A Legacy of Believers

I have written before about how much I enjoy learning about my family's history.  So, when I saw this early video footage (circa 1952) from the church I grew up in, the wave of nostalgia was priceless.  It was no surprise I felt tears well in my eyes as I watched my grandparents bring their children to church on Homecoming Sunday (at 5:15 mark).  I immediately recognized  Grandmama Rath, flowers in one hand, daughter in the other hand as she came into view.  It was so typical of her to carry flowers from her garden to someone.  Granddaddy followed behind with another child in tow.  I caught a fleeting glimpse of my daddy as a little boy, about the age of five.

In ten minutes of video, I was struck by all the smiling expressions.  No doubt many were struggling to make ends meet, but only contentment was visible.  Dressed in Sunday best, ready to worship their Savior.  As I think about our typical Sunday mornings, I wonder what I would look like to future generations fifty eight years later.  Surely my Heavenly Father does not need old home movies.  He sees it all in real time.  Sure hope no one was preserving for posterity any Sunday mornings I haven't been smiling as I entered to worship!  Will my children remember a mother nagging her children to hurry or one who is eager with her heart prepared to worship her God? I hope the latter.

While many in the video have now passed from this life, I am once more reminded of the legacy we leave through the everyday events of our family's lives.  The events today will be forever etched in the memories of our children.  What will your legacy be?

A Bedtime Story for Mommy

Once upon a time, there was a mommy who LOVED her life with her husband and two precious children. Her family made her feel like a queen and she treasured spending time with them. But the queen did not like it when her castle was messy. As hard as she tried, she just could not relax in a messy house. She feared that an unexpected guest would find her home in absolute filth. Laundry made the queen especially irritated. Sometimes as the queen begrudgingly did her chores, she even acted more like a "wicked stepmother" instead of the nice mommy God designed her to be. The queen was angry because she would rather be snuggling in a chair reading to her prince and princess than folding the evil piles of laundry that never seemed to end.

One day at a time and several years later, the queen decided that she had had enough! No more would she allow a messy house to bother her and steal her joy. She decided that she would do a few chores a day instead of letting them all pile up. She got herself organized and made a cleaning schedule. She gave her children age appropriate chores and made it fun for them to complete them. She made a pact with the another queen in her kingdom that they would not feel obligated to clean their castles before having each other over. And when the chores did pile up as they just seem to do, she made time with her husband and children the priority.

She studied Proverbs 31 and began to consider it an act of worship to care for her family. By changing her perspective about her chores, the queen began to actually enjoy her mundane tasks. She even found that listening to Christian music while folding laundry magically transformed her once dreaded chore into much needed time alone with God.

So, the moral of the story is...

Housework can wait, my children need kisses.
They want me to play, I'll put off the dishes.
When they're grown, I'll keep the house spic 'n' span...
But children grow fast so I'll play while I can.

And...when unexpected guests arrive and the house is a mess...
Repeat the following:
"The house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it!"

Now that's a fairy tale ending!

Great Day at Dowdy-Ficklen

From the Mouths of Babes

Sometimes Ashley and Paul just crack me up with the one-liners they come up with. This week has been full of them.

I enjoy listening to worship music in the van as we start our day. However, Paul has been known to protest female vocalists, terming it "girl music". He prefers a male vocal. Okay, simple enough. So after a trip to Wal-Mart I was very excited about the four Chris Tomlin CDs I purchased thinking this would be just perfect. I could already picture my kids in the backseat learning the words to the popular choruses our church often sings. I imagined me explaining a verse each morning and having discussions about God. So, when Paul asked if we could listen to one of their audiobooks, I explained that we would be listening to "church music" to start our day and that we could enjoy his stories in the afternoons. To which he replied, "Man you don't know anything about kids!"

That evening after I put on his bicycle helmet, he pointed that I had put it on backwards and said "Mommy, only BOYS know how to do these things!"

So on to Ashley's one-liners. . .Since the first day of school, she has been telling me about a girl in her class who was "really mean". During bedtime snuggles, Ashley confessed that she almost got in trouble for talking. As I questioned why, this is the story she shared: "Well she (the mean girl) even made one poor little thing cry. So I told her I was going to issue her a challenge" A What? Where does she get this stuff? Well, Ashley what was the challenge? "Well I told her that tomorrow all the people at our table were going to dress pretty like in pink and if everybody dressed pretty then she would have to join our team and start being nice". Well, there you have it. The school psychologists' daughter just took it upon herself to create her own behavior plan...

So last night I asked how things were going with her "challenge". She explained what she told her friend, "My Mommy fixes kids and I'm going to ask if she can get that mean girl an appointment". Thank you very much Ashley, but Mommy has about all the referrals she can handle at the moment.

So, while one child thinks I know "nothing about kids", at least the other has some faith in my skills...Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ashley. I certainly needed it after Paul's remarks.

Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Kindergarten here I come,
I know I'll have lots of fun!
Lots of things to make and do,
Reading, writing, counting too!
Kindergarten here I come,
I know I'll have lots of fun!

Through A Mother's Eyes

On Thursday, Paul will begin Kindergarten. One part nervous, one part excited, he will most likely hold my hand as his Daddy and I walk him to his class. With cameras in tow, we will document his first day of school (and hopefully not embarrass him) . People in the hall will see my little guy proudly wearing his new backpack as we head towards his class.

But they won't see him through his mother's eyes...His mother will see a little boy who will always be her baby... even as he grows and learns to do new things.

And she will ask herself, "Where have the past five years gone?" She will selfishly beg time to stand still for just a moment more and tearfully realize the impossibility of her request. But deep down inside, she knows that a new adventure is just ahead with more childhood joys just waiting to be discovered together.

Are You a Helicopter Mom?

Recently, a friend described the two of us as helicopter moms. She nailed it. I hover. Like many other moms, I'm very protective of my children. Lately as I talked with two of my closest friends, we agreed that despite our best efforts, accidents just happen sometimes. I'm sure others can relate to that guilty feeling when your child gets hurt and you blame yourself. If only I had just _____.(you fill in the blank) My personal favorite has to be, "If only I had put the razor up higher in the shower so my two year old wouldn't be tempted to shave like Daddy and slice his lower lip." Ouch.

Its not just bodily harm we must be concerned about. God has entrusted us to guard their hearts and minds from all that may tarnish their precious innocence. And since we can't hover over them constantly, we must teach them to steer away from ungodly influences. Children begin to distinguish right from wrong very early on and as parents we must equip them with the necessary decision making skills so they will be able to make good choices in life.

There was only one perfect parent, and I'm so grateful for the assurance that He will keep our children under His watchful eye. So, as the summer closes and another school year begins, pray that God will protect our little ones from all harm and then trust Him to do just that.