Mighty Gifts
Jack is in school, I was able to cancel his doctor's appt. yesterday, so 2 full days of school in a row! This weekend is a 3 day weekend, Martin Luther King is recognized by the school on Monday with a day off. So a 3 day weekend to look forward to. We have started getting info from the Make A Wish organization on Jack's wish trip to Disneyworld, and it looks like the first part of June of this year will be the date. Fun, Fun, Fun.
I had a wonderful coffee time with my friend Jana Beck this morning. We talked about many things that were fun and exciting, she is one of those friends who you might not have hugged their neck in a month but when you see each other face to face, it is like you just left them moments ago. I am truly blessed to have Jana as a friend. One of the very exciting things we talked about was her husband, Dr. Richard Beck, who is the head of the psychology dept. at ACU is going to be part of a discussion group at Lectureship this year in February at ACU. I can't wait to go, it sounds very challenging. I love ACU Lectures, whenever I go I always feel like I am learning so much.
Jana also loaned me a book on parenting that was taken from "Ancient Chinese Secret's" (wasn't that the line in a cartoon or a sitcom in the 70's or 80's?) The real name of the book is Ancient Advice for Modern Parents by William Martin. Anyway this ancient advice has been given a bit of a twist and turned into some poetry for parents to read. I along with Jana would say that we would pick and choose what we would apply to our own families, not everything in the book is in line with our parenting strategies or beliefs but some of it is diamonds in the rough.
Fear of Failure
Beware of teaching your children
to climb the ladder of success.
Ladders lead down
as well as up.
If you overly protect your children
they will fear failure
and avoid pain.
But failure and pain
are twin teachers
of important lessons.
Unless your children fully experience both
how will they know
they have nothing to fear?
________________________________________
River of Change
The child you see today
will not be here tomorrow.
The child arriving home from school,
is different from the one
who left from home this morning.
Every moment is a death
of all that has gone before,
and a birth
of all that is to come.
You must jump into the river
and let it carry you on its journey.
If you try to stop it
you will drown.
That last poem the River of Change really hits home for me. My kids all seem like they are growing up so quickly. This year as we have faced Jack's health issues I felt like the times that I dug my heels in and protested inwardly about it all I felt like I was drowning. It was only when I trusted God and lived in His will that I felt like I was being carried on the river as a child feels when they are in a swimming pool with their mom or dad holding them under their back and floating on the water. When the burden seems overwhelming, you actually can feel weightless because God's hand is supporting it all. I have had to remind myself that God will gladly receive my burdens that I give to Him, but he will never take them forcefully, that would infringe on the free will He gave me. Miracles have happened in my life this year, the miracle of mothering Jack without constant fear of the future is for me a miracle. I don't know if it is just me or if other parents do this, but since I have had my kids on occassion I have let fear creep up inside my brain and had thoughts like,...what if my child get's cancer? Most of the time when I get thoughts like that I try to close them out and leave them behind, I don't think it is healthy to think about things that can breed fear in your heart, we don't need to be fearful, Jesus tells us that so many times in the Bible. But once or twice I had thought the cancer scenario through with regards to one of my kids, and it never turned out very pretty. I was paralyzed with fear, grief, anger...I can remember saying out loud to God in prayer before Jack was ever diagnosed," I will serve You, use me as You see fit, use my life ... but don't even think about touching my kids." I actually don't think I said out loud the last phrase, but I remember thinking it very clearly, and as God knows what is in my mind, I might as well have said it out loud, because He heard it just the same. I truly didn't think that I could bear any one of my children having cancer, I didn't think I had it in me to function properly, that is where the miracle comes in. With God's grace and mercy, with His love to guide me, with His diligence to bring me closer to Him, He has given me strength, He has given me peace, He has given me joy and smiles, when left to my own accord I don't think I would have one. Almighty Father thank you for your mighty gifts.
I had a wonderful coffee time with my friend Jana Beck this morning. We talked about many things that were fun and exciting, she is one of those friends who you might not have hugged their neck in a month but when you see each other face to face, it is like you just left them moments ago. I am truly blessed to have Jana as a friend. One of the very exciting things we talked about was her husband, Dr. Richard Beck, who is the head of the psychology dept. at ACU is going to be part of a discussion group at Lectureship this year in February at ACU. I can't wait to go, it sounds very challenging. I love ACU Lectures, whenever I go I always feel like I am learning so much.
Jana also loaned me a book on parenting that was taken from "Ancient Chinese Secret's" (wasn't that the line in a cartoon or a sitcom in the 70's or 80's?) The real name of the book is Ancient Advice for Modern Parents by William Martin. Anyway this ancient advice has been given a bit of a twist and turned into some poetry for parents to read. I along with Jana would say that we would pick and choose what we would apply to our own families, not everything in the book is in line with our parenting strategies or beliefs but some of it is diamonds in the rough.
Fear of Failure
Beware of teaching your children
to climb the ladder of success.
Ladders lead down
as well as up.
If you overly protect your children
they will fear failure
and avoid pain.
But failure and pain
are twin teachers
of important lessons.
Unless your children fully experience both
how will they know
they have nothing to fear?
________________________________________
River of Change
The child you see today
will not be here tomorrow.
The child arriving home from school,
is different from the one
who left from home this morning.
Every moment is a death
of all that has gone before,
and a birth
of all that is to come.
You must jump into the river
and let it carry you on its journey.
If you try to stop it
you will drown.
That last poem the River of Change really hits home for me. My kids all seem like they are growing up so quickly. This year as we have faced Jack's health issues I felt like the times that I dug my heels in and protested inwardly about it all I felt like I was drowning. It was only when I trusted God and lived in His will that I felt like I was being carried on the river as a child feels when they are in a swimming pool with their mom or dad holding them under their back and floating on the water. When the burden seems overwhelming, you actually can feel weightless because God's hand is supporting it all. I have had to remind myself that God will gladly receive my burdens that I give to Him, but he will never take them forcefully, that would infringe on the free will He gave me. Miracles have happened in my life this year, the miracle of mothering Jack without constant fear of the future is for me a miracle. I don't know if it is just me or if other parents do this, but since I have had my kids on occassion I have let fear creep up inside my brain and had thoughts like,...what if my child get's cancer? Most of the time when I get thoughts like that I try to close them out and leave them behind, I don't think it is healthy to think about things that can breed fear in your heart, we don't need to be fearful, Jesus tells us that so many times in the Bible. But once or twice I had thought the cancer scenario through with regards to one of my kids, and it never turned out very pretty. I was paralyzed with fear, grief, anger...I can remember saying out loud to God in prayer before Jack was ever diagnosed," I will serve You, use me as You see fit, use my life ... but don't even think about touching my kids." I actually don't think I said out loud the last phrase, but I remember thinking it very clearly, and as God knows what is in my mind, I might as well have said it out loud, because He heard it just the same. I truly didn't think that I could bear any one of my children having cancer, I didn't think I had it in me to function properly, that is where the miracle comes in. With God's grace and mercy, with His love to guide me, with His diligence to bring me closer to Him, He has given me strength, He has given me peace, He has given me joy and smiles, when left to my own accord I don't think I would have one. Almighty Father thank you for your mighty gifts.
Comments
I love reading your posts. You make us a part of your family's life. How thankful I am about the MRI results. I know how concerned you have been about the prospects of radiation, so to be headed down a path that appears NOT to include that is an inestimable blessing. May God be praised. And of course having Jack's blood counts back up brings a sigh of relief.
Nothing can beat the joy of the time you all spent together during the holidays, but I do hope your kids will enjoy being back in school with their friends... and especially that Jack will stay strong enough to be there every day.
Love,
Gay