Praying blessings for you children.

I found this prayer on a website about praying blessing for your children. It is a Hebrew blessing and it is beautiful. It is a traditional Hebrew Father's blessing, but can be done by either parent. As we pray for our children daily, we should be concerned with the needs for today and for the future. God is faithful and He honors our prayers for our children.

If we teach our children His ways when they are old, they will not depart from it. I believe this includes praying God's word over them and for them.

“Father, I receive, welcome, and acknowledge each of my children as a delightful blessing from You. I speak Your blessings upon them and over them.
“Children, I bless you in the name of Jesus, proclaiming the blessings of God, my Redeemer, upon you. May He give you wisdom, a reverential fear of God, and a heart of love.

“May He create in you the desire to attend to His words, a willing and obedient heart that you may consent and submit to His sayings and walk in His ways. May your eyes look straight ahead with purpose for the future. May your tongue be as the pen of a ready writer, writing mercy and kindness upon the tablets of your heart. May you speak the truth in love. May your hands do the works of the Father; may your feet walk the paths that He has foreordained for you.

“I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are living their lives in truth.
“May the Lord prepare you and your future mate to love and honor one another, and may He grant to your union upright sons and daughters who will live in accordance with His Word. May your source of livelihood be honorable and secure, so that you will earn a living with your own hands.

May you always worship God in spirit and in truth.
“I pray above all things that you may always prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
“In the name of Jesus, my Lord and my God, Amen.”

source place for copyright laws only, this is not an add for this site
http://ati.iblp.org/ati/family/articles/family/prayerofblessing/

Blessings

Blessings come in many shapes and sizes

Big, small and in between.

But everywhere you look 

you can find blessings.

Blessings are your children not ashamed to hold hands in a parking lot.

Blessings are the sound of their voices as they discuss their day with one another.

Blessings are making looking for school uniform pants fun

even if you can't buy that really cool football helmet.

Blessings is realizing your kids have grateful hearts even when you have to say no.

Blessings is knowing that value is not found in dollars and cents

but in love so pure and to true it can not be measured.

Blessings is seeing the joy in your children's faces as they tell you about their day

and know that they love talking to you this way.

Blessings are being surprised by God's provision for

a need you have before you even ask.

Blessings is being able to trust a Father who knows your every care and every need.

Blessings is peace in your home and love in your heart.

Blessings is knowing that your home is a safe place to land and that 

together your family makes a stand.

A stand that does not have to be loud 

but a stand that hopefully makes the Lord proud.

Blessings is realizing that life is filled with joy

because He gave you two little girls and one little boy

and they make life so much fun.

Blessings.......I am counting them..one by one.

School days, school days

Good old golden rule days.....yes school has begun. The children finished their first week of school. Christopher declared middle school"AMAZING".  The girls loved it but were a bit less exuberant.  Seems life is rushing by mighty fast.

Can I really be the Mom of a middle school child? The days of school yard crushed, primping in the mirror, silliness and so much more.  I remember this age, vaguely. However it was a different time and place. Society was different, so different than what my children face.  Our world was a different place. We had never had school shootings.  We did not really know what  terrorist was or even that people could hate America so much they would hurt people. I am sure it existed, but we didn't know about if.

Life was different. Sure the economy had its ups and downs, but most people could compete in the job market without a second thought. There was no 24/7 access to media.  There was no Facebook, no cellular phones. You played outside until the moon came out.  Now days, most kids, not all, are media savvy, more so than their parents. In fact, homework usually needs some form of media to assist in the completion of said homework.  The rules seem like they are different, and that is because they have to be different. Sure some kids got in trouble, did drugs, drank etc.  BUT...having drug sniffing dogs in schools or metal detectors was unheard of.

Bullying though, it happened and it was bad, but no one addressed it. Adults deemed it boys being boys or girls being girls.  At least, they now know bullying is horrific and it damages children.  They have learned that words can and do hurt.

I can only imagine how the world will be when my future grandchildren are in school.  As it is, my first grader is learning stuff I probably did not learn until 4th grade or so.  My 3rd grader is learning stuff I learned in middle school and my middle school child is learning stuff I didn't learn until high school or possibly college.  It is astounding.  Kids are smart, they can do it. However at this rate, my kids will be smarter than me by 8th grade...and in some areas they already know way more than I did.  I have to ask for help to help them with math.

There are terms they learn I did not know existed.  They get a WHAT? is that look when they ask for help.  I either ask their father or google it. Speaking of google, there was no google when my parents needed to help with homework. Actually, they just told me to ask the teacher.  I was pretty much on my own to figure it out.  That is just the way it was done then.  Now, I help my kids IF I can, if not..I seek help.

School days........just aren't what they used to be........but I do enjoy watching my kids grow and learn.

Baby steps........big steps......healing

Tonight as I watched my son conquer part of his sensory issues, I realized, it started with baby steps, led to big steps and is producing healing in his life.

He has struggled for so many years with his sensory issues.  It was hard at times not to be discouraged, to not give up.  Yet, tonight, hope grew by leaps and bounds.  I felt kind of like the Grinch when his heart grew "three sizes that day". (copyright Dr. Suess).

 Not because I had not love or no hope, but because where Christopher's sensory issues were concerned.........I had near about given up.  Not that I didn't trust God. But........when you as a Mom have tried again and again, encourage, prayed, cried when no one was looking into your pillow......the hope factor on sensory issues can fade.

A child with oral sensory issues is not something you can just deal with. Children must eat to grow.  As children grow they eat more. However, when your child eats all of 10 to 15 things (at times it was less)  it is hard to watch. You get the advice "when he gets hungry enough he will eat".

This is NOT so for a child with sensory integration disorder. There is no medication. Forcing them will make the problem worse. Thank the Lord we never did that.  It has been a long road, a hard road. As mothers, we pride on feeding our children well.  We thrive when they enjoy food. My son, has never enjoyed food.  He eats to live.  He does not live to eat nor does he really enjoy most foods.  He tolerates food.

Tonight when he took a giant step into eating vegetables...he knew were there but could not see......m heart literally leapt within m body.  I was as proud as if my child won an award.  Growth...little steps.......big steps..........HOPE............God is healing my son. I knew He would.......but tonight I got to see the next step in my son's healing.

Flash backs to childhood

As I watch my children watch the Olympics....I remember....the days my dreams were possible.  I remember when I just knew I could be a gold medal gymnast.  I remember watching the Olympics with the same, zeal and awe and wonder as my kids watch.

Where do we as adults lose the dream, the possibilities?  Reality is a neccesity, but child hood dreams are beautiful. I see the light of the future shining in my children's eyes. I want them to always believe in the impossible and work for what seems unattainable. I want them to know that through Christ anything is possible. I want them to temper that with God's call on their lives. That they learn to check their dreams at the foot of the cross. May their dreams fly but may their love for Christ color every dream and every desire.

Day 3--Coin

A coin ready to go into the "Bank of Strobl"...the bank my son made out of a sandwich carry out thingy..LOL.

Day 2--ONE

One boy reading "one more page" before he goes to bed...............

Growing........

How is it that kids grow up so fast? Seems like when I was a child, growing up took forever.  I wish I had taken time to enjoy the freedom of childhood, naps, sticky hands and the fun of all those simple things.  I try to see things the way the kids do.  So take time, to smell the flowers and catch a few lightning bugs. Take time to jiggle some jello and have fun.  Take time to make pictures out of clouds and imagine what could possibly be at the end of that rainbow.

We grow up but we can grow more if we allow the child in us, that is still, there deep within to enjoy life.  Growth doesn't mean growing out of things, it just means doing them a little differently.

So I think that being said....I may find time to dance in the rain.

Because our kids grow up too fast and we need to enjoy childhood with them.

Day 1 Outside

I love the setting sun, although this isn't the best picture as the clouds moved in front of it, I think sunset is one of my favorite times of day.  The promise of tomorrow filled with beauty.

August photo of the day