Kindness.....

We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave! Remember our Troops of Yesterday and Today !

Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.
- Mark Twain

A great example of why we should be kind and patient.

*taken from an email I received

What's In A Name?

All of us have several names. I'm not just talking about our first, middle and last names...I'm talking about our other names. Like Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, etc. but you get the idea. And in today's world, we even have online names. One of mine is farmerswifederbymom. How does each name define us? I'm Mom the overprotective Lion, I'm also called the "mean" Mom sometimes, LOL. I'm the "cool" Aunt, and wife. I'm Sunday School teacher, Youth Director and my names go on. So do we bend to be the person that name defines? Or does all those titles fit under one person? I think sometimes we do bend to be one person or the other. Sometimes we cant be all those people. Sure maybe I am all those people all of the time. But when I'm with my kids...I just want to be "Mom".

It's kind of like when people say when they go home, they want to seperate their work from their home and personal life. When I'm with my husband, spending quiet time with him...I just want to be his wife.When a person is defined by their title or name, much of the time that title is well deserved. My Pastor said we can call him by his first name, last name or Pastor. He said whatever we're comfortable with. But I call him Pastor, because I feel that title is well earned and deserved. I call my Mom...."Mom" because she has definately earned that title, LOL.

So again I ask....do we bend to be the person that name defines? Or does all those titles fit under one person? I personally think it's different for each person.

Growing Too Fast

It struck me today, that my kids are growing too fast. My son turned 15 in June and my daughter will turn 8 on Monday. I don't feel old, because of their ages and how fast they're growing. I just feel panicked. Think about this, in December my son will get his learners license. Soon after that he'll have his driver's license.

My son has always hung around with his friends, but they are always here and still are. And I love having all the kids here because I know they're safe and what they're up to. But now they're starting to go to the mall, ball games and to lawn parties by themselves (without me). We're a very close family and I think that's why it's so hard on me. Now when my son asks if he can go somewhere with his friends, in my heart I want to say "no, stay home with me", but realistically I have to let him go and grow. We pray that our kids do good in life, grow healthy and strong, stay safe. And most important keep God in their lives even when they grow up, move out and have families of their own.

We let our kids grow, instruct them and nourish them....but we also give them their wings. Like my parents, especially my Mom. They were over protective but they gave us wings. They still keep us close to their hearts and under their wings.

My kids are everything to me. I pray they grow up to be good Godly young adults. But most of all, I pray God gives me the grace to help me, "let" them grow up. Hug your kids and tell them how much you love them. Before you know it....they'll be on their own!

A Few Favorite Links

Here are just a few of my favorite links in reference to our area, enjoy!

www.shenandoahmagazine.com
~local magazine ran by a close friend and her colleague
www.republitarian.com
~blog ran by my cousin
www.heritagecenter.com
~our local historical society
www.mrlib.org
~our local library main branch
www.bigboysplaygroundllc.com
~a great and fun place to be, but expect to get very dirty :)
www.klinesdairybar.com
~yummy ice cream treats. My two favorites are Banana and Pumpkin
www.dnronline.com
~our local newspaper
www.whsv.com
~our local tv station
www.rockingham.k12.va.usa
~our local schools, if you're ever fortunate enough to move here. Here is the information you
need for the schools.