As Only Your Mama Can…….
Y is for Youth, Greek Gamma
Symbol “ϒ” and Young
Y is for youth……
Youth and being youthful is
not simply an age, it is a state of being, existing, living. It is a season in
our life where so many things are new to us, where we are learning, growing and
developing who we are and who we will become.
For some, our youth is filled with glorious experiences joy, and
laughter where we can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning to let the fun
begin and where we beg to stay up late so that our day can last even longer….a
magical season where growing flowers with your Mama and climbing trees with
your brothers….where baking chocolate chip cookies and making homemade
Christmas presents and swinging full out on the swing are daily parts of your
existence.
And, I sincerely believe that
it is during our season of youth that we begin to know God…..perhaps never in
our lives are we so clearly able to see God in all of his splendor as in our
youth where our view of the world is sweet and innocent and joyful.
You were a child whose love
of God spilled forth from your life in a sweet and precious way….you were enamored
with the stars so we lay out on the roof of our home to examine them. You wondered how high grew the tree in our
back yard, so you climbed to the top.
You wanted to fly like the birds so we made you wings and you jumped
from the picnic tables. I will cherish
always the way you would hold your little hands over my very pregnant belly,
with your brothers, and listen to you giggle as they would kick your hands…”Mama,
watch….Mama watch” you would tell me as their kicks seemed to follow the warmth
of your body.
I love how it is written in Ecclesiastes
11:9
“you who are young, be happy
while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth….remember
your Creator in the days of your youth.”
You were clearly a child of
God then as I know you are a woman of God now.
And, I believe with all of my Mama’s heart that you brought great joy to
our heavenly Father in the sweet way you seemed to love just being you….young,
sweet, innocent….
Delightful….
Baby, being youthful is a
choice. And, the great thing about
growing older is that you don’t have to forgo the wonderful things of your
youth…you can still have a youthful heart.
You just twine that youthful heart with maturity and grace and wisdom
which comes from age….
You have a wonderful example
of that in your Grammy and Poppy…..watch them closely….follow their footsteps….for
they have figured out that while God calls us to obedience and Holiness, He
also calls us to delighting in our lives…..
Delight in your life, baby…….and,
do it on purpose!
Y is for the Greek symbol “Gamma”
There is no “y” in the Greek
Alphabet; however, there is the symbol for Gamma which is ϒ. I started not to use this until my research
indicated that this symbol stands for “loyalty”……and, I like that.
Loyalty defined is “faithful adherence
to a sovereign cause”. Isn’t that
beautiful?
You and I have talked a lot
about loyalty….because we have been personal witness to its opposite and we understand
the value of being loyal…..
Baby, if there is one thing I
want to encourage you to be, it is to be loyal.
Be wise in whom you give your
loyalty to, but when you have chosen….then...
Be loyal from the beginning…..until
the very end
Be loyal to God in how you
spend yourself...your thinking, speaking, living
Be loyal to your husband….in
your behavior, words and love
Be loyal to your children….in
your commitment to mothering, loving and caring for them
Be loyal to your family…
Be loyal to your friends…
Be loyal even to your enemies…..not
standing and allowing them to strike your heart but in praying for them and
theirs
And, sweetheart…..most of all….
Be loyal to yourself….
You are God’s girl made whole
and delightful and lovely. God is
growing you into a beautiful woman, with a great heart, a deep spirit and a
precious soul……love, nurture, grow and develop yourself on purpose every single
day knowing that you are here for a God-given purpose…..so, be loyal to HIS
guiding, leading and molding of you.
Y is for YOUNG….
As you know, when I was a
young girl who crushed on Ian, his Daddy would tell me, “well, honey, if you
marry my son you will be young all of your life.” He said that to me often from the time I was
about thirteen until I was eighteen and possibly a few times even after
that. At the time, I thought that was
his way of saying I would remain youthful….but, as I think on his words now
while married to his son, I think he was telling me even more….
Being a Young is a blessing.
This reality became evident
to me as Ian and I visited his parent’s home place this past weekend. We went to Williams and Bedford Indiana where
Ian’s Mama, Dorothy Young was born and raised.
And, his Dad was born in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The Young legacy was
boundless….from the Church of Christ Dorothy attended as a little girl and then
with her husband and son to the family home place, to the covered bridge to the
gravesite where Dorothy and Herschell now rest their physical bodies, you could
see evidence of their lives.
And, while the Young part of
your family is a graft to your personal family tree, it is a blessing to have
that graft as a part of your life, your heritage, your spiritual development.
Being a Young means a lot of
things…..God first, family second; Commitment to the end; Personal Intelligence
and Human compassion. If you are a
Young, you have excellent work ethic and a heart for others, you know how to
give and as well how to graciously receive.
You understand that the Son rises on you…..but, just as well on others,
that houses are just storing places for things we love but homes are where that
love is shared and nurtured and treasured.
When you are a Young you understand that to know God is to love His
children, to give sacrificially of yourself and to share what you have with
those in need.
And, in addition to being a
Young, it became real to me that we now are also Maegerlein-Youngs. Ian’s mother, Dorothy may be a woman you
never personally met while here on this earth, but you are the beneficiary of
her life through your ladder, Ian.
Dorothy was a sincerely Godly woman who gave her all to be His Girl,
just like you are trying to do. I met
her sister, Carolynn, the twin image of Dorothy, and when I hugged her, it
brought a flood of remembrances of those few times I ever hugged Dorothy. What a blessing to add these two women to
your family tree and spiritual journey.
Both are strong, determined and hard working. Both raised equally strong and intelligent
and Godly children. But, most
importantly, all are now a part of your Godly heritage…..and, a blessing to your…to
our lives.
Being a Young means you Love…love….love
children, Christmas and dogs. It means
you love, love, love, love family, shaking hands and written notes. It means that you will go the extra mile for
another and sit an extra time to listen as someone speaks to you. It means you will love studying His word and
reading the words of others. It means
you will travel great distance to be together.
It means that while you may have differences, you will overcome them to
remain in the circle of family.
And, most importantly….being
a Young means that God is your Father, Love is your labor and Grace is your
gift.
Blessings,
ILYAOYMC,
Mama
