Ode to Books...

I just read a post on my son's blog and it reminded me of some very precious moments with my children. Erik is serving in a Third World country teaching children to read. Today he wrote about about how 18 year old boys were willing to read Green Eggs and Ham because that was the only book available. That helped put some things in perspective for me. First, it helped me to see how incredibly "rich" my children are. We have read hundreds of books over their childhood. They practically owned a library by the time they were in elementary school. Reading was as natural to them as breathing. Delightful times of snuggling, laughing, and sharing adventures canvassed their growing up years. If we read everything we owned and yearned for something new, a simple trip to the library would yield hours worth of new fun and excitement. I had favorites as did my children and I also had some that I would groan when that particular book was chosen. If I am honest, the above mentioned title would have made the "groaning" list. However, that leads me to my second thought. Even if the book chosen was not everyone's favorite, it was still a time of great blessing together. My children had books to read, knew how to read, and we had a family with which to share this experience. I never ceased to be amazed at how easy it is for me to take things for granted. Never again, will I grumble about having to pick up a book, magazine, or newspaper that was left "out of it's place" because one of my children read until the last moment before they had to rush out the door to be on time. Instead, I will give thanks to my Father in Heaven for this amazing privilege and leave it where they can easily find it so they can pick up right where they left off.

Motherhood can be painful

I am having a hard time this morning. Perhaps the dreary sky and the falling rain are causing me to feel a little bit of melancholy. Or perhaps it is the silence in my home. The youngest has left for school, the next youngest starts college today, and the other three (one is married so we count his wife as our own now) are on two different continents. I know that that everyone is where God said to go and I am thankful for that. However, I don’t like the tears that keep slipping into my eyes that originate from the pain in my heart. I think I can relate in a small way to how Mary the mother of Jesus must have felt at times. Mary was told at the beginning of her "mom adventure" that pain would be a part of her journey. The scriptures tells us that when they went to the temple to present Jesus, a man named Simeon told her some wonderful things about her Son. They were amazing words of great things to come. However, he ended his conversation with these words, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Translation: This journey is going to be really cool but eventually this is gonna hurt! I don’t know about anyone else but that would not be my favorite conversation closure. I am all for the warm, fuzzy, and awesome things about my children. At one time I even had a great memory so I could recall those things instantly. Like Mary, we moms do a great job of “treasuring all of these things and pondering them in our hearts”. That other part – not so much. I think that is what I am feeling today. Obedience to God means just that. Going wherever and doing whatever as instructed. That "mom" pain for me today looks like an empty and quiet home. I realize that in comparison to what Mary endured this is nothing. But pain… on even a small scale still hurts. I also know that mothers throughout the centuries understand and can relate. Our jobs are to teach them, love them, and prepare them to be God’s servants and then turn them loose to be just that. But that is hard because we love them so very much and the world is a very scary place. However, I will not lose hope or despair. Instead I will be encouraged by God's words in Joshua chapter 1. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” I know those words were for Joshua to build his confidence just like it is for my children. However, I think it was probably for Joshua’s mom too – and me and you.

First Day - Last Day

Today was my baby girl's first day of the 2009 - 2010 school year. The fact that she is a sophomore in high school does not change the nostalgia of the moment. Before we left we took her official "first day of school picture". She is now in the picture all by herself as her siblings are either in college or graduated from college. Then we were off. I got the privilege of driving her to school today. We talked about lots of the usual things - who would be in her class, teachers, school subjects, what she wanted me to pray for her, (she said to pray that she would want to go to school instead of sleep), etc... The trip to school went way to quick. When she leaned over to kiss me good-bye I realized that next year she would be driving herself to school. This was my last "first day" with her. As I drove away I noticed with shock that she had grown up just like all of her siblings had done. I wanted to be offended because the "baby of the family" is not ever supposed to do that. I realized though that in order for her to become the woman that God had planned for her to become that all of this change was necessary. So...like many moms today I came away with tears in my eyes and precious memories in my heart of sloppy kisses rendered while trying to open the car door, gather lunch, books, and charging off into another year of adventure.

Why a blog?

I entered motherhood in 1985 with absolutely no idea of the adventure that lay before me. I had a brand new college degree (graduating magna cum laude) but no amount of "education" could have readied me for what I was about to undertake. In my daddy's words "I had a lot of book smarts but not much real life common sense". However, children have a way of teaching you things that you never even thought you needed to know. So...my journey has been and continues to be filled with lots of "education" and love, laughter, and joy as well as other emotions that moms experience like inadequacy, frustration, and "being scared spitless" on several occasions. Over the years I have told my children that raising them was worthy of writing a book because some of the things that have happened to us along the way were just too good not to share with other moms on similar journeys. I always have said that my book would be entitled "The Things Children Make Their Mothers Say". (That is a blog entry for another day.) Today I finally decided to start writing because both of my sons have blogs. It did not look too hard and I figured I had no more excuses left so it was now or never. Thus, it is my desire that by sharing some of the experiences of raising our children that you will be encouraged as your raise yours. I had no idea of the amazing and awesome journey that I would have the privilege to experience by being a mom. Steven Curtis Chapman did a great job of summing this up for me in a song entitled "The Great Adventure" and the lyrics go like this...

"Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze.
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure."