Little Yellow Button

Little yellow button lying on the sidewalk
wonder what you'd tell me,
if only you could talk.

Did you fall off a dolly?
Or a girls little shoe?
Were you once on a hair bow?
No matter!  You're not through.

You're cute and fun with life to live.
Joy and a smile you're sure to give.

Onto a bag, a blouse or skirt.
You have a purpose. 
Now get to work!

I'm like that! I'm like you.
The old is gone, on with the new!

Onward, upward, forward, be!
God's got a plan and He's
not through with me!

Mama Hommes' Tips for Raising Children

1)  You must have a relationship with the Lord!  If you don't know the Lord, you have no hope.  You have no help. What are you going to do during the tough times?  What is your future?  You NEED Him!

2)  You also need the support of your spouse.  You should agree on disciplinary issues ahead of time and in private.  Never negotiate these situations, in the middle of the situation, in front of the children.  Call a time-out, if necessary, and have a private meeting.  Then confront the children.

3)  It's not too late to change the way things are.  There were several instances when we called a family meeting to say "This is not working.  From now on, we're going to do it this way".  It's ok to do that.  Better late than never.   Regroup and move on.

4)  Start while your children are young.  They are never too young to learn respect, to learn to be obedient, to learn kindness and to learn about the Lord.

5)  Respect is a top priority.  They are never, ever to speak or act disrespectfully to anyone ever! It's typical to think that brothers and sisters are gonna fuss and fight.  You're right.  They're not always going to get along.  But they can always be respectful.  Children should never speak/act disrespectful to their parents.  Eye rolling, foot stomping, door slamming...not allowed...ever!  And screaming "I hate you!" is a big no-no.

6)  Teach them from an early age to have their own relationship with the Lord.  Teach them to pray and to read their bible.  Teach them to take their broken hearts, their worries and fears to the Lord.  Encourage them to listen for the Lord to speak to them.  Teach them to be obedient to the Lord.  If they get the last one, your job as a parent will be so much easier.

7)  Last but definitely not the least.  Tell them over and over and over that you love them. On good days and bad days.  Leave no room for doubt.  Hug freely.  Be involved in their lives.  Ask questions.  Know their friends.  Listen to them when they talk to you.  Even if they're rehashing the Star Wars trilogy for the hundredth time.  If you listen to them when they're little, they'll be more willing to talk to you when they're teens.

There you have it!  The foundation for my parenting. I didn't always do it right.  I learned most of it along the way.  But God is faithful and honors our every effort.

Eve was Deceived...or was She?

Today I read about Eve and her encounter with the serpent.  I was trying to get in her head and imagine what she must have been thinking.  Perhaps it was something like this...."hhhmmm?  The tree is beneficial?  God wouldn't want me to not have the best things in life.  Maybe I should go ahead and eat it. There's no obvious reason why I shouldn't eat of this tree.  What could it hurt?" 

We all know what it hurt. 

How often do we do the same thing?  God distinctly tells us to do a thing or to NOT do a thing.  And in our human brain we start reasoning it out.  And sometimes there's not an obvious reason for it.  It doesn't make sense or it makes perfect sense to do this thing that God told us not to do.  We think we see more benefits than harm.  We may not see any harm.  But God sees ALL!  He sees the beginning from the end.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.

So, was Eve deceived?  Or did she do like most of us and just reasoned it out in her own mind?  Either way, she was wrong.  She was disobedient.  Not only was she disobedient to the Lord, she was disobedient to her husband.

What's worse, she caused her husband to be disobedient to the Lord too.  I know he's responsible for his own actions.  But we all know what kind of influence we have on our men. 

The moral of the story? 

1)  Listen to the Lord.  Even if it doesn't make sense to us.  Just be obedient.
2)  Be submissive to our husbands.  We have to trust that what they say is for our benefit.
3)  Be careful how we're swaying our husbands.  We don't want to be responsible for causing them to stray  from the Lord.

In the beginning God...

Every January 1st I start reading my bible from cover to cover.  I love those first words...In the beginning God.  We all love new beginnings, fresh starts, do-overs.  January 1st seems to do that for us.  Sometimes a Monday will do that for us.  Sometimes it's just a matter of waking up to a new day to feel like a fresh start is on the way.

In any case, I started out reading my bible yesterday with the intent of hearing from the Lord instead of just reading.  He tells us over and over that if we will seek Him with our whole heart we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  He never fails!  Yesterday was no different.

I read Genesis chapters one and two according to my "Read Through the Bible in a Year" plan.  You know how it goes...God created the heaven and the earth, He created man and woman and on the seventh day He rested.  I really love the rested part.

But what really spoke to me was the very end of chapter two.  Genesis 2:25 says,  "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed".    Adam and Eve were completely exposed, completely vulnerable to one another and were not ashamed.  That's how we're supposed to be.  We should never feel shame before our spouse.  Not when we're exposed physically, emotionally or spiritually.  Our spouse (and God) is the one person we should feel completely safe with.  They're also the one person that we should share our vulnerabilities with.  Girlfriends are great.  But it should be our husbands that we share our deepest, most intimate selves with.

I think this story shows us that we are not to try to hide things from our spouse.  We should strive to have a pure and wholesome relationship with the one God has given us.  We should feel free to express our feelings, share our doubts and fears without judgement, without shame.

As I progress through the new year, I will keep this thought with me.  I will treasure my husband more, be less judgmental of him and be more willing to share those vulnerable parts of myself with him.  After all,
I believe God created him for me and me for him.  Just as he created Adam and Eve for one another.

My Life as a Runner

I start out very excited about my planned run.  I leave the house with enthusiasm.  No sooner do I hit the track than I think "What the heck am I doing? Why am I out here?  I'm hot, sweaty, can't breathe well.  This is crazy!  My body hurts.  What's the point?"  I feel like a lumbering elephant or more like the corgi dog I see on a regular basis at the River Walk.  He has tiny, short legs and waddles along...just like me.  But I push through. Eventually, my breathing evens out, the pain subsides, the muscles loosen and I finish the run.  By the time I get back home, I've cooled down and have a satisfied grin on my face because I did it!  And that's why I keep on doing it.  I feel good and the benefits, physically and mentally, are long-lasting...at least, until the next run.

Home Base

Today Daughter told me she feels like one of the characters in a video game she used to play.  Every once in awhile the character would have to come back to home base to recharge.  She said she's like that character.  She's so busy with school, work, church, hubby and friends.  But once in awhile she needs to come home to recharge.  She gets a relaxing atmosphere and a nice meal.  It's good to be at home base.  It's good to have her at home base. 

Day 1

Today I met with a personal trainer for the very first time.  She set me up with a work out schedule.  It includes several machines at the gym along with some free weights.  I'll also be incorporating various forms of cardio such as running, cycling, elliptical machine, aerobics, and the speed bag.  At least I have a plan....