Feb. 15, 2008 - valentines ruminations...
So Valentines Day has come and gone. I woke up to a nice box of chocolates and a sweet card from my very wonderful husband. He was thoughtful enough to leave little valentines for the children as well. Isn't he just sooo sweet? I hope your day was pleasant as well.
I got to thinking about folks who valentines might now have been so sweet. Maybe they are single...maybe never married, perhaps widowed, or divorced. Or maybe they have had their hearts broken so many times they don't think it will ever be whole again. Maybe they have bought into the message of the culture around us that says you don't need to be married, if it feels good, just do it. And now, after doing...and being with so many partners, they realize just how empty that lifestyle really is and have a heart full of regrets.
And I thought about my own precious children and how very much I want them to have Happy Valentines Day's ahead..and happy and fulfilled marriages, too. And that that effort really, truly starts now, while they are still here at home.
As parents, we have the opportunity to turn the tide and shape the thinkers and leaders of tomorrow, today. Eric and I have thought a lot about this and it is part of the reason that we are homeschooling. But this effort is more than academic or spiritual, it is moral as well. In order to insure that they will stay pure in body and mind, we have to put effort into what we do and how we communicate items of a 'delicate' nature to them. With this in mind, Eric has put a great deal of planning into our oldest son's "Rite of Passage" year.
They have been meeting on a semi-regular basis for almost a year now and in those meetings they talk about the stuff of transitioning from being a boy to becoming a man. They have covered a lot of different subject material, everything from good hygeine (Praise the Lord, he showers every day without being asked,...his little brothers are still a bit Dennis the Menace-y) to good character and having a good work-ethic. The mystery that is girls...and how to honor them. Future relationships with them and safeguarding his heart in the meantime.
It has been wonderful to see Nick basking in the special attention from his father and blossoming into a truly thoughtful and articulate young person. While he has already turned thirteen, Eric has scheduled a big Rite of Passage weekend ceremony in the spring (when it's warmer, Nick is a January baby) and I anticipate that it will be a highlight of our son's life.
Rather than have our son caught up cultural current of empty relationships and broken promises, I pray that he will guard both his eyes and heart in the pursuit of purity. By doing so, he should have many Happy Valentine's Days ahead.
This post was inspired by a) what was already rolling around in my head =) b) Pastor Rob Singleton's blog. He is a pastor in Charlotte, NC who is doing a series on s*x and encouraging parents to (gulp) talk
to their kids about it. What a revolutionary idea! He is having a contest to give away a date night to bloggers who blog about what they are doing to help stem the cultural tide in their own families and communities (ie, mentoring, etc). You must have a blog and link to his post. He won't draw any names unless at least 20 of us enter so go write...now. One of us needs a date night. (Her blog is pink and has flowers all over it).
Comments
Feb. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
Love this post! So happy to see fathers whose hearts are tuned in to their sons.
I received your cute e-card! Looking forward to May!
Feb. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
Sorry, that was me. Mrs.
http://mrsjlw5.blogspot.com
Feb. 23, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Pure and Sensible
Hey! It's great to meet another Huckabee "hopeful"! Yay!!! Well, I just wanted to invite you to participate in Blogger Friend School, if you hadn't considered before. It was started by Tamara at www.TrainingHearts.com, but due to website issues, she passed the instructing on to Nancy at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/nancysnook/484098/. I have the links on my blog, too! "See" you at the Lounge. Leinani
Feb. 24, 2008 - Huckabee video
Posted by Anonymous
Please help us get this video out to Texans by posting it on your blog, then emailing a link to all the Texans and all the Huckabee supporters you know! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhApGSuT2BY
Thanks, and GO HUCKABEE!
Mar. 28, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
Hey Phyllis, last January Jennie Bishop spoke at our church about this subject. She is the author of "The Princess and the Kiss" and "The Squire and the Scroll". Check out her website at: http://www.reviveourhearts.com/princess/ for the book and her own website http://www.jenniebishop.com/
Have a great weekend,
Sue in Apopka
