Special Moments

Being a parent of a teenager is not always easy. I've done this twice before, yet it is still challenging. Each child has her own personality, which in turn, means a need for different ways of handling each one. And the Lord has definitely got it all together, because He gave me the easiest one first, then each in succession has added a level of difficulty. All this to say that today was one of those days when I look at how it went and say, "That was really a great day!"

Rose is truly a sweet and loving girl. I am so glad that I have her here at home with me to be the last one before I get to the empty nest experience. Today did have its share of challenges, we had our moments of conflict; mostly because she had a school assignment to work on and kept finding any excuse to be away from her workbook. We did "go at it" a few times, but there was this special, unexpected moment which took me by surprise and caused me to stop and thank the Lord for her special heart.

I had kept the TV on a classical music channel while we were both working on homework. For some reason, it helps to not have total silence. Rose had left the room for a few minutes and for some reason, I picked up the remote and checked through the guide and clicked on the Gaither Family Hour, or whatever it is called. I just knew that any minute she'd come in and roll her eyes and express her annoyance, but I wanted to check it out for those few minutes where I could take a trip down memory lane and reflect on the music of the church's recent history. I have been in the Protestant Church for only about 13 years, so the music is all relatively new to me; even the "older" stuff, and I love it all. So after a few minutes of old time gospel, Rose comes into the room and sits and watches. I wait for the negative comment. All of a sudden she says, "Man, I love that three part harmony." You could have knocked me over with a feather! I agreed, and we talked about it a little, then proceeded to watch the whole hour. She was engaged the whole time! She loved that Mark Lowry was a goofball, she loved the skill with which these people shared their love for Jesus, we enjoyed bagging on some of the fashion choices, but the bottom line is that we sat together and listened to some old-time gospel music. At the end of the show, she said, "I'd like to go see one of those shows." Who is this kid?

The part I forgot to mention, for those who don't know her, is that she is very talented musically. In fact, all my girls are, and they appreciate all kinds of music. But it was just really special to see her not just tolerating something so "out of her box," but she was truly appreciating it. What a special time we had.

I thank God for those little moments when I can see her heart. We did have some "not-so-special-moments" today, but this was one of the best by far! I'm so glad she's here to share these days with me.

Have a great day!
Jessica

New Beginnings

Today I officially post my first blog. My biggest fear is that no one will read it. I'm doing this to fulfill a requirement for a class I'm taking called Writing In the Public Sphere (or English 240). Of course, the hope is that I'll enjoy it enough to continue, or that others will enjoy it enough to want to read it.

I am a single mom of three amazing daughters, and they are truly the light(s) of my life. If someone had told me 30 years ago that I'd be happy as a single mom, I would have told them they were crazy. But I love my life. Of course, it would be nice to have an awesome, godly man to share it with, but apparently, that's not what the Lord has planned for me right now. And for an awesome, godly man...I can wait!

In the meantime, I am busy keeping my youngest (Rosemary) happy. Yes, that sounds dramatic, but since she's the last one left at home-and a senior in high school-I really do give her most of my attention. That is, when I'm not studying or at school. So tonight, my realization is that my life is pretty mellow (or pathetic, depending on how you look at it). Rose is gone for the evening and the highlight for me is that I got to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune without hearing her complain. So as I ate dinner (smoked salmon, which I cannot serve for dinner when Rose is home), I visited with Alex Trebec and Pat Sajak. It was a lovely break. But now I'm back at the grindstone and yes, as a matter of fact, this is my homework. Way better than the assignments I have for my English 515 class, that one's gonna kill me.

So I have no actual exciting story or brilliant anecdote for today. This is basically a grand experiment to see if anyone even checks this out. I promise if you return, I'll give you something interesting to read. Give me a comment so I'll know you were here.

Have a blessed day!