You just may be a mother of a young son if....you wake up in bed with a fire truck jabbing you in the butt crack!!! Siren blaring even!!!! But in his defense he plays equally nicely with a beautiful pink and purple miniature castle. And honestly the tip of that thing is way more painful...think medieval castle tower with flag waving in the breeze. Did you get that picture? Now picture...being in a sound sleep and realizing very early in the morning that....THAT is not your husband!!!!......!!!! Generally this occurs during nap time. I am at that point with the boy...that I am hanging on to every last moment of his babyhood...and nap time. He proudly tells me, " I do not have to take naps once I turn 4." Yes Yes yes buddy....which means MOM will no longer get a nap. This bites!!! I need a nap with or with out the fire truck noises. But alas, my little man is growing up and recently I got to thinking about the differences in raising a son verses daughters. There are several differences that I never anticipated...some I did. Like I never anticipated trying to teach him to hold his parts while taking a whiz! Seriously isn't that just something MEN know how to do?
I never once , even now think about the girls as someones future wife. Well sometimes I do...but right from the start I have always said...some day he will be someones a husband...and a son in law. So I have opted to raise him accordingly. Opting to do so and doing so are likely two different things. Bummers! But in reality children do grow up and I want for him more than his father was taught and more than I was taught. It's kind of scary to think of the things your kids might have to face. How do I cover it all? Lesson one...put that toilet seat down...is in full swing! But WOW where do you begin the rest? Some day he will be responsible for supporting a wife and children. He may someday indeed be changing my diapers. How the doodles do you prepare them for THAT!!!LOL!!! Lesson two...we do NOT hit girls is not coming along so easily. Just ask his sisters.
Recently, two of my friends have been having marital trouble. Now as disheartening as that is to see, hear , feel and listen to; almost immediately I began to think about how can I teach my little man to be a bigger and better man...than THOSE men. I think the first thing to do is...pick a great father to begin with. Ummm? Love my husband to pieces...but none of us are the best of role models at times. So then what, how, and when and where...and then back to how? It is my personal believe that the best thing we could now or EVER do for him or for our daughters is to take them to church. Not just take them and drop them off, but take them and get involved in their lives and their learning. Learning about God and life in general is of utmost importance. I would say a few good lessons in personal finance would also help out every kid. But if I screw up everything and fail at it all....for him to see LOVE and GRACE in all walks of life , good days and bad, may just very well cover over some of the not so great things we do or forget to teach. I want him to know he can always come to us and we will always offer advice. But I will not be THAT kind of a mother in law! Y'all listen to this and remind me later.
No matter what I simply want to show LOVE. I want him to LOVE. It's not the LOVE part that cheats on ya wife...and love does NOT load up ya wife's things and hall them off to the dump. Mistakes are made...I know that. Forgiveness can be beautiful and teaches valuable lessons. But I am so banking on the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the ability to love through all things...to carry my little man through thick and thin. Conflict resolution, communication skills are a plus. LOVE, however some how some way will ....lead to just that and all that. Not just love on the good days but the love that shows up on the bad days. And I can not for the life of me think of a better example of that than in that of God and the life of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Faithfully in Weeds
I am well aware that God has a plan. He is the only one with a plan that I know of. Yet I do not know of it. And frankly I do not understand it. That is probably a good thing; perhaps it is but still I wonder some days; with all the plans he is planning out is he really working on mine. Is he working for the good and planning and spinning and molding a Divine plan that is at work within our little family. Some days are long and tough...most of them...and yet I am peacefully assured that HE does exist and yes he does have a plan. And for sure we are all in it. But my worries sometimes lie in what part is his part, what is mine and what is of Satan. I wonder out loud and in my silent thoughts how could God be doing this.
Every year for 6...or is it 7 years... I have faithfully gone out side and sat on the lawn and pulled weeds out from in front of my house. One year I tore up what was left of a jagged sidewalk with a promise from my earthly father to build and pour me a new sidewalk. My husband and I even went and spent a fair amount of money to purchase a cement mold and 16 bags of cement. My father never did build me that side walk and I have 16 dried up bags of cement and a muddy grass path to prove it. With those jagged sidewalk pieces I built a little divider of sorts and re laid the bricks one by one down the side of the house. Purposely making a clear divide between yard...and my weeds! And so as fall rolls in and the last of this years warm enough days rolls through....I am yet again pulling weeds. Why you ask...well simple. I have prayed for a load or two of mulch and a load or two or three even of rocks to take care of our gravel driveway and that prayer has yet to be answered. Silly perhaps you say. Probably so...but there has yet to be any leftover money to take care of things I know a needs a doing. One year however, the Lord did send me a new set of garden tools. He sat them right on my front porch. I am not telling a fib here either. I have a hutch who may or may not have helped him out...not that the Lords need any help ...but he does use others in his works and in his plans. So faithfully I know he has a plan. Not just for my weed patch but for me and you. But indeed a plan for my weeds, my house, my life, our lives and life in general.
Sometimes my faith is tested; like when during the winter months of rain one of my kids walks though my living room with mud caked on their feet and thus trailing it behind them. All due to no sidewalk and not mulch. Foolish you think...well again perhaps. But then again one year a few bags of rocks were delivered to help out at the end of the handicap ramp. Those couple of bags of gravel helped with the mud and helped to ease the difficulty of getting my daughters wheelchair up the ramp without the trail of mud. And so I have faith that someday things will look a bit nicer around here. I also know that my faith will be tested time and time again. So it was not surprise today when the phone rang as I was a pulling weeds with a message of not so good news. Heartbreaking news for one of my daughters. My oldest daughter has gone through a lot in her 12 yrs...and now to find out that she is going to have to see a doctor about getting a back brace and as a double hitter she is having medical trouble with her kidneys as a result of her pediatric diabetes. So while pulling weeds I listened to wails of pain and fear and doubt. Faith being tested shows itself in many forms. Today I was asked what could his plan possibly be and why is he doing this. I honestly don't have answers. Well not the ones understandable to a child. Not even understandable by adult standards really.All I know is...I have Faith and a whole yard full of WEEDS. Someday I'll have a flower garden...mulch included. Until then you'll find me every year Spring and Fall....faithfully in the weeds!
Every year for 6...or is it 7 years... I have faithfully gone out side and sat on the lawn and pulled weeds out from in front of my house. One year I tore up what was left of a jagged sidewalk with a promise from my earthly father to build and pour me a new sidewalk. My husband and I even went and spent a fair amount of money to purchase a cement mold and 16 bags of cement. My father never did build me that side walk and I have 16 dried up bags of cement and a muddy grass path to prove it. With those jagged sidewalk pieces I built a little divider of sorts and re laid the bricks one by one down the side of the house. Purposely making a clear divide between yard...and my weeds! And so as fall rolls in and the last of this years warm enough days rolls through....I am yet again pulling weeds. Why you ask...well simple. I have prayed for a load or two of mulch and a load or two or three even of rocks to take care of our gravel driveway and that prayer has yet to be answered. Silly perhaps you say. Probably so...but there has yet to be any leftover money to take care of things I know a needs a doing. One year however, the Lord did send me a new set of garden tools. He sat them right on my front porch. I am not telling a fib here either. I have a hutch who may or may not have helped him out...not that the Lords need any help ...but he does use others in his works and in his plans. So faithfully I know he has a plan. Not just for my weed patch but for me and you. But indeed a plan for my weeds, my house, my life, our lives and life in general.
Sometimes my faith is tested; like when during the winter months of rain one of my kids walks though my living room with mud caked on their feet and thus trailing it behind them. All due to no sidewalk and not mulch. Foolish you think...well again perhaps. But then again one year a few bags of rocks were delivered to help out at the end of the handicap ramp. Those couple of bags of gravel helped with the mud and helped to ease the difficulty of getting my daughters wheelchair up the ramp without the trail of mud. And so I have faith that someday things will look a bit nicer around here. I also know that my faith will be tested time and time again. So it was not surprise today when the phone rang as I was a pulling weeds with a message of not so good news. Heartbreaking news for one of my daughters. My oldest daughter has gone through a lot in her 12 yrs...and now to find out that she is going to have to see a doctor about getting a back brace and as a double hitter she is having medical trouble with her kidneys as a result of her pediatric diabetes. So while pulling weeds I listened to wails of pain and fear and doubt. Faith being tested shows itself in many forms. Today I was asked what could his plan possibly be and why is he doing this. I honestly don't have answers. Well not the ones understandable to a child. Not even understandable by adult standards really.All I know is...I have Faith and a whole yard full of WEEDS. Someday I'll have a flower garden...mulch included. Until then you'll find me every year Spring and Fall....faithfully in the weeds!
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