first field trip

Gracie had her first "real" field trip today! I say "real" because she went on one in preschool but I went with her and drove her in our own car. Today, she went without me and rode on the school bus and everything! I was nervous I will readily admit, but she did great! They went to a Science Center and saw a planeterium show and also learned about rocks. I wanted to be a chaperone but Mrs. Stauffer said she had so many parents volunteer for field trips that she just had to draw names out of a hat. Yesterday after school she emailed me and said there was a possibility that they were going to be short 1 chaperone because one of the teacher aides was sick. If she'd been sick again today I would have been able to go. Alas, she was well today. Good for her but bad for me!

While Mary Beth and I were waiting to pick up our kids today, one of the other moms from class came over to talk to us. She had been on the field trip with them. She is a very nice lady who is outgoing and always real sweet to Gracie. She went on & on & on about how well the kids behaved. She had so many complimentary things to say about Gracie! She said something about her being just like a little grown-up which is funny because it's true. My mom was the same way as a child and I can be that way too. Apparently, Gracie and her little girl hung out the whole time. She said Gracie & Lakenya held hands almost the whole time and Lakenya kept saying she had to take care of Gracie and she wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her. Her mom made mention of how wonderful it was that Gracie & Lakenya don't "see" the obvious difference between themselves. Gracie is white & Lakenya is black. It is so true and something that I am so grateful for! I even wrote about this "color blindness" once before. She said she wanted to talk about them to the whole school and say "this is the way it should be!"

Lakenya's mom said "Some of these adults can be such fools!" referring to the way adults can be so prejudiced and I think she's 100% right. I don't understand how some people can forget that God made every single one of us and He decided on our skin color! He loves us all just the same! I have sat & listened to people~even friends & people in my extended family~who will say such racist things and it just kills me. It's like they say everything but the exact words..."I think I'm better than that person because I'm white and they're __________" Even though they don't say those words, the meaning behind what they are saying is crystal clear.

I'm so proud of Lakenya & Gracie for being friends despite their difference and I hope I will always be a good example to my girls of how everyone is loved by God....not just white people!
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I volunteered to do the Student Directory for Gracie's school. Why??!?! Because it was mentioned in one of our board meetings that it needed to be done, noone volunteered, so I said, "I''ll do it!" Yeah, good move on my part, huh?!?" We have a little over 650 students so this week I typed in their names & the phone numbers of those who consented. I checked my list against the class rosters and the teachers were given a rough draft to check for any corrections that needed to be made. I should be getting those back by tomorrow. I was supposed to get some today but for some reason the teacher representative didn't send them home to me. *argh* If I don't get them all back by tomorrow, I think I'm going to have to go around to the classes and ask the teacher for their list. I have to have them back to make my corrections this weekend because I'm meeting others in the office Monday morning to start running copies and getting it put together. No small task. I'm having to arrange childcare for Katie so it's not like I can just hop into the school to work on it at any time. I'm so hoping it works out!
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Tonight I'm going to a "Grey's Anatomy" premiere party at a friend's house. Tomorrow night one of our Life Groups is sponsoring a "Parent's Night Out" from 6:30-10:30. Whoo hoo! Free babysitting!!!!!! Saturday morning there is a Ladies' Brunch at church. Saturday afternoon I'm taking Gracie and a friend to a Build-A-Bear birthday party. It'll be a busy but fun weekend!
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Dear Lord,
Thank you for letting Gracie have a fun & safe time on her field trip! I was a little worried and you took care of her just like I asked. Thank you! Thank you that children are so much more loving at times than we as adults are. I pray that you will help my children to love & accept everyone regardless of their color, race, background or socio-economic status. Help them to love You enough that they want to share You with everyone they meet. Jesus is what matters, as one of my friends likes to say! Help my children to know that! Help them to know what is important and what is not. I don't want them to accept things as being okay if they're not but there are so many things that just don't matter and I believe skin color is one of those things when it comes to who they can or cannot be friends with! Help Chris & I to be good examples to them! Help us to model for them the way they should act.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen