Mother's Days

I heard this song by Steven Curtis Chapman the other day. I'm sharing it for my young mom friends that help me to fondly recall my younger days when life was blessedly full and hard and exhausting and my children were all little; needy and hungry and tired. 


I love to sit and talk with them and hear of their adventures and watch them buckle all of their brood into their car seats and to witness the tireless, selfless, God-given love that they have for their beautiful babies.


They bring back memories of several little ones clamoring for a spot on my lap or begging me watch one of their new abilities. 
They bless my heart!

I love being a mother; a journey with so many pleasant bends in the road! Thank you Lord, for blessing me so!

Happy Mother's Day!

► 4:08► 4:08

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP4nBMLkfko

One Heartbeat at a Time


You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are


So you fall into bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Oh, maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten


You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time


With every "I know you can do it"
Every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain over time
They become a river


And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time


You're beautiful
You're beautiful
How you're changing the world
You're changing the world


You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
Oh, I believe that you
You are changing the world
One little heartbeat
At a time


And you're changing the world


here's the link to Steven Curtis Chapman singing his song"

The Whose-Who of "Choice"?

I had the very disturbing, in fact, depressing opportunity of visiting our county's department of Social Services office last week. From the moment I entered this brand new state -of -the- art office I felt like a "bad-guy". Although the room was huge and well appointed, dividing the space between 'us' and 'them' was a glass barrier all the way to the ceiling. In order to talk to 'them' we had to speak through a small vent in the glass wall.  All over the walls were bulletin boards with glossy posters proclaiming our "rights" to:  food, healthcare, education, counseling- you name it. Young mothers came and went, speaking through the little vent, requesting more money and "free" services for their children.

What bothered me most was one poster in particular. It asked; "Are you pregnant? Confused? Scared?" and encouraged telling someone you trust. It informed us about the safe surrender law in California. It is legal here to surrender your newborn baby to any emergency room hospital employee (even the janitor I wondered?) within 72 hours of his birth, with no questions asked. You might even be allowed to reclaim the child within 14 days (I assume that is if one of 'them' deems you trustworthy).  At the very bottom of the poster this appeal was made: "A trashcan or dumpster is NEVER a choice!"

On the surface this law seems so right; so noble. Please understand that I support encouraging women NOT to throw their babies in dumpsters. What's bothering me is this:  society teaches (by legalization) that it is an acceptable "choice" to throw babies in dumpsters as long as they are removed from their mother's wombs through surgically induced death. And I'm sure one could get a referral for an abortion from this very same office.  'They' are speaking out of both sides of their mouths!  "The dumpster out behind the hospital is alright for baby corpses but please don't discard them in the public area. Only the 'Doctors' are permitted to throw them away." Or, to put it another way: 'They' may toss babies in the trash but 'we' may not! Makes me wonder...would it more acceptable for unwanted babies in Haiti to be tossed into the rivers to drown if it were done by a "professional" tosser?  God help us!

The next day I read Psalm 12

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
  for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
  with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.


May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
  the tongue that makes great boasts,
those who say, "With out tongue we will prevail,
  our lips are with us; who is master over us?"


"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
  I will now arise, says the Lord;
  I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
The words of the Lord are pure words,
  like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
  purified seven times.


You, O Lord, will keep them;
  you will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl,
  as vileness is exalted among the children of man.


What a sad but lovely contrast between the double speaking  of the wicked as highlighted above and the words of the Lord which are "pure like silver refined in a furnace...purified seven times".

God please grant each of us, your servants and true lovers of children, opportunity to meet and help the poor.  Open our hearts and our homes to help in whatever way we can. Use us Lord to help our sisters in their times of trouble. And thank you for keeping us and freeing us from the clutches of the enemy of our souls.

 "You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man." 

Footnotes

Feeling tied down?

 Here is a sweet poem entitled, Tied Down, an excerpt from the book, The Path to Home, by Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959) expresses our view of the blessing and reward of children.

Tied Down, by Edgar A. Guest

"They tie you down," a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.


"When babies come you cannot go
In search of pleasure with your friends,
And all your happy wandering ends.
The things you like you cannot do,
For babies make a slave of you."


I looked at her and said: "'Tis true
That children make a slave of you,
And tie you down with many a knot,
But have you never thought to what
It is of happiness and pride
That little babies have you tied?


Do you not miss the greater joys
That come with little girls and boys?
"They tie you down to laughter rare,
To hours of smiles and hours of care,
To nights of watching and to fears;
Sometimes they tie you down to tears
And then repay you with a smile,
And make your trouble all worth while.


They tie you fast to chubby feet,
And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.
"They fasten you with cords of love
To God divine, who reigns above.
They tie you, whereso'er you roam,
Unto the little place called home;
And over sea or railroad track
They tug at you to bring you back.
The happiest people in the town
Are those the babies have tied down.


"Oh, go your selfish way and free,
But hampered I would rather be,
Yes rather than a kingly crown
I would be, what you term, tied down;
Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,
Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,
The fettered slave of girl and boy,
And win from them earth's finest joy."