Category Archives: Motherhood

May 9, 2008 · 7:00 am

I am my mother’s daughter.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mother taken over twenty years ago.  I just the love the way it captures her beautiful profile.  She has always been this beautiful.  And her beauty goes deeper than anyone I have ever known.

I really can’t imagine life without my mother.  I share Abe Lincoln’s sentiments when he said “Everything I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”  While I am certain she made mistakes as a mother, I can honestly say, I cannot recall one.  Perhaps, that’s because she invested much more good than she withdrew bad.  I have been blessed beyond measure because of her.

My love for the written word is largely due to her exposing me to books at a very young age.  I can still remember as a little girl heading to the Flint River Library to join other children in book readings.  I can also recall the excitement I felt each week as I brought home my borrowed books.  She introduced me to books, and I was able to enter into a world where I knew anything was possible.  It was this love that ignited my love to write.

She endured through my stubborn resolve to not wear socks where the lace overlapped.  (And, as noted yesterday with my little Anna, I know exactly what she must have felt.)  When I wrote my first song about a falling star, she assured me it was top 40 material, regardless of the fact that it included a line about killing a bumble bee.  She let me write and mail a letter to Brett Butler of the Atlanta Braves and convinced me that he read it.  She loved me still after I screamed “I hate you.”  She made my sixteenth birthday truly sweet.  If she told me once, she told me a thousand times how proud she was of me when I graduated from college.  She squeezed me tight the day before I married.  She held me close the day I got divorced.  And she rubbed my head the day I gave birth to my son.  And, then, she held him, too. 

Then, one day she watched us hop aboard an airplane with the last of our belongings and venture off into new adventures.  While she hurt inside, she smiled and still said, “I am so happy for you.” 

She is a wonderful Nan.

She is my rock and my best friend. 

She is my dear mother. 

I hope one day my children love me as much as I love her.

Happy Mother’s Day.

 

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May 8, 2008 · 7:00 am

The votes are in.

Voted “Class Clown” for the 2007-2008 Pre-school Year

One of Anna’s teachers, Ms. Brittney, remarked, “She is truly the funniest girl in the class.  I’ve never seen such a quick, comedic three –year old.” 

“I am quite funny, myself,” I assured Ms. Brittney, eliminating any doubt of the source of her wit. 

A mother couldn’t be any prouder.  For real.

(A Necessary Note:  I did discourage the hat for picture day, but some battles are better left for enforcing the removal of purple Mardi Gras beads, such as it was in this case.)

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May 6, 2008 · 7:00 am

The great defender.


My children like to quote a line from the recent film “Alvin and the Chipmunks”.  It’s when Alvin chants, “Dave likes to wear dirty underwear.”

At first I scolded them for repeating such vulgarity (at least it sounds vulgar coming from a 3 year old’s mouth).  But, then I joined in.  Its repetition became somewhat contagious.  I just couldn’t help myself.

I changed it up a bit and sang, “Nan likes to wear dirty underwear.”  John Henry quickly yelled back, “No!  I love her!  Don’t sing that about Nan!”  (Nan is my mother and would also be the next American Idol if John Henry had anything to do about it…..along with the next President .  He’d also make sure she was  voted “Who’s Who Among American Nans.” 

So, I sang instead, “Ga-Ga likes to wear dirty underwear.”  John Henry replied, “That’s okay.”

At least we know where his loyalties lie…..as if we already didn’t.

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May 5, 2008 · 7:00 am

The art of storytelling.


Here’s a story about a princess, a bear, and a time-out.  It makes perfect sense.

Now, if that doesn’t make you have sweet dreams, I’m not sure what will.

 

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April 23, 2008 · 6:00 am

2 of the million reasons I love being a mom.

Watching John Henry work on his A-game.

And this.


(Wardrobe courtesy of Ga-Ga)

What’s one of your million reasons?

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April 21, 2008 · 7:00 am

Wanna make a memory?


It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Georgia, and I hear Miss Anna yelling down the hallway, “Ga-Ga!”  “Ga-Ga!”  “Ga-Ga!”  “It’s time to get up!”  (Ga-Ga is my children’s name of choice for my dad.)  Dad was already up and moving.  After all, it is Sunday, and it probably wouldn’t go over well if he slept in…since he is the pastor.  For real.

Hearing her call for Ga-Ga to wake up made my mind instantly rewind back to being a little girl anxiously waiting for the “okay” from my Grandmother to go wake up my Granddaddy for the morning grub.  I love that memory.

I just love remembering.  Don’t you?  Sometimes we do things with our children with the sole purpose of “making a memory.”  But, I have found that it is the small, unintentional events that really leave a mark.  Like Paw-Paw’s cornbread.  Paw-Paw is John Henry’s grandfather (Bryan’s dad).  And by default, Anna calls him Paw-Paw, too.  As a matter of fact, she refers to Bryan as “Daddy Bryan.”  Remember, this is our normal.  And, we like our normal. 

Kris, the kids and I ate lunch with Bryan’s family yesterday.  I enjoyed Paw-Paw’s cornbread while Anna enjoyed his super cool chair that with a simple push of a button can send her up to the sky.  She was making a memory while I enjoyed reliving one with my cornbread.

It’s my belief that the events in themselves don’t make for a good memory.  It’s the love behind it.  Paw-Paw loved Anna enough to let her go for joy rides in his chair.  And, Bryan’s family loves me enough to still want to share some mighty fine cornbread. 

How do you spell memory?  L-O-V-E.  I know, corny.  I’m allowed from time to time – or from blog to blog.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.  Philippians 1:3

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April 18, 2008 · 7:00 am

The greatest gift I never received.


It’s 1983ish, and all I want is the coveted Cabbage Patch Kid.  Remember those outlandish dolls with each one signed by Xavier Roberts….on their hineys no less?  Such a doll was considered a luxury in our house, and on a pastor’s salary, we didn’t buy luxuries.  I’ll never forget the Christmas I asked for the Cabbage Patch Kid.  I woke up in the middle of the night to get a head’s up on what awaited me that morning.  (My mom still displayed my gifts as if from Santa….even after I discovered his non-existence.)  The doll I found was an imposter – a less expensive version of the ridiculously priced doll.  I remember the feeling of disappointment.  However, I also remember going back to bed and mustering up the gusto to still put on a happy and grateful face the next morning.  And, I did.

You see, even at a young age I had an understanding of gratitude.  And, not receiving this gift made me appreciate my parents even more.  They could not provide the Cabbage Patch, but they still made sure I didn’t lack. 

I can’t help but wonder if I am instilling that same sense of gratitude and appreciation in my own children for not only things, but for those who give them.  It’s a hard line.  While Kris and I have the capabilities to provide such luxuries to our children, should we?  Well, sure.  But, how much is too much?  It’s very tough as parents to draw that line.

I am thankful for the opportunities to give to John Henry and Anna.  However, I hope that the gifts they receive go beyond material possessions.  I hope they receive the gift of gratitude, the gift of compassion, the gift of mercy, the gift of faith, the gift of hope, and the gift of love….above all else.

And, to my parents who never knew (until now) of that brief disappointment, thank you.  That Christmas, you gave me more than you know.  For that, I am truly grateful.

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.  Matthew 7:11

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April 16, 2008 · 7:00 am

A Weighty Issue


Anna:  “What’s this?”
Mommy:  “A scale.  It tells you how much you weigh.  Do you wanna stand on it?”
Anna:  “No.”
Mommy:  “Me either.”

I can somewhat understand the weight obsession….just not fully.  Granted, I have a pair of jeans, you know, the “skinny jeans” that help me gauge my body.  Fact:  I haven’t worn those jeans in 2 years; at least, not without muffin top.  Fact:  I don’t care. 

So, why am I still holding onto a pair of “skinny jeans” that I know I will never wear again without a multiple series of stomach flus?  I really don’t know.  What I do know is that we live in a day where women and even some men (just not mine) are obsessed with their bodies to a detriment.  For real. 

I usually pack a “Lunchable” for my pre-schooler.  Due to the number of his peers with peanut allergies, the classic PB&J is a no-no.  So, a “Lunchable” it is.  The other day, John Henry informed that his friend does “not each ‘Lunchables’,” because her mom says “they make you fat.”  She is five.  I am appalled.

Nonetheless, poor body image has become quite the epidemic, and it truly disheartens me.  I strive really hard to never discuss weight issues around Anna.  I want her to grow up with a healthy self-image, believing who God says she is, not society. 

I also try really hard not to discuss weight issues around Kris.  Once when we went skiing, I wore my mom’s vintage ski bib circa 1982.  I asked Kris the age old question, “How does my butt look?”  My husband, whom I love dearly, replied, “Good.  Wide, but good.”  Yes, in my mind I envisioned hurling his body across the room.  Fortunately, for him, I remembered that he doesn’t always think things through before he speaks.  I love him still.  And, he hasn’t used “wide” and “butt” in the same sentence again.

I love the Psalm 139:14 scripture, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  But, I especially love this NLT translation:  “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.”

So, when in doubt, remember: you look mahvelous!

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April 14, 2008 · 7:00 am

Just wait.


I cannot tell you how many moms with teenagers tell me, “Just wait!”  And yes, they say this with the proverbial exclamation point at the end.  Sometimes, I want to respond, “Do you even remember what it was like when your daughter was three?  Do you remember enduring these parental struggles:

·      Child 2 crawls through doggie door while mommy gets ready.  She proceeds to turn on the hose pipe and water everything in the backyard….including herself.

 

·       Child 1 pees on the dog.  The dog lets him.

 

·       Child 2 empties an entire bag of pretzels (and its salt contents) onto the living room floor.  When asked why, she simply responds “Cuz.”.  “Cuz why?” Mommy asks.  “Cuz I just did”, the little one replies.  Duh.

 

·      Child 1 creates a mountain of night-time pull-ups (used) behind his bookshelf.  It’s only discovered after days of wondering “What is that dreadful stench permeating my son’s room?”  Your only reaction is……no reaction.  You’re speechless.

 

The list could go on, but we all know I need to conserve some stories for future blogs…..dare I ever get writer’s block.

This past week a friend e-mailed me asking that I pray for her and her family.  As the mother of a teenager, she is facing many challenges that, I’m sure, await me in another ten years.  I gave her a list of scriptures to pray over her children.  Here are few that I pray over my children.  I think they are effectual over your three year old or twenty-three year old.  Thought I would share:

Ephesians 1:17-19

Lord, give John Henry and Anna the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of You. That the eyes of their hearts be enlightened that they will know the hope to which you have called them, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in the saints and His Incomparably great power for us who believe.

 

Ephesians 3: 17-19

John Henry and Anna are rooted and established in love; we pray that they may have power with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ towards them, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God.


Ephesians 5:1 and 21

John Henry and Anna will be imitators of God and live a life of love. They will submit to others out of reverence to Christ.


Ephesians 6:1,2

John Henry and Anna will obey their parents in the Lord. They will honor their father and mother so that it may go well with them and that they may enjoy long life on earth.


1 Timothy 4:12

No one will look down on John Henry and Anna because they are young, but they set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in faith and in purity.


Psalm 1:1-3

John Henry and Anna do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the path of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers. But their delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law they meditate day and night. They are like the trees planted by the rivers of water, which yield their fruit in season and whose leaf will not whither, and whatever they do prospers.


Psalm 119:18

John Henry and Anna seek You with all their hearts; they will not stray from Your commands; they have hidden Your word in their hearts that they may not sin against you.


Isaiah 24:13,14 and 17

John Henry and Anna shall be taught by the Lord and great will be their peace, their health, safety, protection and prosperity. In righteousness they will be established. Tyranny will be far from them; they will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near them. No weapon formed against them will prosper.

 

Maybe you have special scriptures that you pray over your children.  I would love to hear from you!  Perhaps, you are facing struggles with your children right now.  Let me know.  I would be happy to pray with you.  And remember, those things you have no control over, put them in the “God box.”  Greater is He that it is in your children than he that is in the world.

 

Just wait?  I think I will.

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April 8, 2008 · 7:00 am

The Case of the Untouchables


Most people just put their finest china in their china cabinet.  Not the Takle family.  For us, it represents those things we hold dear….and we dare our children to open its sacred doors.  The Case of the Untouchables became such after I placed this book inside:

What makes this book so untouchable?  This:

It was signed by the king of music himself, Gordon Sumner.  Yes, you know him as Sting.  I know him as my friend. (Sometimes, I step into Annaville myself.)

The other untouchables belong to Kris.  This ridiculous object of affection was won at one of his flight schools.  Its value is in the fact he has never won anything except this little lovely:

  
Then, there is the Gulfstream his mom gave him.  The real jets burn a little more in fuel, so we’ll settle for this one:      


 And, here is where my story and the Case of the Untouchables begin to crumble.  My five year old loves legos. He loves building airplanes, trucks, and helicopters from their tiny little pieces that come in the nicely wrapped and numbered plastic bags.  This is usually where my OCD kicks in, and I become engaged in these projects that can fill up an entire afternoon.  I became so obsessed with my helicopter creation, that I added it to the case.  Days, even months, went by, and my son continued to ask if he could play with my, sorry, his helicopter.  Again and again, I said no. I know what you’re thinking….how could I?  I just could.  And, I did.  However, one enlightened day, I had an epiphany, and I removed the helicopter from the Case of the Untouchables.  And, this is what remains:

 



I’ve even let him take these once precious legos and place them on top of the wing of another airplane.  Unbelievable, I know.  But, this was my epiphany:  I have one great son, less than five-thousand days until he turns 18, and almost that many legos.  So, we are gonna play, and we are gonna play hard.  We are gonna put propellers on the front of cars.  We’re gonna build, build, build for hours then take it apart.  Why?  Because, we can.  This is our new case:

 

 

The rest of the legos are under the bed, on top of our table, in the toy box, in our backyard….and probably in Brew’s belly.  We like our new Case of Touchables.

What untouchables are keeping you from enjoying your children, your spouse, your life?  Maybe its pride, your time, or your need for order like me.  Get ‘em out and mess ‘em up.  It feels good.  And, just think of the memories you’ll make!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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