Triumph

Parenting:

Moments of hope and despair

Moments of triumph and defeat

Moments of dependence and independence

Moments to love, hug, laugh, cry, do over, pick up, plan, be

Moments to take your breath away

Last week I received a note from my twenty year old daughter who has spent the last sixteen months in New York. She’s my spunky middle child who is so much like me that when she was little we’d butt heads. She was also the only child, out of all five who were home schooled, to never go to any form of public school. Home schooling adds another dimension to the parenting equation – another worry, another reason to say “I really can’t blow this”, and another element where as a parent I would have to step back and let them sink or swim on their own.  As most parents do I tried to teach her the value of work, play, compassion, respect (for herself, others, the environment), things of God, and things of learning- math, reading, history, science and such.

Then I got her note which says, “Thank you for helping me know how to be myself and be happy with being ME (something I have found to be a rare attribute to have). I love my life so much!”

Though it wasn't intentional in the midst of 1+1=2 and ABCs and "say your prayers" and "take out the trash" she learned one of life’s most important lessons.

There is no formula for parenting. It’s a mix of being present, encouraging, allowing freedom within safe boundaries, giving a helping hand when the fall is too big, and cheering, hugging, and letting go.

What is a moment of triumph you have experienced as a parent? 

Look to the Possiblities

Recently, several challenges have presented themselves to Mr. W and I. Dealing with all this “stuff” can be daunting. These aren’t issues we are taking lightly, we’ve talked of them, prayed about them, meditated over the course to take and we can’t, at this moment, see a clear way through but I have hope solutions will be reached.

Selfishness-Selflessness

I yesterday had a conversation with someone who’s been in a12 step program for a year. He said, “For many years I thought I was a generous and caring person. Now I understand most of what I did was motivated from selfishness.”

Charity

The cloth of righteous societies is woven from the golden threads of charity. -H. David Burton

Charity- the pure love of Christ

Charity- never fails

Charity- endures forever

Charity can take many forms. The highest forms of charity help you to grow and become more.

Hike Through the Woods

Sara (name changed) sat in a secluded corner of the YA section of our local library.  She was a small woman made even smaller by circumstance, choices and disposition. Fragile self esteem, unusual health issues, unemployed for the better part of seven years, and fleeing an abusive ex-husband. A man she later came to find was on the sex offenders list, a man bad to the core. “Who would’ve though you needed to run a background check on your husband,” Sara had said in an earlier conversation. She wore a scarf around her head and penciled on brows. Her skin a smooth alabaster with the sheen of silk, devoid of all hair. Cancer a stranger would surmise but no among other things she has Alopecia Universalis and her own immune system was attacking her hair follicles.