Have you ever caught yourself noticing all the little details of something? Whether it's the paint on the wall, the trim in a house, the way a plate looks when it is dished up, or even the way someone's hair is cut? Maybe you don't notice these things, but, for a painter, carpenter, chef, or hairstylist, that's probably the first thing they see. One thing I do notice, however, as I'm sure every Mom does, is the little details about my children.
In my son Timothy, I notice his deep brown eyes, quarkey sense of humor, and his very detailed mind. Chris, my oldest son, is very compassionate towards people who are hurting or feel left out, and is extremely smart. Emily has a small red vein that pops up in the middle of her forehead when she is upset. I noticed it literally the day she was born, and still to this day, it is there. Anna, my youngest, is a clean freak. She loves to organize and color coordinate her closet and bathroom drawer. Her idea of fun is dusting and doing the dishes. Trust me, I am taking full advantage of this! My question is this. What do you notice about your children?
It was so fun seeing some of the responses I got to this question on my Facebook page. One person commented they could list little details they notice about their kids for hours. It's true, we love them, and ponder them, and even though at times we can get so irritated with them, there's nothing we wouldn't do for them.
Where do we get the ability to notice these things? I am convinced that we get it from the Lord. We serve a God who is very detailed, and we are made in His image. When He created us He knew exactly what He was doing. Those little details like, the quarkey personality, the compassionate heart, the little red veins, and the abilities to organize, all come from Him. One of my favorite Scriptures that talks about this is in Psalms 139.
Ps 139:13-18
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
So next time you catch yourself walking into a place and noticing the paint on the wall, the way a food is dished, or the little things about your children, know that you also have a God who sees, and ponders, and notices all the little details about you.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentines Day Stories
I asked some followers of Krista's Corner to send in some stories or memories that they have of Valentines Day. In this blog I am going to post these stories, and ask you to vote for your favorite. The winner will be announced tomorrow and will receive a $20 gift certificate to Applebees, so they can go out to dinner with their loved one. Before I share those, I thought it would be only right if I shared one of mine. However, I don't qualify for the gift card (that would be wierd). lol
The Valentines Day that sticks out most to me is in 1991. It was the first date my husband, now of almost 19 years, and I had. We only had 30 minutes for this date because it was on our lunch period when we were Juniors at North Medford High School. We jumped in his little grey Toyota, and headed off to the buffet at Pappy's Pizza. I was 16, and at the time pretty skinny. My, how time changes things! While we were at the buffet he saw me go up not once, not twice, not three times, but four times to get more food. I figure I was thinking if I only had a few minutes, I better eat quick! Disgusting I know...I have learned since then not to do that. (sort of - thus the reason I'm not so skinny anymore) Apparently right after he saw me wolf down 4 plates of food, I excused myself to the bathroom. He later told me that he thought I was bulemic! Thank God he didn't go off of first impressions, and gave me the chance to go on a second date! Now 19 years and 4 kids later, he is still my Valentine who I love with all my heart.
Here are some other heart warming stories shared by some others.
The first is by Molly Niemann
Well, where do I start. Kevin had left to Egypt for his first deployment. We had only been together for 18 months and I was so torn up knowing the man I loved was going to be taken so far away from me. I knew I was in for a long haul being alone but I kept myself busy as much as I could. We didn't get to talk a lot cause of phone lines and how tied up they got it was down to about 2 times a month. I was kind of feeling down knowing valentines day was coming up and didn't know if Kevin would be able to call or anything. But then on that special day. I got woken up by a phone call from him and then not even 5 min later a knock on the door. There 3 red roses being delivered to me with such a sweet note that brought me to tears. I was able to talk to Kevin for about 20 minutes before he finally had to go. I was so emotional and so excited that I didn't think the day couldn't get better but I turned on the radio and about half hour later I heard kevins voice. He had called and gotten through from Egypt and talked to the lady about where he was and us. He said I wanted to tell my fiancé molly how much I love and miss her. They played it on air and I got to hear his other sweet surprise and a sweet song just for me from him. It was one of the best days I could of asked for with him being so far away from me. Well it's kind of long but that is a memory I hold so close to my heart.
The second is by Jan Martinez
Our first Valentines Day....30 years ago didn't start off to good! Denny failed to get me a gift or a card. I was so devastated. You know when you are first married you have these high expectations of what your first Valentines Day will be like!! Well I was sorely disappointed, it seemed that Denny had never really been taught the ways of Cupid! So after he realized his great blunder he left the house. Of course this just complicated my misery. He was gone for hours. Now please remember that this was way before the days of cell phones or pagers of any type! So there I sat in a pitiable state of distress. My fantasy of Valentines Day had been shattered and I was all alone setting on my couch. As the hours passed my self pity grew. Finally I heard the car pull into the driveway, I was mixed with feelings of relief he was home and with the feeling of how wretched he was to have done absolutely nothing on this special day. But he redeemed himself! He came home with a giant card. He had gone to the store and bought all the supplies to make me a card. He then went to a park and assembled this giant and I do mean giant card. He had bought poster board and used that for the pages. He had been gone for hours because he isn't exactly what one would term "crafty" so creating a card of this magnitude took some time and thought. Of course when he told me the story and confessed that he had blundered almost beyond repair, all was forgiven. Our first Valentines Day that started off so bleak turned into my favorite memory of Valentines Day! For the record, I always get a card on Valentines Day!!
The third is by Amy Miller (Creekside Whimsies)
Pete and I don't necessarily do anything fantastically amazing on Valentine's Day, so sorry to say I don't have any mushy story along those lines. Everyday is Valentine's Day for us...I know, sounds cliche. :)
But I do have a Valentine's Day memory. Actually, it's a series of memories from when I was growing up. My brother was a few years older than me, and he had Cerebral Palsey. He was every bit as intelligent as the next person, he only had physical limitations. But it didn't stop him from enjoying holidays throughout the year. Valentine's Day was no exception. Every year, he and I looked forward to whatever little Valentine cards Mom would pick out for us. You know, the kind that little kids would give out to all their friends? Anyway, Mom would sit with both of us at the dining table when it was time to go through and sign all those little cards. Because by brother wasn't able to sign them himself, Mom would put a pen in his hand and hold his hand, signing his name "Jason" on every card. He loved it. He had so many friends in school, and he would always get so excited about the growing stack of cards that he was going to take for his friends. I remember whizzing through my cards, and then sitting and watching Mom, with her incredible patience, help my brother finish his. I used to get so impatient. It seemed to take them forever to get them done. And, of course, when all the Valentine's Day class parties were over, my brother would bring home an incredible haul of little Valentine cards. Classmates, friends, teachers, teachers' aids, even people in our church would give him cards...it was amazing. He got cards from some people that I didn't even know existed. But they knew him, and thought enough of him to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day.
To all of you who are reading this today, have a Happy Valentines Day! Whether you are married, single, engaged, or to young to even think about it, take time to make a memory. God Bless!
The Valentines Day that sticks out most to me is in 1991. It was the first date my husband, now of almost 19 years, and I had. We only had 30 minutes for this date because it was on our lunch period when we were Juniors at North Medford High School. We jumped in his little grey Toyota, and headed off to the buffet at Pappy's Pizza. I was 16, and at the time pretty skinny. My, how time changes things! While we were at the buffet he saw me go up not once, not twice, not three times, but four times to get more food. I figure I was thinking if I only had a few minutes, I better eat quick! Disgusting I know...I have learned since then not to do that. (sort of - thus the reason I'm not so skinny anymore) Apparently right after he saw me wolf down 4 plates of food, I excused myself to the bathroom. He later told me that he thought I was bulemic! Thank God he didn't go off of first impressions, and gave me the chance to go on a second date! Now 19 years and 4 kids later, he is still my Valentine who I love with all my heart.
Here are some other heart warming stories shared by some others.
The first is by Molly Niemann
Well, where do I start. Kevin had left to Egypt for his first deployment. We had only been together for 18 months and I was so torn up knowing the man I loved was going to be taken so far away from me. I knew I was in for a long haul being alone but I kept myself busy as much as I could. We didn't get to talk a lot cause of phone lines and how tied up they got it was down to about 2 times a month. I was kind of feeling down knowing valentines day was coming up and didn't know if Kevin would be able to call or anything. But then on that special day. I got woken up by a phone call from him and then not even 5 min later a knock on the door. There 3 red roses being delivered to me with such a sweet note that brought me to tears. I was able to talk to Kevin for about 20 minutes before he finally had to go. I was so emotional and so excited that I didn't think the day couldn't get better but I turned on the radio and about half hour later I heard kevins voice. He had called and gotten through from Egypt and talked to the lady about where he was and us. He said I wanted to tell my fiancé molly how much I love and miss her. They played it on air and I got to hear his other sweet surprise and a sweet song just for me from him. It was one of the best days I could of asked for with him being so far away from me. Well it's kind of long but that is a memory I hold so close to my heart.
The second is by Jan Martinez
Our first Valentines Day....30 years ago didn't start off to good! Denny failed to get me a gift or a card. I was so devastated. You know when you are first married you have these high expectations of what your first Valentines Day will be like!! Well I was sorely disappointed, it seemed that Denny had never really been taught the ways of Cupid! So after he realized his great blunder he left the house. Of course this just complicated my misery. He was gone for hours. Now please remember that this was way before the days of cell phones or pagers of any type! So there I sat in a pitiable state of distress. My fantasy of Valentines Day had been shattered and I was all alone setting on my couch. As the hours passed my self pity grew. Finally I heard the car pull into the driveway, I was mixed with feelings of relief he was home and with the feeling of how wretched he was to have done absolutely nothing on this special day. But he redeemed himself! He came home with a giant card. He had gone to the store and bought all the supplies to make me a card. He then went to a park and assembled this giant and I do mean giant card. He had bought poster board and used that for the pages. He had been gone for hours because he isn't exactly what one would term "crafty" so creating a card of this magnitude took some time and thought. Of course when he told me the story and confessed that he had blundered almost beyond repair, all was forgiven. Our first Valentines Day that started off so bleak turned into my favorite memory of Valentines Day! For the record, I always get a card on Valentines Day!!
The third is by Amy Miller (Creekside Whimsies)
Pete and I don't necessarily do anything fantastically amazing on Valentine's Day, so sorry to say I don't have any mushy story along those lines. Everyday is Valentine's Day for us...I know, sounds cliche. :)
But I do have a Valentine's Day memory. Actually, it's a series of memories from when I was growing up. My brother was a few years older than me, and he had Cerebral Palsey. He was every bit as intelligent as the next person, he only had physical limitations. But it didn't stop him from enjoying holidays throughout the year. Valentine's Day was no exception. Every year, he and I looked forward to whatever little Valentine cards Mom would pick out for us. You know, the kind that little kids would give out to all their friends? Anyway, Mom would sit with both of us at the dining table when it was time to go through and sign all those little cards. Because by brother wasn't able to sign them himself, Mom would put a pen in his hand and hold his hand, signing his name "Jason" on every card. He loved it. He had so many friends in school, and he would always get so excited about the growing stack of cards that he was going to take for his friends. I remember whizzing through my cards, and then sitting and watching Mom, with her incredible patience, help my brother finish his. I used to get so impatient. It seemed to take them forever to get them done. And, of course, when all the Valentine's Day class parties were over, my brother would bring home an incredible haul of little Valentine cards. Classmates, friends, teachers, teachers' aids, even people in our church would give him cards...it was amazing. He got cards from some people that I didn't even know existed. But they knew him, and thought enough of him to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day.
To all of you who are reading this today, have a Happy Valentines Day! Whether you are married, single, engaged, or to young to even think about it, take time to make a memory. God Bless!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Barbara
Have you ever known a person who everybody called Mom? I remember growing up, my friends would call my Mom that. When I first met my husband, there were always a ton of people at his house, and every single one of them called his Mom, Barbara, Mom. Little did I know back then that she would be one of the most important people who would ever come into my life. Not only to me, but to my children, and countless numbers of others.
It is impossible to try to describe Barbara in one word. So these are some of the few I think of when I think of her, as I'm sure those of you who know her would agree. Giving, thoughtful, patient, trustworthy, funny, faithful, and something maybe not everybody knows...a dancing queen!
It makes me sad when I hear about people who don't get along with their in-laws. I am so thankful I have never had to experience that. Sean loves my parents, I love his, and vice versa. Don't get me wrong, we are by no means a perfectly happy family all the time...but...we are a family. When there are differences, they get worked out. When feelings are hurt, there is forgiveness. When someone does something stupid, we laugh at them!
One thing I love about Barbara is she knows what she wants. When it comes to her kids, grandkids and friends she always wants what is best for them, and to see them succeed. When it comes to vacations, if she can't be in Hawaii, she wants to be at the coast. When it comes to clothing, she wants to be classy and comfortable. And last but not least, she wants Diet Coke instead of Diet Pepsi. (Trust me, every waiter or waitress sees the "look" when they say, "we don't have Coke, is Pepsi alright?)
Some of the friendly family competitions we have is on Barb's birthday or Christmas we like to see who's gift can make her cry. She has no problem with expressing her emotions. I should clarify one thing though. It's not really a competition, Ben (Sean's brother) ALWAYS wins. We have succumb to the defeat though, and usually will get her one of her other favorite things...flowers.
For 20 years now, I've been blessed with having Barbara in my life, and I'm looking forward to the next 20. She is an amazing woman of God, who would give you the shirt off her back in a heartbeat. I know now why every one of Sean, Brandon, and Ben's friends called her Mom. It is because she is a Mom, in every single way.
I love you Barbara - Mom!
It is impossible to try to describe Barbara in one word. So these are some of the few I think of when I think of her, as I'm sure those of you who know her would agree. Giving, thoughtful, patient, trustworthy, funny, faithful, and something maybe not everybody knows...a dancing queen!
It makes me sad when I hear about people who don't get along with their in-laws. I am so thankful I have never had to experience that. Sean loves my parents, I love his, and vice versa. Don't get me wrong, we are by no means a perfectly happy family all the time...but...we are a family. When there are differences, they get worked out. When feelings are hurt, there is forgiveness. When someone does something stupid, we laugh at them!
One thing I love about Barbara is she knows what she wants. When it comes to her kids, grandkids and friends she always wants what is best for them, and to see them succeed. When it comes to vacations, if she can't be in Hawaii, she wants to be at the coast. When it comes to clothing, she wants to be classy and comfortable. And last but not least, she wants Diet Coke instead of Diet Pepsi. (Trust me, every waiter or waitress sees the "look" when they say, "we don't have Coke, is Pepsi alright?)
Some of the friendly family competitions we have is on Barb's birthday or Christmas we like to see who's gift can make her cry. She has no problem with expressing her emotions. I should clarify one thing though. It's not really a competition, Ben (Sean's brother) ALWAYS wins. We have succumb to the defeat though, and usually will get her one of her other favorite things...flowers.
For 20 years now, I've been blessed with having Barbara in my life, and I'm looking forward to the next 20. She is an amazing woman of God, who would give you the shirt off her back in a heartbeat. I know now why every one of Sean, Brandon, and Ben's friends called her Mom. It is because she is a Mom, in every single way.
I love you Barbara - Mom!
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