Category Archives: Grandparenting

by

My Father’s Daughter

IMG_5972-2
I have only had one person ever tell me that I look like my father.

I asked them if they had ever met my mother and they said “no.”

Ever since I can remember I have been told – “You look just like Esther!” I never have minded that, primarily because I think that my mother is an attractive person. Having three daughters has caused the comparison of appearance to be passed down. I have written this before but I think it bears repeating – someone once asked my mother – after saying how much I looked like her – whether our daughter Abigail reminded my mother of me at that age. My mother quickly replied, “Oh, no. Abigail is much prettier than Gayle ever was.”

So, I don’t look like my father, but I have inherited or acquired several of his traits.

* we both love to teach
* we both love plants and love to care for them, new blooms excite us!
* we both enjoy eating watermelon – the sweeter the better
* we enjoy biographies and reading about people’s lives
* we love to hear a good sermon
* we both enjoy gospel music sung from the heart

I am my father’s daughter. His love of teaching as a calling and a profession has had a profound influence on who I am. My father’s father and grandfather each spent some time teaching, although each held other career positions as well. My father was always proud of what he did and when I entered high school, I realized that he was respected by faculty and students alike. I am so thankful that I attended the school where my father taught because it gave me an opportunity to see him through my peers’ eyes.

I think it is important for us as parents and grandparents to share about our work with our children. Our attitudes about our jobs will be picked up by children whether we intend to share them or not. They will start to develop attitudes about work and careers by the things they see us say and do.

My favorite chapter in the Bible, Romans 12 gives advice about work, among other things –

Romans 12:9-13 NLT

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

I am so thankful to be my father’s daughter. He has given me a legacy of honoring God through the work I am called to do. What a blessing!

by

No Answers

Caleb

“They have asked me EVERY few minutes ‘when will we go to Nana and Pop’s?’ It is driving me CRAZY. Next time, I will tell them we are going to Nana’s when we get in the car to leave.”

Our daughter was venting about how frustrating it is to have children impatiently look forward to something. Questions abound:
* Is it time yet?
* When are we going?
* How much longer ’til we leave?
And then they start repeating the questions. Endlessly.

It is hard for little ones to focus on today when they are looking forward to tomorrow.

Wait.

Did I just write “little ones”?

It is so true of ME. Someone asked me today if I was counting down the days until the end of school – I replied “No – I have too much to finish before the end.” If I start counting down – I will lose my focus on the tasks at hand.

We are so like children, aren’t we?

When one of my high school art students asks me what we are doing for our next project – I can be fairly certain that they have lost interest in what they are currently working on. The students who are fully engaged in their art work are not thinking about what they will do next – they are focused on the project at hand.

This applies to us spiritually as well. We often ask God things like –

* What will I do when my children go to school?
* What will I do when my children leave home?
* How will I ever handle…?
* What will I do when I retire?

We should be asking – “What do I do now?”

In Acts 1:6-7 the apostles are asking Jesus questions –

6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

Notice it says – “they kept asking Jesus”. Jesus told them – “they are not for you to know.”

Why didn’t Jesus tell them what His Father had planned?

Could it be that the disciples would focus on the future instead of the present if they knew what was going to happen? Jesus wanted them to be faithful to their current ministry. I know I probably would have done the same. I might even think I could “fix” the future – you know, make it better.

God does not reveal everything to us. He has His reasons. Just as parents know when to withhold information, God knows what we can handle – and when we can handle it.

In the meantime, we must learn to walk by faith.

“No answer” does not mean that God isn’t present in our current situation or in control.

God may not answer so that we walk by faith, not by sight.

by

No Vacations for Brains

Reading the "Hobbit" at six months.

Reading the Hobbit at six months.

We have competitive children. I thought this “one-ups-man-ship” would end when they finished school and college sports, etc.

Oh, no. As soon as our first grandchild was born, our son started questioning what books her mother was reading to his niece and how often.

“I read War and Peace in kindergarten.” he said to his sister.

Soon after, this young mother e-mailed the above picture showing her six-month-old reading the Hobbit.

This has all been in fun, yet reading to our children and grandchildren is the single MOST important activity we can engage in to encourage healthy brain development. Recent research with brain imaging shows that brain activity of infants greatly increases when they hear live language spoken to them. This same brain activity does not appear when these same infants hear voices from electronic devices like televisions or computers, including recordings of the parents’ own voices.

What better way to share our live voices than to read to our little ones!

As our children grew older and started to read themselves, they still wanted us to read aloud. We went through The Little House sseries, The Tower of Gehbora trilogy, The Lord of the Rings after the Hobbit, and The Narnia Chronicles to name a few. Those times of family reading are special memories.

In Deuteronomy, God is giving the law to his people. He is encouraging them to share his words with their children.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7(NIV)

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Don’t let our children’s brains go on vacation this summer!

Plan to read to them each day if possible. There are many great series to choose from – and include Bible stories as well. Most public libraries have summer reading programs that encourage children to read and be read to.

After you read together – talk about what you read. Verse 7 gives some practical advice about when to do this:
* when you sit at home – meals
* when you walk along the road – or drive
* when you lie down – for nap or bedtime
* when you get up – morning devotions

So as summer is fast approaching – lets make sure that there are no vacations for brains!

The Media Specialist (Librarian) at my school recently shared this link to an article that shares some insightful information on the importance of reading. Please check this out – you will be inspired!http://nyti.ms/1gwXt6m