Tag Archives: children

Direct Line to Hope

14 Tuesday Nov 2017

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I found myself waiting over an hour inside the walls of Phoenix Children’s Hospital yesterday. Even though my son no longer has colitis, his Dr. wants to keep him on his meds for now, so while the staff went on a scavenger hunt looking for his RX that had mysteriously gone missing, I looked around. Here is what you’ll see on the inside:
Children hiding bald heads underneath hats of various kinds. Toddlers, unaware of the kind of life that may be awaiting them, laughing and daring their exhausted parents to chase them. Mamas and Daddies using every ounce of energy to put on brave faces for their children. And themselves.


A number of outstanding staff, pulling red wagons around in case kids needed a ride in something other than a wheelchair. They smiled a lot. Their giftings in medicine and with children helped push hopelessness away, allowing for deep breaths in an otherwise heavy atmosphere.


The décor—it was near Disneyland-cheerful the way the colors and cartoons accented the place, although when a family is walking their child to a hospital room, walls are stifling no matter the paint.
What impacted me the most was the desire to pray for every one of them. I know what that walk is like to the testing room. The presence of fear in the waiting room.
But there I was, finally not the one to be escorting my child on a walk of courage, but a person among those who need miracles. I prayed for them, and realized something. God is telling me to pray—that means prayer is going to make a difference in someone’s life today. I may not ever see who or what, but I know from countless personal experiences, Prayer makes a difference.

If the Creator of the Universe nudges you to pray, it’s monumental, friends. It’s never, ever a waste of time. Blessings to you this Tuesday.

Feel welcome to post in the comments if you have a prayer request of your own.

 

*How prayer is beneficial in scientific terms.
*Americans are becoming more critical. (and why we need more prayer)

*Noah’s story

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Grace and the Doppelganger

05 Monday Jan 2015

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My kids are sweet, round-cheeked, kitten-cuddly miracles. But they have doppelgangers. Oh yes, these creatures of darkness bear fangs. They shout and push their competitive natures into my peace at least three times a day. It’s a tug-of-war about which creature got more juice, who got to sit on Mommy’s lap the longest. Who got the most violent…

“Mommy, he hit me, and threw my baby bear!”DSCF1156

*sigh*

But I know what it’s really about. It’s why when people come to my desk at work and dump their bad day into my lap, I know better than to take it personally (although I do bite on occasion). It’s not about who got served first. It’s not even about the doppelganger who complained about the staff member that refused to personally clear the snow around their car, de-ice the path from their car to the front door andwipeofftheirshoessotheydon’tslipontheimportedtile. It’s really not. And when someone flips you off in traffic because you’re only going 5 miles over the speed limit instead of the expected 15, it’s really not about how much they dislike you or your driving decisions. Like my kids, what they’re really saying, in the deepest parts of their heart is: “What about me?”

People hurt. And they display their pain in various ways. Revengeful natures, criticism, anger, jealousy; it’s all a masked plea to gain the attention of our parent.

“Do you see me God? How much do you love me, really?”

Even those of us who know Him forget how much he has already done for us. Would I, like Him, sacrifice my son for the jerk who spit on me? No, I wouldn’t. But God did.

His only beloved son, who at one time was a child–a round-cheeked kitten-cuddly miracle, minus the doppelganger side.

My kids hear me only when they’ve quieted down and taken their masks off. Otherwise, they get consumed by The Creatures, blinded to how much they’re loved.

A good plan for the New Year would be to live in grace. To give it, receive it, and give thanks for all that’s been given to us. That’s where we find peace.

The Post Thanksgiving Workout

02 Monday Dec 2013

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How does a person find peace with the thousands of calories consumed at Thanksgiving?

How does a mother with sugar-possessed children cope?

Welcome to the Post-Thanksgiving Workout.

Supplies:

*Comfy clothes

*Two children ( If you don’t have any of your own, there is always a set of parents in need of a nap – Call me).

It’s always important to warm up first. You can accomplish this by mopping the gravy and sugar drips from my the kitchen floor.

1) Upper body. Grab the shortest child and lift. Do this 20 times.

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2) Lower body. Simply walk through the room where two children are playing. They will automatically assume you are there for their entertainment and will attach themselves to you. Now walk. This will work your ENTIRE lower body.

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3) Abs. Have the oldest child hold a piece of chocolate in front of you. Now crunch. With each crunch, have child hold chocolate farther away from your mouth.

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Now repeat. And then eat the chocolate.

Happy Late Thanksgiving.

The story of us

11 Monday Mar 2013

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Stories that breathe – ghosts of family legacies, the mishaps, failures and the champions of our past are the myriad steps to a life well-lived for those big eyed-pink cheeked souls sitting around our dinner table.

Chloe loves to run; the destination not necessesarily tangible. Mud puddles, my mom’s place in the country, sidewalks and fiercely windy days have been pounded by 5 year old feet. When I see her face, I know she is feeling the joy of doing something that has been designed into her precious soul.

On a family outing to the park, we split up to race each other home. Noah and John went one way; stroller and straight paths, Chloe and I went another direction on foot and ready to win. Our path was a little more challenging, and Chloe slowed to a walk half-way into our race.

“Your Papa won a trophy in high school. He was the fastest runner in the state of 100_1403Arizona.”

Before I finished the sentence, she grew wings. We won. She just needed to know that she had the blood of a champion.

My great uncle wrote a family history with the good and the bad; everything tied up in an honest bow. There were stories of the warriors, the civil war cousins – one who camped on the other’s lawn, and then there were the details that sent prickles up my spine; the artists and writers and those in medicine whose passions trickled down the line more than a hundred years later.

What do we see when we look back?

Failures, victories, heroes and villains. One step forward, two steps back until a leap of faith makes a hero.

I tell Chloe about her Papa, and how he had his own struggles, but had feet like wings. He had little education but worked hard and found his final job working with N.A.S.A. He tried and failed, and tried again and again until his work literally reached the stars.

Family histories are a lifeline. We must tell our stories to our children, so when they need that extra push, all they have to do is reach back and grab the baton. We propel them forward by running our race hard enough to reach them, even when we have passed into the land of spirits.

Jumping into childhood

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

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I’m going to jump into that gigantic pile of leaves. I’m a grown up. The neighbors may see me but I don’t care.
I consider a possible injury. I feel nimble….

What if I land with a crash strong enough to collapse Jack’s beanstalk and the leaves mushroom over the house…someone will think there has been an explosion and call 911.
Although, If I land with enough grace I may just burrow underneath that pile and take a nap there, in the land of childhood dreams.

I may get hurt and have to explain to my coworkers that I landed wrong in my giant leaf pile….. of course, I could tell them I’m doing research for a new book.
Hmmm…

I could go back inside and vacuum up cracker crumbs like the mom that I am.

What would Jesus do?

I’m going to jump.
I run with His laughter on my back and I am five-years-old again.
Weeeeeeeeee!
For just one moment, I … can …fly…

The landing is so sweet as I slide into a silly autumn that stuffs my clothes full of leaves. I’m itchy and joyful as I roll over to smile up at the Son.100_2596

Find some joy today and leap into something He would smile upon.

Oh, yes I did. Admit it – you have wanted to jump into a giant leaf pile, or eat a pie face-first, or something to feel like a kid again.
Leave your confession in the comments. =)

P.S. Want to live in a fantasyland? Guess what – you already are. The Guardians are all around us and are more involved than most people realize…
Check out my new book as Goodwin talks to children about the angels that watch over them. Fear is running rampant in this world, but we only have to remember one thing…

http://amzn.to/Z3bcwP

Kindergarten, trees and faith

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

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My stomach had been in knots for days – I thought I was fighting a virus that was going around work. And then, after dropping my sweet little girl off for her first day of Kindergarten, I realized that I was sick with anxiety; memories both pleasant and humiliating flooded my core as I fought the urge to chase after her and declare myself a homeschooling mom.

Am I really that much of a mess? No, I realized as teary-eyed parents, both mothers and fathers, lined up with cameras and brave smiles as we blew kisses at our treasures being escorted into a strange building by strange people. Strangers! Only a parent can understand what a big step this is in, well, letting go.

What do you think of when you see an old picture of your school days (and by old, I don’t mean old)? A montage of friends, sesame street lunchboxes, talent shows….bullies.

I think of all the things Chloe will face and pray more fervently than I have since I journeyed through my last trial.

And then I remembered my journey. Being the skinny kid in class, I was challenged by would-be bullies who thought I would be an easy target. They didn’t know that a life with rough and tumble boys and shunning girl push-ups had turned my bony fists and inner self into fire. The challenges made me stronger.

Adversity is the scariest friend we can’t live without.

Of course, there are so many highlights like the friends I made who are still my friends…learning what I’m good at (and not), and that mom’s presence is always there, even if it’s in the giant Oreo cookie that sits beneath the Big Bird lid.

A tree will grow much taller in the wild than it will under perfect conditions. Why? Because it has to face many challenges that make the tree taller and the roots deeper.

If my little one will grow stronger and dig deeper into His creation, than who am I to worry? She will thrive with her new adventure, and I will learn to let God manage where I can’t.

Pin this on your wall if you are hesitant to take that next step:

A storm is not an enemy to the tree but an opportunity. The stronger the wind, the stronger the tree will grow until it is firmly rooted into His splendid creation.

 

Here is a link to an article about a true warrior of mothers, Abigail Adams, who encouraged her son to travel overseas, despite his misgivings. At that time, traveling overseas could mean years away, and the risks so very high. Her willingness to let him go and grow, paid off.

He became the 6th President of the United States: http://www.familytales.org/dbDisplay.php?id=ltr_aba1746

Are you teetering on the edge – about to take a leap of faith? I want to hear about it! Share, vent ,or just comment to share your story.

Hope and friends

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

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Every day, the darkness in this world tries to paint us into the shadows. Our world glorifies darkness by filling our daily news with more devastation than hope. Hollywood glorifies it by accusing people of faith of being uneducated without recognizing the shadows they have deposited inside their own minds. Kids film themselves doing acts of violence just to get attention – they are dying for validation, yet can’t see through the haze well enough to find the One who did that for them.

Even those of us that know Him can feel overwhelmed by the dark.

It’s time for us to unite, as a community of faith, to wipe away the mud that gets slapped across our vision every day.  God is in all things he created, from a miracle to a single star beyond our field of vision. How do we teach ourselves and our precious children to recognize Him in creation, music, and the beautiful rhythm of life, so that when the darkness tries to blind us we have the one and only thing that will chase it away?

I invite you to join the conversation – meet me here once a week for a unique glimpse into this temporary world we inhabit. God will not be drowned out by our culture – if He doesn’t use you, he will use someone else. Do you feel the tug? Tell me your story as I tell you mine.

If at any time, you wish to guest post, or have a book, cd, or other such ministry (relevant to the Christian faith) reviewed, email me at: sherry@sherryrossman.com. This is a call to action for all who have an encouraging, true story.