My happiest days are those spent with my kids. When all 5 are under one roof for even one evening, my heart could explode with joy. No matter where or how they choose to live and put down roots, when they come home, it’s all good. As they get older, my prayers for them change. They get bigger, too! But as the kid issues grow into adult issues, they still do not compare to the size of my God. He is bigger and greater than any fears or worries I have about my kids. He’s got a plan for them. After 25 years of doing this mom thing, I still have the same joy I did when the first was born; because I know that they are always in the hands of the Father. Thank you God , for loaning me these kids and making me a mom.

​From the moment I knew I had your life in me, I loved you unconditionally.
From the time I met you and held your gaze, until I’m called home, when I’m out of days.
I‘ll love you, my heart beats for you, you’re part of me.
The days of cooing and smiling and such, the nights of crying and screaming so much.
The firsts and the lasts, the presents and pasts.
I’ll love you, my heart beats for you, you’re part of me.
The school days and nights, the friendships and fights.
The sports and the plays, the nights and the days.
I’ll love you. My heart beats for you, you’re part of me
The growing up and moving out, the finding out what life’s about,
The blowing it and learning, the missing and the yearning.
I’ll love you, my heart beats for you, you’re part of me.
From morning till night, until dawns early light.
Every moment of the day, what else can I say?
I’ll love you, my heart beats for you, you’re part of me.

I love you as big as the sky and high as the moon. Now and forever - mom
 
 

Grace (crying): “Mom, David threw a Starburst at me and hit me in the head!”
Me: “Really?! A Starburst?! I think you’re overreacting!”
“Let me see if you’re bleeding.” (In the most sarcastic of tones)
Upon further investigation, I find a hematoma the size of a large marble bulging from her head. Oops…maybe I under reacted! A little ice pack and a big apology from little brother, and all was well. But as I often do, I found a lesson in all this.

Don’t we sometimes do the same when we know someone is in crisis? Now of course, most of us are sympathetic when there is a death or serious illness involved. What kind of monster doesn’t feel empathy and compassion for that? But what if it’s an ache or pain? What if it’s a fight with a spouse? What if it’s a problem at work with a boss or coworker, or the same issue we’ve been hearing for years?  Aren’t we tempted to write it off as overreaction? Aren’t our problems much more complaint worthy?

I am guilty of it. I don’t vocalize it, but yes thoughts have crossed my mind and even stopped me from reaching out. But who am I to determine what causes pain in another individual? Who knew a Starburst could do so much damage to my hard headed 12 year old?!

So, let’s listen a little closer to those crying for help. Let’s lend a compassionate ear to someone who is hurting today, even if it seems trivial to us. May we have the eyes and ears of Jesus. Should we really be scrutinizing the gravity of the situation and if deemed minimal, just ignore it? Or should we love the socks off the person, because God wants us to, no matter the breadth or depth of their issue?!  Trials and pain are relative. We need to resist the desire to compare ours to theirs, and just be there to listen and lend a hand where necessary. We must love our neighbor as Jesus loves us. We should be listening to the cries of our friends and family, and show them unconditional love. Our assessment of the situation is completely irrelevant when we love as Jesus loves us. If we simply love them through it and are grateful to get our minds off our own pain for a little while, we may just be blessed in the process.
 
Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”  Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

​Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love,  a tender heart, and  a humble mind.

I learned to read with the ITA system. The Initial Teaching Alphabet method was used in the sixties and early seventies as a “better” way to teach children how to read English. Never heard of it? I am not surprised. It was gone as quickly as it came. After just a year or so, all of the ITA textbooks and library books (hundreds of them!!) lined the hallway of our elementary school, and we were allowed to take them home, for FREE!! I still have one!  So long, new wave concept.  I cannot imagine the amount of money districts spent on this experimental way of teaching. While I believe I read and write fairly well, my guess is I would have ended up at about the same level of reading  had I learned the traditional way versus the ITA way. Whatever traditional is!
Curriculum comes and goes, as does research telling us how to better  educate our kids.  As a mom of kids in public school, I come to expect the ebb and flow of change. New technologies and advances make learning more fun in some respects. But the implementation of the Common Core’s “high quality academic expectations” has brought with it a radical change, almost as drastic as ITA. Our kids went from learning by remembering facts, to learning why there are facts? A math problem was solved and either correct or incorrect. Now, we seek the most reasonable answer! WHAT?!  Simple equations that could be worked out in the margins of the worksheet page are turned into problems that require 10 minutes of steps and a whole page of tables to work out. Confidence is falling and frustration is mounting. Critical thinking is, well, critical in many professions. My fear is that not all kids are wired to be surgeons and engineers, or even nurses and teachers. We need a generation that is not calculator dependant by 6th grade! Who will make change? Who will cater food according to a recipe, being able to double it without a calculator, and without caring why, just knowing you need to based on the number of people who want food! A reasonable guess isn’t going to cut it when a carpenter needs specific measurements to come together to form a building. OK, I may be getting a little melodramatic, but you get the point, especially if your kids are in public school.
But just as I learned to read by a ludicrous method imposed by a government with and invented by “scholars” with the next big thing mentality, this too shall pass. I will not expect all A’s out of my kids. After all, the common core curriculum is what is being graded right now anyway. How effective it is and how well the teachers are portraying it is being played out for now.  I have accepted that we do not all fit in this cookie cutter society even though our schools think we do. My kids will end up fine and most likely at the same academic level regardless of the curriculum or crazy concepts used. If this system stifles their learning, it cannot snuff out their creativity and their core. And it will be ok if they are C students who do not attend college.

It will be amazing if they grow up to be kind, God fearing, Jesus loving citizens who love and help their neighbor.

​So, for now I pray for a tame tongue and peaceful thoughts regarding the educational system and for patience with and compassion for my kids.. They, after all are the ones getting the brunt of all this. So, while our evenings have become more frustrating and stressful, I cannot just be ticked and stomp my feet. I have to decide to encourage my children to do their best, even if it is not the status quo. I need to daily remind them that their performance is not as important as their character and that change does not have to be scary. You can dislike it, but don’t fear it. Life is too short for any one thing to take over the mood of a household. I will savor every minute of the 5 hours they have for family time every evening and align our priorities accordingly. I also pray for the teachers who must implement these new teaching concepts.
God, please be with our children every day as they navigate this scary world. Help them to be strong because their identity is in you, Jesus. You are the potter and we are the clay. Your Holy Spirit is our common core. Amen.

 So, I’m pretty sure God has a sense of humor. Call it testing my faith or pushing my patience, but lots of things are happening to get my attention lately.
My husband is not working due to a lockout by the company who has employed him for just shy of 30 years. There is no end in sight, but fortunately unemployment is keeping us afloat. We have adjusted our way of living to accommodate our new situation, and it hasn’t been all that painful. But don’t you know that in this short period of 7 weeks, our washer broke, our dishwasher broke, we are having plumbing issues( as in I cannot use my kitchen sink, aforementioned and newly repaired dishwasher or new washing machine!) two vehicles needed tires for inspection and one is heading for service for the 5th time for the same issue!  And this is just the stupid stuff. The more traumatic  personal blows I've sustained this week will have to wait for a future post.

So, this is where the rubber meets the road for me as a Christian. I must continually turn my grief into gratitude and my fear into faith. The same God who parted the Red Sea is present in my situation. He is fully capable of handling all of my stuff; I just need to get out of His way. God says in His word,”be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 .Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians,  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7
I am a great giver of advice, but am struggling to take it right now. God knows our needs. He also deciphers needs from wants, and He will provide just what is necessary to bring glory to himself. So whatever the outcome, He is in control and He will handle the consequences. I’m going to rest on that, and when I start getting nervous again, I will recommit to the knowledge that He is good and merciful. He is my rock and my fortress. Whom (or what) shall I fear? He is for me, not against me.
        He loves me, and that’s really all that matters at the end of the day.
 
This is a place I revisit in my posts often, because it is my life and where I frequently struggle and must apply scripture. And while my stuff is not life threatening and may be even trivial, I pray you are encouraged to know that you are not alone in your struggles today, no matter how big or small. God is with you and he cares about you.
God, thank you for your generous provision and for your faithfulness to your people. Forgive me when I fail to trust you with my life. I seek contentment in You, Jesus and peace in my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN