May 19, 2007 5:15 PM
Up close and personal - an update on me and my family
Wow. Life comes at you fast. I typically have three things I want to post here for every one I have time to.
But I do want to catch you up a little on my own little mommy life.
Here is Jonny leaving this morning for a Boy Scout canoe trip:
Boy Scouts has been a wonderful experience for him and the scouts and leaders of his troop - though a little hesitant when he first wanted to get involved - have completely embraced the process of getting to know Jonny. Tripp can't accompany him on hikes or demanding physical activities as his knees are really bad right now, but Jonny has proven that he can take care of himself and he is just one of the gang. Yay for Jonny and his troop!
Last night Maddy, Sophia and I went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Lazy Susan Theater. Matt is playing Pharoah as well as one of the 12 brothers - a character he developed from his own brother Jonny, actually :) His girlfriend Missy played Narrator last night. It was a fun show and I felt proud of both of them. I like Missy. She's been really good for Matt, bringing out the best in him. Afterwards, the five of us went out for dinner (diet Coke for me), so the girls and I didn't get home until after 1:00.
Tonight Ben and Zach come home. Their final exams were Wednesday, but they were singing at Liberty's graduation today. The speaker was Newt Gingrich. They've heard some amazing speakers at Liberty - including Sean Hannity and John McCain. Zach said his final goodbyes to his college buddies and is home for a month before leaving June 27 for the Air Force Academy. Ben is working as a camp counselor for Loudoun Parks and Rec’s Adaptive Summer Camps for kids with disabilities - his fourth summer there. I am proud of him - and can't wait to hear him sing again.
Tomorrow we are planning a family picnic at Great Falls. Samantha and Kip and my five grandchildren - plus Grammy (Kip's mom) who is visiting from California and whom we always love to see - Josh and Hattie, Ben, Zach, Sophia, Jonny (he'll be home in time), Maddy, Jesse, Daniel, and Justin.
I can't remember the last time we went on a picnic. Since we live in the country and have room for family ball games, rocket launchings, airsoft wars and all that, we've kind of neglected getting out to see stuff with the kids. But Great Falls - as I remember it - is so beautiful and no one except Samantha and I have been there. All in the family except us are native Californians.
Tomorrow we will be celebrating Mothers Day late as we got home late from Virginia Beach last week. Also Daniel's and Jeffrey's birthdays. With a family this big, we often have pile-ups like this of birthdays and special events. So much to celebrate, so little time! Tripp is at Costco now buying food and is planning to barbecue chicken and spareribs.
I am so happy! The Bible study I'm attending - Beth Moore's Breaking Free - has just been wonderful and I want to share the insights I've been having as soon as I have some time. I've also been dealing with the slings and arrows of people who hate me for what I believe. I've decided not to give that much energy. When I think about them, I feel only compassion and sadness. Their lives seem so limited as they seem to have little else to live for than the defense of their sexuality. I remember a time when I had no idea how much more there was to life!
The fact is that I can look around at what God was able to build once I surrendered my life to him and see a legacy that will endure through generations. This is something Beth Moore touches on in Breaking Free. The Commandment that we are not to have other gods or to make idols is not about statues as much as it is about making sure that we put God first in our lives and surrender every aspect of our lives to his will. While the negative impact of parents who remain selfishly clinging to sin will be felt for three or four generations (as witness how alcoholism or abuse are revisited), God promises “steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.â€
I see God’s steadfast love when I look at my children and grandchildren. I see health and vitality and poise and purpose – to a degree that I know would never be there if they hadn’t been raised with a spiritual foundation.
Psalm 127 says,
Like arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior are sons born in one’s youth.Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
So it doesn’t really matter to me at all whether those stuck in their defense of a relatively fruitless lifestyle pronounce judgments on my authenticity or call me names or rail against me. I’ll let my life speak for itself - and speak for the power of God to heal one woman’s crippled life to produce something healthy and wholesome and enduring.
The fact is that I have 12 children and 10 grandchildren with another on the way from Guatemala(so far – those are just from my two oldest daughters). And if that weren’t enough, I have a blog that draws 3500 visits per day where I can share not only everything I know about how to raise children but also how we can defend the future for them.
I’m just thankful that where once my life was anti-this and anti-that (I just can't imagine taking the time to skewer a politcal adversary when I could be doing something positive to help another human being - and I've decided I don't have time to read hit pieces on me either :), it is no longer based on destruction but on building something solid and good.
Believe me, I'm not for a minute thinking that it's due to anything other than God's grace.
Who would have thought 25 years ago I could end up with such a wide stake in the future? I really have a lot to be thankful for!
Comments
You're a blessing to us all, Barbara. No doubt about it!
Posted by: Suzanne | May 19, 2007 5:47 PM
i missed you..gone for a week to find new house in KY...with no internet...yikes...have fun on your picnic!!
Posted by: sheri | May 19, 2007 9:19 PM
Barbara, I have so much to say to you, and not enough time to say it all, which has rather put me off even starting at all. So I'll be brief here, but there's more Id like to say. Perhaps I will over time.
Alot of what you write about resonates very strongly with me. I also come from a leftwing perspective ( Although 'left' and 'right' are less clearly delineated and somewhat different in connotation here in the UK) which I have been slowly but certainly shedding. My perspective is getting broader daily.
Certainly, it was a change that was coming, but visiting your blog here over the last 2 years has prompted thoughts, questions and ideas that have really challenged me in all the ways I needed to be challenged. I was looking for a challenge.
I love that you are clear about who you are. Your honesty is crucial for people like me. The merest whiff of 'plastic' sends me running in the other direction.
Your clarity and unabashed 'opining' is obviously ( to me) underpinned by a real appreciation for people who are not always sweet, conventional and agreeable (to you). But your affection doesn't then morph into something wet and spineless and inauthentic for fear of 'offending'. I share your interest in, and appreciation of all sorts of diverse individuals, and your honest style of dealing with tricky issues has been a really helpful example to me.
My biggest personal 'thank you' however, is in the area of attitudes to family size. This has been an area that I've never fully resolved in my mind. My natural 'inclination' is strongly maternal and family oriented. But that was set against a cultural backdrop which values "getting a life" . If I had a penny for every time someone said "...just when you were getting your life back" when I told them I was expecting no.4.
I have felt uncomfortable telling others the news of another pregnancy. Often congratulations were qualified by statements like "well if that's what you wanted then I'm happy for you".
Chats about children are commonly interspersed with eye rolling and tutting. Newspapers are full of doom laden articles about the perils ( financial, emotional, marital) of raising children. I badly needed another perspective and, well, encouragement frankly.
Thats the principle reason why, once I discovered your blog it felt like such a relief. I felt like I had encountered a kindred spirit, albeit a more thoughtful, more experienced, more mature and more articulate one. And thats why I check your blog every day.
I just want to close with a little background on me ( which seems only fair since you have been so frank with us)
I am 41. I have four sons, ages 17,13,9 and 4,the youngest two are homeschooled. Being the mother of my "four green fields" I remain, thus far, the unchallenged sole reigning princess of the family. Which is fine by me, since I love boys and don't have any hankering after what I haven't been given... Although that might change in October when I am expecting no.5 . And for that dear Barbara, whilst not wanting to burden you with responsibility you don't own, I want to thank you. Mulling over some of your thoughts has given me the courage and confidence to face this new adventure as a blessing, rather than as some signal of my own pathological inability to 'get a life'.
Posted by: Clare | May 20, 2007 5:26 AM
Have a great time with your family!
I did "Breaking free" with a friend and enjoyed the challenges and new thoughts. The influence of sin on generation to come - reappearing in each generation - really struck me. How important it is for us who love God to obey Him an break those cycles.
And I really enjoy your blog. I'm exited for when I will have kids (I'm getting married this year), so I can put into practice what I learned here :).
Posted by: Jeannine | May 20, 2007 8:21 AM
I am so proud of you. WOW! Thank God for your encouraging strength. I pray for you every day. As my family would say, "You are one of God's toughest soldiers." I feel honored to know you.
Posted by: Debbie | May 20, 2007 9:00 AM
Barbara - hope you are having a wonderful weekend for your family. I pray for you - whenever the Lord brings you to mind - I just ask the Lord to bless you.
I also want to thank you for the lovely album featuring Down Children and their mommies. I finally had a chance to look at it. It is beautiful!
Posted by: Holly | May 20, 2007 7:37 PM
love you barbara and appreciate everything you have to say! i am so thankful for you as God has touched, challenged and changed my life in various ways since 2 years ago when i read a chicken soup article you wrote, then googled you the next day to find your blog! Thank you for all you do, all you sacrifice, (a BIG THANK YOU to the Curtis clan for "sharing" thier mommy too!!) and for your transparency and frank honesty in all that you are now and in every way that God has changed you over time. You are an encourager and I count myself honored to "know" you! *grins*
Kristy in England
Posted by: kristy | May 21, 2007 2:40 AM
Hi Barbara,
If I were suspicious, I'd think that you were referring to David and I in an "anti-this and anti-that" kind of way, but I know that can't be true since we met face to face and you assured me that it's not possible to make somebody into a monster after you've met them up close and personal.
So, as I promised, I've finally published my "Conservative" assimilationists blog entry and would appreciate your feedback. Building a family and assimilating into the community is a positive goal, wouldn't you agree?
Posted by: Jonathan | May 22, 2007 12:53 PM
