I heard my daughter ask my youngest son if he wanted a white cheese stick or a yellow one in this beautiful sweet sing song voice.
"Which one do you want, Sweet Boy?" she asks him about so many things. She gave up her baby place for older sister when she was just two and her first brother was born. Then we had two more boys after that! And yet, I see that God has designed her to be a kind and nurturing girl who truly adores her brothers and takes her job of big sister very seriously!
In fact, when she "graduated" from kindergarten, her teacher compared each child to a person in the Bible. My daughter got Miriam because of the "special way she takes care of her brothers."
"Sweet Boy " is a name I actually use for all of my boys and to hear her use that reminds me again how everything I say is taken in and recorded on my children's hearts. Now when I use a sweet voice and have an abundance of patience, that is a great thing. But when a harsh tone slips out, I cringe knowing that too went into the depths of my children's hearts.
Luckily, I believe God's grace helps to wipe out those impatient times, the little sighs of frustration, and wrong choice of words. With the love that you show your children everyday, the sweet things that they do hear from you , and the fact that they know you love them because they are yours, not because of something they do, that will fill up their hearts with the good stuff and the rest will be forgiven and hopefully forgotten!
How did your children see you today? What was the reflection of your face this morning? Is it something that you want to see right in them? And what is the reflection on our hearts? Are we truly being a reflection of our Jesus?
My friend has a couple mirrors in her hallway and a saying under them that reads, "That we may be a reflection of Him." My prayer is that I may not only reflect our Lord's patience with my children, but his love in all who I come into contact with today. Just like my daughter is a reflection of me, I want to be a reflection of Him so that in all my ways, my Sweet Girl and my Sweet Boys see Jesus!
Blessings,
Angie
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
"I Miss Beste Far"
...these words were just said from my sweet tender hearted oldest son ...
We just got back from my husband's grandpa's funeral. "Beste Far" (Norwegian for Grandpa)was 94 and had been married to "Beste Mor" (Grandma) for 69 years! She has Parkinson's disease and he was caring for her right up to the very end. That beautiful song, He Was Walking Her Home by Mark Schultz was not only played at his funeral, but lived out in many ways. The other folks at the Home where they lived called them The Love Birds because even though she did not always know him, he stayed by her side. Even when she could not give back, he gave to her. What an act of faithfulness. And what an example, to not only me as a wife, but as a mother.
There are so many times in a mother's life when your children will not only forget to thank you, they won't even know to say thank you because the sacrifice that you are making for them is going unnoticed. But that one day, they will understand what you did for them.
I remember one time I forgot my favorite bookmark in a book that was returned to the library. It had all my favorite smelly stickers on it. Remember those? Well, I am sure I cried myself to sleep that night although I do not remember that. All I remember is coming home for lunch that next day and my mom opening the back door and she had my bookmark sticking out of her shirt! My mom sacrificed one of her mornings to leaf through all the returned books looking for my bookmark. I have never forgotten that moment.
So whether you sacrificed a high paying job to stay home with your children, or just this morning gave up your time to have a quiet cup of coffee and opted for a noisy tea party instead, these sacrifices will be known one day.
Whether these sacrifices are realized today when your children know how comforting it is to come home to mom everyday after school or someday down the road when they look back and realize they are willing to sacrifice for someone they love because of the example you gave. It will all be worth it.
May you be blessed today by knowing the greatest love sacrifice was given to you:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believed in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Enjoy this moment given by God to you!
Blessings,
Angie
We just got back from my husband's grandpa's funeral. "Beste Far" (Norwegian for Grandpa)was 94 and had been married to "Beste Mor" (Grandma) for 69 years! She has Parkinson's disease and he was caring for her right up to the very end. That beautiful song, He Was Walking Her Home by Mark Schultz was not only played at his funeral, but lived out in many ways. The other folks at the Home where they lived called them The Love Birds because even though she did not always know him, he stayed by her side. Even when she could not give back, he gave to her. What an act of faithfulness. And what an example, to not only me as a wife, but as a mother.
There are so many times in a mother's life when your children will not only forget to thank you, they won't even know to say thank you because the sacrifice that you are making for them is going unnoticed. But that one day, they will understand what you did for them.
I remember one time I forgot my favorite bookmark in a book that was returned to the library. It had all my favorite smelly stickers on it. Remember those? Well, I am sure I cried myself to sleep that night although I do not remember that. All I remember is coming home for lunch that next day and my mom opening the back door and she had my bookmark sticking out of her shirt! My mom sacrificed one of her mornings to leaf through all the returned books looking for my bookmark. I have never forgotten that moment.
So whether you sacrificed a high paying job to stay home with your children, or just this morning gave up your time to have a quiet cup of coffee and opted for a noisy tea party instead, these sacrifices will be known one day.
Whether these sacrifices are realized today when your children know how comforting it is to come home to mom everyday after school or someday down the road when they look back and realize they are willing to sacrifice for someone they love because of the example you gave. It will all be worth it.
May you be blessed today by knowing the greatest love sacrifice was given to you:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believed in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Enjoy this moment given by God to you!
Blessings,
Angie
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