Zman and my Laela |
As
I plopped on my couch tonight after an evening of running through the house
with the lights out playing laser tag with my four peanuts and the Zman (aka-
my hubby) I couldn’t help but think that this would be one of those nights they
(my kiddos) will remember. Around the
holidays I often catch myself thinking of years gone by and memories from long
ago. I also quite frequently get lost in
thoughts of the memories and traditions that my children are now experiencing
and wonder what they will remember as years go by. As I was lost in thought recounting times of
great joy in my life I realized that there was a common theme in each and every
distinct memory that stood out in my mind.
Each one of them revolved around a relationship. The moment was special because of who it was
shared with. I do not remember many of
the gifts I received on Christmas Day, but I remember everything about the
people that I shared them with. Bare
with me as I take you through this journey onto a revelation that has become my
passion.
The clan |
I will never forget the Christmas Eve talks
shared between my sisters and I as we lay all squished in bed together in the
“blue room” at Nannies house. Jennifer
would always fall asleep first and Juliana and I would lay there crunching ice
for hours and contemplating with every sound if that was Santa or not. I will also never forget that every Christmas
morning Dad would be fooling with the camera trying to get it ready before we
were allowed to come in the room. It
seemed like hours spent waiting for him to get that video camera focused. I’ll just say cameras have come a long
way!! I also will never forget my Nanny,
who always worked the night shift at the hospital, and would come in just about
the time we were checking out all our presents in her stark white nurse uniform
with a big smile on her face. Nurse
apparel has also changed. The laughs we
shared standing over my Nannies floor furnace as the airflow made our
nightgowns puff out were countless and that joke never seemed to tire.
Of
coarse these memories all revolve around Christmas time, but this same theme
follows me throughout my entire life.
Moments I will never forget: Car
rides in my Dad’s yellow beat up beetle bug to and from ball practice. Singing in the bathroom with my Mom and
whoever else happened to be over and getting ready at the Galloway house. Yard work with my Dad or the endless amount
of laughs shared between my cousins and I as we sat on the pews of East Gadsden
Church of Christ.
One of my favorite presents! |
So
after taking a trip down memory lane this is the conclusion I have come
too. I want to create for my four
children a stockpile of memories that will help to shape and guide them
throughout their life. No amount of
material possessions no matter how cool or socially “in” they may be will
provide this. No, instead it is going to
come directly from the efforts of me and their father and our willingness to
put the time into creating them. When
my children think back to their childhood I want them to remember bedtime talks
where we are all piled up in the bed discussing the “important stuff.” I want them to remember the countless
hide-n-seek games played inside a dark house where I, not to brag, usually
always win. I want them to remember our
family prayers and the people and places we have prayed for time and time
again. I want them to remember that
sometimes being a good parent, correction, a lot of times being a good parent
does not mean being their best friend. I
want them to remember that we made them work, yes, work, because good work
helps to build strong character. I want
them to learn the value of prolonged gratification,
something I fear our culture has so quickly ripped from our children’s hands. Teaching my children to wait for the best
instead of settling for the NOW is a gift that will carry them through the rest
of their life. I want my children to be
able to find joy in relationships, not merchandise.
making memories! |
We
are surrounded by a culture that wants to strip every relationship from our
hands by the simple touch of a button and to replace it with a counterfeit. My New Year’s Resolution is to battle like never before for the minds
and hearts of my children. To refuse to
become consumed by consumption, to refuse to believe that happiness comes from
THINGS, to deny myself and to deny my children of the things that I know in my
heart will only corrupt their minds and steal their joy. I want to teach them the true value of a
relationship. I pray that those lessons
will be the ones that they draw from when they begin to form their own
relationship with God. Satan has an
agenda and it is very simple and can be defined in one word, DISTRACTION! He wants to distract Mom’s, Dad’s, kids, and
every relationship within. So in the
year of 2013 I commit to battle against the distractions that Satan intends to
throw at my family and to protect my children from a culture that wants to
consume them or rather for them to consume.
I vow to cherish every moment, every conversation, every sloppy wet
kiss, and to truly value every relationship in my life especially the one with
my Creator. So I leave you with a challenge. Whatever is distracting you or whatever is distracting your children from true meaningful relationships with each other and more importantly the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth discard it from your life, no matter the cost. That’s a sure fire way to
make for some great memories in 2013!
Love and hugs and Happy
New Year,
Jil
Love this...on the journey with you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Aly!!! I Hope you are doing fabulous!!
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