Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I have seen posts all weekend about how many people have turned this holiday into a day of no work, a day of BBQ, and a day of swimming. To thousands... Memorial Day is the opposite of all of these things.
As a parent....we spend our entire life telling our kids what to do or what not to do. We teach them what is right and what is wrong. We spend each day trying to protect our kids from harm. We monitor TV shows, we hang on to their bicycles so we can try to stop too many falls when they are first learning, we put on life jackets when they are on boats or teaching them how to swim. It is our job as a parent to protect our kids from harm or even from knowing what is "bad." I am learning that as my kids get older they are beginning to experiment with what they think is "right" or "wrong." My "say" in things is beginning to disappear in their eyes. Mom and dad's say so is not what they want to hear anymore. My advice to my kids is not as welcome as it once was. As I think about the parents who have lost their kids in combat, I cannot help but to think about the times when they stopped the bicycle from falling, they held their kids when they were bullied, they stopped the tears when they were scared from a nightmare, they stopped the bleeding from a "boo boo," but they could not stop a war that their child entered. Our (a parent's) job is to stop the pain. Our job is to show our kids what to do or not to do. There comes a time when our time or saying no longer matters. Our kids are growing to make their own decisions. They decide to go and fight for our country and regardless how we feel about it...our teaching and our impact on their life will become their teaching and their impact on our lives and the lives of many. I can't help but to think about the many mommies and daddies who have had an impact on their sons and their daughters. They sacrificed, blood, sweat, and tears. Now....because of the love of a mom and a dad, the love of a US soldier, or a son or a daughter is sacrificing blood, sweat, and tears for his or her country. My Repurpose for Today : What I say to my kids, what I do for my kids, what I sacrifice for my kids can have an impact on them for the long term...but...I need to TRY to remember that they will one day make their own decisions....what kind of an impact will I make so I can see the impact they will make?
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Fame. What is fame? What is life? I have been saying for a while now...as I am getting older (which yes, if you know me...freaks me out just a little)....growing old gains wisdom. Sunday school weeks ago...a discussion arose....child-like faith. I want it more than anything. I want things to come easily. I want it to just be and for me not to question. My son, Macaiden can understand things easily. Or maybe he doesn't fully understand. It is just easy for him to accept things. Maybe understanding is not what is easy. Maybe the fact that he doesn't understand all of the "deep" meanings makes things easy for him.
I have to say that I enjoy spending time with people who are older than me. I enjoy the talks. I enjoy the knowledge that they have and I enjoy learning from their wisdom. They have experienced way more than I have and I listen, hoping to learn something I can gain. I also have to say...I enjoy listening to my kids. Again...things are just what they are to Macaiden. He doesn't question and does not doubt. Things are what they are and he gets frustrated when I question him. Does this mean that he has wisdom? I think yes. Things are easy for him and he has no doubt. So does having doubt mean a lack of wisdom? Does the fact that he can accept things that are difficult for me to understand mean that he is "wise beyond his years?" When does that phase go away for us? When does the separation of pureness and doubt end? Why does this happen? As a teacher, I watch many kids. I watch them come and go and I get to see so many different personalities. I see characters come out that I absolutely love and I cherish. I wonder where kids will be in years to come. Where will MY kids be in years to come and where will I be? Are the things that I go through every day things that help shape me to who I will one day be? Will my circumstances today gain me wisdom? Maybe I just need to look a little closer and try to see that I can gain the wisdom in front of me. My children have brought me more wisdom than I could ever understand....or there again...maybe a lack of (depending on how you look at it.) I say a lack of because I wonder if doubt and wisdom are opposites. Macaiden has very little doubts....does that mean he has wisdom. Does that fact that I doubt mean that I lack wisdom? I see my kids and see light, hope, and an understanding that I do not remember having but hope and pray that I can gain back. They are my motivation and what keeps me going. My Repurpose for Today : Try to think harder when my kids say something ... remember ... they accept things I do not understand and it is my job to either....accept, explain, or listen and learn. I can gain wisdom from my kids....maybe that is the start of what wisdom is all about. I have been trying to think of some insightful words of wisdom to blog about all day. The only thing I could bring to my mind was how blessed and grateful I am for my two kids. When my two blessings brought me breakfast in bed this morning, I said to them, "thank you for making me a mommy." Both of them commented back by saying something like, "well, you did it, you kissed daddy and that is why I am here." They are so sweet and innocent (at least for now anyways). But then again, I (we) did do it. We created life (with the major help of God), but what a huge responsibility we have with something we made.
Being a mom, conceiving a child, and giving birth goes along with so much. As corny as it is...there is a famous line in a Spiderman movie that says, "with great power comes great responsibility." Being a mom has great power. We have the power to control bed times, what our kids eat, where our kids go to school, where we will raise our kids, and so much more. However, with these sweet beings, we have so much responsibility. We have the responsibility to raise our kids to be amazing people. If you are anything like me, we are raising our kids to be nothing like our faults. We want the very best for our kids, and we sacrifice an enormous amount of blood, sweat, and tears to make these kids happy and well off. I mentioned having words of wisdom for you, but honestly our kids have more words of wisdom than we could ever give. It is what it is to them. Things come and go, they question, and that is where the hard part comes in....but.... they are able to understand things we do not. They accept things that we want to change. I wish so badly that I still had that mentality. I am blessed to be a mom because my kids teach me more than what I probably teach them and they do not even know it. They make me want to be a better person. When I am not with them, I am thinking about them. They have changed my life. My Repurpose for the day : Keep in mind that my actions might be reflected one day in my little ones. |
AuthorI am an everyday mom who likes everyday things. I love taking everyday items and giving them a repurpose. Our number one seller is our candles! Archives
October 2019
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