The Metamorphysis of My Son

I can't get over the change that has come over my older son, T12. In another month or so, I'll be calling him T13. Not only has he grown taller over this summer, but he is really in the process into developing into quite a young man. I must say that while the process was difficult at times, so far I'm liking the results of that change.

I've always said that each stage in a child's life brings a new blessing, a new discovery, a new accomplishment, etc. It's not that past stages did not have their moments; FAR from it! The joys of watching my babies while they're babies was just as intense as watching T12 develop into a young man.

I've told T12 many times that while I was never a male, and never will be, I HAVE been a child, I HAVE been a teen, I HAVE been the older sibling, and I've got some idea about what goes through a tween's mind. He didn't believe me, until I called him on some attitude he was giving me as his mom. I reminded him that he has not experienced anything "new" that another teenager hasn't already experienced at one point or another. I've also told him that even if *I've* not been the one who has experienced certain things about growing up, his Daddy has. (oops, I suppose he'd get upset if I called his Dad "Daddy" on here...oh well, one of the prerogatives of being a mom, right? ;) He flip-flops between calling his father Dad and Daddy anyway, so there.... lol)

We've had some trials, we've had some heated discussions, and I'm very certain there will be more and deeper ones to come. As I said at the beginning of this, as a parent, I'm not fond of the process of getting him to this point, but I'm quite pleased with the results so far. Obviously, as human nature, there are some personality issues I'd like to see changed, but what I can't do, I know that if it's important to God, He can change him even more.

Right now, he's as tall as me (which isn't saying too awful much, seeings how I'm only 5'5" tall, lol). He is now wearing glasses which, I must say, gives him a very distinguished look, if I do say so myself! Hopefully he'll be wearing braces soon. He's been more attentive to cleaning up his act overall. He's making some better choices in what he gives attention to. He's slowly putting away his childish things, speaking more like maturely. He's thinking more seriously about what he'd like to explore for when that "grown up" moment arrives. I'm thankful he's developing initiative, becoming more attentive to reading his Bible and trying to apply the Word more. He's getting better about caring about other people, and he even has a kind word to say about his little brother, J7...in the middle of his bickerings with him.

The transformation is a fascinating scene to behold. I thank the Lord that I can see it with my own eyes. I pray that I can endure through the entire process and see good fruits of that process over time.

America's Birthday, 2010

In a couple more days, it will be America's birthday. I love birthdays! : D There is much to celebrate. But there is much to remember, too. Some of it is good, some of it is not so good. It seems today's Americans are wanting to remember only the excitement of winning our freedom from Great Brittain, and not the toil and sacrifice it took our founding fathers to make it so.

I will not be attending my own church's 4th of July service this Sunday, but I've gotten a little preview of what our celebration will be like. Like many of our pastor's services, this will be a time of introspection as well as celebration.
I feel like God has given me a little note about our personal responsibility that we each have in preserving our freedoms in this nation. I've said many times since President Barak Obama was elected that America as we know it is in danger of being no more. Patrick Henry was a man who saw the true dangers that our new land was facing under Brittish rule. I find it unnerving that we are in danger of running full circle back into the hands of the very people we fought against 234 years ago. China carries the greatest of our current national debt, England carries some of our debt, too. "The borrower is slave to the lender." ... "The rich ruleth over the poor." This is NOT a position we need to be in, not at all. We have become the tail, and not the head. How have we so desperately fallen??
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." Psalm 33:12
America has tossed out God and become its own lord. We had become a rich nation who has lost its wisdom in the Lord, and as a nation we are becoming a fool.
If we are not careful, we will become a nation which battles itself, and a nation against itself cannot stand.
Our main and current warfare is not with any given person or people, but with a political ideology. In an effort to protect our nation, we have allowed our leaders to create legislation (elements of high places) which oppose the standards given by our founding fathers through the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution of the United States of America. We are allowing legislation to pass which weaken us as a whole. We have a responsibility to hold our government accountable, and we are not doing it. It is not too late. We have the greatest means of communication today that was not available centuries ago...write your government officials and make them aware of where you stand. Let us remember with sober minds the sacrifices our founding fathers made to make us an independent nation and be willing to do what we can to rebuild and preserve it.
A pep rally of fireworks and patriotic hymns should encourage us in the spirit. Let us take a moment and sing, Happy Birthday, America!