Why do things involving family have to be so complicated sometimes? Anyone who thinks the way they conduct their family life is "normal" is delusional. Many times,the only example we have for being parents is that which we saw modeled for us as children-our own parents. Now, if one was adopted, or lost one or both of their parents at an early age, then whomever filled that spot -other relatives or friends-assumed that role.
Many a time I felt unsure of my parenting skills as a young parent, and usually fell back on the example my parents set for me growing up. Was their example always perfect? Absolutely not.
If I could, would I like to go back and change some unfortunate choices on the part of myself or my parents? You bet I would!
I have seen the heartache of poor parental examples all my life, but the exemplary ones far out-weigh those I shouldn't follow.
One thing I do know-my parents gave our family the very best of themselves; a wonderful homelife; great friends; great church; regular attendance at yearly family reunions; terrific education; and memories that I regularly pass on to my daughter. I hope one day, if God wills, that she will do the same for her husband and children.
Meanwhile, my husband and I have set a goal to let our daughter be herself, respectfully express her opinions, and live in such a way as to please her Creator, and as a result, please her family an friends.
Life will continue to be complicated, but a little unraveling of a "close-knit" relationship is always good for the soul.
Hebrews 12:14-"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord."
Isaiah 26:3a-"You will keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in you."
It's important to choose your battles, and to know which ones to let go. I think when we get to heaven, we'll be surprised by the small number of battles that really mattered to God.
Let me know what you think of this blog. I cherish your comments. Thank you~
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Mom, When You Were Little, What Did You Do For Fun?
As a young girl growing up and living five miles from town, playtime often required creativity. Who would I play with? My best friend, Judy, lived right next door (she had a Shetland pony) with her four older brothers. Other friends sometimes I met through a country church which my dad pastored, so their ages could vary a great deal. But for the most part, my on/off friendship with Judy was usually it.
What would we play? Most often our playtime involved her Barbie dolls and my Pepper dolls(Mom would not let me have anything Barbie). Roll playing brought out the best in both of us. We even met a lady in our church who made Barbie doll clothes. We were in heaven! Neither of us had a Barbie house so we built one out of cardboard boxes and painted it. Architect Digest would have been impressed.
Where would we play? Judy went to my church so I saw her pretty much 24/7. Yes, we both had other friends, most of whom we shared, because we lived in a small town and were in the same grade. But sometimes we would have other friends or cousins over, and the other friend without visitors could have been left out. But more times than not, the lonely one would be invited along, and it made everything just that much more fun! I lived on property with a great hill for sledding in the winter and just rolling down the hill sideways in the summer. At the base of the hill, in the center, was a Hickory tree, which made skiing and sledding a bit tricky! As we would sled down the snow-packed hill , our dogs, Pokey and Chips, would run along side us, barking and panting wildly! Not far from the Hickory tree was a large oak tree, that, during one summer storm, was struck by lightning, splitting the tree in half! The part that remained upright my brother, sister, and I made into a tree house (fort), and the horizontal half became the home of a "girls only" club. The hill continued to slope down until it reached a channel. Now, sometimes in winter, when the temperatures had thawed and frozen the channel, the channel would become so hard that something magical happened. Once my brother said he thought that he could make it on his sled from the top of the hill , right onto the channel ice. Guess what? He did it!
In the summer, my mom, sister, and I would walk alongside the channel where the turtles were sunning on nearby logs and the frogs were croaking their little hearts out. I remember a large area by the water where the tall grasses had been flattened down, perhaps by animals or hard rain. We girls would lie down on the grass in the summer sun and stare at the clouds, pretending they were animals or something else. Some of the shapes we came up with would make us laugh, so eventually we called that special place our "secret laughing place." I can still see it now.
Those are the kinds of stories you can't make up; some are quite ordinary, while others showed what we kids were able to create without any Game Boys or DD gadgets requiring no imagination at all.
I'm so grateful for the childhood my parents gave me! Thanks, Mom and Dad.
What would we play? Most often our playtime involved her Barbie dolls and my Pepper dolls(Mom would not let me have anything Barbie). Roll playing brought out the best in both of us. We even met a lady in our church who made Barbie doll clothes. We were in heaven! Neither of us had a Barbie house so we built one out of cardboard boxes and painted it. Architect Digest would have been impressed.
Where would we play? Judy went to my church so I saw her pretty much 24/7. Yes, we both had other friends, most of whom we shared, because we lived in a small town and were in the same grade. But sometimes we would have other friends or cousins over, and the other friend without visitors could have been left out. But more times than not, the lonely one would be invited along, and it made everything just that much more fun! I lived on property with a great hill for sledding in the winter and just rolling down the hill sideways in the summer. At the base of the hill, in the center, was a Hickory tree, which made skiing and sledding a bit tricky! As we would sled down the snow-packed hill , our dogs, Pokey and Chips, would run along side us, barking and panting wildly! Not far from the Hickory tree was a large oak tree, that, during one summer storm, was struck by lightning, splitting the tree in half! The part that remained upright my brother, sister, and I made into a tree house (fort), and the horizontal half became the home of a "girls only" club. The hill continued to slope down until it reached a channel. Now, sometimes in winter, when the temperatures had thawed and frozen the channel, the channel would become so hard that something magical happened. Once my brother said he thought that he could make it on his sled from the top of the hill , right onto the channel ice. Guess what? He did it!
In the summer, my mom, sister, and I would walk alongside the channel where the turtles were sunning on nearby logs and the frogs were croaking their little hearts out. I remember a large area by the water where the tall grasses had been flattened down, perhaps by animals or hard rain. We girls would lie down on the grass in the summer sun and stare at the clouds, pretending they were animals or something else. Some of the shapes we came up with would make us laugh, so eventually we called that special place our "secret laughing place." I can still see it now.
Those are the kinds of stories you can't make up; some are quite ordinary, while others showed what we kids were able to create without any Game Boys or DD gadgets requiring no imagination at all.
I'm so grateful for the childhood my parents gave me! Thanks, Mom and Dad.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Back to School (Again!)
August is the time of year when, for better or worse, the phrase "back to school" reappears before our eyes on a regular basis. Depending on your perspective, whether you be a teacher, student, or parent, your feelings about this phrase can run a gammit of emotions. But back to what?
Parents-Back to a quieter household, perhaps? Back to making lunches ; chauffering kids once again to athletic events; helping with science fair projects; or studying with your upper-classman high schooler for college entrance exams. Does it ever end? Not really. It may change, but it never ends.
Students-Back to see old friends and to make new ones; back to new schedules and new teachers; and hopefully, new opportunities requiring faith and courage; and new adventures beyond the horizon.
Teachers-Now, granted, it's been a while since I was a student (however, still keeping my head in the books to keep my teaching certificate up-to-date, and for self-improvement), and my daughter is in college now, so my duties as a parent often are performed long distance; I do have mixed emotions, though, when it comes to seeing the summer come to a close, while at the same time, looking forward to a new class of second graders and a new school year.
Back to School-Out with the old; in with the new! I love this phrase also as a teacher, because, being a free spirit, creative type, I am eager to try new ideas that I have read about over the summer or have swapped with fellow teachers over the past several months. I never know the students I will be blessed with, (and I say that very sincerely,) so I can in some ways be just as apprehensive as the students who are unaware of their new teacher. More times than not, it truly is a win/win situation.
So as I think of the many things I have left to complete to prepare for this school year's beginning, my heart is also sympathetic for my new students and their families (wherever they are!) No doubt I may even pass them while shopping for school myself at local department stores, and not be aware that I have seen them. I am actually excited for this new year and the lessons I will teach and those lesson I will learn, too. I have often hear that the best teachers are perpetual students themselves.
Here's to new beginnings! Moving forward as we go "back to school!"
Parents-Back to a quieter household, perhaps? Back to making lunches ; chauffering kids once again to athletic events; helping with science fair projects; or studying with your upper-classman high schooler for college entrance exams. Does it ever end? Not really. It may change, but it never ends.
Students-Back to see old friends and to make new ones; back to new schedules and new teachers; and hopefully, new opportunities requiring faith and courage; and new adventures beyond the horizon.
Teachers-Now, granted, it's been a while since I was a student (however, still keeping my head in the books to keep my teaching certificate up-to-date, and for self-improvement), and my daughter is in college now, so my duties as a parent often are performed long distance; I do have mixed emotions, though, when it comes to seeing the summer come to a close, while at the same time, looking forward to a new class of second graders and a new school year.
Back to School-Out with the old; in with the new! I love this phrase also as a teacher, because, being a free spirit, creative type, I am eager to try new ideas that I have read about over the summer or have swapped with fellow teachers over the past several months. I never know the students I will be blessed with, (and I say that very sincerely,) so I can in some ways be just as apprehensive as the students who are unaware of their new teacher. More times than not, it truly is a win/win situation.
So as I think of the many things I have left to complete to prepare for this school year's beginning, my heart is also sympathetic for my new students and their families (wherever they are!) No doubt I may even pass them while shopping for school myself at local department stores, and not be aware that I have seen them. I am actually excited for this new year and the lessons I will teach and those lesson I will learn, too. I have often hear that the best teachers are perpetual students themselves.
Here's to new beginnings! Moving forward as we go "back to school!"
Friday, August 14, 2009
Life as a Maid in Michigan
I was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, in 1955. Wow! That seems sssssooooo long ago! My mother(5'10") tells me that the weather was especially hot, and I was two weeks late. Sorry, Mom. I would much rather have been born ON the Fourth of July. Since I was not, I have been declaring my independence just to make up for it. Being a very patriotic person (I owe that to my mother and father,too), next to Christmas, Indepence Day is a favorite holiday of mine.
A couple of years ago I attended a local Fourth of July parade with friends and family. My heart nearly lept out of my chest as parade entries from all over the local area passed by. It was as if Norman Rockwell himself was there. Spectators enthusiastically waved their American flags as high school bands perfomed their rehearsed pieces. Civic and religious groups proudly proceeded on brightly-colored floats. The entry that spoke most profoundly to my spirit was when a group of World War II veterans, with their shoes polished like glass and their uniforms crisply pressed, marched by as if they had just returned from their tour of duty, and would go back again tomorrow, if asked. The envigorated crowd , without hesitation, stood to their feet, in honor of these brave men and women, who chose to give their time in service to their country.
As I saw this military group pass by, tears welled up in my eyes as I pictured my dad, who served in the Army in the early 1940's, probably at that moment, was participating in his local patriotic parade in South Carolina. I said a prayer of thanks to God for all who are serving, or have ever served, this great country of ours. God Bless America!
A couple of years ago I attended a local Fourth of July parade with friends and family. My heart nearly lept out of my chest as parade entries from all over the local area passed by. It was as if Norman Rockwell himself was there. Spectators enthusiastically waved their American flags as high school bands perfomed their rehearsed pieces. Civic and religious groups proudly proceeded on brightly-colored floats. The entry that spoke most profoundly to my spirit was when a group of World War II veterans, with their shoes polished like glass and their uniforms crisply pressed, marched by as if they had just returned from their tour of duty, and would go back again tomorrow, if asked. The envigorated crowd , without hesitation, stood to their feet, in honor of these brave men and women, who chose to give their time in service to their country.
As I saw this military group pass by, tears welled up in my eyes as I pictured my dad, who served in the Army in the early 1940's, probably at that moment, was participating in his local patriotic parade in South Carolina. I said a prayer of thanks to God for all who are serving, or have ever served, this great country of ours. God Bless America!
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