Letter to my Alumni Magazine

Dear Alumni Magazine,

I very much enjoy reading about the triumphs of my classmates and all the other generations of successful people to come out of this fine institution. But I have a small suggestion. How about including the hundreds of parents who are using their education for a higher calling, being stay at home parents. I know it is not as sexy as CEO of some Fortune 500 company or a producer of a blockbuster movie, but since this is a Christian university it would make sense that a large number of your alumni have taken some time out of their careers to stay home with their kids. I know I would love to know how other people are using their education in their home workplace. 

For me I know that my theology classes have helped me answer some of the tough questions like why is the sky blue? My history classes have helped me explain the Fourth of July and the first Thanksgiving Day dinner. My Advanced Bowling class has gained me much respect from my sons as I dominate our Wii bowling nights. I developed strong critical thinking skills in my philosophy classes and history major classes and I can explain both sides of a political debate to my kids in their language though I am not sure my explanation that one candidate wants to use his words to solve problems while the other thinks it is okay to fight really is unbiased. I understand the importance of quarters though now they are not used for laundry but for allowances and chores. And spending all those hours in the dorms building relationships helped me learn the importance of friendships, some I hold close to me even now. My first phone call in a time of need often is to a fellow alumnus who lives across the country but is still one of my dearest advisors. 

So while some may say that I have not been using my education, I would argue that I am using the whole of my college experience. And my kids are the better for it. Oh and in case you are wondering why the sky is blue the answer that works for my 4 year old is simply because God made it that way.  

3 Kids - Or Why I Need God

A friend has been asking me over the last few months to remind her why having three kids is a challenge. She had been feeling the pressure of three being the new two in our society but was not sure if she really wanted three kids. I guess she trusted me to give her an honest perspective on having three kids because really I only know how to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

So I told her about the challenges that come with three kids. First off being pregnant a third time is really tiring because you are almost always having to deal with the needs of your other kids who are probably toddlers or preschoolers, so very needy. I also explained some of the financial burdens, two more years of preschool tuition, another person who needs swim lessons and ice skating class, a suite at hotels because most hotels will not allow a family of five in a traditional room, a bigger vehicle because in this day of car seats and boosters, try getting three across the back seat of a small car comfortably and without everyone constantly fighting over who is touching them. 

But here is what I really learned from having three kids instead of two.  I NEED God. Honestly when I had two kids, I loved God. I wanted to serve Him. I knew I needed Him for salvation but it was few days when I broke down pleading for His help in my daily life. Then I had my third baby. It is now a rare day when I don't cry out to God for patience, wisdom, peace, kindness and a host of other Godly attributes that I cannot do on my own. 

I felt comfortable with my parenting when I had two kids. I felt in control. But three kids has rocked me to the core. It has challenged me to grow in areas that I did not know I needed to grow. These little munchkins have helped me be a better person. A person who truly understands the grace that God has given me and can extend that grace to those around me. 

And any time I start to feel like I am getting this mothering thing down, I just need to go out to the garage and look in my minivan and be reminded again that I am not in control. But God is!

Inauguration Day

I am a history and politics junkie. Well I used to be before I had kids. I have watched every Inauguration since I started voting, even when my candidate did not win. There is something in the peaceful transition of power and the majesty of the events that I love. Similarly I also watch the Emmys and the Oscars every year even when I have not seen the nominated movies. I was supposed to be at our church's moms group this morning and had planned to go and watch the Inauguration on DVR but I just could not pull myself away from the television. I really wanted to watch the events live and more importantly I wanted to watch the swearing in of our new president with my three boys. They may never know the significance of today but today will change the world in which they grow up and become men. 

Today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. It was amazing to watch him become the first African American President. I felt the significance of the moment, ever grateful that my boys will grow up with hopefully less racial divide than I. And thankful for the example he is to the young African American men of our country. As a mother I know how much this means to their mothers. He is also the first of my generation to be elected president which means I am either getting old or he is very young. Let's go with he is young. (This year I actually became old enough by Constitutional Standards to be President which was a weird thought I actually had on my birthday.) 

So today I made my boys sit on the couch with me and watch Barack Hussein Obama take the oath of office. They don't know it yet but they have seen history. I tried to watch the speech with the boys but that I think may be asking a bit much from a 2, 4, and 6 year old. So I let them run free and I sat and listened to the President talk about a new era of responsibility. 

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

And I am full of hope for our country and for the world. Optimism feels good. 

Make a Joyful Noise

The last few days while driving in my minivan, I have heard the most delightful song. It was the sweet voice of my middle son singing along loudly with his favorite Jana Alayra song, "Jump, Jump into the Light". He loves to sing.  I have been told by all his teachers that he loves to sing and that he sings with gusto. He loves to do the hand motions and dance with the song. I usually do not get to see this side of him. But recently I bought a few Jana Alayra CDs because these are the songs the kids sing at church and since then I have had the privilege of hearing my son make a joyful noise. My favorite moments come though when he sings the lyrics wrong. He sings loudly Jesus races (reigns) and Shout Rosanna to the Lord (Hosanna). How sweet the sound!