I am missing our children. I know soon they will be back home with us. Then we can detox from their week away. I hope N is remembering to be nice to his brother and think about what he does before hand. I hope they are finding some time to practice their multiplication facts. It might not be the most fun thing to do, but it is something they need to learn for school. I want to help them to be successful the best I can because I love them. I wish I could protect them when they are not with us. I wish I could protect them from crappy adults. In my years of teaching and ministry, there have been many kids I wished I could protect from adults who make bad choices about patenting. But I can’t. The best I can do is pray they survive it somehow and can become adults capable of healthy relationships. Sunday I will give them hugs and tell them I love them just the way God made them. Just the way they are. This includes their faults. Every single one of them. My job as a parent is to teach them how to live lives for Jesus. A life without judgement, a life full of grace and a life of serving others over theirselves. We are so blessed God has given us this children! Love them so very much!!!
Honesty, truth, sincere words. I’m finished with hiding me.
This earth is full of clutter. Some might call it diversity while others define it as confusion. It can be a defining moment when you stop to consider that other people do not share your beliefs and values. Everyone has their reasons for believing what they do. Still, in this dichotomy of perspectives we all search for hope. Our hearts depend on hope when planning for tomorrow. We hope one day our world will be a better place. We hope our lives can be healthier and longer. We hope our lives will mean something to someone. We hope for happiness. All too often, our quest for hope leaves us feeling empty. What if it didn’t? What if our thirst for hope was quenched for eternity? Jesus is the BEST hope! With Jesus there is always hope for tomorrow, even from the grave. It is a hope that no one can take from us.
A wise King David penned these powerful words in Psalms. “But now, Lord, what do I wait for? All my hope is in you. (Ps 39:7)”
What are expectations? In public school districts, the expectation can be found in curriculum. In a classroom, the expectations are communicated by the teacher verbally and nonverbally. Students may have expectations of what they will gain from their own school experience. Parents have expectations for their children. They might expect certain behavior at the dinner table or in public. Their expectation might be that their children do not conform to expectations. In which the child tries to conform to the parents expectation of nonconformity. It is complicated.
I believe that expectations have their place. I expect my children to find things they are passionate about and work hard at achieving in those areas, even when they aren’t so excited about the immediate tasks they need to do to get there. I expect them to THINK critically about what they are learning and how they can use that information in real life. I expect that they ask questions… many good questions… and learn from their failures.
I am sure my children have expectations of me just as I do them. They probably expect me to take care of the needs they cannot take care of themselves. They expect me to know the answers and are amazed when I do not have them. Most importantly, they expect me to accept them for who they are and never say words which are hurtful and rejecting to them. They expect to be loved.
Love don’t come in colors… Love is just love :)
I am on my way to see my mom for mother’s day. I am so blessed to have one of the best moms. She is very motherly, always worrying about us kids. Sometimes it drives us nuts, but I think that is pretty normal. It is quite common for mom to buy something for us just because. She is thoughtful like that. Momma always puts other people’s needs and wants ahead of her own. I really admire her for that. I hope that I can be at least half of the mom she has been (and continues to be) to me. Happy Mother’s Day, Momma! I love you now and always!
I love his heart! B is so caring and tender. Today he held the door open for a bunch of people. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I am being helpful because it is what I want to do.”
At dinner he got a very special treat, an endless cup of freckled lemonade. He downed his first cup but savored the next. I love the look on his face when took his first sip. It was one of surprise and adoration. B REALLY knows how to love life. This is the thing I admire the most about him.
Every day I spend with this amazing kid, I feel blessed. I am so blessed God has allowed me to be a mom to him. He might be changing and growing up, but whether he is 8, 10, 16, or 25… He will always be my little B.
This is what I want to do in my life right now. I want to take shape with my health, weight, house, spiritual health… My life is always going to be busy. I am not ever going to feel up to cleaning or exercising. I will always be tired. So, I need to just do it. I pray that the Lord will give me strength to get cracking when I get home from dinner. Doggie washed, cage cleaned, laundry started, dishes done, spot bot put in motion… A different night I will work in a spin on the treadmill. I am going to do this! I will not sit on my bum! I will push myself, even if I am tired! I will! I will! I will!
91 years seems so long. In all of eternity, it is just a blink of an eye. Praying our sweet pawpaw is no longer suffering and in the arms of Jesus.
Love his hate away…
