Bouncing Around

January 30, 2007 10:01pm

Just watched Grey’s Anatomy on TV here… it’s almost the end of the second season. Izzy just cut the LVAT wires and Burke was shot. Hehe. It’s fun to watch it over again, and this time I get the bonus of Swedish subtitles!

This morning I had shooting practice and then ate lunch at the club. Lunch today is worth noting… I ordered the “Shoemaker.” It’s a “famous Swedish dish” of meat and potatoes (meat and potatoes, of course!). The potatoes were mashed and the gravy had bits of bacon and onions in it. One guy I was eating with had four helpings of it! I don’t normally like bacon, but it was pretty tasty. Plus, eating it made me feel a little Swedish or something : )

Yesterday we didn’t have practice, rather we were all required to do some sort of workout at Klubb Active. This was good because it gave me the flexibility to go into lab AND visit a school to help with an English class. Our club goes out to local 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classrooms to teach kids about our “08 Values”: Teamwork, Respect, Commitment, Quality, and Responsibility. I met up with Leila out in Vällingby and she drove us to the school. Leila’s in charge of the “08 Values” program. She played on our team when the season started, but right before Erin and I came she decided to devote all her efforts to these programs in the schools.

Last time I was in a school was to teach PE classes, so I never actually saw a classroom. Well, the classes/rooms were obviously different than my elementary school in two main ways. First of all, all the kids were all running around (or studying!) without any shoes on! They leave their shoes and jackets at the door. So following their lead, Leila and I removed our boots upon entering the classroom too. I was wearing these great blue slipper socks that keep my feet nice and warm (most of the kids had white socks though ;) ). The other obvious difference was that all of the desks were much taller than desks I ever used in elementary school (or have ever used for that matter!). The chairs were sort of like bar chairs with backs and likewise the desks were similar in height to a standard bar. Makes it much easier for teachers to get close to their students’ work (instead of having to bend so far over to those mini-desks in the States!). Anyway, aside from the obvious differences of the shoelessness of the students and the tall desks, the class seemed quite similar to what I remember of elementary school. There were paintings on the walls, roll-up maps hanging from the ceiling, and the boys and girls stayed a part from each other! I had a good time with the kids and I’m looking forward to visiting some more schools next week with Leila.

My highlight today was listening to some lectures by Dallas Willard that I had on my iPod. Willard just has this way of reminding us what matters most in life. One of the points that stuck with me most was that “Jesus lived for us!” We often hear and think of Jesus dying for us. Yes, He did that. But, very importantly, He lived for us! He lived so that we could see how we should live. He taught us how to live for God. He was an actual living example and obviously an inspiration. It’s quite daunting and challenging to think we could be Christ-like in all we do, but boy isn’t it awesome that God wants us to and calls us to try! We are all God’s children too: Jesus, you, me… so let’s use the example that Jesus set and try to live at least a little bit like Him everyday. Willard gave one example of how to change our lives to be more Christ-like: turn every curse into a blessing. If every time we are tempted to say something negative to someone else or about them, then say a prayer for them or bless them in some way. Cool, huh?! No more cursing, just blessings (in actions and in thoughts!)!! I’m going to give it a try, will you?