ok. Sometimes, the madness goes to an extreme. I suppose because that is in human nature, to try to insist that what we believe is right, and best. That's why there are Mormon missionaries all over the WORLD. They sincerely believe they have the absolute truth.
There is an ongoing debate regarding pertussis. I am on the "you can't prevent it with an injection" side of this debate. A sweet mom of 5 posted an amazing rebuttal to an L.A. Times article, and if you're interested in hearing facts alongside of a "journalist"'s opinions, then I highly recommend this thoughtful and well-researched piece.
If you'd like to know more about why I've concluded that, for the time being, I am not in favor of our country's vaccine schedule, I would love to chat with you.
I firmly believe that every parent does what they think is best for their own family, and I respect your choice if it doesn't mirror mine, but please make an *informed* choice. Knowing fully what is going into our children's tiny bodies is both our right, and responsibility. We research schools before we enroll our kids. Upon moving to a new city, we often try out several religious establishments before deciding on one that is a good fit for our family. Most mothers today know a lot about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, GMO meats and corn, red dye, and highly processed chicken Mc"nuggets". Do I think you are being irresponsible if you don't want to look into the ingredients and side effects of what a nurse, likely a stranger, who loves your child much less than you ever could, is INJECTING into your baby's blood stream? Yes. Yes I do.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Women ~ want to offer some feedback?
So, here I am, blogging again. I should probably be cutting up chicken or washing dishes, but as so many days have been in the past year(s), I have a stabbing pain under my right hip that mocks me every time I move, and I just want to be sitting. Sorry, dear, sweet family. I want to do so much more for you!
I would like to hear from any of you that have had a tubal ligation, and are experiencing symptoms that you think may be related...it can be very hard to be a female and keep up with the race to complete every task and request presented to you when you feel great, let alone when things are not so great. Perhaps we should start a club to support each other - an "I'm less than awesome today" club...
you can email me at jodiemj(at)gmail(dot)com, night or day!
I'll be blogging more soon!
I would like to hear from any of you that have had a tubal ligation, and are experiencing symptoms that you think may be related...it can be very hard to be a female and keep up with the race to complete every task and request presented to you when you feel great, let alone when things are not so great. Perhaps we should start a club to support each other - an "I'm less than awesome today" club...
you can email me at jodiemj(at)gmail(dot)com, night or day!
I'll be blogging more soon!
Monday, October 28, 2013
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
Click on the link above, vote 10 times! Our friend Justin photographed Gabe for a day, to submit this amazing guitar!
If he remains in the top 10, he has a good shot at winning!
Friday, June 17, 2011
cbej.
I saw you as you entered the world, and left the place of warmth I had for you.
I watched you sleep in a crib that seemed much too large for you, and I prayed for the day God would draw you to him, and multiply your talents, to glorify and honor Him; to step into that place of presence He had for you.
I saw you leave my arms, take your first steps, and leave that place of safety I had for you.
I watched you walk into school, in a smart red polo nearly hidden by a backpack the size of you, leaving the home & shelter I had for you.
I watched you pack your things, preparing to move to a new state & culture. This time I was going with you, headed toward a new life, and we both left the place of familiarity God had for us.
I cheesily snapped your picture on your first day as a senior in high school, in a smart orange polo, this time a backpack dwarfed by your grown-up stature. You were leaving the place of childhood I once had for you, and it was time.
I watched you unzip a big orange suitcase, ready to pack for a new adventure - an opportunity only God could have laid out for you, for who knew that someday my prayers would be so sweetly answered, and your gifts and talents would bless and encourage countless people? Only He knew, and you are now leaving the place of nurturing and providence I have had for you.
You will discover God's providence & tender mercies toward you. It is time.
And if you see me cry, it is with tears of joy and thankfulness.I am thankful that God has equipped you & called you, and that you are obediently going. I am thankful for the infinite ways you have blessed my life, my heart, and our family. I will miss you dearly, and be oh, so happy to see you when you grace my doorway again. I love you, like you, adore you, and am so very proud of you. Go with my blessing, my son.
I watched you sleep in a crib that seemed much too large for you, and I prayed for the day God would draw you to him, and multiply your talents, to glorify and honor Him; to step into that place of presence He had for you.
I saw you leave my arms, take your first steps, and leave that place of safety I had for you.
I watched you walk into school, in a smart red polo nearly hidden by a backpack the size of you, leaving the home & shelter I had for you.
I watched you pack your things, preparing to move to a new state & culture. This time I was going with you, headed toward a new life, and we both left the place of familiarity God had for us.
I cheesily snapped your picture on your first day as a senior in high school, in a smart orange polo, this time a backpack dwarfed by your grown-up stature. You were leaving the place of childhood I once had for you, and it was time.
I watched you unzip a big orange suitcase, ready to pack for a new adventure - an opportunity only God could have laid out for you, for who knew that someday my prayers would be so sweetly answered, and your gifts and talents would bless and encourage countless people? Only He knew, and you are now leaving the place of nurturing and providence I have had for you.
You will discover God's providence & tender mercies toward you. It is time.
And if you see me cry, it is with tears of joy and thankfulness.I am thankful that God has equipped you & called you, and that you are obediently going. I am thankful for the infinite ways you have blessed my life, my heart, and our family. I will miss you dearly, and be oh, so happy to see you when you grace my doorway again. I love you, like you, adore you, and am so very proud of you. Go with my blessing, my son.
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Our precious oldest son is about to leave our warm, cozy nest. He will be back, of course, but for now, he hails to Florida. He will be a precious addition to a worship team there, that travels with our evangelist brother-in-law, Tommie Zito.
Tommie preaches an intense, desperate message, called for in these desperate times, pleading with Americans (and foreign nationals) to give their hearts to Christ, today. It is urgent, and one that will hopefully be enhance by Christian's sweet spirit and longing to please and honor God. He leaves early, June 24th, and we will likely see him again in October, when the team holds a crusade in Utah. Blessings on you, Christian, Tommie, and the whole lot of you!
Tommie preaches an intense, desperate message, called for in these desperate times, pleading with Americans (and foreign nationals) to give their hearts to Christ, today. It is urgent, and one that will hopefully be enhance by Christian's sweet spirit and longing to please and honor God. He leaves early, June 24th, and we will likely see him again in October, when the team holds a crusade in Utah. Blessings on you, Christian, Tommie, and the whole lot of you!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
AND, the journey is brought to an abrupt, screeching halt...
as the birthmom changes her mind and announces she'd like to keep her baby. After several weeks of allowing clean laundry, boxes from unpacking, winter gear, and outgrown little girls' clothes to accumulate in my increasingly-messy bedroom, I asked my husband to pack up the stacks of baby boy clothes I could not bring myself to face. Now I can proceed with the organizing project I have half-done.
Empty arms. I can't decide if this is more or less painful than a miscarriage. In a way, easier - bc w a miscarriage, there is the self-inflicted guilt of knowing somehow your body did not "do its job" properly. More difficult, bc there isn't peace in knowing that baby now resides with the Lord, but with a young, inexperienced mom who may not give him the same love and care that you would. Either way you slice it, it is just plain yukky, and sad. That heartache is coupled with the fact that my oldest, darling son is soon leaving to go out into the real world. Parents must typically not realize what a gem their child is until they are faced with losing them, or at least a distinct separation from them. I get choked up at the oddest moments...
Empty arms. I can't decide if this is more or less painful than a miscarriage. In a way, easier - bc w a miscarriage, there is the self-inflicted guilt of knowing somehow your body did not "do its job" properly. More difficult, bc there isn't peace in knowing that baby now resides with the Lord, but with a young, inexperienced mom who may not give him the same love and care that you would. Either way you slice it, it is just plain yukky, and sad. That heartache is coupled with the fact that my oldest, darling son is soon leaving to go out into the real world. Parents must typically not realize what a gem their child is until they are faced with losing them, or at least a distinct separation from them. I get choked up at the oddest moments...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Letting go...
Phew.
nearly 48 hours ago, I read an email from my brother in law who is a traveling evangelist. He was offering an invitation to my oldest son to join his traveling ministry, leading worship, and, I assume, doing some daily grunt work with the rest of the over-the-road team. It would be an expenses-paid internship, Christian would receive college credit through the Bible college that my b-i-l is heading up in Florida. He would be surrounded by people whose life goal is to serve God and spread the truth of Jesus Christ. What more could a mother want?
I'll tell you.
MORE. TIME. I know people often say this when they lose a loved one, and I haven't *lost* anyone. I should be rejoicing for such a God-ordained opportunity for my incredibly talented and God-fearing son....but what keeps running through my mind? "There wasn't enough time. I wasn't ready". Thankfully, I do have at least 3 more months until he would board a plane and head toward a new, fabulous adventure. He'll have awesome opportunities to meet people and see places a lot of teens only dream of. This boy TOTALLY deserves this. I couldn't be happier. I also couldn't be sadder! I keep telling myself "I am not sad, just emotional", and this is the truth. I am just mourning this feeling of loss, and the accompanying guilt that every mother must have. "Did I teach him enough? Can he change the oil in his car? Will he remember to take vitamins? Does he know what to put on a burn? Does he know how long leftovers can remain in the fridge before they should no longer be eaten?..."
And, to be very transparent, "Will he miss me like I know I will miss him?"
Not that it matters. This is *supposed* to happen. He is supposed to leave, go off and be independent, discover what God has for him "out there". And, I as his mother am supposed to rejoice. This child has an enviable relationship with the Lord. He heard the news of this opportunity yesterday, smirked in his quirky way, asked "When would I go?", then went directly to his room to play his guitar and sing praise and worship songs at the top of his lungs. That made me cry MORE! I am so incredibly grateful. God has blessed him incredibly, and he is humbly thankful. It is so refreshing. It is so moving. Today, it feels so....huge. We've been praying for the "right doors to open" for Christian...we considered a few college options, he and I have discussed them a couple of times, he was not at all crazy about the one I deemed "safe" - the one that would offer him a fairly "promising" future. So, we wondered, waited, trusted....then this. This is more provision than I ever imagined - not only financially, but opportunistically. So, while searching for a Godly book that offers support to grieving mothers saying good-bye to their adult children in a *healthy* way, I decided that God's word was the best answer, and I am striving to meditate on these things & pray them over my suddenly-all-grown-up son...
Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Psalm 91:11
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.
I Peter 5:7
casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
Thank God He cares more for my sweet boy than I ever could. I know Christian will be safe, and blessed, and God will give me the strength to continue to pour love into my children who remain in my home. Thank God for the day I see that giant boy's smiling face grace my doorway again!
Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Psalm 34:7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
nearly 48 hours ago, I read an email from my brother in law who is a traveling evangelist. He was offering an invitation to my oldest son to join his traveling ministry, leading worship, and, I assume, doing some daily grunt work with the rest of the over-the-road team. It would be an expenses-paid internship, Christian would receive college credit through the Bible college that my b-i-l is heading up in Florida. He would be surrounded by people whose life goal is to serve God and spread the truth of Jesus Christ. What more could a mother want?
I'll tell you.
MORE. TIME. I know people often say this when they lose a loved one, and I haven't *lost* anyone. I should be rejoicing for such a God-ordained opportunity for my incredibly talented and God-fearing son....but what keeps running through my mind? "There wasn't enough time. I wasn't ready". Thankfully, I do have at least 3 more months until he would board a plane and head toward a new, fabulous adventure. He'll have awesome opportunities to meet people and see places a lot of teens only dream of. This boy TOTALLY deserves this. I couldn't be happier. I also couldn't be sadder! I keep telling myself "I am not sad, just emotional", and this is the truth. I am just mourning this feeling of loss, and the accompanying guilt that every mother must have. "Did I teach him enough? Can he change the oil in his car? Will he remember to take vitamins? Does he know what to put on a burn? Does he know how long leftovers can remain in the fridge before they should no longer be eaten?..."
And, to be very transparent, "Will he miss me like I know I will miss him?"
Not that it matters. This is *supposed* to happen. He is supposed to leave, go off and be independent, discover what God has for him "out there". And, I as his mother am supposed to rejoice. This child has an enviable relationship with the Lord. He heard the news of this opportunity yesterday, smirked in his quirky way, asked "When would I go?", then went directly to his room to play his guitar and sing praise and worship songs at the top of his lungs. That made me cry MORE! I am so incredibly grateful. God has blessed him incredibly, and he is humbly thankful. It is so refreshing. It is so moving. Today, it feels so....huge. We've been praying for the "right doors to open" for Christian...we considered a few college options, he and I have discussed them a couple of times, he was not at all crazy about the one I deemed "safe" - the one that would offer him a fairly "promising" future. So, we wondered, waited, trusted....then this. This is more provision than I ever imagined - not only financially, but opportunistically. So, while searching for a Godly book that offers support to grieving mothers saying good-bye to their adult children in a *healthy* way, I decided that God's word was the best answer, and I am striving to meditate on these things & pray them over my suddenly-all-grown-up son...
Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Psalm 91:11
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.
I Peter 5:7
casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
Thank God He cares more for my sweet boy than I ever could. I know Christian will be safe, and blessed, and God will give me the strength to continue to pour love into my children who remain in my home. Thank God for the day I see that giant boy's smiling face grace my doorway again!
Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Psalm 34:7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
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