Supermom??

I hope you all read my profile and realize that the "supermom" title is tongue in cheek. I am very ready to say that I fall short of that stereotype, and am very glad of it. I often am amused when a friend asks me for advice....I often feel very incompetent when it comes to dishing out parenting advice. I think the best I have given was to simply Love them. How do we love as a parent ? I know there are books, written, sermons preached ,arguments had, marriages destroyed over this question. My answer is a question, how don't we love? I can think of times that I have to step back and just look at what I am doing as a parent. For example, the other day John, Luke and I were headed back from the airport from dropping off Lynds, and I am sure I was a little sad, and into my own emotions, and really not focused on anything but ME! Luke kept saying Mom, give me your camera, I want to take a picture of that cloud b/c it looks like a bull... and I wouldn't let him have it...WHY??? I have no clue... very bummed he slumped down in his seat and asked me, "Why do you have to be like that???" Well, I got defensive at first, and it took me about eight hours to realize that I was very unreasonable, and as I was journaling at bedtime, I realized that I don't want to be "like that"... Luke was in bed, but just went to bed, and I went to talk to him to tell him I was sorry, and I want him to be able to take joy in seeing things in nature, and I want him to get excited about things like clouds! I love taking photographs, and why wouldn't I want him to share that love!? He was still kinda sad about it, and I am very glad that I didn't ignore the nudging I was getting to say something and talk about it. Too many times we just act "like that" and move on, without addressing it. I am sure that I can come up with may other examples of situations with Lyndsay and Leah also. All I can say is I try to love them the best I know how.
So, supermom? NOT.....
Imperfect mom, yes, and thats OK!

Flowers, they look like us

I went to Fellows Riverside Gardens this past Sunday with some friends, our intention was to pray and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. We broke off by ourselves or in couples for a while.I felt drawn to start photographing the flowers. Normally I don't spend a lot of time looking closely at flowers, but as I zoomed in on them, through my lens, I saw the uniqueness of each one...some were seemingly perfect, some were ate up with disease, some were wilted, and some were brand new, some were broken, and some were small and some were large.

As we gathered back together the discussion began. The gardens sit right on the edge of Y-town, polluted, one of the largest murder rates in the nation, the edge of this beautiful garden is right by the bustling highway. I have been reading the Beautiful Mess by Rick McKinley, and the title of that book seemed like a good way to describe where we were sitting , right in a beautiful mess. When we closed out eyes to pray, the sounds became more intense. I could hear the highway sounds, on one side, then I could hear birds chirping, and children laughing on the other side.

Beauty combined with mess. Isn't that what life is?

We like the flowers ,are a combination of perfection (patterned after Jesus) and disease,brokenness, we are wilted, small, large, new, young and old, and yet with all those factors, we create a beautiful image.

I took the picture below, along with others, and as you look at it, the first impression is beauty, color. As you look closer, (click on it to enlarge)you can see a disease ridden leaf, small flowers, large ones, dying ones, beautiful ones.

Look a little closer the next time you see a group of flowers, think about how we are like them. They were created to be beautiful, and yet need nurturing.