Keep Watering, Moms. Some Children are Late Bloomers

Pop! 

All of a sudden the flowers popped!

 For years I watered this little two-leafed plant. 

The results: 

 one leaf fell off.

 I would have thrown her away, but she was a gift from someone I loved, 

so I kept watering. 

My only goal was keep that one leaf alive. 

Then, 

one day 

another leaf grew, 

and another. 

This week, 

in the dead of winter, 

she popped. 

One flower,

 now two, 

and three on it's way. 

Some children are late bloomers.

 Keep watering, moms!

 When a leaf falls to the ground, 

keep watering, Moms! 

God is creating your beautiful flower

 in His Time, 

in His Way. 

"Train up a child the way he should go:

 and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

 (Proverbs 22:6)

Splashes of Serenity on your day!

When a Mother's Nest is Empty — A Page From My Journal, March 29, 2008

My three little birdies the day my nest was empty.

When the last child leaves, there is definitely an adjustment. The house is quiet, activity stands still,  practical jokes cease (although I don't miss finding dog food in the Flutie Flakes), and three fewer voices break out in laughter making mom laugh too, filling my heart with joy. I loved being the mother to these three sweet and funny clowns. Thank You God for the laughter and fun and for entrusting me with such precious gifts.

Empty nest hurts. 

There is grief and loss. 

The pain of empty nest is much more than the fact that I miss my children. It is the knowledge that I  am releasing my little ones, now grown big, into a world that is harsh. Life is cruel. My babies, my children, my teens I protected so well, are so soon thrown into the hard realities of adulthood. Mom's and Dad's protection will no longer be enough.

When we see — helplessly watch — our grown children go through difficulties because they make the same mistakes we made or because they are standing strong and living a righteous life in an  unrighteous world —  a mother's heart tears apart as she feels the fiercest enemy is delivering fatal blows.

It is then and it is now,

 we must give them back to God — 

again and again. 

Because moms are human, we all fail. We neglect to give them enough responsibility. There wasn't enough time to teach all about finances and marriage and raising children, and how to survive in a world whose goal seems to be their destruction. The heaviness of letting go is too much to carry. The Good News is we don't have to carry that burden because . . . 

We have a God whose nest is never empty. 

He doesn't let them go. 

 Jesus never fails.

 He is the only perfect parent.

 

He carries and cares for our children and 

their children, and

their children.

He watches over them,

protects them,

loves them,

 draws them to Himself

always,

forever. 

Come to Jesus — 

Give our children to Jesus. 

He is our only source of sweet rest,

peace, and

joy.

"Come to me,

all you who are weary and burdened, and

I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because 

He cares for you."

1 Peter 5:7

"Praise be to the Lord,

to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens."

Psalm 68:19

Have a blessed release day and watch Jesus catch them.

A Mother Smiles From Heaven as Her Prayers are Answered on Earth

I love Divine Appointments! Many years before I knew I would have leukemia, I met a young mom with terminal cancer. On a three-hour airplane ride she shared her prayers and her dreams for her children, as well as lessons God taught her on her cancer journey. I asked if I could write her story and she gave permission. I wrote

A Mother's Day Message from a Dying Mommy 

to All Mothers of the World 

 (see below) 

In 2018, years after Paige's death, my book Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo: A Hopeful Response to a Hard Reality was published. Paige's wisdom deserved two chapters in my book.

Before the book was released,
I searched for Paige's children in hopes of sharing their mother's thoughts.  

 I found no contact information. 

Just the lovely picture of three special kids with sweet Paige.

    

Then, this winter I received an email from California.

"I am Paige's cousin. 
I googled Paige's name and found your blog." 

What a thrill for me and for the cousin. She connected me with Paige's parents who communicated  their appreciation of reading Paige's words. I sent Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo to Paige's cousin, parents, and best yet, to each one of Paige's children along with a personal note of hopes Paige had for each child. (not included in the blog or book).

 Isn't God amazing and good!

Paige is smiling from Heaven

as I see her prayers answered on earth.

I pray Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo is a blessing to her family as I thank God for nudging me to write about Paige. She is gone, but her words live on and will impact mothers this Mother's Day. For the glory of God!

Don't you just love Divine Appointments!

A Mother's Day Message from a Dying Mommy 

to All Mothers of the World

Paige E. Hilfer was born on December 18, 1967 and died on March 22, 2012 at the age of 44.

Her beauty stood out more than her baldness. We didn't speak, and I didn't stare, but I sat in the airport terminal and wrote in my writing pad: 

"A true beauty is one whose features are so fine that she retains her loveliness 

even when her hair is gone."

Sad. So young.

Nestled in my assigned airplane seat, I hoped whoever sat next to me was prepared to sleep for the next three hours for I had a manuscript to edit. Oh yes, I did have work to do. Work God prepared for me to do before I was ever born.

Sweet bald-headed beauty stopped at my row and slid into the seat next to me.  I was quick to keep my eyes on the papers scattered in front of me.

"Hi. My name is Paige. Are you writing a book?"

Now that's a sentence that grabs a writer's attention. We started talking.

She had cancer. 

Deadly. 

And three children. 

Lively.

Eager to talk, she shared how her life and her parenting changed when she learned she had little time to impact the lives of her children. I told her I would write her thoughts and share them with the world. So, here is Paige's bucket list in her own words:

Meaningful moments will replace materialism as the goal for the day.

Family celebrations will not be missed.

My children are no longer my world. 
Instead, 
I want to show the world to my children.

Teach my children that  life is about real people who need real people
 — not about video games and the latest toys.

My days of selfishness 
— of materialism — 
are gone and 
my life giving back has begun.

Show my children the hurting in the world 
so compassion grows in their hearts
 and they see 
the world consists of more than 
what they see on video games.

Grow my children to be kind instead of selfish.

Grow my children to care more about people than possessions.

Teach my children that they are on this earth to be angels — messengers from God.

My new friend shared  how cancer changed her heart.

 I was such a selfish person, 
then cancer  hit 
and the angels arrived.

Angels without wings 
showed up daily at my door.

Angels handed me their tickets 
when they realized I was sick 
and there was no seat for me on the airplane.

Angels surrounded me 
with weeks of prepared meals 
and child care.

Angels gave $20,000 
to help with my medical expenses.

She smiled and said, 
"And God placed an angel 
in the airplane seat beside me today."

I felt the same way. God gave me the honor of sitting beside an angel named Paige.

Cancer was a gift that changed her thinking from

Let's see how many toys I can accumulate

to

Let's see how many lives I can touch before I die.

I'm thankful she touched mine.

I promised her I would write this Mother's Day message from her to you. May it live  on in your heart and in the lives of your children.as you teach them their purpose on earth:

To be Angels.

Happy Mother's Day dear moms! Cherish your babies every second God gives you to hold them and to teach them that  God has them on earth to be an angel to someone today.

Please pray for Paige's family on this Mother's Day. May they somehow find this post and be comforted.  Pray for all children who miss their mommy today and every day. May God splash serenity and 10,000 angels on their lives. And the dear  moms who watch their children die. May this Mother's Day be a day of beauty and peace that can only come from You, dear God.

"For we are God's workmanship, 

created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

Ephesians 2:20

Be an angel to a hurting mom this Mother's Day,