Just a Girl & Her Son

Hi everyone!

With Spring Break now here I can play and create for a week.  As my break started I found that I was overcome with waves of emotions.  

Good Friday fell on my mom’s birthday this year and oh how I miss her terribly.  So instead of the family crawfish boil, I cooked for my daughter & her husband as they settle in with their new edition to the family.  

As I rocked this precious child Friday I couldn’t help but cry – cry because I wish my mom was here to see him – cry because I realize that the our kids grow up in the blink of an eye – cry because I am so very proud of Sarah & Jacob and I am so proud of the incredible father Jacob is and as a mom, to me the care, love, and support he gives my baby girl is worth more than anything on this earth.

I am pretty much known for listening to music and singing from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, with a million ideas of what I want to create next bouncing through my head.  So yesterday morning the song on my heart was Brandon Heath’s song, Just a Girl.  Traditionally this is a Christmas song, but for me, as a mom it took on a different meaning.

As I rocked my precious grandson and then let my baby drive me home I was reminded of how time flies.  As I listened to this song, as a mom I could not help to feel that gut wrenching agony Mary must have been feeling.  

I have three children, she had one…one child that she watched endure bullying far beyond what we watch our own children experience today.  She watched them do unspeakable things to her baby, and yes, though he was a man, no matter how old our children get they are always ours babies. 

So think about it, God used an ordinary woman, like me or you or your mom and He knew that He was sending this child into the world to carry our burdens, to die for our sins, not any sins that he himself committed.  And through this all, Mary had to sit back, watch and trust that God knew what He was doing.  How many moms, how many helicopter parents could sit back and do this today?  How many of us would want to see out children die so that others could be saved? 

Mary was an ordinary woman.  Think about all of the other people in our present time who have had an incredible impact on this world that had just “plain Jane” moms.  My point is this, God can use ALL of us, the “plain Janes” or in my case “Jennifer Jane” to do incredible things in His name.  

It is not about where we attend church, it is about us knowing and listening to Him, watching for the God winks and in this fast paced, often crazy world letting people see Him work through us.  Maybe it is in reaching out to those that are hurting to offer help; maybe our stories provide hope to the hopeless; maybe it is just giving someone a hug so that for a minute in time they can feel the burdens of the world lifted off of their shoulders.  What this looks like will be different to each and every one of us, but make no mistake about it, we ALL can take the unique gifts and talents that He has given us and use them for good in this world.

Mary was just a girl who did not have all of the conveniences of today, who didn’t have a crazy mom and step mom to help her welcome her son into this world.  She was an ordinary mom who gave birth to an extraordinary son who died to save me & you.  That is more precious than a chocolate bunny in an Easter basket. 

So this morning when my boys went with me to church to sing and praise with their crazy momma, I hugged them a little tighter.  To watch my almost grown boys praise and worship the Lord, unashamed – I just have to tell you that is such a precious gift to me.  

I thank God for using me, an ordinary plain “Jennifer Jane” mom to teach them what an incredible relationship they can have with Him.  I have has always tried to teach my children to listen for God’s voice because going where He leads will provide them with a life that provides more fulfillment than a paycheck can ever give them.

Yes, Mary was just a girl who watched her son die for me and you.  What a completely humbling thought that is on this Easter Sunday! 

Happy Easter everyone!  

Celebrating Sunday

Hi everyone!

What a day!  As countless Americans all over the world are spending their evening watching the biggest game of the year I couldn't help but be drawn to write.  This topic, these words hit me this morning when I woke up and continued to come to life for me as I worshiped at church, but I had to take time, had to be still, so that I could write them out for the world.  For me writing isn't about just getting something published out on the web for our 100 Days of Making - writing for me is about sharing my life experiences and God winks with the world in the hopes that if my words can help brighten just one person's day, then I have achieved what I set out to accomplish.

The celebrations here in town today ranged from the annual Mardi Gras parade to Super Bowl parties.  Most people aren't too fond of Sunday because it means they have to go back to work on Monday, but for me it is my FAVORITE day of the week!!  It is my day to celebrate and truly take in all of the many blessings that God has bestowed upon me.

Now don't get me wrong, I do not look at any of my life experiences in a Polly Anna type fashion; yet I think that ALL experiences, both good and bad can be used in a positive way if we let them.  I am a "glass is half full" kind of woman and I can't imagine life any other way.

In the last several days I have done something that I have never really been comfortable doing and that is taking photos of myself.  Yes, believe it or not, I am one of the women that can only wear the earrings that she had from high school and in a world the likes to look at the outside before they get to know the inside, this can be tough at times.  However, loosing my mom at such a young age and missing her yesterday made me realize just how few photos that we did take together.  So yesterday at Eli's baby shower I thought, what the heck - let's go for it!!  Which was particularly funny when Sarah started telling the world about one of my funny adventures.

My point is this - I want my kids to have memories of me and have photos to capture those memories.  They aren't going to care if I look like I did in high school, they will only care if they do not have photos when I am gone.  This really hit home for me today when I received a text message while I was in church telling me that one of my cousins had passed away.  She was 3 years younger than me.  We just never, never know.

Yes, there are things I could have done differently with my life.  Yes, there are mistakes that I made, but I will tell you this - for the past two Sundays I have had both my teenage boys go with me to church - both embrace what God is doing in our lives, lifting their voices and hands to sing to Him along with their crazy momma.  When I went down for prayer today, my Samuel, without me knowing, came up behind me to lay his hands on my shoulders as Dennis prayed with me.

I have to tell you, without a doubt - having teenage boys who are not afraid to worship the Lord, to have three beautiful children who love the Lord and look for the God winks because they have heard me talk about them in my own life so much - if I never loose one ounce, that is not what is important.  I have done the MOST important thing - my children have watched me walk through quite a few not so pleasant trials in my life, but they have never doubted that I knew God had my back.  They have watched Him provide for me a penny and a miracle at a time.  My kids know that for me it is not about religion, it is about my relationship with Him.

So tonight, while some are cheering on their favorite team, while some are celebrating the day, I too am celebrating because it is Sunday and because I had the privilege of being able to witness what my own walk of faith has done in the lives of my precious, precious children.

Until tomorrow...

The Legacy We Leave

Hi everyone,

I do not know about you, but I love running into people who may be in town visiting family or those I have not seen in a while during the holidays.  This happened to me during the week of Thanksgiving as Sam and I went grocery shopping for my step-father.  I ran into Mrs. Ruth O’Quinn, my high school Honors English teacher.  It has been over 30 years since I took her class, but she still looks exactly the same.  As people in small Southern towns often do she gave me a hug and also asked about my brother, whom she also taught.  She then proudly announced to me, “Well you do know that I am 90 now.” 

I could not wait to introduce Sam to this lady who has touched so many young people’s lives in our town.  But when I went to introduce Sam to her, something else took place.  Sam had been in another part of the store when I first encountered her, so when I went to find her again she was talking to a very sweet lady in a scooter.  She asked me if I remembered Mrs. Miller, who taught at the local junior high school, and while the name sounded familiar, I had not had her as a teacher.  Not missing a beat Mrs. O’Quinn turned to Mrs. Miller and said “Oh, but you would know her grandmother.”  “Oh, and who was your grandmother,” Mrs. Miller asked me.  To which I replied, “Catharine Mattis.”  “Oh heaven sakes, EVERYONE knows Catharine.” 

Now keep in mind, it has been almost 12 years since my grandmother passed and yet, her legacy shines just as brightly today as it did many years ago.  I come from a long line of educators and have been blessed to have incredibly strong women mold me into the woman I am today.  But this simple conversation in a local grocery store during Thanksgiving has been on my mind for weeks now.  It made me ask myself the question “What kind of legacy am I leaving to my children?  And I think it is the PERFECT question we can all ask ourselves as we start off this New Year.

What kind of LEGACY are we leaving behind?  Webster defines legacy as either 1) a gift by will especially of money or other personal property or 2) something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.  What I am talking about here has NOTHING to do with money, because let’s face it; everyone knows that educators are some of the lowest paid professionals in our country.  Not to mention that some of the strongest women who have the biggest impact on my life lived very simple lifestyles on very modest incomes.  I have watched money destroy so many and yet I have watched those that have so little in terms of financial means have the greatest impact both during and after their time here on this earth. 

So what kind of legacy does a woman leave that still has people talking about her almost 12 years after she has left this earth?  This is what I wanted to know and this is what I wanted to examine in my own life.  It is not just a simple cut and dry answer either, because this question then caused me to look at some of the other amazing women that have guided me along the way.   

A common thread among all of the women who have left an impact on my life was their faith.  They all seemed to belong to different denominations, but their faith was strong.  Several of the women that had such a strong influence on my life where single moms before there really were single moms, so these women dealt with much more in terms of peer pressure and the glaring eyes of society than we could ever imagine having to do today.  Some had college degrees and some did not, but what they all held in common was a strong work ethic.    Some of the things that I embrace in my own life were very foreign to them, call that a change in the times or maybe it was just a result of the personalities of these often very different women coming together in a melting-pot kind of way with me.  I think it may also be hereditary to some extent.  For example, I share so many similar personality traits and creative talents with a great, great aunt and yet I did not see her much when I was a child. 

These women taught me to laugh, honor The Lord, dance, create, hug, love others, embrace education, read my bible, pray, and know that things always happen for a reason.  The legacy that these women left me did not involve anything monetary, but what it did to mold me into the woman I am today is priceless.

So what do I want to leave to my three children?  Well, while all of my children know The Lord, I want them to have more than that.  I want my children to see the relationship that I have with The Lord and this to be something that their hearts long for.  They know I have faith that can move mountains and they know that I love to tell people what He has done in my life.   My faith is dynamic and real which is something that I want them to see and experience, because there is just nothing in this world that can compare.  I am an educator, that is what The Lord has called me to do and I LOVE what I do, but that also means that when my time here on this Earth is over my children will not be made rich on my account.  If I can show them all the INCREDIBLE things that I am blessed with on a daily basis, instilling in them the desire to have a dynamic relationship with The Lord, well then there will be no greater legacy that I can leave them.  

I encourage you to take some time and think about this in terms of your own life.  This is not something that we often do in our fast paced world, but what better way to start the New Year and examine where we might all want to make changes.  After all, what kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Reflections from a Mom

Hi everyone,

I had to take a break from my work on Curiosity Cottage, to just reflect on my heart from a mom's perspective.

The Heart of a Mother

I also think the important thing about any business venture is that one must never loose sight of what is really important.  Taking the time to tell your love ones how much they mean to you; taking the time to reflect and pray about all of the blessings in your life, thanking the Lord for those blessings - even when you may find that life is a bit overwhelming, is truly what life is all about!!

So as I prepare for the new chapter that lies ahead for Curiosity Cottage I find that the gratitude I have for what the Lord has already done for my little business and through my little business, if that is all that comes from this new chapter, will be reward enough!!  

He has already allowed Curiosity Cottage to show my friends and family INCREDIBLE God Winks.  I just cannot wait to see what else He has in store!!