Serving Lemonade

At the beginning of the school year, my daughter was given a large poster to fill out information about herself as a fun way to introduce herself to her classmates.  There were blank spots for favorite food, favorite book, favorite animal, etc.  One section asked her to tell about a fun memory.  She chose to write about the time that she and my husband worked together to make a costume that looked like a mailbox.  Tucked right in the middle of her story was the following line:

“…while my Mom served us lemonade.”

What a surprise to read that!  It didn’t have anything to do with the costume-making process, but it was clearly an important detail that she felt needed to be included as part of that memorable time.

I sometimes struggle with wondering if I’m doing enough as a parent.  It seems like there is always something more that could have been done, or done better, whenever I pause to reflect on the past.  I want to do the very best I can to raise Godly, well-adjusted children who will advance the Kingdom when they are released from our nest.  Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that I have to do big, notable, or even extravagant things that will have an impact on my children.  Her comment about the lemonade was encouraging.  It reminded me that while I need to take my job as a parent seriously and do my best, I don’t need to strive as hard as I sometimes convince myself is necessary.  Having an impact on your children isn’t about supplying a never-ending string of “big events” or dollars invested, as the world would have you believe.  It’s about time…time spent reading books, being in the Word together, talking over dinner, listening to them, playing board games…

…and serving lemonade.

Bullseye!

We brought my son home from summer camp yesterday. He went to Trout Creek Bible Camp which is where I went when I was his age. I have so many wonderful memories from that camp, and am thrilled that he will have his own now!

After loading everything in the car, he took us around the camp and showed us all of the many things that he got to do. He went swimming, played in the gym, slept out under the stars in the field, canoed on the pond and discovered beaver dams, learned how to make fire, did a creek walk (waist deep at times), caught crawdads, ate crawdads (cooked, of course!), learned archery, and built and shot off a rocket!

One of my goals as a parent is to make sure that as we progress through life, I am helping my children to develop a Biblical worldview. I want them to seize life and enjoy as many opportunities as they possibly can, while seeing God in the midst of it all. I always have my radar up, looking and listening for indicators from them that I am on track with this goal. When I asked Nathan what his favorite part of each day was, he said without any hesitation "Chapel! That was definitely the best part of every single day here!!"

Bullseye!