"Spark People"

Wilma's Sparkpage

I believe in the "well-balanced" life. I like to do a lot of things in moderation. When I hike, I may not be the first one to the destination, but I always get there!
I think that is my philosophy of life, as well.
I am doing "spark people" with my family. It's a great family activity as we share goals, communication, motivation and recipes, moving toward a more healthy lifestyle.

http://my.sparkpeople.com/wilmaozias

Ladies' Bible Study

I have been a part of an interdenominational ladies' Bible study now, in some form or other, for over two decades. We meet now once a month (the last Monday evening of the month) at each other's homes. We have a Bible study, then a time of prayer requests and prayers, finishing with refreshments and relaxing visiting. What we have shared together goes far beyond the things we have learned, the prayers we have given, or the fellowship we have enjoyed.
We have bonded as she share our deepest thoughts (and some not so deep), as we bring our fears, our hopes, our questions, our shortcomings to the group.
We have laughed together, lots, and cried together, often.
We have learned that God loves us no matter how we have failed. We have mourned with each other as we have lost loved ones and dreams, and we have rejoiced with each other in graduations and weddings and babies.
We have asked hard questions of each other and the Lord that have no "pat" answers. We cannot give flippant answers to each other because we care for each other too deeply.
What we share is sacred, inspirational, and deep.
"We are one in the spirit; we are one in the Lord."
Our roots go deep into our lives, our homes, our communities, and with each other.

Passing the Torch

Another area where I have great hope for the future is in education.
As a veteran teacher, I am so proud of our new teachers coming into the teaching profession. They are professional, competent, intelligent, full of fresh perspectives, forward looking, and great role models for our students.
In a few years, I will be leaving the teaching professional after 30 or so years. It is with "hope for the future" that I am ready to pass the torch to these young teachers.
In the meantime, I love working side by side with them. I love having them in my family.
I am proud to share one of the greatest professions in the world with them.

Hope for the Future

We all know that there are lots of problems in the world. In the past decade we've witnessed the shootings at Columbine, the tragedy of 9/11, the family structure breaking down, shootings at malls and college campuses, and the list goes on and on and on. Considering all of this, the future for our country and our children looks bleak.
But, we can take another look and see hope for the future.
We can see our young people striving to preserve our earth, becoming involved in political action, pursuing vocations that serve others, volunteering to help those less fortunate.
My husband and I are in agreement that the time has come that we are learning more from our own children than they are learning from us.
As a teacher, there are, of course, frustrations with young people that are seemingly going down the wrong path, and often taking others with them.
But, one of the rewards of working with young people is seeing those who are choosing the right path, making the right choices.
We go to a small country church. About five years ago, the future looked bleak for the church. The once healthy youth group and Sunday School had dwindled to two, and soon they left for college as well. We had no youth under the age of 18, and many of the congregation were senior citizens.
We had meetings about what our future plans should be, about how we could increase our congregation and membership.
Then, hope began to emerge.
First a young couple came "home", then a family moved "home" from Germany, then another church "son" came home with his family. We began to have baby showers, baby baptisms, and we even had to have a nursery shower to update our worn out toys and equipment.
Today we have hope for the future back in our small country church. We have eight children under the age of ten. We have programs and plans for the future. We have hope.
May all of our futures look as bright as the future of our country church.