Which Path To Take

When I was girl, I read pretty much everything I could get my hands on.  Even Alice in Wonderland.  I had a hard time getting into the book, I think I was too old when I finally found it, but one thing about it that I have always loved is the eternal principles that are written within it's pages.  The Cheshire Cat was one of my favorites with his quirky wisdom.  In my adult life, I have found this one to be particularly true. 

There have been times when I could not decide where I wanted to go.  Or even when I did not make a choice.  I have found that the path really didn't matter because I didn't have a destination in mind. 

There have been other times when I knew exactly what I wanted and I was willing to do what I needed to get there.  The path was very important to me.  One of those times would be graduating from college.  It mattered to me that I received a degree.  As much as I would have loved to major in music or nursing, I chose business because that is what I am already practicing.  It made sense to major in something that I was using and would continue to use.  I worked hard to get my bachelors degree and continued on until I finally received my MBA.   I was  before I finished school.

The path mattered because I wanted my children to know that you can do anything you set your mind to do.  I had  children and still managed to finish school with honors.  It took much longer than I ever imagined, but I think it was worth the work and effort.

We all have choices to make in our lives.  At anytime there are myriads of paths to take.  There are choices to make.  There are mountains to climb.  The point the Cheshire Cat was making to Alice, is that she needed to decide where she wanted to go before asking for directions. 

Heavenly Father is willing to lead the way for us if we ask, but I have learned that it works better if I have a direction in mind before I ask Him.  I plan the way and He opens the opportunity.  Moving to the mountains was like that for me.  I did everything I could do first and then took it to Him.  He opened the way and there was never any doubt that this was where we belonged. 

It can be hard to live in a small town, but it is much easier when I have the confidence and assurance to know that He sent me here. 

Becoming Like Him - Day 28 - Wake

For my 31 days of writing, I am linking up over at Heading Home and over at the Nester. There are several of us that are taking the 31 day writing challenge. Kate has suggested that we spend 31 days of Five minute writing. You can use the prompts or write about anything you would like, you just need to write.

I am sharing my journey for 31 days as I strive to become more like Him. My prayer is that you can find hope and peace in my words.

One day, someone is going to hug you so tight, 

that all the broken pieces will stick back together.

Today the prompt is:

WAKE

START

When my older children were teenagers, they often had a hard time waking up in the morning.  Every single one of them did not like getting out of bed, getting ready for school, or eating a decent breakfast.  I usually made oatmeal or grits or even rice breakfast.  Those ones were filling and I could make a lot, but I really got a little grouchy when the teens would not listen to me and wake up and rise out of those beds.  

As a matter of fact, several mornings saw them pull covers tightly over heads and snuggle back down for more sleep.  It probably wouldn't have been so bad, except they kept missing the buses and making me late for work.  I could not afford to lose a job because they didn't care whether or not they made it to school on time.  

I tried everything I could think of to make it easier for them to get up, they all had their own alarm clocks, I would turn the lights on, we made everyone go to bed earlier and we even went to bed ourselves.  

It never seemed to matter.  When it came to sleeping in, those kids were right on top of it.  Finally, in desperation, I threw a glass of water on the heads of two of the biggest culprits.  The boy, leaped out of bed and shouted "MOM!  What are you doing?"  The girl cried big alligator tears because she just knew that I ruined her bed.  

However, they do joke about it today.  They could both swear that I took a garden hose to the beds and nearly drowned them in ice cold freezing water, (in reality, it was about 4 oz of water, lukewarm out of the tap and not even cold).  They have told all the younger siblings, so I have never again had difficulty getting anyone else out of bed in the mornings.  The youngest girls get themselves up even if we don't do it for them.

I really wasn't trying to be mean, I just needed those teens to respect what I was doing for them.  As much as they complained at the time, they never made me late to work in the rest of the years they lived at home.  They have grown into responsible adults who wake themselves every single day.  

It makes me wonder if Heavenly Father ever gets tired of telling us to wake up and look at what is going on around us.  The scriptures tell us many of the same things over and over again.  I am guessing, that the reason we have to hear things more than once, is because we too can be just like my sleeping teens.  We don't always want to open our eyes and wake to reality.  We don't always listen when we should.  Sometimes we have to be reminded.  We need that startling wake up call that makes us remember those things that are most important.  

STOP

Memoir Monday- Discipline

Prompt: Describe a disciplinary method your parents used on you as a child that you use(d) on your own children?

My parents used a lot of ways to discipline, that i never have used in my life.  The one way that has stayed the same is grounding.  When I was a teen, I was often grounded to my room.  I wasn't an ordinary teen.  I did not rebel with drugs or bad friends, or running off.  My form of rebellion was to go to church.  Of  course, it probably helped that the church I went to was not the same as the one my parents wanted me to go to.  

When things were at their worst, I would sneak out my bedroom window and go to church, knowing that when I got home, there would be a beating and a grounding to go with it.  I was grounded from church for every seeming infraction.  I have stayed up to three months in my bedroom when my parents were home.  They "did not want to see my face".  

My parents couldn't ground me often from friends, I didn't really have any.  They couldn't ground me from babysitting, because I bought everything I needed with my own money and they did not want to buy anything that I might need.  I never thought I would ground my own children, but after all the other things I learned, this one, somehow has still stayed with me.

Of course, when my children are grounded, they still have to go the church and school.  They spend extra time on chores and homework, and they hate it as much as I used to!  Especially because I only use grounding when there is something that they really want to do instead of stay home with me!  

I have learned that grounding has to be fair.  They need to know it is a consequence based on their own actions.  They need to know that it is coming and that I expect the problem not to happen again.  I do think that grounding can be effective, although I don't believe in grounding for everything and I never ground them to their room.  I want them to be part of the family and part of what we do.  I want them to realize that although I am disappointed in their behavior, I will always love them and want to be with them.  

My family means the world to me.  They are the best blessing that I could ever have.