What Isaac Said About Love

Each Friday afternoon after my students return from Art class I have them spend about 15 minutes writing in their journals. I usually give them writing prompts because experience has taught me that if I don't, several of them sit and stare at the blank piece of paper and eventually draw illustrations of Naruto or Pokemon.

The first entry has to do with what they learned or experienced in school during the week. The 2nd writing entry is responding to whatever writing prompt I give them. The Friday before Valentine's Day I wrote this on the whiteboard: "What Is Love?" Without explaining or manipulating any of my own thoughts about love, I simply told them to think about love and then write down any thought that came to mind.

Here is what one of my students had to say about love. His name is Isaac. He is nine. He has only been learning English for about two years. We can communicate verbally quite well now, but the reading and writing of English is still a work in progress as you will see. I have not edited any words, sentences, or spelling so that you can enjoy it as it was written by Isaac. Parenthesis are mine. And now, love through the eyes of a nine-year-old.

What is Love? by Issac Jang

Lov is my mom, dad, God, good, Jesuse, Candy, gum, shcool, water, paper, friend, Teacher, home, pencil, fire, Soap, Brithday, brother, sister (he doesn't have a sister), bag, Shoe, cloth, had, body, light, air, hame, TV, movie, popcorn, Car, kindless, Chire, plate, book, fan, energe, crayon, Tissu, printer, paint, desk, money, people, market, ms mac, love is everything.

Love is everything according to Isaac. Indeed. Reminds me of what someone else wrote about love.....

1 Corinthians 13 The Way of Love

(The Message)

¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

I love Issac!

The Dance and the Day and a Half Day Trip

Usually I dread Valentine's Day, and this year was no exception. I don't want to be alone on Valentine's Day. I want flowers delivered to me, fine chocolate in a heart-shaped box, a mushy love note hidden under my pillow, and a candle-lit dinner with my sweetheart. I'm a romantic, what can I say? But it wasn't going to happen this year. So, the thought of going to a dance called P.S. I Love You, was not something I was looking forward to, even though it was a school dance sponsored by the 1st grade class.

My thoughts, though, were totally in the wrong direction. This dance was not about romantic love and it certainly wasn't about me. The whole idea of it was to celebrate the love a parent has for a child and to raise money for our school. How selfish of me to dread my participation in a school function that celebrated relationships.

I dallied the afternoon of the dance not caring if I got ready or not. Mrs. Flores offered to give me a ride and be "my date" for the evening. At least I had a date, I thought. She was on time, I was not. Fifteen minutes after she honked the horn I was dashing out the door with shoes dangling from my fingers.

On the drive to the Palms, I complained about this and that and pretty much whined the entire trip. Debbie did not agree with me or disagree with me. She didn't complain about all my complaining, and she didn't judge me. She just listened and nodded a few times. When we arrived she said, "Terry, let's just have a good time."

And you know what? I did. I really truly had a wonderful time. I wasn't expecting to, but I did. When I saw how excited my students got when they saw me, it changed my whole demeanor.

The dance was fun and successful. We raised around $2,000! It was the first time SCS has ever put on a dance. Once my attitude was adjusted I relaxed and enjoyed the evening. I took pictures, gave hugs, and danced with my students. By the last dance my feet were killing me, but I was smiling.

The next day was Valentine's Day. The dread I had was gone. I was looking forward to a day trip to Tinian with some friends. It was actually a day and a half. I needed to get away and this was just the weekend to do it. We took the ferry over to Tinian, which is about an hour's ride over the ocean. Mostly an uneventful trip except for the tourists who were seasick. That wasn't so pleasant.

After we got settled into our rooms at the Dynasty, we walked across the street to a vendor who had scooters for rent. I had never been on a scooter, but I was determined that this was mode of transportation I wanted to use. After a brief lesson on how to operate the scooter, we donned our helmets and were off to see the sites of Tinian.

Our first stop was an al fresco lunch at the Island Garden Cafe. The food wasn't all that great, but the atmosphere was charming. After lunch we headed north to see the ruins of the Japanese Communications Center, the Atomic bomb pits, the blowhole, and many other historical sites. It was well worth the $20 rental fee to ride a scooter around Tinian. Riding around I felt such freedom. I was relaxed and happy. It really is the best way to see Tinian.

By coincidence the Tinian Hot Chili Pepper Festival and the Chinese New Year just happened to occur on the same weekend we were there, a bonus for sure. We attended the Festival and got a bite to eat at one of the booths. It was similar to the Flame Tree Festival on Saipan only much, much smaller. There was some entertainment, not particular good, but overall it was a nice evening.

On Monday we took our scooters to see the Latte Stones and Suicide Cliff. These were my favorite sites to see. Heading back to town, I wanted to take my time and enjoy the ride and the view. I may never ride a scooter on this island again. I wanted to savor every moment.

The weekend scooting around Tinian did more for me than any steroid or energy drink could. I needed the rest, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Even though I had a paid passage back to Saipan on the ferry, I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a charter flight back to Saipan. The little plane,and I do mean little, only held six passengers, including the pilot! I sat directly behind the pilot and watched him fly the plane. Like a giddy tourist I snapped pictures over his shoulder at the cockpit and the landing strip of Saipan. It was only about a ten-minute flight from

Tinian to Saipan, but well worth every penny and every moment! No time or money were wasted here. It was the best way to end my Valentine weekend...flying high and feeling good.

Then Sings My Soul

Have you ever heard a song or listened to music that was so moving it stirred something deep within your spirit and brought tears to your eyes? I've had this experience many times, but none as much as the one I heard last Saturday. The teachers at SCS were given invitations to listen to a former SCS student, Hyung Ji Jang (Jeanie), perform at Giovanni's at the Hyatt. The venue alone is breathtaking and enough to calm your spirit and put you in a relaxed mood. But add to that a brilliant performance by Hyung Ji and her friends and my spirit was uplifted tenfold. I was in awe of the talent these ladies had. Their performances were flawless. At times I closed my eyes and thought I was listening to a recording. But it was live and I was there and I am so grateful for beautiful music.

They performed classical and some more contemporary pieces that are familiar and popular with the general public. The concert began with Gabriel's Oboe from the movie, "Mission". The next performance was a trio of contemporary pieces: Moon River, The Entertainer, and Por Una Cabeza. Then we heard a piano performance of Claire de Lune, followed by Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4 Movement 3. Next the cellist performed Le Cygne and Salut d'Amour.

There were two performances that moved me very deeply. One was performed by the french horn, the oboe, and the cello, with piano accompaniment. They played an arrangement of This is My Father's World. I recognized it as a hymn. While they were performing, I kept thinking about how God is so big and he gives talent that is so amazing. And I also thought, we so often limit the power of God in our lives. God can use us and grant us amazing talent if we just open up and believe it. Whether that particular piece was included in their concert by design or coincident, God was glorified regardless. For me, it was a moment of deep gratitude.

The last piece was another performance that moved me to tears. Hyung Ji performed the entire movement of Carmen Fantasie. Words cannot accurately express what I heard coming from that flute. She was amazing. The passion she had for performing never wavered throughout the entire piece. She gave her all and we were blessed because of it. The performance deserved and received a standing ovation. As an encore, she performed, You Lift Me Up.

I felt like I was the one lifted up that afternoon. In listening to them perform and watching their passion, I walked away having a bigger view and love for God. Whether they intended that or not, I cannot say. But I can say that I left with my soul singing and a deeper faith for asking God for bigger things.