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Cultivating the good old days

June 19, 2013 by  · 6 Comments
On the Boardwalk with part of my family.

On the Boardwalk with part of my family.

My daughter-in-law and I were enjoying a lake breeze and inhaling the aroma of funnel cakes as we waited on a few other members of the family.  The destination… a Midwestern amusement park.  The event… the first time in over a year that the family have all been together in one place.

We talked about coming to this same amusement park with our own parents… what has changed and what remains the same.  The owners have managed to upgrade a great deal while keeping the nostalgia intact.  Of course, for me the visits with my mother and father were in the late 1950s and early 1960s before my father passed away.  Her childhood visits were not all that long ago.

I shared with her memories of taking my own children to that amusement park.  Stories of how we had to walk with her future husband (then a two-year old) with one of those kiddie leashes to keep him from jumping into the water and how the four of us always looked forward to lunch at the restaurant overlooking the lake.

It doesn’t seem like it was all that long ago and now I was taking pictures of my grandchildren riding the very same kiddie boats, helicopters, and Merry-Go-Round of previous generations while much of the rest of the family went from one roller coaster ride to another (I am green just thinking of it).

At one point, I left the others and sat on a bench overlooking the boardwalk and the lake… thinking of previous visits and how years pass so quickly.   The reminder again that the opportunities for our children’s “good old days” can pass with no memories made of wonderful family times together.

 

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Water for the Weary Soul ~ Meditating on God’s Word

June 18, 2013 by  · 4 Comments

Cottonwood III by Georgia O’Keeffe

Cottonwood III by Georgia O’Keeffe

Is it just me, or can motherhood at times feel like a desert—all of life sucked dry, perhaps for many reasons, but most seemingly because of the constant pouring out that we do for our families? The perpetual needs and demands can leave us mamas feeling so depleted inside.
One means the Bible suggests for avoiding burn-out is meditating on scripture. To some of us, the word meditation makes us think of some esoteric new-age practice, but meditation is actually a Biblical concept—and has been practiced in both Christian and Jewish traditions. Unlike Eastern meditation where the goal is detachment and emptying the mind, our goal in meditation as Christians is attachment and communion with God. Thomas Merton said “True contemplation is not a psychological trick but a theological grace.” Contemplating God’s Word, communing with Him, is grace and is what brings true refreshment to the weary soul.

Psalm 1:1-3 says
“Blessed is the one …
whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree
planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”

So what does it mean to meditate on God’s word? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Intentional Living, Sowing and Reaping, Uncategorized

When You Feel like Your Life’s a Mess …. The Real Truth About Your Dirt

June 17, 2013 by  · 2 Comments

When he walks through the kitchen with his hair showered clean but his face looking like that, I just have to laugh.

“What?” he says. “Really, I showered, Mom, I did.”

Levi stands indignant, hands on hip, and I nod half serious.

“You showered?”

“Yes, Mom! It’s only my clothes that are dirty.” He’s been picking stones all evening out in the back field.

He’s a boy and doesn’t know it but he’s wearing half the field right there into the kitchen.

“I showered at the barn already. I just have to change out of these clothes.”

“Levi, son.” I lay my hand on his shoulder —

“You need to go look in the mirror.”

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“Oh.”

I can hear Levi laughing at the mirror at the back sink.

“Guess I didn’t get my face?”

 He sticks his head sheepish into the kitchen. I’m grinning.

“Guess I am still dirtier than I thought.”

I wink. And point to the shower. Levi chuckles, pulls his t-shirt off, heads to the bathroom.

I fold laundry. Still dirtier than I thought. I put another load in. Levi runs the shower.

Our hands are so stained with sin, that even our best works can leave traces of dirty prints. I shelve oil-blotted jeans.

Isn’t it true — Dirt is more than what the tabloids and town gossips can dish and it’s more than what we do — dirt is wound right into our DNA. It’s our make-up and there’s no make-up that can mask our mess and how our souls wrinkle in folds over the grime.

I might know that in my head. I don’t know what my heart knows. I can still think we’re pretty clean. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family LIfe, Intentional Living

Father’s Day Blessing

June 16, 2013 by  · Leave a Comment

The lessons we learn from our dads become part of the fabric of who we are in life.  Many of us are blessed to have a good and Godly heritage and for that we are thankful.

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Psalm 44:1 “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us,
what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.”

The men in our lives…Grandfathers, Fathers, Uncles, Husbands, Brothers, Friends and Co-Workers.  Each leaving their impression on our hearts.  Today is their day to be celebrated!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Our Children Are Always Listening…

June 13, 2013 by  · 6 Comments

paige letter to me

I found this note the other day on my desk. It said:

Dear Mommy,

God loves you sososososososo much and I do to. I love you more than the world and I love how God made you.

Love,

Pagie

PS: I wrote a song for you:

So come along and play with me and you will see we will be together forever.

God taught me an important lesson through this sweet little note from my oldest daughter who is 7.

The lesson is: Our children do listen to our words. I have whispered those very words into Paige’s ears for years. As a little girl when I was rocking her to sleep, she heard me tell her how much she was loved…by God, her dad, grandparents and especially me…her mommy. As we would snuggle on the couch in the evening and read a book together, I would kiss the top of her head and tell her I loved her more than anything else in the world. As I helped her get her clothes on in the morning I would tell her how I loved how God made her…..every little thing about her. The way her eyebrows raise when she thinks something is funny. Her adorable little freckles across her nose and cheeks. The caring heart she has for her younger sisters.

The funny thing is, when I tell her these truths……she acts like she doesn’t like it. She squirms on the couch, doesn’t like getting kisses and tells me all the time how I’ve already told her for the 100th time that day how much I love her. She acts like she doesn’t like it…..but she really does. Those words seep into her heart and as she is maturing, she is now able to express those very same words back to me.

Lesson learned: Never stop telling your children how important they are to you, how unique and special God made them….and how much they are loved. Even if they act like they don’t like hearing it…..do it anyway!

Let me be honest with you….I am by no means a perfect mom. I pray daily God will work through me and in many cases in spite of me. I am flawed. I am sinful. Many times throughout the day my patience and will power are tested. But as my children, who are 7, 5 and almost 2, are growing I’m learning to lean into Jesus even more as I parent these 3 little girls. When I’ve lost my patience or haven’t controlled my tongue and spoke harshly to one of my girls, I try and model repentance and grace.

It’s important our children see us live our faith out…..flaws and all. We are sinful and we will make mistakes…even if we love Jesus with all our hearts. But there is beauty in our mistakes because birthed in that mistake is the opportunity to teach them how to respond to their own mistakes and how to seek a merciful and loving God.

Yes, our children are always listening and watching. The best thing we can do is live our faith out right in front of them and show them they don’t have to be perfect to be perfectly loved by God.

We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God….we all need Jesus.

But take heart my sweet sister….your loving words are just the “water” your children need to grow a garden of love in their hearts.

I know parenting during the young years is hard and exhausting. It seems the house can never stay clean, the kids are always hungry or needing a diaper change….but be encouraged, you are touching eternity by investing your life into those little lives.

 

Much love,

Angela

Filed Under: Sowing and Reaping