Medicaid for Children

Whenever Mark colors in his animal for class, he always adds “scars”. He sits at the table, legs wiggling and mouth moving. There is always a running narrative during this process, such as, “This is where the hunter slashes him, uhg!, before he escaped…” “This is from a bee bee gun, bang! that did no damage to his vital organs.” “These are blood drops on the ground!” Red marker begins to overwhelm his picture.
“Mark, please don’t pound the marker tip.”
“Oh, sorry Mom. I got a little carried away.”
Yesterday, he was finishing “scarring” his fox while narrating. Then he started drawing band-aids over the scars while saying, “Medicaid! Medicaid!”
“Medicaid?” I questioned.
“Yeah, it’s a band-aid with medicine.”
“Oh really, who’s going to pay for Medicaid?”
“Oh, everybody does Mom. Everybody. Medicaid! Medicaid!” he chanted while finishing his fox.
Today’s animal was a yak. “oh, I can’ take it, ugh!” was the running narrative, “Bang! A bee bee gun. Bang! A real gun! Oh no, he’s dead.”
“Dead?” I inquired.
“As a doorknob,” answered Mark, “see the Xs on his eyes?
“What about Medicaid?”
“It’s too late for this guy, Mom.”

Robot Children

A facebook friend recently shared this song lyric by William McDowell:
“I won't go back, I can't go back to the way it used to be before your presence came and changed me! :)” This got me thinking….and responding:
“I love this. It's the idea of ‘If Christ hasn't changed your life, have you met Him yet?’”

Does your life change if you take the Jesus out of it? Is your life the same without Jesus?
If he isn’t your life-changer, if he isn’t your “I can’t live without Him” piece of the puzzle then perhaps you haven’t really met Him at all.

I worry for these kids growing up in our churches, thinking they know and love Jesus but putting him on like jewelry and not knowing what it means…what it means to be without Him and what it means to be with Him…what repentance is, and how even good kids are “undone” without His salvation. and when I worry…I pray..

Another article I recently read is about why some “good kids” go and some “good kids” stay. Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church. One reason for staying was “They are converted.”

I look at my kids, ages 10, 8, and 7 year old twins. Yes, they are good kids. They know John 3:16 and the Lord’s prayer from memory. They have each asked Jesus to “come into their heart”. They are Christian kids. While that is all well and good, we parents seem to think it’s a sealed deal. Our adult perspectives are permanently planted in our own walk with Christ. But as our children age into adulthood, it’s our responsibility to explore with them why we believe what we believe and challenge them to make their own choices.

As much as I would like to, I cannot prevent my daughter’s first broken heart, but I can teach her to turn to He who heals the broken hearted. I cannot MAKE her a Christian anymore than God, who fashioned Adam and Eve, would MAKE them obey him. He did not want robots for children and neither do I.

I am still learning that I cannot be anyone’s Holy Spirit, but I can pray for the Spirit to draw my children, and I can live what I believe, share what I believe, and hopefully challenge my children to accept those beliefs as their own.

A Girl's message to all Christians

Friday's Five Things

1. Marcus’ laughter and dance this morning over finding the poptarts in the pantry all by himself, “Oh yeah, who’s the greatest? Oh yeah, that’s me! I’m takin’ over the world!”
2. Delivering God’s word with cookies this week.
3. The giggling of the children as they watched “Shaun the sheep”.
4. Dinner date with the love of my life and good adult conversation.
5. Reading to the kids each morning this week.

For my cousin Elaina

Where to Go

What do you do when you feel
like you don’t matter?
When no one needs your supposed encouragement? What do you do?
Where do you turn? When friends really don’t
have time to get together or
your opinion is scorned? Where do you go?
I go straight to the source. Not the source of
the pain, not my reactions to another’s actions, but
straight to the source of the one who made me.
The one who held up the coin with Caesar on it and asked, “Whose image is this?”
Whose image am I? Who made me?
Who formed my very hands in the shape of His own?
My unique hand, all my own, all His.
That’s where I go, straight to Him.

Matt Kish created Moby Dick in Pictures, a huge project that is now a book. He dedicated himself to one piece of art every day. One piece of art (crayon, paint, pencil, etc.) One piece of art every day
for every page of Melville’s classic, Moby Dick. It’s not a short book, but a huge complicated tome
still perused in high school and college classes today for its themes of hate and revenge gone awry. It’s about obsession.

Five hundred and forty three pages. Five hundred and forty three days. For a year and a half of his life, Mr. Kish created art every single day. Every single day, he created. Christmas, New Year’s, not feeling well, power outage, moving, didn’t matter. Obsessed by the characters’ journeys, by their stories, by Ahab’s obsession, he created.

Moby Dick in Pictures. Wow, amazing. It’s not so much the actual pictures, which are fascinating to look at, simple and multi-faceted at the same time, it’s the colossal commitment that draws us in to Kish’s world. We, human failings, with half-yearly not so resolute resolutions. We admire a man’s obsession to this book.

If only I was so inspired….not with Melville, but with God himself. With the very word of God—that I could not escape it’s daily call….not that I am creating art every day, but I am created in His image, saved by His grace to reflect His glory to mankind. I am showing Christ every day and I must be in God’s word every day. I am, in a sense, painting pictures and creating art.

As I thumb through the pages of the book, I wonder where the original art resides..543 pieces would take up quite the space…are they in galleries or does Mr. Kish have them stored away somewhere? Where are they really? Other than in the artist’s heart and here on these pages?
Where are my daily art works? Those ones inspired by my time in God’s word? What would they look like? Would they collect dust or change lives? What would Tracey Westphal in Pictures look like? Let me create this one instead, Jesus Christ in Pictures.

This list grows longer, of books I want to read. My mind flashes to the movie, the matrix when the newly released Neo is “loaded” with Jitsu. Part of me longs for that instant experience…to know the book with no time involved as my life seems ever shorter with each passing day. In reality, it is….like a ball of yarn unwinding slowly as the knitter knits, needles clacking, creating some beautiful thing to be treasured and worn for warmth.

My ever-shortening life and my ever-increasing list. Priorities….my eyes are far too tired and daylight long gone when I happily crawl between the sheets each night. People tell me this is when they read, but I have to grab my fix in the morning, like a cup of coffee on the way out the door. A quick paragraph of Voskamp, one Collins poem (only one!), and then the day is upon me. Bible before breakfast and a morning conversation with the Lord. Matthew chapter one—How ironic that King Herod’s actions to kill Jesus actually helped fulfill Messianic prophecy…”out of Egypt I called my son”.

Breakfast, and dishes, and reading, and school, and then errands and dinner and cleanup and chores, and books and games and tucking in, and getting ready for tomorrow and a few quick minutes to type out my thoughts in the chilly sleepy kitchen.

The books pile up on my dresser. Library due dates loom. On Saturday morning, I will stay tucked in and enjoy a few chapters while the kiddos devour their weekend treat of self-serve poptarts. This must suffice. This must meet my need. The golden part of the yarn being knitted. Click clack, creating some beautiful thing to be treasured and worn for warmth.

God-Colors

“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.” Mattew 5:14 the message

There it is. The reason why I exist, why I am here. I am an artist, a writer, a painter, a friend, and I have a great palette of God-colors. My paintbrushes touch everyone I touch. They brush my children, my parents, my husband and my friends. I paint at the grocery store, at the library and even at the drive-thru. What color am I using today?

Am I dipping my brushes in God’s paint or my own? My own is like water, the strokes leave a mark that dries quickly into nothingness. I start at one end of the fence and by the time I finish, the beginning is an unchanged as when I began. Why am I not accomplishing anything? Why do my efforts seem so useless? Why can’t I change anything?

Change is not my department. It belongs to the maker of the universe, the creator of color. He who picked that emerald green grass color that makes my smile begin. If I try to cover over everything with my own efforts, it all goes awry…because it is me, and not Him.

I must hold onto my brush and dip into God-colors, not my own. He is the paint that never chips, peels, or fades....like water that forever quenches your thirst. Today, I submit to the greatest artist. Lord, teach me how to paint your world.

An Attitude of Gratitude—the 1,000 blessings challenge, continued….
“Change my heart, oh God, make it ever new….change my heart, oh God, make me more like you.”
In the continuing effort of growing in Christ, my blessing listing continues:
15. Children who read and write stories on the computer.
16. A winter sunrise of color with bare branches silhouetted.
17. Children who can pour milk without spilling
18. The portent of a baby tooth fallen out
19. The smell of apple pie
20. Dancing little boys who don’t have to go potty. 
21. Hugs around the neck
22. Warm dishwater
23. Repaired left slipper
24. Inspiration

More Blessings to Count

1,000 things to be thankful for (con’t).

10. Children who treat each other with kindness and can find solutions when they disagree. I don’t want to be a referee mom, but rather an arbiter. The fine art of compromise can be learned in childhood.
11. My laptop computer that connects me to the world of the web.
12. My cozy lavendar bathrobe that keeps me warm on winter mornings in my chilly kitchen.
13. My husband’s kindness. When I was not feeling well, he brought home chicken for the family --with no complaints.
14. Friendships that enrich my life with encouragement, experience, and excitement.

1,000 Things to be Thankful (con't.)
9. I am thankful to be a mom of twins. See article Sweet sleeping twins for details.

Count Your Blessings

8.Children who are kind to strangers: Ryan shared how he took the boys to McDonalds after wrestling practice on Monday night and Lucas gave away his matchbox car from his happy meal to another little boy.

9. A husband who encourages. On Sunday night during dinner, I was feeling a little down at all the cleanup I would have to be doing and Ryan mentioned Counting your blessings and all four kids started singing the chorus to “Count your blessings! Name them one by one…” He looked at me in surprise across the table while I just smiled. “Well, apparently, they know that one.” After supper, he looked up other old hymns and sang the words for over an hour while I cleaned up. I am counting him as a blessing, which is what this list is all about anyway.

10. Encouraging notes that come in the mail.

1,000 Things to Be Thankful for (con't.)

7.Today, I am thankful to God for my living room….because it is a “living” room…the kids make tents, build towers, and create a wrestling ring in my living room. My Bible-before-breakfast occurs there almost every morning. We watch movies as a family, and use the computer to discover new things for science class. It may need to be repainted, and the couches aren’t new, but it is a room full of life; it is my living room.

1,000 Things to be Thankful for (see earlier posts)
5. The deep well-meaning voice of my husband as he reads scripture out loud. To see the man I love loving the God I love is not only heartwarming but also inspiring.

6. This simple warm cup of coffee in my hands. Creamy, rich and hot as it heats me from the inside out. Coffee warms the bones and I am grateful for it.

1,000 Gifts (con't.--see earlier posts)

3. Crisp sunshine and a blue cloudless sky in January with no snow to reflect and make us all squinty-eyed.


4. Small paper triangle bits on the floor, hundreds of bits, leftovers from cutout snowflakes now taped to window glass.

One mediocre step at a time

And now….the misadventures of mediocre mom. Striving to be above average, but falling short far too often, this mom has come to the conclusion that she is not a great cook, not a great driver, not a great writer and basically, not that GREAT at anything.

She ponders this, sighing deeply and knowing she loves her God, her man, and her kids with all she’s got….even if it isn’t quite as big as what someone else has got. She’s not politically savvy, not especially witty, and especially not very good at the technical stuff, although she tries….

She’s not afraid to work hard, does the dishes, makes the meals, makes the bed, does the laundry and prays with the children almost every day….and that’s really not so bad, is it? But is it enough? Is it all there is? Should she be doing more? She’s got a good heart and she belongs to Christ, striving to please Him every day.

She realizes she is grateful for all she’s got all the time, has a good attitude about life, and loves to encourage others to do their best. She knows she is deliriously happy and blessed and wonders rarely about the mediocrity/averageness of her life, except for a few occasions where she tries to use it as an impetus for improvement rather than the path to pathetic. To be growing is the goal…stagnant is the enemy.

Today is one of those days. She reads scripture and prays it will sink deep into her psyche. She knows she is an individual and she acknowledges her maker regularly, especially on these days, these humbling hubris days when the weather is not especially all that great or all that terrible. These days will come, these days are necessary, dependable and …mediocre.

Perhaps I need my thousand things list…you know, listing a thousand gifts from God, as Voskamp does in her book of the same name….today…Every list starts with one item. It’s reminiscent of the proverbial journey of 1,000 miles beginning with one step. So today is the first step and I wonder where and when step 500 will happen.

The unknown looms, but not terrifyingly so, just looms...unknown. So I begin, one mediocre meter at a time…although I am certain, like Much Afraid In Hinds Feet on High Places, there will be mountaintops, valleys, and interesting companions along the way…

1. The ability to move my lips and read good literature to the boys. They love the Squire and the Scroll and I love its message---keeping your way pure.

2. The warm, crackly heat as it comes through the metal vents upstairs—feeling the toasty metal of the grate on socked foot bottoms as you press in for warmth.

Happy New Year --Five Things
My new year’s reso-- (not really resolutions, but just reminders)
1. Listen more, speak less.
2. Encourage, uplift, edify.
3. Obey God right away, all the way, and with a good heart.
4. Communicate the five second gospel –1. God loves us. 2. We blew it. 3. Christ paid for it. 4. We must receive it. Use words if necessary
5. React less, plan more.

Westphals’ 19th. Annual Christmas Letter 2011

Once upon a time (the year 2011), a brave and noble knight (named Ryan) set out on a quest. He was joined by his bride of many years (our 18th. Anniversary this year), and their four brave children—three young squires and one fair maiden.
The adventure began quietly enough with a commitment to education and then the brave knight wrestled his first mighty foe, the time dragon. The battle ended in the knight’s favor and the vanquished dragon gave out study time, school time, work time, church time, and family time in just the right amounts. His stalwart family proudly stood by his side as he was honored. (He graduated from Cornerstone University with a bachelor’s in business degree). The knight raised his sword toward heaven, giving God the credit and the glory for the battle’s victorious end.

The adventure continued and the knight carried the lantern for his brave wife and children as they learned part of their destiny included vision trials. (Marcus, Lucas, and Sarah’s genetic tests reveal they have Retinitis Pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease). The lantern was lit by the light of Christ and would always shine the way even as physical vision would dim for some family members. The two youngest squires and the fair maiden discovered they too, would battle the R.P. dragon, as their mother and maternal grandfather, another brave knight of the King, continued to fight regularly. They took the news well, remembering and stating “God always has a plan,” which calmed their mother’s heart. (Ryan and Tracey also co-chaired the inaugural Visionwalk in West Michigan to help raise money for research/clinical trials to fight eye disease. Thank you to all who donated).

The brave wife of the knight taught the children well in many homeschool subjects. They enjoyed family adventures, and for the first time, conquered the waters of the Great Wolf Lodge on a real vacation. The oldest squire (Tim, age 10) and the fair maiden (Sarah, age 8) also engaged in battles of the feet, where weapons and hands are not permitted (soccer). Both teams completed the season with no defeats. Squire Tim even scored twice. Knight Ryan rewarded him accordingly ($5.00 per goal).

The brave knight and his family lost a great aunt (Bertha Bezemer), great uncle (Jay Jones) and a grandfather (Bill Jackson) to the lands beyond the battle this year, and they value your talks with the King (prayers) for their families’ losses. So this brave, growing family continues to fight the good fight. They bow their heads regularly, ready their weapons, and boldly vow to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14). They also wish you and yours a blessed Christmas season and a new year filled with evidences of the King’s grace upon us all.

Sunrise, Sunset

And so the sun shines forth in the morning illuminating our darkened world once again in its seemingly never-ending flow of night, day, night day and yet, He who numbers the sunsets knows my final one. Will it be today? Thank-you, Lord, for saving my soul that I may trust you with my eternity, for I and it belong to you. I am yours wholly.

Dear Friends and Family,

“I can’t find it, Mom!” six year old Marcus is frustrated. The lid to his red marker has rolled onto the floor and he simply cannot find it while I am able to spy it from across the room.

“Close to the chair, Mark,” I direct him. “Aha!” he cries triumphantly, “You can’t escape so easily!” he says to the marker lid.

These moments happen on a regular basis in our home. As you may know, our six year old twins, Marcus and Lucas, are affected by the eye disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease that will rob them of their sight within the not so distant future unless a treatment can be found through laboratory research. “You can’t escape so easily,” is our response to this disease.

As you may know, we have been supporting the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) for the last year and now we are pleased to announce that we will be co-chairing the Foundation’s first West Michigan Vision Walk. FFB is a nationwide organization and is the biggest fundraiser in support of the research for treating and/or curing these eye diseases. 80% of every dollar they raise goes directly to this research.

In the last few years, the FFB has initiated and funded the first-ever human clinical trials for LCA, a disease that causes blindness from birth; Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a disease that causes loss of peripheral vision in all ages, and Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 55. This research is very promising for our family’s future and we strongly admire the FFB’s dedication. Proceeds from Vision Walk 2011 will support the Foundation’s strong commitment to finding treatments, preventions and cures for sight-robbing retinal diseases.

Every day 10 million Americans, including my dad, experience the adverse effects these diseases have on their lives and on the lives of their families. My dad now must use a cane to navigate his own wooded property and has often become disoriented. My husband must do all of the night time driving for our family. We took the boys out of soccer because they couldn’t follow the ball across the field.

That is why I am asking you to support our team, “Team Westphal”, by walking with us or sponsoring us at the West Michigan Visionwalk, Saturday, October 22, 2011, at Millenium Park in Grand Rapids. Our team’s goal is to personally raise $2,000.00 for the walk. Please consider donating to us online at www.visionwalk.org. Otherwise you can mail a check made payable to the FFB at our home address: 127 Port Sheldon Rd. SW Grandville MI 49418

We sincerely appreciate any help that you can provide to our family and to others who are affected with retinal disease. Together we won’t let these diseases escape so easily- together we will walk toward a cure. We look forward to seeing you at the walk.

Sincerely

Ryan and Tracey Westphal

“Mom, I am so ready to go to heaven.” Nine year old boy.

“I have those days too, my son.”

“What’s your pick for Jesus’ return?”

“I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have one?”

Nope. It’s kind of like this. You are waiting to go on vacation and you keep asking your Dad, “Is it time to go yet? Is it time to go yet?”

Dad finally looks at you and says, “I will let you know when it is time to go, just trust me. You aren’t going to miss it.” It’s like that.

“Well, I’m just waiting for God to say, “Kids, get in the van.”

“Me, too, son, me, too.”

The Five Laugh Challenge

The Five Laugh Challenge

“I challenge you to laugh five times today.” A facebook challenge from an out of state cousin. The post itself made me laugh. Did she forget my family? The six year old twins are good for at least six laughs each….but I will try one laugh for each family member today.

I ran around chasing madly (never quite catching him) this morning, in search of my Bible for Bible study. In desperation, I left a voicemail for the husband, but then the children found it, on the living room floor between the vent and the golf clubs, definitely not in its usual spot. The funny part was when I returned home and the answering machine message intoned, “It’s by the vent and the golf clubs.” This was in my husband’s voice and I was astounded. I didn’t expect an answer, and certainly not an accurate one. That made me laugh since this is usually the man who needs me to find things for him. It was a role reversal today and it made me giggle.

During Bible study, Lucas disobeyed his teacher and Mama had to intervene. When I told him he was going to go and apologize, he said, “I need a moment. I’m just too cryable.” That one made me laugh, albeit not at the moment, but later.

During the Bible study, called “Loving Your Husband,” there were at least five laughs as we encouraged each other and shared experiences regarding those men we married and how best to love them. The three s's were shared and had us all laughing: Sex, Sports, and Sandwiches

Last week was the daughter’s birthday. She is now eight years old and finished her end of level spelling test. She is now in 6^th. grade spelling. Her open mouthed expression and wide eyes as she said, “Sixth grade? No Way!” made me laugh too.

The nine year old makes me laugh every day too. His antics while carrying the kiddie pool on his head today with such a silly face made me laugh out loud at the store.

Maybe I’m just an easy laugher. I put the kiddie pool purchase as a facebook status. One friend asked, “Are you going to let the kids use it, too?” That made me laugh.

Marcus read his whole “Jet Bed” book today and told me that the Web men in the book were only real in his imagination. That made me laugh, too.

Yikes, it’s only 2:00 pm and that five laughs a day quota is long filled. I hope tomorrow is as laughable as today.

A funny thing

A funny thing happened on the way to our first family vacation. This was to be the first family vacation since we’ve had children. Our children are 9, 8, and 6 year old twins so it has been at least a decade.

We picked a short vacation. A two night stay at a Great Wolf Lodge (Water park Hotel) about 3 hours from our home. We packed up the van, got water for the kiddos, coffee for ourselves and we were off into the wild blue yonder!

Did I mention a funny thing happened? Well, we passed the highway entrance and decided on more of an adventurous route. At the next stoplight, we stopped for the red light. When the light turned green, and we waited to turn left, our brakes did not work. Yep, you read that right. Pedal to the floor and NOTHING. We tapped the truck in front of us, effectively stopping us and thankfully, causing no damage to either vehicle.

Sure enough, brake fluid was leaking out onto the pavement. Apparently, we had blown a brake line. We called the police, put on the flashers and headed for the sidewalk. We were still less than two miles from home and Ryan’s sister and brother-in-law were available to come and rescue us. While we waited, I took the kids on a little walk around to the back of the shops facing the street. As we turned the corner, we saw what looked like a huge multicolored tarp being spread out in the back parking lot.

“In five minutes,” a man informed us, “this will be a bounce house.” Then two kids came out of the store carrying balloons and animal crackers so the kids went in and each received their own balloon and crackers, which mom got to hold while they were able to bounce in the “Noah’s Ark” bounce house.

One woman shared some Bible story books with us, and another gentleman asked for permission to videotape the kiddos for the store’s facebook page. My sister-in-law soon arrived, retrieved booster seats and we were on our way back home.

Thank you Lord, for providing. Thank you that our brakes didn’t fail after we were on the highway and far from home. Thank you that we weren’t involved in a serious accident. Thank you for providing entertainment while waiting. Thank you for providing a way home. Thank you, Lord that we have two vehicles and can take the other one on vacation. Thank you, thank you.

Wonderment

Wonderment

Deep jade tips

poke through fresh dirt

small in their beds, like

sleeping little girls growing every night.

White and green party ribbons uncurl

Stretch and explode like

a young maid's long legged dance.

Hostas unfurl

from green tips to full leaf beauty

before Mother's Day

Leaving us

Breathless with

wonderment.

Congratulations to my eight year old daughter, Sarah, on taking second place for second grade in the PBS Kids Go! Young Author's contest. Here is her prize winning story.

The Rabbit Who Thought He Was a Dog

Once upon a time in a beautiful green meadow, there lived a group of rabbits. One of these rabbits was named Rex. Rex did not believe he was a rabbit. He thought he was a dog. He walked like a dog, sat like a dog, and even tried to bark like a dog. Worst of all, he chased the other rabbits.

The other rabbits were very worried about Rex. They sent their leader to have a talk with Rex. “Rex, we are very worried about you,” said the leader, “You seem to think you are a dog.”

“but I am a dog,” replied Rex.

“But you are not a dog,” insisted the leader, “you are a RABBIT! And you should do rabbity things.”

“But I am a dog,” said Rex, started to make a low, strange sound.

“What is that noise?” asked the leader.

“I am growling,” answered Rex and he chased the leader away.

The rabbits were still worried. Until one day when everything changed. A large brown furry creature with a large wet nose entered the meadow and began sniffing the ground. The rabbits all ran into their holes. But Rex did not.

Rex approached the large brown furry creature with a large wet nose. Rex began making a noise that almost, but not quite, sounded like barking. Rex tried to look like a dog and perked his ears up.

The large brown creature responded with a large “BARK!” and bounded toward Rex. Rex screamed very loudly and turned to run. As he ran as fast as he could, he realized that yes, he was a rabbit and not a dog. He dashed into a hole and the dog ran away.

The End

Do you have a sign on your bedroom door? If you did, what would it say? I bet we are the only couple in the neighborhood with a sign on our bedroom door. It says “Club for Mom and Dad love Mark”.

Of course, every sign has a story. Our four children, then ages 5-8, were making “clubs” out of their bedrooms, complete with paper signs. “Mama, can you PLEASE help me with my sign?” Mark begged.

There were dishes to be done, lists to be made, laundry to be folded, and….I sighed. I sat down at the table, “Sure, what will your sign say?” We had these sticky letters Dad bought that were leftover so we used those. He told me he wanted to make a sign for mom and dad’s door. “You need your own club, Momma, it’s important.” He didn’t want us to feel left out.

This was a very generous thought from a young five year old who knows what it’s like to be left out of older kids’ play. I handed him letters and he stuck them down carefully, very pleased with his work. I handed him the tape and let him attach it to our door. That was over six months ago. The kids’ clubs are long forgotten in a long line of hide-and-seek , dress up, legos, and all kinds of other games. My sign remains taped to my door. Perhaps I am sentimental but I just can’t take it down.

It’s a visual reminder of so many things:

1. Teaching my kids generosity. To always remind them to put others’ needs ahead of their own and avoid selfishness.

2. That Mom and Dad do need time together, and time together without the children. We need our own “club” to have a great marriage and to be great parents.

3. That my kids need my help with things, and that I do need to take time to spend with them. I can set aside laundry and dishes for a few minutes of quality time.

As parents and spouses, we need reminders about what is important, and this sign has become a symbol, a reminder of what’s important. Do you have a sign on your bedroom door?