The old blog was getting a little too cluttered, not unlike my wardrobe.
I have started putting 'stickers' here, there, everywhere.
Was also getting a little tired of seeing too many lines.
So I gave my blog a fresh new paint!
I always love colours of blue ; turqoise, lime, lilac ...
it evokes a sense of tranquility, peace, enjoyment
this is what I want to leave behind when readers come and sit awhile
here at Sharon's Lavender Courtyard.
Opps, there's no tree in the courtyard, just the sounds of waves and
the breath of grace upon your face.
If life is getting a little too blurry, or hurried
I pray you find Hope in my little mutterings...
Design credit goes to
Tell me if you like it, or why you don't, won't ya?
Thanks!
Looks like tonight, the sky is heavy Feels like the winds are gonna change Beneath my feet, the earth is ready I know its time for heaven's rain, it's gonna rain
yeah,yeah
Cos it's living water we desire To flood our hearts with holy fire
Rain down all around the world we're singing Rain down can you hear the earth is singing Rain down my heart is dry but still I'm singing Rain down, rain it down on me.
Back to the start, my heart is heavy Feels like it's time, to dream again I see the clouds, and yes I'm ready To dance upon this barren land Hope in my hands
yeah,yeah
cos it's living water we desire, to flood our hearts with holy fire
Rain down all around the world we're singing Rain down can you hear the earth is singing Rain down my heart is dry but still I'm singing Rain down.
Do not shut, Do not shut, Do not shut the heavens But open up, open up, open up our hearts
Rain down all around the world we're singing Rain down can you hear the earth is singing Rain down my heart is dry but still I'm singing Rain down.
(Rain down) Give me strength to cross the water Keep my heart upon Your altar (rain down)
(rain down) Give me strength to cross this water Keep my feet don’t let me falter (rain down)
Do not shut the heavens But open up our hearts, open up our hearts
do not shut the heavens but open up our hearts, open up our hearts.
While many young children, when given the opportunity, will immediately engage in play with others, families and early childhood teachers often encounter children who want only to watch from the side. These children will watch others playing around them - constructing a towering building; reenacting a battle of dinosaurs in the sandbox; putting on a puppet show - without actually getting involved.
Family members and teachers may be anxious when preschoolers do not engage in play with other children, but this "onlooker stage of play" can be an important step in the social development of young children. It is an opportunity for young children to learn and mentally practice interacting with others. With adult guidance, they'll benefit from this thoughtful time.
In the onlooker stage, children don't physically interact, but their minds and feelings are fully engaged in the play of others. You can see it in their faces and body language. Their eyes may open wide as they see a block building growing taller, then they may dart quickly to another corner to determine the location of the growling dinosaur sounds. Their faces may break into smiles at the antics of other children pretending to be monkeys and gorillas.
Each type of play has value: in solitary play, children acquire self-knowledge; other kinds of play help them build confidence, practice interacting, and learn how to cooperate with other children. Children who go through an onlooker (or "watcher") stage get to be mentally engaged without the potential intimidation of actually being in the thick of things.
This engagement offers children opportunities to mentally manipulate what they see and hear, organizing and integrating information and storing it away for future use. The children may actually be mentally placing themselves into a situation they are observing, and testing how they might respond if they were involved.
As "watchers," children have opportunities to manipulate their cognitive experience of the behaviors of others, gaining information which will later be used within the context of their physical, verbal, emotional, and social behaviors. The use of this information is not just imitation, but a true understanding of the causes, actions, and consequences of particular behaviors - similar to the way preschoolers might use self-talk or private speech to review what they have learned about words and language. The onlooker stage offers an opportunity to watch and learn before stepping into the action.
All young children do some watching; some young children do it a lot. We now know that this is a valuable experience for children. As family members and as early childhood teachers, we are often anxious when preschoolers are not willing to engage overtly in play with other children. Perhaps we should allow them more time to watch and learn. When the time is right, they will be more comfortable and successful moving into the world of full social interaction.
Excerpted from "He's Watching! The Importance of the Onlooker Stage of Play" by Sarah Jane Anderson - an article in the NAEYC journal, Young Children. Early Years Are Learning Years™ is a regular series from NAEYC providing tips to help parents and early childhood educators give young children a great start on learning.
Bless you with this amazing prophetic song... go on jump into the river and dance in the presence of God... experience God's love...let Him stir up your spirit so that living water will flow out of you! experience Open Heaven!
Pslams 42:7 "Deep calls to deep, in the roar of your waterfall, all your waves and breakers have swept over me"
I've got a river of living water A fountain that never will run dry It's open Heavens You're releasing And we will never be denied
Cause we're stirring up deep deep wells We're stirring up deep deep waters We're going to dance in the river, dance in the river
Cause we're stirring up deep deep wells We're stirring up deep deep waters We're going to jump in the river Jump in the river and everybody singing now
Deep cries out to deep cries out to Deep cries out to deep cries out to So we cry out to, we cry out to, You Jesus
We're falling into deeper waters, calling out to You We're walking into deeper waters, going after You
If He goes to the left then we'll go to the left And if He goes to the right then we'll go to the right We're going to jump jump jump jump in the river Jump jump jump jump, everybody
If He goes to the left then we'll go to the left And if He goes to the right then we'll go to the right We're going to dance dance, dance dance in the river Dance dance, dance dance, everybody
If He goes to the left then we'll go to the left And if He goes to the left then we'll go to the right
We're going to shout shout shout shout in the river Shout shout shout shout in the river, everybody
Revelation song is as close as one can get to singing heavens, God and his glory. Wonderful song to bring heaven down to earth. Love praising God about him!
I have recently experienced disappointment. Have you experienced disappointment before? And there, deep down there is sadness but once it hits bottom, there is anger and the deeper the disappointment , the greater the anger. Particularly if it was a disappointment from a person who is close.
Jesus never promised a road that is without trouble, but he says that in every trouble HE IS THERE WITH US. I find that so comforting. I find the Lord storing all our tears in the bottle meant that he cares for our pain.
The trouble is that we sometimes put our hope in a person more than we should put our hope in Christ. People will let us down. But Christ is faithful, he sees us, he knows our every move. He alone is more loving, more for us than anyone in the world. He alone would never forsake us in our weaknesses.
