I never thought I would complain and say something like this before, but this is what I'm complaining about now - my son smells like a fish. He got in the car yesterday and I had to stop myself from gagging. All the windows were down. It took me a few minutes to get used to the new sea salt/fish smell, all the while breathing through my nose, before I could carry on a conversation without the gag reflex.
My son didn't care and the truth was, neither did I, because the reason he smells like a fish, a really bad, smelly fish, is because he is around fish all day, actually huge mammals, doing the dream job of his life, feeding these stinky fish (thus the smell!) to a bunch of beluga whales all day long. He and I both pinched ourselves many times this week. We just can't believe he's working in what he feels lis a giant movie set of Dolphin Tale. He said yesterday that even another employee said to him yesterday, "I can't believe I get to work with whales! This is the best job ever!" My son had to agree, "I know! I love my job!"
So the drawbacks - he stinks every time I pick him up. Really badly. But, I really don't care. I get to pick up my son who is so happy I could cry. He is going to have a really funny tan. The backs of his legs are so red from leaning over the pools to feed the whales. His ribs are sore from leaning on the cement. His arms are sore from carrying the 60 lbs of fish the belugas eat all day (times 32 - that's right, there are 32 belugas - they have a very successful breeding program apparently!).
And, the drive.....oh, the drive.....we have to figure this one out. It is a 40 minute drive one way to drop him off and potentially much longer as I have to pick him up during rush hour. I haven't minded, it just means a huge impact on our schooling again, which I have pretty much had to pack in for the year seeing as I'm never home anymore. The kids usually have to come with me when I drive as they are too young to be on their own for that long. So, there has been impact with this new job, but the little kids can't believe he works with whales all day at an amusement park, so they are actually ok with it, too! They are so thrilled for him! (I think they secretly hope that we'll get season's passes to the park, which I don't want to get, but may have to.....) But, each time we've driven him together, we stop and do something fun and they now don't mind going with me knowing it'll always end up being a great time. We school in the car, talking about all the things we're learning.
We're still debating about getting another car just for the summer, but we aren't sure. I always end up listening to more sermons than normal when I drive this much and I heard some great programs yesterday, one in particular related to money and young adults and debt. The average American student graduates with $37,000 in student loans when they finish school. The guest on the show suggested that this doesn't have to be the case. We would agree which is why all our kids are working so hard to put themselves through school. So far, all our kids are debt-free with school and they are paying for it themselves. However, if they get cars, then everything changes. We aren't quite sure what to do there. One friend suggested that perhaps I continue to drive, but he pays me a percentage for the gas and my own car care, just not the full amount he would have to pay for his own car. That's a thought. So, we are praying about this one 'cause it is a challenge for me and the kids to be in the car so much. It is a challenge for us with all the gas. It is just hard all the way around, but we know it'll all work out in the end. In the meantime, my son is living a dream and I don't want to spoil it by complaining about the drive. It's actually really fun to drive with him all the time. He is one of my funniest kids, and has me in stitches most of the way there. We also get to talk about his India trip, or his struggles, or whatever it is that you just don't normally get when you aren't driving your child for an hour and a half!!! So I thank God, I really do, for the challenge this new job has given us.
Years ago, I remember asking my women's Bible study to pray for us. We were considering moving to the country and I didn't want to go. I had this son, I told them, who clearly loved nature and animals, and I felt like living in town was just not the best place for him. So they prayed. My son was 5 at the time. Now he's 19. God did not answer that prayer right away. It took 7 years before we moved to the country, but we did move, and it was really motivated initially because of that little boy. Not only did we move to the country, but we moved to a part of the world that has whales! We never thought about that when we first moved here, but really, only people who live near this amusement park can work there (unless you move!). I never would have told my husband 12 years ago, "We should really move to a neighbourhood that has whales." No, I would not have even known to say that. So, I marvel, that God in His sovereignty knew that years later my son would need this kind of a job to get him more animal experience. He also moved us to a place where we would meet the right people who would help connect us to other people who would help us get this job! Some would call it all coincidence, but I can't. I know our life would be so different if we had stayed where we were. I knew my son was a different kid from the beginning and he needed a different place to live. I thank God that those prayers were answered from so long ago.
Thursday 24 May 2018
Friday 18 May 2018
He's Back!
Thankfully, our son arrived safe and sound last night. Even on time. Small mercies. I don't know how he got through customs. He came back with an unusual amount of weapons and knives, as well as a dead scorpion that he had caught under some Indian rock. The guys who had lived there for over 5 years didn't even know there were scorpions in that part of India. Leave it to my son to find them. He apparently became known as "Rock Turner" because he was always lifting rocks looking for them or unusual bugs. We saw that from the time he was a little boy. Still does it!
It sounds like from what we heard so far that it was all we had hoped for. He was able to deworm hundreds of horses, cows, sheep and dogs as well as assist in surgery. He even learned to stitch up animals which is a great skill if you become a vet! He saw diseases that are apparently very rare here but run rampant over there. He was treated to Indian hospitality whatever village he was in and learned to drink salty tea, which he didn't love, but knew he had to try it!
It was also great to work with the local missionaries who are not called or known as missionaries there. It is a Muslim area and there is no evangelizing allowed, so they are there under the premise of running a business. They then hire locals and have seen several come to Christ. It was good for our son to see this and meet the families that are risking their lives every day for the gospel. They could easily be thrown out of the country at any moment.
I was so curious if he had packed enough warm clothes. Had he forgotten anything that he had wished he'd brought? The week before he left we had been sent a list of all the essential things he would need. Some of it he had, but some of it we needed to buy. My husband was willing to make the investment and go all out and buy new at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op). I couldn't stomach it. I knew, even if he went another year, we didn't have to buy new, did we? I suggested we take one trip to the goodwill store and see if they had anything and then, if not, make the trek to MEC. I think what pleased me most was that my son was open to that. He was willing to go to goodwill. Off we went.
We scoured the racks and to my pleasure we were able to find EVERYTHING he needed at the goodwill store, including what could have been a pricey vest, jeans, hiking boots, windbreaker, etc. The rest of the things he needed we got at the dollar store! If we had bought those things at MEC, we would have been looking at a bill that was hundreds of dollars. I felt God blessed us with the exact things we needed at a fraction of the cost. Thank you God and goodwill!
His new marine mammal caregiver job will start next week, so he has the weekend to recover from jetlag and then he's off to a new adventure. We will hear more and more about his trip as the days unfold. It sounds like it was a great experience. The vet/friend of mine he traveled with took me aside and told me she tried not to mother him! She watched out for him, but said he did fine, so I got the true story out of her, I think! She's gone on this trip for 5 years now. Will he go again? I don't know, but he's open to it! Praising and thanking God for his safe return, for the opportunity to travel and gain experience in the veterinary field as well as his first exposure to overseas missions - he sure packed a lot into one trip!
It sounds like from what we heard so far that it was all we had hoped for. He was able to deworm hundreds of horses, cows, sheep and dogs as well as assist in surgery. He even learned to stitch up animals which is a great skill if you become a vet! He saw diseases that are apparently very rare here but run rampant over there. He was treated to Indian hospitality whatever village he was in and learned to drink salty tea, which he didn't love, but knew he had to try it!
It was also great to work with the local missionaries who are not called or known as missionaries there. It is a Muslim area and there is no evangelizing allowed, so they are there under the premise of running a business. They then hire locals and have seen several come to Christ. It was good for our son to see this and meet the families that are risking their lives every day for the gospel. They could easily be thrown out of the country at any moment.
I was so curious if he had packed enough warm clothes. Had he forgotten anything that he had wished he'd brought? The week before he left we had been sent a list of all the essential things he would need. Some of it he had, but some of it we needed to buy. My husband was willing to make the investment and go all out and buy new at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op). I couldn't stomach it. I knew, even if he went another year, we didn't have to buy new, did we? I suggested we take one trip to the goodwill store and see if they had anything and then, if not, make the trek to MEC. I think what pleased me most was that my son was open to that. He was willing to go to goodwill. Off we went.
We scoured the racks and to my pleasure we were able to find EVERYTHING he needed at the goodwill store, including what could have been a pricey vest, jeans, hiking boots, windbreaker, etc. The rest of the things he needed we got at the dollar store! If we had bought those things at MEC, we would have been looking at a bill that was hundreds of dollars. I felt God blessed us with the exact things we needed at a fraction of the cost. Thank you God and goodwill!
His new marine mammal caregiver job will start next week, so he has the weekend to recover from jetlag and then he's off to a new adventure. We will hear more and more about his trip as the days unfold. It sounds like it was a great experience. The vet/friend of mine he traveled with took me aside and told me she tried not to mother him! She watched out for him, but said he did fine, so I got the true story out of her, I think! She's gone on this trip for 5 years now. Will he go again? I don't know, but he's open to it! Praising and thanking God for his safe return, for the opportunity to travel and gain experience in the veterinary field as well as his first exposure to overseas missions - he sure packed a lot into one trip!
Tuesday 15 May 2018
Striving to be a Daughter of Sarah
This was my devotional for my homeschool moms this week:
Yesterday had started off great. I was determined to cut Satan off at the pass. I had read some great verses in Matthew 7 and 8 reminding me not to not be anxious (as that is something I tend to battle) about anything, about what I will eat, what I will wear, or if my kids will be strong readers, or if I'm doing enough in our homeschool, or about my husband's work, or about anything. The phrase Jesus used was, "O you of little faith". He repeated that same phrase when the disciples woke him up in the boat. "We are perishing!" they no doubt yelled. Before he even calmed the sea, he said to them again (probably somewhat annoyed that they weren't getting it yet), "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith."
I really reflected on those verses for awhile as I can allow my stomach to get in knots for no good reason and I could hear God's voice telling me, "Enough is enough. Get a grip. Stop being anxious. Stop being afraid and stop being a woman of little faith." So I regrouped, confessed and prayed thanking God that I could be a person of great faith! I got out of the shower, feeling like a new Christian!
But then, someone knocked on the door.
It was 7:30 in the morning.
Who would be knocking on my door? It was a neighbour that I didn't really know telling me that our bull was out. Oh no.
First wave of fear.
Down the street, in the road, she said.
More fear.
She was quite concerned as he is quite an imposing animal. "Thanks for letting me know! Heh heh, " I said nervously. I woke up the only two kids who could help, but there wasn't really anything they could do as this bull is a bull! You don't go near bulls. They are by nature dangerous. I know, one charged me last summer! But my daughter seemed to think she could handle this bull and so she started walking right out to it! I was yelling at her from the door to stay away from him.
More waves of fear as I pictured her being gored like a Spanish matador.
Then I looked at the time, I was going to be late for my appointment for our car at 8:00.
More pangs of anxiety as I didn't know how I could make it work.
By this time I had called my husband. I don't want to say I was hysterical. Let's just say, I spoke in such a way that he knew he needed to come home and help me with the bull! Well, the long story short is I went from being a woman of faith, to absolutely no faith in a matter of minutes. I was no different than the disciples who had just seen Jesus heal all sorts of people, but then they got on the boat and completely panicked at the first sign of waves. Yup, that was me.
I talked with my kids after everything was back to normal, the bull was in, my husband was back at work, my daughter wasn't gored, my neighbour was gone, the car had gotten taken care of and I hadn't missed my appointment. I told them mommy had failed her first test of faith that morning. I had had good intentions, but had been caught off-guard. Epic fail, we like to say.
Had my fear helped in any of the situations? No. Had I gotten everyone else worked up in the process? Yes. My husband said I took ten years off his life with my phone call. Had my fear helped me get to my appointment sooner? No.
Fellow homeschool moms...(and I suppose men struggle with fear, too!) if fear, anxiety, or worry is an issue for you, listen to me.... we have to stop being women controlled by fear. I know I failed, but it was a great reminder to me to not fail next time. I know I might fail again, but I'm really praying I won't be caught off-guard so easily (although a bull is kind of scary!) We need to be known as women of great faith! Not women of little faith. We need to see how our fear and anxiety affect those around us. I am teaching my kids to be fear-filled, not faith-filled, if I continue to behave the way I did yesterday morning! I was sure convicted of it the rest of the day. Satan knew I was trying to be more faith-filled, so I was definitely a walking target, but I should have been more aware of his schemes. 1 Peter 3:6 says, speaking of Sarah, "And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." What a great verse! We have to be daughters of Sarah, not afraid of anything frightening! Not even a bull! That is what she is known for, and the Bible says we are her children, so we have to be just like her! Amen! So, we really have no excuses - faith is in our genes. We don't have to fall for the devil's schemes. We can walk in confidence every day that we are daughters of Sarah, faith-filled, fear-averse, women. Awesome.
Monday 7 May 2018
The Making of a Man
It has been awhile since I've sat down and written for the blog. I have been writing though, nearly every morning, just not here! I had to finish a talk I was giving on anger at the homeschool conference this past weekend. That consumed many mornings as it had to be an hour long and I had no idea how to write on anger for an hour - it made me so angry! Ha ha. But I got it done and I think it went really well. I don't think people were showing up to hear me talk, I'm a no-name speaker, but based on how many people came to the talk, I would say it is a hot issue in people's homes. The room was packed, standing room only.
I think moms, dads, and kids, many even moreso in homeschool homes because we're around each other all day every day, really struggle with anger and how to deal with it. I ended up sharing our family's story of how we dealt with anger in our home. I explained the effects of anger on a child, the impact of anger on a parent, what the Bible has to say about anger, how we took on the anger experiment we did a few years ago, the results of that, and then other practical tools for getting rid of anger once and for all. The key I tried to repeat over and over was "confess, repent, and start over" each time anger tries to raise its ugly head. The sin with anger is the lack of repentance and then the wall is built brick by brick and it is really hard to tear down a wall once it is so high from a series of angry incidents. The other thing I tried to talk about was triggers. This is a neat idea that I just heard about recently.
We all know we have triggers that set us off. We can't avoid them, they are going to happen and set us off time and time again. Unless we look at them a different way. Instead of looking at them as things we should avoid at all costs, why not look at them as opportunities? Let the trigger that typically makes you mad be the very thing that tells you you need to train your child in the area that he is lacking, the very area that is setting you off. It has really changed everything for me when I consider how often I'm set off during the day. That means it is that many areas I haven't trained my child! So if they aren't cleaning up when I'm gone and I come home to a mess (which is what I came home to last night), instead of freaking out, I need to remind them this morning, "Ok, guys, I wasn't happy when I got home last night and found the kitchen exactly how I left it. Next time, you guys need to make sure the whole kitchen is clean....please!" That will be way better than yelling at them when they wake up today, which, in the past, I might have sadly done. So, I'm trying to train more these days, less yelling. I'm trying to take the triggers that set me off to remind me, "That's another area for training!"
The last few weeks have also been consumed by puppies (a litter was born a week ago - 9 puppies!) and kittens (8 were given away last week!) and my son was getting the last minute stuff ready for India. Boy, did that trip ever come up fast! When he was in school, India seemed so far away, but once exams were over, the time crept up so quickly! There were so many last minute details left to do! On top of all that he was still being interviewed with Marineland, so I was driving him back and forth there for his first and second interviews.....so much to do. However, somehow in the midst of all of this, we got it all done. He texted me from Delhi, India at midnight last night to say he was on his was to Srinigar (northern India). Gotta love cell phones for that. So he actually made it to India! I have a child on the other side of the world!!!!
I do have to say, the few days he was home, between exams being done and going off to India, were awesome. I kind of made him into my personal worker. I called him "Farm boy" (remember that, from Princess Bride? We laughed and laughed. "Farm boy, take out the garbage." "As you wish....." "Farm boy, clean up the whole farm...." "As you wish...." He was amazing. For the few days he was here, he basically did all the things I've ever wanted done on the farm because he's usually never able to help. I think it was his way (just like in the movie) of saying, "I love you. Thank you for all you've done. I'm willing to do whatever you want in exchange." I was so grateful as he started off each day with, "What do you want me to do today?" What kid says that???????
If I could write a book on diligence and perseverance, I would make my son the main character. His story would be one of the ups and downs that a young man has to go through in life to make him a man. I would write about the mom who tried to protect him from harm, but couldn't and about the dad who knew better when to step in and when to let him flounder. All the while, the mom was on her knees, crying and praying for her son as he went through his trials. But then, when it seemed like all was hopeless, the whole time, the son would pick himself up off the floor after each trial and he would dust himself off and start over, taking on each new battle with a ferocity that she didn't know he had in him. That has been my son for the last 3 years. He has gone from being a boy, to a man. Now I knew I was right when I reacted so strongly to my boys being boys when they were born. I didn't want boys! And now I know why. I think I innately knew I wouldn't be able to handle it emotionally to watch what it would take to make them men. I wanted girls. I wanted what I knew. I wanted it to be easier! Watching a boy become a man is awful for a mom. I do not recommend it for the faint of heart. Everything in me wanted to step in to his life and protect him, hold him, pick him up when things went bad, but I couldn't. I knew, at least a little, that that was bad for a mom to do.
But it all came to a head this year, all the trials, all the sufferings, all the training. His school year was rough in the first semester as he was learning to adjust to university life, but then he got into a groove, started to figure out how to study, how to work harder than he's ever worked, how to be the most diligent he's ever been. Well, let me tell you, it paid off with the highest marks I've ever seen him get. I think his lowest mark was an 86 %. Not only that, but all his diligence with the dogs and his animal experience also paid off with him getting the marine mammal caregiver job at Marineland this summer! He had always watched the movie Dolphin Tale and then would later tell me how much he hated that movie. Why? We would ask. "Because the kid in the movie gets to work with dolphins all day! That is not fair!!!" Well, guess what, now that's what he's doing - working with dolphins, belugas and tourists - all day, for 4 months. He found out on his 19th birthday, pretty cool. Sounds like a dream job to me and an answer to prayer. That is, after he comes back from a trip to India where he'll be working with a whole bunch of vets and Indian animals in one of the most beautiful places in India. I found out on the way to the airport that he really shouldn't even be on this trip. It is exclusively for vets and vet techs, already trained professionals. I can only thank God for how He opened doors allowing him to go with my friend who is a vet. She sees something in him that screams, "Potential Vet" and so she made it happen. She has been used in my life over and over with my son and other very neat ways. I love the body of Christ and how God uses people in our lives to encourage us and to even help in our children's lives in areas we don't have connections.
The sermon on Sunday was on humility. I can truly say I cannot take the credit for any of these amazing stories. I didn't come up with the answers to anger. God did. I didn't come up with how to make my son a man. God did. I had no way of getting my son out of the pit of despair when he went through the trials he went through. I only had the Lord and my prayers. I couldn't get my son the job or the trip to India. God used people in my life. As cliche as it may sound, I am truly humbled by God's goodness to me and my son. I am so grateful that He blessed him for all his diligence and perseverance. Now, as my next 4 sons enter the man journey, I am not as worried, not as fearful, though I really don't enjoy watching the process. I hate seeing them suffer as suffering is what makes them men. I wish I could fast forward them through all that. But I can't. I'd like to sub-contract my parenting out for those years. Also can't do that. So, I keep doing what I'm getting really good at....praying. That is more effective than anything else. So, to all moms of newborn boys? Be warned, it is a hard journey, but the blessings along the way are amazing and seeing them become men? There is nothing more incredible, more rewarding, more fulfilling, than seeing your once little baby boy stand beside you, taller than you, as a man.
I think moms, dads, and kids, many even moreso in homeschool homes because we're around each other all day every day, really struggle with anger and how to deal with it. I ended up sharing our family's story of how we dealt with anger in our home. I explained the effects of anger on a child, the impact of anger on a parent, what the Bible has to say about anger, how we took on the anger experiment we did a few years ago, the results of that, and then other practical tools for getting rid of anger once and for all. The key I tried to repeat over and over was "confess, repent, and start over" each time anger tries to raise its ugly head. The sin with anger is the lack of repentance and then the wall is built brick by brick and it is really hard to tear down a wall once it is so high from a series of angry incidents. The other thing I tried to talk about was triggers. This is a neat idea that I just heard about recently.
We all know we have triggers that set us off. We can't avoid them, they are going to happen and set us off time and time again. Unless we look at them a different way. Instead of looking at them as things we should avoid at all costs, why not look at them as opportunities? Let the trigger that typically makes you mad be the very thing that tells you you need to train your child in the area that he is lacking, the very area that is setting you off. It has really changed everything for me when I consider how often I'm set off during the day. That means it is that many areas I haven't trained my child! So if they aren't cleaning up when I'm gone and I come home to a mess (which is what I came home to last night), instead of freaking out, I need to remind them this morning, "Ok, guys, I wasn't happy when I got home last night and found the kitchen exactly how I left it. Next time, you guys need to make sure the whole kitchen is clean....please!" That will be way better than yelling at them when they wake up today, which, in the past, I might have sadly done. So, I'm trying to train more these days, less yelling. I'm trying to take the triggers that set me off to remind me, "That's another area for training!"
The last few weeks have also been consumed by puppies (a litter was born a week ago - 9 puppies!) and kittens (8 were given away last week!) and my son was getting the last minute stuff ready for India. Boy, did that trip ever come up fast! When he was in school, India seemed so far away, but once exams were over, the time crept up so quickly! There were so many last minute details left to do! On top of all that he was still being interviewed with Marineland, so I was driving him back and forth there for his first and second interviews.....so much to do. However, somehow in the midst of all of this, we got it all done. He texted me from Delhi, India at midnight last night to say he was on his was to Srinigar (northern India). Gotta love cell phones for that. So he actually made it to India! I have a child on the other side of the world!!!!
I do have to say, the few days he was home, between exams being done and going off to India, were awesome. I kind of made him into my personal worker. I called him "Farm boy" (remember that, from Princess Bride? We laughed and laughed. "Farm boy, take out the garbage." "As you wish....." "Farm boy, clean up the whole farm...." "As you wish...." He was amazing. For the few days he was here, he basically did all the things I've ever wanted done on the farm because he's usually never able to help. I think it was his way (just like in the movie) of saying, "I love you. Thank you for all you've done. I'm willing to do whatever you want in exchange." I was so grateful as he started off each day with, "What do you want me to do today?" What kid says that???????
If I could write a book on diligence and perseverance, I would make my son the main character. His story would be one of the ups and downs that a young man has to go through in life to make him a man. I would write about the mom who tried to protect him from harm, but couldn't and about the dad who knew better when to step in and when to let him flounder. All the while, the mom was on her knees, crying and praying for her son as he went through his trials. But then, when it seemed like all was hopeless, the whole time, the son would pick himself up off the floor after each trial and he would dust himself off and start over, taking on each new battle with a ferocity that she didn't know he had in him. That has been my son for the last 3 years. He has gone from being a boy, to a man. Now I knew I was right when I reacted so strongly to my boys being boys when they were born. I didn't want boys! And now I know why. I think I innately knew I wouldn't be able to handle it emotionally to watch what it would take to make them men. I wanted girls. I wanted what I knew. I wanted it to be easier! Watching a boy become a man is awful for a mom. I do not recommend it for the faint of heart. Everything in me wanted to step in to his life and protect him, hold him, pick him up when things went bad, but I couldn't. I knew, at least a little, that that was bad for a mom to do.
But it all came to a head this year, all the trials, all the sufferings, all the training. His school year was rough in the first semester as he was learning to adjust to university life, but then he got into a groove, started to figure out how to study, how to work harder than he's ever worked, how to be the most diligent he's ever been. Well, let me tell you, it paid off with the highest marks I've ever seen him get. I think his lowest mark was an 86 %. Not only that, but all his diligence with the dogs and his animal experience also paid off with him getting the marine mammal caregiver job at Marineland this summer! He had always watched the movie Dolphin Tale and then would later tell me how much he hated that movie. Why? We would ask. "Because the kid in the movie gets to work with dolphins all day! That is not fair!!!" Well, guess what, now that's what he's doing - working with dolphins, belugas and tourists - all day, for 4 months. He found out on his 19th birthday, pretty cool. Sounds like a dream job to me and an answer to prayer. That is, after he comes back from a trip to India where he'll be working with a whole bunch of vets and Indian animals in one of the most beautiful places in India. I found out on the way to the airport that he really shouldn't even be on this trip. It is exclusively for vets and vet techs, already trained professionals. I can only thank God for how He opened doors allowing him to go with my friend who is a vet. She sees something in him that screams, "Potential Vet" and so she made it happen. She has been used in my life over and over with my son and other very neat ways. I love the body of Christ and how God uses people in our lives to encourage us and to even help in our children's lives in areas we don't have connections.
The sermon on Sunday was on humility. I can truly say I cannot take the credit for any of these amazing stories. I didn't come up with the answers to anger. God did. I didn't come up with how to make my son a man. God did. I had no way of getting my son out of the pit of despair when he went through the trials he went through. I only had the Lord and my prayers. I couldn't get my son the job or the trip to India. God used people in my life. As cliche as it may sound, I am truly humbled by God's goodness to me and my son. I am so grateful that He blessed him for all his diligence and perseverance. Now, as my next 4 sons enter the man journey, I am not as worried, not as fearful, though I really don't enjoy watching the process. I hate seeing them suffer as suffering is what makes them men. I wish I could fast forward them through all that. But I can't. I'd like to sub-contract my parenting out for those years. Also can't do that. So, I keep doing what I'm getting really good at....praying. That is more effective than anything else. So, to all moms of newborn boys? Be warned, it is a hard journey, but the blessings along the way are amazing and seeing them become men? There is nothing more incredible, more rewarding, more fulfilling, than seeing your once little baby boy stand beside you, taller than you, as a man.
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