March 1, 2013

“A Mama Moment”….with Madison    

A smallish, thin letter from EKU's College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Social Work came in the mail today.  We have been praying for Madison's acceptance into the program and she has worked very hard to be a good candidate.  Madison works 40 plus hours a week in Lexington, goes to college full time in Richmond and comes home to Georgetown on the weekends to spend a little bit of time with family and friends.  Her's is a busy life. 

 I am not sure how she does it.  I could not pull a 6pm until 7am shift in Lexington, drive to Richmond to clean up and head to 9am classes.  I just could not.  But, this is her life and has been for the past several years.  And, she has done it well, earning the Dean's List a few times in the recent semesters.

            I am proud of her. 

            So, when we heard the squeal of excitement as she opened her "ACCEPTANCE" letter to the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work, we were excited along with her!!  

            As a little girl, she had a servant's heart, during her high school years she volunteered and served and even in her current job, she works with those who challenge and tug at the very fibre of her being (Eastern State Mental Health Hospital).  I confess that Ian and I often worry about her well-being and safety because she can and does face unusual peril when simply working a standard work shift.  But, she seems to love it and has often said that she feels like she truly helps those she serves. 

            She is different.  She sees way deep into the hearts of her friends, family and patients.  She sees good where no one else does.  She sees potential where others fail to look. 

            I sincerely believe she will be a wonderful Social Worker and look forward to the day she crosses that line all cap and gown and diploma in hand ready to go into the world, eyes opened and prepared....to serve.

            A Mama Moment is when you see God rise up the potential in your child in HIS way.....toward His will for her life. 

A Mama Moment...God thank you for each and every one!

           

 

           

 

           

 

“A Mama Moment”…..with Kenton                                               February 26, 2013

This Mama who is rarely sick has a bad case of strep throat.  Fortunately, I have some great young men to take care of me while Ian is at work.  After laying on the couch all day, I gathered up my  things to go up to bed at the same time Kenton came in from running. 

“Mama…can I have a short…brief conversation with you?”  “I know you don’t feel well, so it’s okay, it can wait.”

I confess…I wanted to take a rain check because I truly do feel pretty terrible, but something in my Mama’s heart thought to stay and listen.

 

I am grateful that God laid on my heart to stay and listen and that He gave me the ability to actually feel okay while Kenton talked. 

He wanted to talk about God and Jesus and the Bible.  About why I believed the way I did and why his Ladder and Grammy/Poppy believed they way they did.  Did I just believe the way my parents did out of respect for them or did I have my own faith? 

Is it okay to question God, where you go to worship, and the actions in the Bible, especially the sacrifices in the Old Testament? 

What I thought would be a ten minute conversation (this is my quiet child), ended up being a 30 minute conversation on all of these things, on family, on life. 

He wasn’t asking these questions as a boy….he was asking these questions as a man. 

I asked him to name five people whom he held in high regard and he gave me quickly five names, almost as if he had been thinking about this as well.  Then, I asked him what they all had in common….and, then I just listened…and, was touched beyond measure by what he had to say. 

And, inside my Mama’s heart, I knew that God was working on him….an answer to my Mama’s prayers.   

Tender to my heart are these “Mama Moments”……even when your son becomes a man…maybe, especially, when your son becomes a man. 

~A Mama Moment

 

If It’s Monday, It’s Mama

I is for Ice Cream Cones and Itinerian and Intercessor

 

While I was pregnant with you, I craved ice cream.  We lived not too far from an ice cream store and would go get the little sample sized cups.  My logic was that too much would not be good for you but a little bit might make you happy....well, okay....might make me happy:)

I believe it was a Baskin Robbins but whatever it was, it had a lot of different flavors, and I believe I tried them all during my pregnancy with you. 

Then, when we moved to the other side of town, we did move close to a Baskin Robbins and we did the same thing.  When I was first pregnant with your brothers, you and I would go get you a small, child-sized cone and I would get the little sample cup.  We would walk from our house to the ice cream shop and back.  My thought was that we would burn up the calories we ate by walking. 

And, while you loved going because you loved ice cream, I loved going because I loved watching you enjoy the journey. 

It typically took us quite a while because you would want to stop and look at every flower, bug and interesting thing we met along the way.  We did this often enough that people would wave to us and smile watching Mama and daughter walk, hand in hand, stopping often, talking all the while. 

Those were days I cherished because I could see your sweet little heart all growing and developing and becoming.  You were an extremely happy little girl.  You sang and laughed and danced all the time.  We twirled and skipped and jumped.  It was a very precious time…and, just thinking about it makes me smile. 

It was when you were little that someone told me to make playing with you a priority so that you had happy memories to pull from when you got older.  I hope we did that.  I tried to do that with you.   

And, even now, when I get ice cream (which is not so often anymore), I always smile and when I close my eyes….I can see your sweet little face all lit up and laughing and licking your little ice cream cone….and, I know God loves me because He gave me you! 

I is also for itinerian which means traveler.  You have high hopes for traveling and baby, I hope you are able to travel.  It has to be a goal, not just a dream.  You have to save and work hard to plan it, and then it becomes real.  Ian has told you about saving over 17 years for a big hunt he wanted to go on.  That is what he used to take me to Bora Bora.  Seventeen years is a long time to save for a hunt.  And, then to do something else with the money….that is amazing.  What a wonderful gift he gave your mother.  His doing that taught me a lot about saving, and planning and giving gifts of love. 

One major thing that I learned from him is that “you will never get to your dreamed of destination if you don’t do the work of planning”.  This applies to all of our life’s travels, including that of our journey to heaven.

I see you planning…..and, I believe you will be an “itinerian”…..and, if that is God’s will for your life, I hope you do.  I still believe what Eva Self taught us, “Baby, dream big dreams and if you work real hard and if Jesus lives in your dreams…your dreams will live”. 

Dream big dreams.

Work hard. 

Plan. 

Then, Go….. 

Finally, I is for Intercessor which also means mediator.  God is our intercessor.  He will mediate between you and any one and any thing with which you have as an obstacle blocking you as you try to live your life.  It is in His ability to intercede or mediate that you can have hope and peace and joy.  Ask Him to intercede in your life when you come against things you cannot handle alone.  In fact, ask Him to intercede in all things…..He loves you and is just waiting for you to ask Him.

ILYAOYMC, 

Mama

If It's Monday, It's Mama.......

 

In the three plus years I have written, “If It’s Monday, It’s Mama” I have never written anything negative.  On purpose.  This is intended to be a positive love letter from your mother to her daughter.  And, while I don’t plan to do that even now, based on what you have been going through, I want so say a few things from my Mama’s heart.  I had started a long blog to you but deleted it…..prayed about what to say….and here is what came to my heart…. 

1)  You are a much beloved daughter and your Dad and I should praise God daily for the gift of you. I know I do.

2) Parents are human and make mistakes, even grave ones.  Work toward forgiveness but don’t accept unGodly behavior from either of us.

 

3) Your self-worth comes from God…and no one else….ever.

4) A forgiven past is dead to God.  Do not let anyone draw you back to the prison of your past. 

5) You cannot force a person to be Godly, but you can pray God will.

6) You cannot force truth, but you can pray God does.

7)  You cannot force relationships, but you can pray that God will restore them.

8)  Surround yourself with those whose lives reflect a love for God and for you.

9) Forgive.

10) Choose love…unconditional love. 

In my own life, those times I felt most broken were those same times I let the words or actions of another make me feel like I was a sinner…or bad….or unworthy.  I let them be my God rather than God be my God. 

I want to encourage you….don’t just utter the words….but, go to God….daily… and ask Him to grow you into the woman he wants you to be. 

He knew all about you even before He knit you in my womb….He knew the challenges you would face and knows what you are facing now.  Go to Him…..ask Him to help you, to guide you, to heal those broken places.

It is ONLY He who can….. 

And, Madison….it is really only He who matters….. 

I won’t always be here to remind you of these things….so, learn them now….. 

And, finally, I leave you with this…. 

You are a lovely heart…..you are God’s girl….You are a growing spirit….. 

God is not done with you yet….just like that song Mrs. Debbie and Mr. Mark taught you.. 

“He’s still working on me….to make me the way I ought to be….” 

That applies to your Dad and me as well.  Don’t lose heart…..but, give it over to God. 

ILYAOYMC,

Mama

 

He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

There really ought to be a sign upon the heart,
Don't judge her yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.