venial sins

today in class we were starting to really dive into the sacraments. First up: Reconciliation. A lot of my students are making their first reconciliation in 3 weeks, but boy today I got called out and humbled more than words can say.

When discussing what a venial and mortal sin is, most would say a venial is a less offensive sin but it still hurts God, yet he still loves us and forgives us. A mortal sin is a very severe sin. Yes, yes. Well, we were brainstorming, I broke the information down so that it was understandable by 7 and 8 year olds. As I looked around the room and called on various students the last student I called on raised her hand and said, "A venial sin is like a sickness to our heart." I paused and told her that that was an excellent response, one I am sure she has no idea the depth to. A sickness to the heart. Wow, I have to say I am getting myself to confession as soon as I can due to those words. I have never thought of sin in those terms. I always considered confession something important and something that should be held to a high standard. Do I go as much as I would like to? No, and that is definitely my fault. But now, those words, "a sickness to the heart" are going to stick with me every day, and drive me to go to confession.

go to confession. get your heart healed, by the divine healer.







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Pregnancy update:

Craving: Chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate with carmel, chocolate shell ice cream,  dr. pepper
(yes I feel like a fat kid)

Feeling: Yes, Feeling her kick and occasionally do some flips and move around. She is quite the mover but mostly at night and when we want her to move, she wont.

Determined: This little girl is stubborn, she is going to be more loved than words can express, she has to be in something active because she has a fierce pair of legs on her.

Healthy: Both of us are healthy and not having any complications. I was prescribed pilates/yoga to help with stress. I thought the dr. was joking. He wasn't.

Bigger: Yes, day by day I definitely can see a difference. A student ran into my stomach last week without realizing, I had to discuss with him how he needs to be aware of his surroundings because Mrs. Imms is only going to get bigger from here on out. ha, oh the discussions i have.

Christopher: finally felt the baby kick! He was very excited and couldn't believe it. Then he stared at my stomach as he watched it bulge out every few seconds and thought it looked like an alien.

January 30, 2013: the first time a total stranger noticed I was pregnant and said something. Said something nice.

January 26, 2013: While in a bar got a total stare down and an avoidance of eye contact. It was epic to say the least.

names: not decided, well maybe we are. who knows.

totally in love: completely and utterly. no words can describe.

seasons

Friendships are like seasons, they come and they go. But there are some friends that stay, and I have to say I couldn't be more grateful for them in my life, honestly.

But I find it so interesting that when you thought some friendships may be over for the long haul. That maybe they were no longer meant to be in your life. That their friendship was hurting you more than it was helping you, so it was time to call it quits. Well I find it funny that the Lord has a way of putting those people back in your life. Just at a different time, a different season.

I know that with some of these friends, we may never be what we used to be due to our different life paths. But we used to be inseparable, we used to tell each other everything, we used to call each others moms mom. Those types of things were all gone with the blink of an eye. Sometimes we think maturity needs to take place, sometimes you feel as if things are toxic, and sometimes too much time is being asked of you. But I love the fact that old friendships never really seem to fade. The love and desire to stay close and share those pieces of your heart will always be there and stay with you.

Some wise family friends once told me that when you get somewhere new that you will truly only have one set of forever friends, you just have to search for them, think about it and decide if this is who the Lord wants you to share your family with. It has been on my heart lately so much, and it couldn't ring more true. Each new season of your life brings new friends and new forever friends.

All the friends we have now, have been apart of our life just at different seasons. It's like each set of friends is connect the dots but connect the dots of our lives. When you look back you see that each set of friends is part of a new season and I couldn't be more grateful for those people that have been apart of all of the seasons of my life, and for those that are apart of this season.

Praise God for awesome friends, and for those that are coming back around.

child like faith

Even though I find myself at a phenomenal school with such amazing families. Some families are hit and misses. Like they are just missing some of the key details. You know when you are doing a puzzle? Then you get to the very end and there are 10 pieces missing and those are the most key and integral parts to the puzzle to make it come together and look beautiful! Well, it frustrates me when parents hinder the beauty and the potential of that puzzle, the puzzle being their children. But I wonder how much they are truly missing, not just mentally and medically... spiritually. 

All I want to do is love these kids. All I want is for them to keep teaching me more than I could teach them. All I want is for the parents to sit back and see that their kids have the key... the key to true and real faith. Daily I am blown away at the childlike faith in my classroom. I find myself wondering where they thought of this prayer request or how they came up with that response. After talking to parents, it was never their words, they never helped their thought process. Isn't that the most beautiful thing ever. That children have such a close relationship with the Lord, have so much trust in their guardian angels, have no idea that in 15 years they will be talking about childlike faith and how to have a faith like that. 

Sometimes I laugh at seeing how similar and different parents are to their children. I don't think these parents have stepped back and realized what amazing examples their children really are.

 I have always heard that our main goal should be to get our loved ones to heaven, do you realize that the children around you are just trying to teach you to help lead you to heaven? 

Child.like.faith. 

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

nothing much to say.

I don't have much to say this week besides a pregnancy update.

-I am officially 20 weeks today.

-We are having a girl!!

-Physically: I feel great finally! Back pains though because of stress are the pits.

-We just may have picked a name... but we aren't telling

-I am more forgetful than someone could ever imagine. Christopher jokes that the baby's brain is the only one that works now.

Cravings: Chocolate, mostly mr. goodbars. and chips.

grateful: for the four people that have made my wardrobe fabulous: Susie, Mary Grace, my mother in law and my mama.  seriously, I have never been more excited about clothes. But there is something about the whole growing a human and looking huge aspect that makes fitting into clothes and feeling good about it a whole new talent.

All I know is that this little girl is going to be so dang loved. The extended family, that would be all of our friends, is crazy and how excited friends are about this.

WE can't wait to meet her and to share her with the world!!