I desire to mirror what is "good” and reflect God’s light so that one day, when breath leaves my body and my firstborn son embraces me again, I will stand before the Lamb of God to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV)
"Mother to Son"
This has become one of my favorite poems. Taken from "The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis", a book that my mother gave me for my birthday in 2001, I love how this poem comes to life when read aloud.
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
There Comes A Time
"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living." -- Unknown
Two Years
"If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden." ~Attributed to Claudia GhandiProberbs 3:1-6
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight [a]. (NIV)
a. Or will direct your paths
a. Or will direct your paths
Just a Coincidence?
I spent last Saturday working on our 2010 taxes. After I finished I pulled some older, no longer needed, records from the filing cabinet to shred. One of the folders contained copies of Tommy's tax returns and the other contained his elementary, junior high and high school IEP (Individualized Education Program) Goals. Shredding the tax records was easy but working my way through his life as a child was harder and I felt my throat tighten up more than once. Memories flooded my head and tears blurred my vision as I silently fed them to the shredder.
Lost in my thoughts I reached for the next piece of paper. My hand grabbed a card instead. Blue, with a yellow rose on the front it read, "It isn't easy for you right now . . ." I opened it. ". . . just remember someone cares." I read the signature and sobbed. "I Love You Mom, Tommy"
What it was doing there, I don't know.
I told David about it yesterday and shared that I don't ever remember receiving that card from Tommy. I said, "I can't even tell you when he gave it me", to which he replied, "I can Mom. He gave it to you Saturday." I cried again.
Lost in my thoughts I reached for the next piece of paper. My hand grabbed a card instead. Blue, with a yellow rose on the front it read, "It isn't easy for you right now . . ." I opened it. ". . . just remember someone cares." I read the signature and sobbed. "I Love You Mom, Tommy"
What it was doing there, I don't know.
I told David about it yesterday and shared that I don't ever remember receiving that card from Tommy. I said, "I can't even tell you when he gave it me", to which he replied, "I can Mom. He gave it to you Saturday." I cried again.
