Last night, Sunday, Januar 9, 2011, around 9:30 p.m., snow began falling, heavily. We were expecting it and were well prepared for power outage and no water. We awakened to the phone ringing at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning, our son telling us they were headed to the hospital. Because of the weather they changed plans and headed to the local medical center rather than the hospital their doctors practice from.
We arrived about 7:30 a.m. and waited until our first grandchild arrived about 3:45 p.m. Mother and baby fine. We held him and took some pics, then hurriedly left for home before the roads became impassable with icy conditions.
Praise God for He has given!!! To God be the Glory, great things He has done.
Our lives radically changed today. My prayer is that I will be as patient and loving as my grandmother was with me and I will impact my grandchild in positive ways as my mother and mother-in-law have our sons.
God bless,
V
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year's Day, 2011: A Point of Reflection
It's true, the older you get the faster time flies! This year, I've made a conscious decision to experience New Year's Eve and Day with a more positive outlook. So far it's working. You see, for years, I would get into this funk, a downward spiral of emotion and regret about all the things I did wrong, all the things I should have done, all the goals I did not meet in the past year, and fear of setting new goals only to fail again.
One January many years ago, I gained 20 pounds! I realized I was developing a pattern of maintaining my weight fairly well through the holidays but would pack on pounds afterward. Like most Americans, our family celebrates Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve and Day with lots of food and family gatherings. In addition, our youngest son was born on Thanksgiving Day (10 pound turkey), our wedding anniversary is DEC 4, my birthday is DEC 13, then January 24 we celebrate our oldest son's birthday. Wow! A lot of activity for any family, but for me and all of my sentimentality and motherly emotion, the 8 week time period became something I dreaded rather than looked forward to with joy.
But why? Thankfully, I heard this subject discussed on Christian radio where all of these special dates were termed "points of reflection". Apparently my response to these annual celebrations, especially our sons' birthdays, was common. Mothers like me tend to look back and ask themselves did I do all I could have for my children? What about that scrapbook I was supposed to do by their first birthdays? Why didn't I take them to the park more?
The video taken of our first born's one year old birthday party I am crying on camera. Tears of sadness that our little boy was no longer a baby I could snuggle close but a walking and talking human being developing a mind of his own. How did that happen, and so quickly? But also tears of joy, the gratefulness of being his mother, of his healthy body and bright mind, and cute personality, not to mention his chubby legs and giant bright blue eyes.
Now our sons are 22 and 25, all grown up, and most likely having "points of reflection" of their own. My musings are more about me and Bear (DH) now than about our sons. Like did I spend enough time with my daddy after my retirement and before he died? And how can I still be over 200 pounds? Didn't I commit to lose the weight once and for all about 10 years ago? How did my Bear get to be in his mid 50's when just yesterday he was the strapping 20 year old who stole my teenage heart?
He still has my heart, 29 years later, and I still need to lose the weight. But this New Year's Day I am so thankful for so much:
my God, my salvation, my peace
my 29 years of marriage
my widowed mother coping well
our sons, serving God with their time and talents
our daughter-in-law, who loves us and is delivering our Judah any day now
our financial security in spite of the great recession
my health
my home where we have raised our sons
my church where we all have our individual ministries
my very dear friends, most of 20+ years
Dear Heavenly Father, as we enter a new year, I praise you for all my many blessings! Thank you for your grace and mercy and for being the "lifter of my head". Lord I give you my fears as I face new challenges like being a grandmother, being 55, growing in You, improving my health and being the best I can be as a witness for You.
Thank you for another year with my Bear, my mother, my family and friends! I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, your son, my saviour.
MotherMom
One January many years ago, I gained 20 pounds! I realized I was developing a pattern of maintaining my weight fairly well through the holidays but would pack on pounds afterward. Like most Americans, our family celebrates Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve and Day with lots of food and family gatherings. In addition, our youngest son was born on Thanksgiving Day (10 pound turkey), our wedding anniversary is DEC 4, my birthday is DEC 13, then January 24 we celebrate our oldest son's birthday. Wow! A lot of activity for any family, but for me and all of my sentimentality and motherly emotion, the 8 week time period became something I dreaded rather than looked forward to with joy.
But why? Thankfully, I heard this subject discussed on Christian radio where all of these special dates were termed "points of reflection". Apparently my response to these annual celebrations, especially our sons' birthdays, was common. Mothers like me tend to look back and ask themselves did I do all I could have for my children? What about that scrapbook I was supposed to do by their first birthdays? Why didn't I take them to the park more?
The video taken of our first born's one year old birthday party I am crying on camera. Tears of sadness that our little boy was no longer a baby I could snuggle close but a walking and talking human being developing a mind of his own. How did that happen, and so quickly? But also tears of joy, the gratefulness of being his mother, of his healthy body and bright mind, and cute personality, not to mention his chubby legs and giant bright blue eyes.
Now our sons are 22 and 25, all grown up, and most likely having "points of reflection" of their own. My musings are more about me and Bear (DH) now than about our sons. Like did I spend enough time with my daddy after my retirement and before he died? And how can I still be over 200 pounds? Didn't I commit to lose the weight once and for all about 10 years ago? How did my Bear get to be in his mid 50's when just yesterday he was the strapping 20 year old who stole my teenage heart?
He still has my heart, 29 years later, and I still need to lose the weight. But this New Year's Day I am so thankful for so much:
my God, my salvation, my peace
my 29 years of marriage
my widowed mother coping well
our sons, serving God with their time and talents
our daughter-in-law, who loves us and is delivering our Judah any day now
our financial security in spite of the great recession
my health
my home where we have raised our sons
my church where we all have our individual ministries
my very dear friends, most of 20+ years
Dear Heavenly Father, as we enter a new year, I praise you for all my many blessings! Thank you for your grace and mercy and for being the "lifter of my head". Lord I give you my fears as I face new challenges like being a grandmother, being 55, growing in You, improving my health and being the best I can be as a witness for You.
Thank you for another year with my Bear, my mother, my family and friends! I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, your son, my saviour.
MotherMom
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
What's So Boomin' About Being a Boomer?
So, I turned 54 years old this week. Wow! How did that happen? Just yesterday I was 29 and giving birth to my first child! It's true what Mom has always said, the older you get, the faster time flies.
This seaon of my life brings so much change and I just do not do change well at all. My father-in-law died DEC 2005; our older son got married Summer of 2007; our younger son began college Fall of 2007; and my father died 2 years ago Thanksgiving. While all are natural occurrences in the cycle of life, they bring change. One positive change has been our purchase of a coastal home in the Florida Panhandle. Yes, we are blessed by this luxury and my hubby has reduced the stress in his life by enjoying salt water fishing. But....this second home is still a change.
Maybe I'm sounding a little whiny, so let me reflect on my many blessings I am experiencing during this stage of life.
My mother, who has suffered debilitating anxiety and depression over the years, is actually coping fairly well with the loss of my daddy. I am coping very well with the loss of my daddy! If you'd told me before Daddy became ill that I would have handled his illness and death so well, I would have disagreed with you. Surely it was and is the grace and mercy of God, and the fact I was able to spend almost every day with Daddy after the grim diagnosis.
Being a mother-in-law has not been nearly as difficult as I had imagined. Our daughter-in-law loves our son and The Lord! What more could a mother ask for her son!
As for parenting our adult child who is still living at home, this, too has been relatively easier than I anticipated. At the age of 22, he works and attends college and respects house rules while contributing to the care of home and property. His joyful spirit is a light in our home and we will truly miss him when he creates a home of his own.
Our 29 year marriage has not been without bumps in the road. My hubby and I have remained committed to our wedding vows and God has honored that. We enjoy our time together, but also appreciate our time apart. I am pursuing my writing career while he pursues the biggest fish in the sea!!!
We are so very blessed that our mothers are independent and healthy, continuing to live alone, attend church, and enjoy their families and churches. We are so very blessed that our finances and health are stable. We are so very blessed that we have loving and attentive children who serve the Lord with their time, talents, and treasures.
So, what is so boomin' about being a boomer? GRANDCHILDREN!!! Our first grandchild, a little boy, is due in 5 weeks. His name is Judah Nathaniel, which means, Praise God for He has given!
Merry Christmas y'all!
Soon to be Grandmother Mom and loving it!
This seaon of my life brings so much change and I just do not do change well at all. My father-in-law died DEC 2005; our older son got married Summer of 2007; our younger son began college Fall of 2007; and my father died 2 years ago Thanksgiving. While all are natural occurrences in the cycle of life, they bring change. One positive change has been our purchase of a coastal home in the Florida Panhandle. Yes, we are blessed by this luxury and my hubby has reduced the stress in his life by enjoying salt water fishing. But....this second home is still a change.
Maybe I'm sounding a little whiny, so let me reflect on my many blessings I am experiencing during this stage of life.
My mother, who has suffered debilitating anxiety and depression over the years, is actually coping fairly well with the loss of my daddy. I am coping very well with the loss of my daddy! If you'd told me before Daddy became ill that I would have handled his illness and death so well, I would have disagreed with you. Surely it was and is the grace and mercy of God, and the fact I was able to spend almost every day with Daddy after the grim diagnosis.
Being a mother-in-law has not been nearly as difficult as I had imagined. Our daughter-in-law loves our son and The Lord! What more could a mother ask for her son!
As for parenting our adult child who is still living at home, this, too has been relatively easier than I anticipated. At the age of 22, he works and attends college and respects house rules while contributing to the care of home and property. His joyful spirit is a light in our home and we will truly miss him when he creates a home of his own.
Our 29 year marriage has not been without bumps in the road. My hubby and I have remained committed to our wedding vows and God has honored that. We enjoy our time together, but also appreciate our time apart. I am pursuing my writing career while he pursues the biggest fish in the sea!!!
We are so very blessed that our mothers are independent and healthy, continuing to live alone, attend church, and enjoy their families and churches. We are so very blessed that our finances and health are stable. We are so very blessed that we have loving and attentive children who serve the Lord with their time, talents, and treasures.
So, what is so boomin' about being a boomer? GRANDCHILDREN!!! Our first grandchild, a little boy, is due in 5 weeks. His name is Judah Nathaniel, which means, Praise God for He has given!
Merry Christmas y'all!
Soon to be Grandmother Mom and loving it!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Back to School time; Why homeschool?
It's "Back to School" time again. A season when I experience a plethora of emotions ranging from tears of sadness when I observe mommies and their little blonde haired boys shopping for school supplies, to "YIPPEE, those days are gone!" Our family completed our homeschool journey DEC 2007, when life as I knew it radically changed. For 15 years my life revolved around our sons' daily lessons, planning for co-op days, field trips, and at the high school level, homeschool athletics. As I ponder those years, I am convinced homeschooling is so much more than a quality education. We began homeschooling our first born at the age of 5 in 1991. Back then, home education had not entered mainstream America, but its popularity was rapidly growing. We were often asked the question "why homeschool?" The year our son entered Kindergarten, our local school was an inconvenient 13 miles from our home which meant 2 hours on the school bus each day. Further, Kindergarten students rode the same bus as middle school students, a downside to our rural locale. While initially convenience was our primary reason for considering this nontraditional method of education, we soon realized other important reasons for our family's decision to homeschool.
1. It's all about the family. Our sons are 34 months apart and grew up as the best of friends. Today, at the ages of 21 and 24, they are still very close and involved in each others' lives. By the nature of the amount of time siblings spend together during the school day, homeschooling promotes sibling relationships. The same holds true for parent - child relationships. With peer influences minimized and parents closely involved in the child's education, bonds are naturally strengthened.
2. The love of learning. By having control over the subjects taught, parents have the opportunity to instill a love of learning in their child. For example, if the student loves horses, he is much more likely to enjoy reading about horses rather than, say, cars. Unit studies allow for this type of teaching/learning and are especially beneficial to the homeschool in the early grades. By fostering a love of learning in the younger years, the course is set to enjoy school during middle and high school.
3. Keeping God in the classroom. The homeschool classroom is an extension of the family and homelife where God is revered and worshipped and prayer is a natural occurrence. Religious symbols, Christmas, and Easter are not subject to intolerant rules of government schools. The freedom to express personal faith is reason enough for many who choose home education.
1. It's all about the family. Our sons are 34 months apart and grew up as the best of friends. Today, at the ages of 21 and 24, they are still very close and involved in each others' lives. By the nature of the amount of time siblings spend together during the school day, homeschooling promotes sibling relationships. The same holds true for parent - child relationships. With peer influences minimized and parents closely involved in the child's education, bonds are naturally strengthened.
2. The love of learning. By having control over the subjects taught, parents have the opportunity to instill a love of learning in their child. For example, if the student loves horses, he is much more likely to enjoy reading about horses rather than, say, cars. Unit studies allow for this type of teaching/learning and are especially beneficial to the homeschool in the early grades. By fostering a love of learning in the younger years, the course is set to enjoy school during middle and high school.
3. Keeping God in the classroom. The homeschool classroom is an extension of the family and homelife where God is revered and worshipped and prayer is a natural occurrence. Religious symbols, Christmas, and Easter are not subject to intolerant rules of government schools. The freedom to express personal faith is reason enough for many who choose home education.
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