Let Me Tell You About My Mornings

My mornings are not important to anyone else.  I realize that; but to let you know what I do as a pastor, and a School Bus driver of the mornings – Here goes…

My alarm goes off around 3:15 a.m.  I get up do the necessary things before dressing, then proceed to make some coffee.  I get my computer turned on.  Then I take my Bible, my journal and set down at the kitchen/dining table; and I read a portion of Scripture (usually 2 – 5 chapters) to hear what God has to say to me today.  I spend a few minutes speaking to Him as well.

By the time I am through with my Bible reading the coffee is ready and I pour me a cup, mixed with a packet of Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensations hot chocolate mix.  Yum.  Then I begin writing in my journal.  You can read some of what I wrote in today’s writing at this link

After I have written in my paper notebook, journal; I come and do some post for our Church blog, and my Bible Study blog called BROKEN PIECES.  By the time I am finished with that it is about time for me to leave for the bus garage.  I do watch a bit of Fox and Friends before leaving, and clean up my coffee pot.

I leave the house around 5:15 a.m. arrive at the bus garage around 5:45, pre-trip my bus, and leave on my route around 6:05 a.m.  It is an amazing drive.  I get to drive approximately 25 minutes before I pick up my first stop.  From then on into school there is much talk, screaming sometimes, laughter, playing [not supposed to]; no more quiet time.

I arrive at he High School drop off about 7:45 a.m. then the Elementary about 7:50 a.m.  Then, that part of my morning is over.  Following the route this morning I went with some of the other drivers to the Primary Cafeteria for biscuits and gravy for breakfast; instead of coming home.

When I get home I check emails, facebook, my blogs for comments and such; but most of all I try and spend the time preparing sermons for Sunday mornings and evenings.

Today I am scheduled for an activity trip taking the soccer team to Springfield, MO.  I am blessed to be doing a work which I thoroughly enjoy; being a pastor, and a school bus driver too.

A Blessed and sunny day along the banks of Flat Creek.

~tim

Summer’s Ending

Summer vacation for some Schools began in late may, late Spring, and now Summer vacation has come to an end. Some Schools have already began. The School which I drive the School bus for begins today [August 19, 2009].

It seems to me that Summers are really too short. Maybe its due to global warming :>), and I do say that with a smile. It is actually due to kids going back to school, the teachers being there to teach them, drivers being their to get the kids where they are supposed to learn. Enough frivolity.

I am thankful to be driving a bus for a school like Cassville Schools. We have a staff that works together to make the best possible environment for kids, teachers, bus drivers, administration, and the maintenance people. At the bus garage it is almost like we are family.

That kind of environment makes it where you enjoy going to work everyday. It doesn’t seem like work. It is a joy to see the kids you haven’t seen all Summer long. If they come back that is. I say that because we did hear of one who will not be returning due to drowning just this past week. My heart goes out to the family. That will be so tough, and my prayers are with them in this difficult heart breaking time.

If you have a clean record, love kids, and need to make a few extra dollars; and you can fit it into your daily schedule; you might want to think of driving one of those big yellow monsters. Go to your nearest school and I know they can tell you how to go about it. You might only get started as a sub driver, but that is how I started. Try it out. You might enjoy it. And in most cases you do get all Summer vacation off.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Season of Christmas ’08

It is now officially Winter as of the 21st of December. On that day it really turned out to be quite cold. My last day of driving the School Bus for the year of 2008 was on Friday December 19, and we had a Christmas dinner at 11 a.m. It is quite okay for me to call it dinner, because dinner has always been the time others call “lunch”.

The bus drivers all agreed to bring their favorite dish or dessert, and we made a potluck dinner of it. I asked permission to bring my wife, and I was told, “If she is preparing the turkey you’re bringing, then I wouldn’t have even bothered asking”, but maybe not quite that way.

I mentioned it being cold on that first day of Winter. The temps dropped down into the single numbers on that evening, but then it has warmed up to the sixties the day following Christmas, and today [Saturday 27th].

We had a great time with my siblings, my parents, my wife and kids, and my siblings spouses and kids and all the grandkids. There must have been nearly sixty present at my parents house. At our small home we had about 21, and is it ever crowded with only one bathroom, and really only one bedroom with an upstairs that is open. There are at least two families who stay upstairs overnight at Christmas time.

The most important time about Christmas is Jesus Christ, and remembering His birth, His incarnation as a man; the day that God became man, to dwell among us – Immanuel is “God with us”. A great part of Christmas is the family get together.

I do need to admit that by the time it is all over I am ready for a break, and right now I am having a break. The house is empty with the exception of God and me. Those times do serve as a time to freshen your thoughts, and receive assurances from the Lord and His Word. I even went for a short walk this afternoon, and it was after the temps started to go down. It is beginning to feel like Winter again.

We may indeed have a strong, hard, snowy, icey Winter this year. I am praying we don’t, but I have no say in the matter. I only pray for God’s will, for safety, for warmth, and all our needs to be met, for the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is always the season to be thankful. Even in the Winter.

-Tim A. Blankenship

For Anyone Who is Interested

It has not been too many days ago that we had the first snow fall of the season. It, however, did not amount to much. For that I am glad. It is not that I don’t like snow; I don’t like cold weather, and it seems that the two just happen to go together.

Last night [Sunday] the weather suddenly turned from an almost balmy, warm Spring time temperature in the sixties during the afternoon to freezing and below. From the time my wife and I left our church the temp dropped fourteen degrees, and that was driving a short 17 miles. It only takes us about 30 minutes, with about one third of that time spent driving the last two miles to our home (it is a rough dirt/gravel road).

When I arose this morning, planning to go and drive my School Bus I looked out the window and everything looked pretty good. There was a dusting of snow on the car, but nothing bad. I spent time doing my quiet time and then blogging, and then got myself ready for leaving for town (also 17 miles away) to go and drive the Bus.

I got in the car, and was out of our driveway when my wife called me on my cell telling me “Joe called, and there is no school today” (Joe is our Supervisor for the bus drivers). Because there was no school I saved a little bit of gas.

I saw Joe later in town, and he told me there was a thin sheet of ice on the school parking lots, and that was mostly the reason for the cancellation. While my wife and I were in town it was snowing, and the weather reports are calling for 1 – 4 inches of it by morning. If we get that there will be no classes for Tuesday. Our last day of School for this year was going to be on Friday December 19, but we may get a few extra days, if things continue as they are.

That is one of the problems with Winter. Mostly it is the cold of Winter I dislike. I prefer to be warm, even hot compared to being cold. I like the seasons, and I thank God our Savior for giving me these days. I appreciate those warms days even more.

Have a great Winter, and be thankful to our Lord.

-Tim A. Blankenship