Celebration!

I got the job!! Praise God! Thank you so much to all of you who kept me in your thoughts and prayers on Tuesday. I found out this morning that they chose me for the position! Thank you thank you thank you, Lord!

The interview went really well on Tuesday. I was really nervous but was in prayer all day with God. I knew in my heart and trusted that if this position wasn't right for me, the Lord had another direction for me. I was ready for either option. I am really glad though that I get to further my career with this organization!

So as of today, my new title is Behavioral Support Specialist. In this position, I will be able to spend more one on one time with the children we work with and focus on helping them build stronger social skills. I will also be doing some home visits and get a chance to work more closely with their families. I'll be working longer hours but this new position really does help Mackenzie and I out financially.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week! I'm on my way over to check out your blogs now. Tomorrow, I'll be sharing a recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Don't forget to wear green today!

We made "Leprechaun Traps" with our students yesterday. It was fun
to see them create their traps and get excited about them.

Below are a few pictures of the traps.

Here are some "facts" about Leprechauns before you see the pictures

• They like green
• They like shamrocks
• They like gold
• They like lucky charms
• They do not follow signs

Keep these "facts" in mind as you take a look at the pictures.
The first one was the one I made to give an example to the kids.

I'm assuming this leprechaun must be very small to fit into that glass bottle.
There is actually "gold coins" inside the bottle but since they don't follow signs...you get the idea!

Next are some of the kids' traps.

They'll be looking forward to seeing if they trapped any leprechauns today!

Have a great day! Will any of you be eating Corned Beef and Cabbage?
I don't care for it, so we won't but I might try to incorporate lots of green into our meal!

Worship and Praise Sunday

Welcome to Worship and Praise Sunday! Please join me in sharing a worship song that you enjoy! Click here to see why I started!

This week, I'm sharing "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath
***Please pause the music in my sidebar before listening unless you like to hear two songs at once!

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah
yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Chorus

I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

This song really hits me hard, especially in my job. I work in a school-based therapy program for kids with behavioral disorders. Many of them have Autism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Operational Defiant Disorder, and more. It's a tough job, but I really do have a passion for these children. The ages of the kids I work with are 9-13. Often times, when they have a blow-out or are disrespectful I think to myself, why can't they just act normal??

And then I remember, their lives are not "normal or typical". Many of them have been raised in abusive or neglecting families and the majority of them are not living with their biological parents. These kids can really frustrate me at times but what frustrates me more is the situation that has been given to them. These kids can also be the most caring and sweetest kids I've ever met. They don't deserve to be treated the way they've been in the past. They deserve a family who loves them. However, that's not the case for most of these kids. For many of them, they only love and compassion they receive is in our program. For many, the only safety they receive, is in our program. It's heartbreaking to hear their stories.

The verses in this song "Give me your arms for the brokenhearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see" remind me of these children. I pray each day that I can have the eyes for these kids. That I can show them the compassion they deserve and that God will give me patience when working with them. They really are great.

Here are the guidelines if you'd like to join me!

• Share a favorite worship song by either a video (i.e. youtube, etc) or the lyrics of the song.
• Share a bit about what it means to you.
• Whether it be you or someone else, please give credit to the artist who wrote it.
  
• Publish your Worship and Praise Sunday post on your blog.
• Please offer a link back to the main page of my blog, so other readers where know where to join in.
  
• Copy the "permalink" from your Worship and Praise Sunday post and add it to Mr. Linky.

Worship and Praise Sunday will take place each week on Sunday but I will post on Saturday evening so you can have a chance to post a little early if you'd like!