Love Letter to My Son
Remember back, a few days ago, when I talked about my son that will be graduating...tomorrow!
Yesterday, as I was pulling out of the school parking lot after dropping my youngest son off, I passed Jake. He was in his fancy new truck and gave me that two-fingers-off-the-steering wheel wave that says, "I'm so cool, I don't even have to use my whole hand to wave at you." Maybe it's not so much a wave as an acknowledgment. 'Yeah, I see you.'
It suddenly occurred to me: tomorrow will be the last time I ever get to pass my boy as he's pulling in to school! I got choked up. Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. But a deep yoga-style breath helped me maintain my composure.
This morning, as I was talking with God, He told me to write a love letter to my son. So I did.
I told him how proud I was of him and how much I love him. I told him I pray for him. I told him, "I hope you never get too grown-up for your momma. I'll always be here for you."
I was so anxious to catch up with him in the school parking lot and give it to him...but as children often do, he deprived me of that one last joy...for the first time in twelve years, he was early to school! I didn't get to pass him and see him wave. His fancy truck was already parked, engine cool, by the time I got there. So I had Caleb put the note on his seat. He will get it later.
Maybe it was best. It might have been harder than I care to admit to have faced that moment.
He may not fully understand the words today, but my hope is that he will stick that letter away somewhere safe and one day, perhaps when I'm long gone, he will find it and read it and be able to fully grasp the depth of my love for him.
God did the same thing for us. He has given us a written letter that we can read and be able to more fully understand His love for us. When I got my first Bible, I read a few verses...I was young, and I thought, "Yeah...ok...God loves me," and I tucked the 'letter' away. Now that I'm older, I enjoy pulling out the 'love letter from God' and soaking up His words for me.
As young mothers, we spend a lot of energy teaching and training, rebuking and correcting (and God's word does that for us, too!) but we need to spend as much or more energy telling and showing our children how much we love them and how precious they are to us.
When my daughter was born, I had a great idea: I would start a journal of letters to her and give it to her when she was grown. I started out writing several days in a row...then every week or so...then once a month...then only on her birthday...and before I knew it, she was grown and my dream of handing her a journal of love letters was a pitiful failure. There were far more blank pages than filled ones.
If I could go back and fill those pages with each happy moment, every accomplishment, all the proud moments and heart-felt emotions, I would have done it for each of my kids. That's all they will have someday, my written words to them.
Mary Kay often said that the faintest ink is more powerful than strongest memory. That's so true. So today, get out your pen and paper and fill a page with words of love and affirmation for your child. Someday they will be glad you did.
Be blessed.
Yesterday, as I was pulling out of the school parking lot after dropping my youngest son off, I passed Jake. He was in his fancy new truck and gave me that two-fingers-off-the-steering wheel wave that says, "I'm so cool, I don't even have to use my whole hand to wave at you." Maybe it's not so much a wave as an acknowledgment. 'Yeah, I see you.'
It suddenly occurred to me: tomorrow will be the last time I ever get to pass my boy as he's pulling in to school! I got choked up. Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. But a deep yoga-style breath helped me maintain my composure.
This morning, as I was talking with God, He told me to write a love letter to my son. So I did.
I told him how proud I was of him and how much I love him. I told him I pray for him. I told him, "I hope you never get too grown-up for your momma. I'll always be here for you."
I was so anxious to catch up with him in the school parking lot and give it to him...but as children often do, he deprived me of that one last joy...for the first time in twelve years, he was early to school! I didn't get to pass him and see him wave. His fancy truck was already parked, engine cool, by the time I got there. So I had Caleb put the note on his seat. He will get it later.
Maybe it was best. It might have been harder than I care to admit to have faced that moment.
He may not fully understand the words today, but my hope is that he will stick that letter away somewhere safe and one day, perhaps when I'm long gone, he will find it and read it and be able to fully grasp the depth of my love for him.
God did the same thing for us. He has given us a written letter that we can read and be able to more fully understand His love for us. When I got my first Bible, I read a few verses...I was young, and I thought, "Yeah...ok...God loves me," and I tucked the 'letter' away. Now that I'm older, I enjoy pulling out the 'love letter from God' and soaking up His words for me.
As young mothers, we spend a lot of energy teaching and training, rebuking and correcting (and God's word does that for us, too!) but we need to spend as much or more energy telling and showing our children how much we love them and how precious they are to us.
When my daughter was born, I had a great idea: I would start a journal of letters to her and give it to her when she was grown. I started out writing several days in a row...then every week or so...then once a month...then only on her birthday...and before I knew it, she was grown and my dream of handing her a journal of love letters was a pitiful failure. There were far more blank pages than filled ones.
If I could go back and fill those pages with each happy moment, every accomplishment, all the proud moments and heart-felt emotions, I would have done it for each of my kids. That's all they will have someday, my written words to them.
Mary Kay often said that the faintest ink is more powerful than strongest memory. That's so true. So today, get out your pen and paper and fill a page with words of love and affirmation for your child. Someday they will be glad you did.
Be blessed.
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