you share and produce is what matters. So if you decide to read my blog hopefully you will find the information helpful.

What's it all about

Today no one was selected to the baseball hall of fame. The main reason was that the players were from the steroid era. I think the voters did the correct thing. If you elect these guys then you are saying it is ok to cheat.
Today I also read about Missy Franklin swimming in her first high school meet of the year. They talked about how nervous she was. Seems odd that a gold medalist would feel nervous about a high school meet. After the meet Missy posed for pictures with every member of the other team. Now that's what it should be about.

Donuts and Milkshakes

Today we went to the PA Farm Show. There is a lot to see at the farm show. There were cows, horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and alpacas. If you didn't like the smells of the animals you could look at the produce or the farm equipment. There was also the butter sculpture. But by far the highlight of the farm show is the food court. I am convinced that farmers don't care about new year new year. You would also be hard pressed to find the food on a school lunch menu. Ah, but that is what makes it great. All the deep fried choices. You could get funnel cake, French fries, baked potatoes, blooming onions, and the crowd favorite potato donuts. Once you have had something to eat you can chase the food back with a world famous milkshake. This is not place to go if you are try to keep your new year's resolution.

One more hug

Tonight we had my staff over for a post Christmas party. One of the traditions which occurred prior to my arrival was an ornament exchange. A story is read as and when a selected word is read you pass you gift. This year the theme was snowmen so the story that was read was Frosty.
Last year we started a new tradition. We played just dance. This year the moves were busted out to just dance 4. Young and young at heart got into the fun.
I think a new tradition was started this year called the tickle couch. My 5 year old son was being tickled by three of my teachers. He was having a blast. As they were getting ready to leave he gave them hugs, hoping to get tickled.

Dinner Table

Who sets the tone at your dinner table? Until recently I would have answered the adults. As a parent I thought it was my job to set the tone at dinner time. However I am discovering that this isn't the case. It is actually the kids who set the tone. I am reading "The Messy Church", in the book the author presents the idea that it is the kids who set the tone. If your a parent you know what he is talking about. I am noticing that the person often setting the tone at our table is our youngest son. The author then relates this to church. Last Sunday our youngest son also set the tone during the service. It wasn't because he was acting bad. It was because he was paying attention. The pastor was talking about the gifts brought by the wise men. She had just talked about gold and asked what was next. Our son yelled out myrrh. This caught the pastor off guard because that was the third gift. However, the pastor went with his response.