Thinking about being a mom.....and more from last week!

I chose this picture today (of my mom with Doug and Gwen at Gwen's high school graduation), because it represents a bit of what "MOM" means to me.   I love this picture!  Please stay with me and read to the end, and you see how this picture fits!

I promised to share a bit more about last Sunday evening.  And, as it turns out, things from my Friday and Saturday evenings as well!  You know when you hear something and it just resonates in your spirit?  Well a couple of weeks ago, Gwen and I were talking about an upcoming event, when she was to be speaking to the youth at her church.  The topic was the time following the resurrection and Jesus' appearances to the disciples.   Gwen had chosen to speak on this topic last year when the leaders were planning the years event.  So, even though it was her birthday, she shared her heart on this topic.  She spoke on 5 things we can learn about Jesus through these stories and 5 things we can learn about ourselves.  If you want to hear her entire message just click here The Lost 40 (part 2).   That Jesus loves to eat is on her list! Last Sunday evening, I was at the HUB meeting.  I have shared a couple of blogs about this meeting.  One of the topics discussed was that heaven will be a celebration and Jesus likes to eat! (This is the same message that Gwen spoke!).  Then on Friday evening, I was at another HUB meeting with Mahesh Chavda and he spoke the exact same message!  We sang a song about a "Holy Ghost party" that included that heaven is a party and we celebrate!  Then yesterday there was an Elijah list post Al Thomas: Life with Jesus is a feast.  So it would seem that this is the "NOW" word!  What a blessing that many people are hearing the same message from Jesus and sharing it with us all.

I love that I can learn from my kids.  And hear the voice of the Lord through their thoughts and words.  My mom always told me that it blessed her so much to hear me share my thoughts and ideas and she told me how much she had learned from me.  I know that most times we focus on what we are teaching our children.  Today, for me, I am focusing on what my children are teaching me!  So here goes.....

1.  Do what your heart says, not what the world says.  Gwen has advanced degrees in music and could be teaching or performing, but her heart says, teach preschool.  She loves those kids and they love her.  She is a great teacher.  Doug made a choice not to attend college.  His heart told him that he did not want to sit in an office all day.  Today he has a great job doing exactly what he loves.  And it does not involve sitting at a desk!

2.  Breath the fresh air outside.  All Gwen wanted from her family on her birthday, was a quiet hike by a lake.  That was refreshment for her.  Doug and Susie spend more time camping and outdoors than anyone I know.  Doug often goes fishing on Fridays (Note: his ideal job is 4 days a week! Isn't he blessed?).  Don't really know how this happened, but my kids love nature. 

3.  Make it a priority to stick together.  I love that our kids want to be together.  They MAKE time for family and pay attention to each other.  It is so easy to drift apart.  To not stay close.  Don't let busyness, friends and other commitments come between you.  Hold fast to family.

4.  Be givers of yourself.  My kids are always doing for others.   They are serving in their churches, they are helping out friends, they are making meals for someone,  they are fixing someone's attic, they are climbing on a roof,   really the list could go on and on.  I have stepped back and thought about where I was at their particular stage of life, and I know I wasn't this willing to give.  I love that my grandchildren (and future grandchildren) will be raised in a culture of others first! 

5.  Prayer matters.  If I ever have a prayer need, I know that I can count on my kids to be praying.  And the best thing is that they have surrounded themselves with other people who also pray!  Again, I was much older before I understood how important a tight group of friends can be.   I am so thankful for the people in my kids lives! 

I know that there is much more that I could add to this list.  But I will stop here.  I need to reflect, myself, on each of these things, in the weeks ahead.  I am so blessed to be mom to these amazing kids.   I am missing my mom today.  And I am sure that there are many others in my shoes.  But then I just remember that Jesus loves to eat and there is a banquet table filled with food and a BIG Holy Ghost party going on in heaven.  And mom is there with her mom and her sisters and my sister Karen.  And they are having a wonderful time with Jesus!

Jesus, thank you for my mom and my children.   Holy Spirit, you are speaking to us through many prophetic voices.  Help us to listen carefully and prayerfully for your voice in their words.  Thank you for confirmations and affirmations.  Jesus thank you for leaving us evidence of your love of eating!  Thank you for that celebration going on in heaven.   Amen

When you need a mom's opinion.....

Today I have been so missing my mom!  I know that many people go through this at various times, and quite frequently it is something really big and important that triggers this.  But for me, it was not really a big thing, it's just the job change I am facing.  I really relied on my mom's opinion.  What she thought mattered a great deal to me.  I trusted her discernment and she was a great judge of people.  I knew that Ken was the right person for me because my mom and dad really liked him.  I remember my mom saying that she had never had a young man talk with her and be as open with her as Ken was.  Ken really loved my mom also.   That brings me to this memory.....

This picture is my mom's Aunt Mae, her dad's oldest sister, with her husband Charles Hanson.  When I was thinking about all of the advise my mom gave me, I remembered this story about my mom and her Aunt Mae.  Here's the thing, Aunt Mae was the rebel of the family.  She left home, went to the big city (we think New York but my mom was never really sure - there is evidence that she lived in Ohio), was gone for long periods of time when the family really didn't know where she was.  She returned home to St. Paul after many years, without her husband.  All my mom ever heard was that she had lost a child and nothing was ever said about her husband.  Aunt Mae and Aunt Anna worked together in St. Paul as "furriers" (creating fur trim on garments and fur stoles and fur coats).  Aunt Mae continued to work when Anna went to help their brother (my grandfather), raise his four daughters.  But Aunt Mae was that "fun Aunt" who would send amazing presents from the city.  My mom's very favorite memory was the year that they got the record player for Christmas from Aunt Mae.  This was a very big deal.  In the 1920's you just didn't get these kind of things. Well, Aunt Mae developed a lung condition called "fur fever" in the early 1930's.  I don't exactly what this was, but it was serious lung problem that cause her to fail physically.  So she moved in with her sister and brother - my grandfather and Aunt Anna.  And this meant that she moved in with my mom also.  My mom's three older sisters had already gotten married and it was just my mom at home.  Unfortunately, Mae's condition got worse quite quickly and it was clear that she didn't have long to live.  My mom said that as she was preparing to go on her first date with my father, Mae called her into her room.  She insisted on meeting this man that my mom had consented to date.  My mom was not one to go on many dates, so this was quite the occasion.  So, reluctantly, my mom brought her first date  into meet her dying aunt.  After a short conversation, Aunt Mae sent my dad from the room and told my mom that this was the man she would marry.  She was sure that he was the perfect man for her.  Remember that my mom had barely met this guy!  But my mom honored her Aunt's opinion so much.  When my mom and I talked about this, she recalled that this conversation had really settled in her spirit and she knew that my dad was the "one".  Aunt Mae died within a few months and my dad actually sang at her funeral. (And yes, she is buried in the cemetery I wrote about yesterday). 

 

So here is what I have been hearing today as I pondered this.  That old adage about "respecting your elders".  Well it really is true!  There is power and knowledge and wisdom that can be gained from those that have been around longer!  But, also today I have been feeling the weight of this, as I realize that my place on the family tree has shifted and I AM THE ONE that has been around longer!  It makes me realize how important my words are!  And I have also realized that I have Jesus within me and he is steering my course.  It is His opinion and His will that are the most important for me.  So, while I am still missing that "Mom opinion", I have all that I need.  And I am so thankful for my many friends and family surrounding me and praying for me as I consider what the next "career move" is for me.  More than that, Jesus is showing me that throughout my generations, He has been there and it is the Holy Spirit that has been bringing me to this exact point.  So, all those times I felt that it was so important to have my mom's opinion,  what I was really seeking was knowing the plan and destiny of Yahweh for me.

 

Jesus, thank you so much for once again, reminding me of all that my mom gave to me.  Thank you for also reminding me that you are guiding me and your opinion is the most important.  Holy Spirit, you are bringing revelation of all that we have in our generational heritage.  Thank you for reminding me that Jesus, you are the one that has been in charge throughout my generations.  I am so blessed to be in relationship with you Jesus!  Thank you for your care, and your love.  Holy Spirit, will you remind anyone reading this that Jesus loves them and is with them in their walk today.  And for those facing difficult times, give them peace and the knowledge that Jesus is making a way for them!  Amen