Valentine's Day Crafts with Special Education Teachers

I am not really a huge fan of Valentine's Day.

In Finland it's Friendship Day, in Ecuador it's called Day of Love and Friendship.

For me, it is understandable that people want to celebrate their love and friendship.

But mostly, I'm with the crowd who thinks Valentine's Day is a made up holiday.

So why did I change my opinion and made this post?

I actually didn't.

But we are having a teacher training with Special Education teachers.

And for students with special needs, love and friendship are very hard concepts to grasp.

For someone who doesn't really understand abstract concepts, love needs to be made concrete.

And so does friendship.

The only way to do it?

You need to love them and be their friend.

Here are the ways that the teachers decided to explain what love and friendship are to their students.

Some of the DIY works are better than others.

But each of these crafts have been made with great love and care.

The students might not be able to read the message.

Or write one themselves.

They might not even be able to say it, or do a simple card or craft to give back to the teacher.

But they can apreciate a gift from heart.

And be happy when someone pays attention to them and gives them their time.

So even this Valentine's Day Grinch had to finally change her opinion.

I still reserve the oportunity to not to buy anything for Valentine's Day.

But I am totally convinced that Valentine's Day crafts come from the heart and can be a true gift of love and friendship.

Here is mine:

God’s story never ends with ashes

I had no idea what would happen when I decided I want to write a blog for real.

I have been toying with the idea for some time.

But last year I finally did, it's not even that many months ago.

I was afraid, I did not know how much I should share.

But at the same time, I knew that to write, I needed to be myself.

And being myself means writing about what is important to me.

First of all, God, my love to Him and more than anything, His love for me and for everyone.

“God has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.”-- C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain

But it also means being honest of my downfalls as a human and as a mother.

Bearing my stuggles and questions, my insecurities and problems, my pain and suffering.

But what I most look forward is sharing the joy.

God has promised me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.

Galatians 5:22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

What I could never imagine was the blogging communities and groups, and the bloggers, I would encounter.

I have shared my feelings of disconect here in Ecuador as ex-pat and I have recieved love and friendship in return.

I have told about mistakes, imperfections and errors, and I have been conforted and accepted.

I never imagined how intimate the relationship between a blogger and her readers can become.

I can only be thankful to you all and praise Lord for answering to my prayers.

“What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul.” ― Corrie Ten Boom

It has been such a short time and I have found new friends, wonderful blogs to follow and encouragement for my mission.

And I have felt God touching my heart, calling me to His word and teaching me through all this.

It is more and more clearer to me that I must decrease so He can increase.

I want to be filled with His love and shine it through, share His love with everyone else.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 3:30

The prize I'm searching is to see God's light piercing through me.

Like a jar of clay, wearing thinner and thinner every day.

If you could only see Him shining through me.

May I praise Him, revere Him and serve Him.

May my life be a living sacrifice for Him.

A glorious day of love and brightness, sculpted by pain.

I am still lost in the mist, fooled by the fog.

But I know in my heart, I will see.

“Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.” — Elisabeth Elliot

Gospel Friday Countdown - Friends are forever

When I was in High School one of my favorite Christian musician was Michael W. Smith. 

Like any teenage girl I admired his good looks, that was obviously important at that age. 

But I also felt that his music spoke to me. 

I could feel love there, God's love for me and His creation.

Also the love between us people, friendship, love to one another, and also, romantic love.

I still love his older music with a nostalgia like no other.

Hope you enjoy this hop back to the 80´s and early 90's.

5. Place in this world

When you are young what worries you most?

You're place in the world.

Who am I? What will I be? What is my calling? What kind of person will I be? Will I succeed or fail?

We are all looking for to find our place in this world.

4. Somewhere, somehow; a duet with Amy Grant

Youth is also the time when we dream of love.

Of finding our significant other.

We dream of finding the way to find the one.

Through those lonely nights, you believe you will find the true love.

3. Do you dream of me

This can be both about earthly love.

A relationship that has a long history.

It can be the marriage I dreamed about, the prince in the shining armor who would sweep me from my feet and we would live happily ever after.

It can also be relationship between children and parents.

Something that was very close to my heart at youth.

At time same time I was ready to fly, to try out my wings, but I missed my parents and was afraid of leaving them.

And it also can be about our relationship with God.

How we love Him and He loves us.

2. I will be here for you

Again a song that has many meanings.

For me this has always been about God and friendship.

God will always be there for me, there is nothing to fear.

He will never leave me alone, He is my shelter, He shines His light for me.

But also I knew that my friends would be there for me.

That I could trust them with everything and anything, they were someone I could trust.

1. Friends are friends forever

This song is so important to me because it brings me back memories of my friends. 

Our choir/youthgroup in church when I was in HS. 

We were all girls, different ages from 12 to 18.

And they are the best friends I have had.

There is no other time like your youth, no other friends like the ones you make when you are young.

And I'm glad to say that even we live very far away.

I'm in Ecuador, one of them lives in China, others are scattered around the globe.

We still keep in touch.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Proverbs 17:17