Love Better

I just want to live in a world where men value women and women value men, where they don’t say demeaning things to each other and don’t look at each other in condescending or over sexualized ways, where no one takes advantage of ANYONE, but HONOR prevails. A world in which we recognize that our differences make us better, not inferior. I want to live in a world that empowering women doesn’t devalue men or imply that all men are scum and that men are only out to harm women. I want to live in a world where I can be FOR women and FOR men, for Black lives, alien lives, and Blue lives. I don’t want to be whistled at when I walk to my mailbox, but I don’t want every waitress in a restaurant to think my 77 year old daddy is harassing them when he calls them Sugar. I want to live in a world where people speak truth and don’t make up nonsense. I want to live in a world where people don’t try to cover themselves when they have done the wrong thing but realize that freedom only comes in saying, “I was wrong, I shouldn’t have done that and I’m sorry.” I want to live in a world where EVERY PERSON, regardless of gender or color is responsible for THEIR ACTIONS and manages those actions WELL. I want to live in a world where my two daughters don’t have to be afraid to say NO or use their voice when someone has made them uncomfortable or crossed a line with their actions. I also want to live in a world that my four sons don’t have to be afraid that any dumb thing they ever said or did could be blown so out of proportion that it could affect them 30 years later, because GOD KNOWS that as a female, I did my fair share of dumb things. I definitely realize that only by the grace of God I am NOT who I was 30 years ago, or 10 years ago or last year and that repentance and forgiveness go a long way in forging a future for ourselves and those we’ve caused harm. I want to live in a world where EVERYONE, regardless of color or gender knows that same grace, that every human being is VALUED. I want to live in a world where women ARE empowered and valued, where minorities ARE empowered and valued but at the same time that my sons, MEN, white men, ARE NOT stripped of dignity and integrity and that they don’t have to live in a world where anything said about them means that they are guilty until proven innocent. I want to live in a world where we believe the best about each other, encourage each other, love each other when we are wrong, pick each other up when we have fallen, lavish grace upon each other and allow the Lord to take our brokenness and make something beautiful. I want to LOVE better…can we just all agree to love each other better?

One Day

We are all in different phases of parenting our children and my list reflects where we are now. September 2009. Almost 14 years into parenting 6 magnificent children that have taught me more about being selfish and selfless than I ever thought I needed to know. I can remember my momma saying that “the older you get the faster it goes” referring to time and it is so true. There are so many things that I don’t remember about the last fourteen years that I wish I could just rewind and relive. Some of those things I thought would never come to an end but they did (12 years of buying diapers). Some things that I said I never wanted to forget but I have. I have often said jokingly to Rick, when something really irritates me that “One Day, I will Miss….” and tonight I just thought I should write some of them down because one day I am going to need a reminder that there was a time when these things irritated me to no end. Right now, I don’t miss the days of changing diapers, I don’t miss infant carriers or carrying pack-n-plays, exersaucers, and strollers, on and off of the beach. I don’t miss wearing several different types of body fluids on the same shirt(snot, throw up, slobber, breast milk, blood, pee and poop). I don’t miss croup during the middle of the night and wondering if he was going to make it to the hospital. I don’t miss babies being listless and limp from high fevers. I don’t miss nasty little jars of baby food, but I do miss the smell of sweet little babies after a bath. I do miss the sound of a newborns cry. I am going to have a long running list of these things that I will miss one day and I think I will share a few each day….feel free to add on some of the things that you will miss one day when your children are grown and gone.
Some of you are in the “One day” phase and I am sure you have such a different perspective…Please share.

One Day I will Miss:
-Opening the fridge to find an empty milk carton.
-Dirty Dishes on the Cabinet.
-Crumbs on the Floor.
-Not being able to find the remote.
-My towels not being neatly folded in my linen closet.

But for today, I will be thankful for the opportunity to serve, love, and learn to become who I was created to be!!!