The afternoon light illuminated a beautiful pink lady slipper.
Showing posts with label Mother's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mother's Day. Show all posts
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Mothers' Day Pink Lady Slipper
Seen Along the Lake Trail at Miller School
The afternoon light illuminated a beautiful pink lady slipper.
The afternoon light illuminated a beautiful pink lady slipper.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Happy Mothers' Day 2012
"The Mom Song" Complete with Lyrics
Enjoy your special day! ht/Pastor Brandon
Enjoy your special day! ht/Pastor Brandon
Thursday, May 10, 2012
THYME Magazine
Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor
Volume IV, Issue XIX
Do Uber Mom's Really Exist?
The 'other' weekly news magazine has just put out their 'Mother's Day' issue. It asks: "Are you Mom enough?" and references Dr. Bill Sears, guru to the 'trend.' Here is Their Cover [click to read] and some thoughts on 'Attachment Parenting.' We at THYME have have our own cover devoted to 'Attachment Parenting,' where both parent and child are nurtured and suckled by the state [1.] Rush Limbaugh's art director, Michaele has come up with This Alternative Cover [click to view] and Rush repeats the story Here [click to view]. Before 'Attachment Parenting,' there were the uber Moms...
"You've seen them on Desperate Housewives: Uppercrust ladies in pastel sweater sets who parade down the halls of their children's schools. They're so smug. They coo sypathetically when they survey us "poor" working mothers.Or there's the New Age flip side, with their babies in slings, breastfeeding until their kids are ten, co-sleeping, home-schooling, and forget about vaccinations. See Maggie Gyllenhaal's stroller-hating harpy in Away We Go for an over-the-top rendition. But the ridiculousness of her "LN" character is a tip-off: These uber moms aren't real." -- Martha Nichols
In Why I Don't Like Trend Stories [click to read], Ms. Nichols echos a sentiment that I too have when I see TIME present yet another overview of LIFE that just doesn't fit MY life. THYME has decided to celebrate Mother's Day with a few real stories of real Moms (with real faces):
Tim Tebow and His Mom
by Lynn Randall Mitchell from SWAC Girl [click to read]
In an interview on Thursday morning's ABC "Good Morning America" show, 24-year-old professional football player Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam, sat down with host Robin Roberts to talk about a variety of subjects but most especially Mother's Day.
Roberts, who described the Tebows as "an incredibly loving family," learned how important Tim's mom was to Tebow, the youngest of five children, and whose parents were missionaries earlier in his life. As a mom who spent 16 years educating my own children, the Tebows are ambassadors who represent the good that comes from the homeschool community.
As a homeschooled student, Heisman Trophy winner, Denver Broncos quarterback, and Christian with strong family ties, Tim Tebow is a positive role model for our children, one of the good guys who actually understands that the world doesn't revolve around him. He is a public figure who shares his good fortune and reaches out to those who are hurting, all while retaining his down-to-earth personality. He even won over crusty ESPN reporter Rick Reilly.
During the ABC interview, Tim shared the story of one Mother's Day when he was still at home, young and without money to buy a gift. Wanting to express his love and appreciation for his mother, he searched for something other than a material way to do so and ended up weeding her flower garden in the middle of the night, using only the illumination of a flashlight. His mom, listening as he recalled the story, smiled and remembered that it was raining that night.
Tim's mom revealed that, after he turned pro and landed a job as quarterback of the Denver Broncos, he used his first paycheck to buy her a gift ... a necklace from Tiffany's with a key on it, something she was wearing during the interview and said she wears much of the time. It was, he told Roberts, a symbol that his mother was the key to his success, and he added, "I couldn't have done it without her."
One segment of the interview had to do with family meals. A typical homeschool mom, Pam Tebow is a good cook and there are favored foods from the children including Tim who revealed that he loved her Pizza Pie, a simple yet apparently yummy meal, along with Rice Krispy Treat ice cream pie. In a household where dessert was only allowed on Sundays, Tim laughed and talked about coming home from church and sitting in the living room after lunch, watching sports, and eating Rice Krispy Treat ice cream pie.
I continue to be impressed with this young man. He has remained grounded even after hitting the big time in sports, and he still maintains a strong connection with his family, his faith, and those less fortunate than he.
Jason Pierre-Paul and His Mom
Meet the Real MVP's of Last Year's Superbowl
Jason Pierre-Paul's parents, Marie and Jean. Sun Sentinal
A Milestone Monday Feature
Jason Pierre-Paul was just nine months old when his Father lost sight in one eye while driving. Within weeks, Jean Pierre-Paul was blind, the victim of a viral infection that destroyed his sight. His Mother Marie Pierre-Paul became the sole breadwinner for the family, working long hours in the housekeeping department of a hotel.
Jean stayed home and cared for Jason. He and his wife taught their Son great lessons in perserverance as they adjusted to meet the challenges life handed them.
Almost thirty years ago, the family came to the United States, settling in Florida. Jason attended Deerfield Beach High School and actually played basketball until a serious leg injury sidelined him, but then another MVP came into his life.
In his junior year, Jason signed up for a geometry class taught by Manny Martin, who happened to be defensive coordinator for the school's football team. Martin jokingly told Jason that in order to pass the class, he'd have to play football. The rest is history.
There was a problem though. Jason worked after school at Boston Market to help the family with their rent. Marie was working as a domestic and finances were tight. Martin went to Jason's boss at Boston Market and they worked out a schedule so he could keep his job and still make practices. Jason would leave practice and go straight to work. often he would work until midnight and then get up early to make it to high school. The superstar remembers this as the hardest year of his life.
He went to three colleges: College of the Canyons in California, Fort Scott Community College in Kansas and finally University of South Florida. He was drafted by the Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Sunday his Dad went to Indianapolis to attend his first-ever NFL game. He listened as his Son matched wits with Tom Brady, rushing and batting down passes against one of the best quarterbacks in the game. It had to have been an amazing day for Jean and Marie! [2.]
Blind Man in the Bleachers
Kenny Starr
He's just the blind man in the bleachers to the local hometown fans
And he sits beneath the speakers way back in the stands
And he listens to the play by play, he's just waiting for one name
He wants to hear his son get in the game
But the boy's just not a hero, he's strictly second team
Though he runs each night for touchdowns in his fathers sweetest dreams
He's gonna be a star someday though you might never tell
But the blind man in the bleachers knows he will
And the last game of the season is a Friday night at home
And no one knows the reason but the blind man didn't come
And his boy looks kinda nervous,sometimes turns around and stares
Just as though he sees the old man sitting there
Well, the local boys are tryin' but they slowly lose their will
Another players down and now he's carried from the field
At halftime in the locker room the kid goes off alone
And no one sees him talkin' on the phone
And the games already started when he gets back to the team
And half the crowd can hear his coach yell, "Where the hell you been?"
"Just getting' ready for the second half", is all he'll say
"Cause now you're gonna let me in to play"
And without another word he turns and runs into the game
And though the silence on the field, loudspeakers call his name
It'll make the local papers how the team came from behind
When they saw him playing out his heart to win
And when the game was over the coach asked him to tell
What was it he was thinkin' of that made him play so well
"Well, you knew my Dad was blind", he said, "Tonight he passed away"
"It's the first time that my father's seen me play"
Volume IV, Issue XIX
Do Uber Mom's Really Exist?
The 'other' weekly news magazine has just put out their 'Mother's Day' issue. It asks: "Are you Mom enough?" and references Dr. Bill Sears, guru to the 'trend.' Here is Their Cover [click to read] and some thoughts on 'Attachment Parenting.' We at THYME have have our own cover devoted to 'Attachment Parenting,' where both parent and child are nurtured and suckled by the state [1.] Rush Limbaugh's art director, Michaele has come up with This Alternative Cover [click to view] and Rush repeats the story Here [click to view]. Before 'Attachment Parenting,' there were the uber Moms...
"You've seen them on Desperate Housewives: Uppercrust ladies in pastel sweater sets who parade down the halls of their children's schools. They're so smug. They coo sypathetically when they survey us "poor" working mothers.Or there's the New Age flip side, with their babies in slings, breastfeeding until their kids are ten, co-sleeping, home-schooling, and forget about vaccinations. See Maggie Gyllenhaal's stroller-hating harpy in Away We Go for an over-the-top rendition. But the ridiculousness of her "LN" character is a tip-off: These uber moms aren't real." -- Martha Nichols
In Why I Don't Like Trend Stories [click to read], Ms. Nichols echos a sentiment that I too have when I see TIME present yet another overview of LIFE that just doesn't fit MY life. THYME has decided to celebrate Mother's Day with a few real stories of real Moms (with real faces):
Tim Tebow and His Mom
by Lynn Randall Mitchell from SWAC Girl [click to read]
In an interview on Thursday morning's ABC "Good Morning America" show, 24-year-old professional football player Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam, sat down with host Robin Roberts to talk about a variety of subjects but most especially Mother's Day.
Roberts, who described the Tebows as "an incredibly loving family," learned how important Tim's mom was to Tebow, the youngest of five children, and whose parents were missionaries earlier in his life. As a mom who spent 16 years educating my own children, the Tebows are ambassadors who represent the good that comes from the homeschool community.
As a homeschooled student, Heisman Trophy winner, Denver Broncos quarterback, and Christian with strong family ties, Tim Tebow is a positive role model for our children, one of the good guys who actually understands that the world doesn't revolve around him. He is a public figure who shares his good fortune and reaches out to those who are hurting, all while retaining his down-to-earth personality. He even won over crusty ESPN reporter Rick Reilly.
During the ABC interview, Tim shared the story of one Mother's Day when he was still at home, young and without money to buy a gift. Wanting to express his love and appreciation for his mother, he searched for something other than a material way to do so and ended up weeding her flower garden in the middle of the night, using only the illumination of a flashlight. His mom, listening as he recalled the story, smiled and remembered that it was raining that night.
Tim's mom revealed that, after he turned pro and landed a job as quarterback of the Denver Broncos, he used his first paycheck to buy her a gift ... a necklace from Tiffany's with a key on it, something she was wearing during the interview and said she wears much of the time. It was, he told Roberts, a symbol that his mother was the key to his success, and he added, "I couldn't have done it without her."
One segment of the interview had to do with family meals. A typical homeschool mom, Pam Tebow is a good cook and there are favored foods from the children including Tim who revealed that he loved her Pizza Pie, a simple yet apparently yummy meal, along with Rice Krispy Treat ice cream pie. In a household where dessert was only allowed on Sundays, Tim laughed and talked about coming home from church and sitting in the living room after lunch, watching sports, and eating Rice Krispy Treat ice cream pie.
I continue to be impressed with this young man. He has remained grounded even after hitting the big time in sports, and he still maintains a strong connection with his family, his faith, and those less fortunate than he.
Jason Pierre-Paul and His Mom
Meet the Real MVP's of Last Year's Superbowl
Jason Pierre-Paul's parents, Marie and Jean. Sun Sentinal
A Milestone Monday Feature
Jason Pierre-Paul was just nine months old when his Father lost sight in one eye while driving. Within weeks, Jean Pierre-Paul was blind, the victim of a viral infection that destroyed his sight. His Mother Marie Pierre-Paul became the sole breadwinner for the family, working long hours in the housekeeping department of a hotel.
Jean stayed home and cared for Jason. He and his wife taught their Son great lessons in perserverance as they adjusted to meet the challenges life handed them.
Almost thirty years ago, the family came to the United States, settling in Florida. Jason attended Deerfield Beach High School and actually played basketball until a serious leg injury sidelined him, but then another MVP came into his life.
In his junior year, Jason signed up for a geometry class taught by Manny Martin, who happened to be defensive coordinator for the school's football team. Martin jokingly told Jason that in order to pass the class, he'd have to play football. The rest is history.
There was a problem though. Jason worked after school at Boston Market to help the family with their rent. Marie was working as a domestic and finances were tight. Martin went to Jason's boss at Boston Market and they worked out a schedule so he could keep his job and still make practices. Jason would leave practice and go straight to work. often he would work until midnight and then get up early to make it to high school. The superstar remembers this as the hardest year of his life.
He went to three colleges: College of the Canyons in California, Fort Scott Community College in Kansas and finally University of South Florida. He was drafted by the Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Sunday his Dad went to Indianapolis to attend his first-ever NFL game. He listened as his Son matched wits with Tom Brady, rushing and batting down passes against one of the best quarterbacks in the game. It had to have been an amazing day for Jean and Marie! [2.]
Blind Man in the Bleachers
Kenny Starr
He's just the blind man in the bleachers to the local hometown fans
And he sits beneath the speakers way back in the stands
And he listens to the play by play, he's just waiting for one name
He wants to hear his son get in the game
But the boy's just not a hero, he's strictly second team
Though he runs each night for touchdowns in his fathers sweetest dreams
He's gonna be a star someday though you might never tell
But the blind man in the bleachers knows he will
And the last game of the season is a Friday night at home
And no one knows the reason but the blind man didn't come
And his boy looks kinda nervous,sometimes turns around and stares
Just as though he sees the old man sitting there
Well, the local boys are tryin' but they slowly lose their will
Another players down and now he's carried from the field
At halftime in the locker room the kid goes off alone
And no one sees him talkin' on the phone
And the games already started when he gets back to the team
And half the crowd can hear his coach yell, "Where the hell you been?"
"Just getting' ready for the second half", is all he'll say
"Cause now you're gonna let me in to play"
And without another word he turns and runs into the game
And though the silence on the field, loudspeakers call his name
It'll make the local papers how the team came from behind
When they saw him playing out his heart to win
And when the game was over the coach asked him to tell
What was it he was thinkin' of that made him play so well
"Well, you knew my Dad was blind", he said, "Tonight he passed away"
"It's the first time that my father's seen me play"
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
When Exemplary is Your 'Normal'
Joel Belz Talks About His Amazing Mother...
This Tribute [click to read] in World Magazine should bring to mind many of our own Mothers and Wives. In so many ways they have 'shown us the trail.'
"For Jean Belz, my early naïveté was actually on target; there really was never anything special about such thinking. Isn't that the way every creature of God is supposed to see things? Mom just kept sensing God's calling in every detail of her life—and then kept responding to that call as faithfully as she possibly could. But she knew it also took God's enabling even to come up with a faithful response."
...and I Talk About Mine!
Those of us who had exceptional Mothers knew very well that that was a strong qualification for leadership. It got me thinking about my own 'normal' childhood.
My Mother worked in the engineering department of the Martin Company in Baltimore. During the war years she helped develop the seaplanes that were used in the Pacific. When we were kids Mom still pointed out cool looking airplanes. She raised five children -- all different. My two brothers are NASA engineers. My sisters are talented people who have had interesting careers as well.
Mom was there first. When she showed up at the Martin Company to crunch numbers for airplane designers she flatly refused to make coffee for the men. This truth is lived out in my own life -- I make my own coffee.
She must have been pretty good. When I was born the head of the department called her to beg her to come back. As the story goes, Mom took the call with me in her lap. No, she decided, she had a new project on her hands. As a child I did my best to keep her hands full. My spelunking brother claims that he was the dirtiest kid in our family. He forgets my early childhood attraction to mud.
When we were homeschooling my daughter she expressed the sentiment that she wished she'd done that with us. People just didn't do that in the 1950's though. The 'experts' knocked you out to deliver the kid, sent the Dad home and then insisted that educators were better equipped to prepare little minds for the future.
The problem is that Mom had already taught me the complex English language and actually set me up with her old Underwood typwriter. She said I wrote little stories... sort of like primitive blogging.
I drew pictures too. I was pretty handy with a #2 pencil on the back of old medical forms provided by my Cardiologist Aunt. I remember fun summer afternoons when Mom put out the construction paper on the picnic table out back. We had a great time building little paper houses and assembling little villages.
Mom loved to teach complex concepts with illustrations. Once after we'd all had pie for dessert, she took the remaining piece and kept cutting it in half to show that [theoretically] it would be possible to continue to divide the remaining half in half again... forever!
Her 'normal' pie cutting routine was just as amazing. Since there where seven of us, Mom sliced the pie into seven pieces... measuring the slices by eye and none of us was ever short changed in the distribution of pie.
Our family was especially good at killing small appliances. When Mom's mixer died she didn't run out and get a new one. Mom set us up as a stirring team and we learned the old fashioned way of mixing up batter. The kitchen was a physics lab and Mom delighted in the lessons it provided.
When the last child left home, Mom taught physics labs at Howard Community College. Her practical knowledge and Mothering skills were put to good use there. During the Iranian hostage standoff she befriended a yound Iranian student who was understandably afraid and confused by the whole situation. Her friendship certainly helped this young man through a difficult time and taught us that we should always remember that the world is primarily populated by beautiful individuals, not idealogies.
There is not enough space to tell all the things she taught us. Perhaps her greatest lesson was mastered when I courted my children's Mother. It was Mom who first taught me what an amazing person a woman can be!
What an honor it was to be her apprentice!
Along the Appalachian Trail at Jarman's Gap. My children have an amazing Mother too!
This Tribute [click to read] in World Magazine should bring to mind many of our own Mothers and Wives. In so many ways they have 'shown us the trail.'
"For Jean Belz, my early naïveté was actually on target; there really was never anything special about such thinking. Isn't that the way every creature of God is supposed to see things? Mom just kept sensing God's calling in every detail of her life—and then kept responding to that call as faithfully as she possibly could. But she knew it also took God's enabling even to come up with a faithful response."
...and I Talk About Mine!
Those of us who had exceptional Mothers knew very well that that was a strong qualification for leadership. It got me thinking about my own 'normal' childhood.
My Mother worked in the engineering department of the Martin Company in Baltimore. During the war years she helped develop the seaplanes that were used in the Pacific. When we were kids Mom still pointed out cool looking airplanes. She raised five children -- all different. My two brothers are NASA engineers. My sisters are talented people who have had interesting careers as well.
Mom was there first. When she showed up at the Martin Company to crunch numbers for airplane designers she flatly refused to make coffee for the men. This truth is lived out in my own life -- I make my own coffee.
She must have been pretty good. When I was born the head of the department called her to beg her to come back. As the story goes, Mom took the call with me in her lap. No, she decided, she had a new project on her hands. As a child I did my best to keep her hands full. My spelunking brother claims that he was the dirtiest kid in our family. He forgets my early childhood attraction to mud.
When we were homeschooling my daughter she expressed the sentiment that she wished she'd done that with us. People just didn't do that in the 1950's though. The 'experts' knocked you out to deliver the kid, sent the Dad home and then insisted that educators were better equipped to prepare little minds for the future.
The problem is that Mom had already taught me the complex English language and actually set me up with her old Underwood typwriter. She said I wrote little stories... sort of like primitive blogging.
I drew pictures too. I was pretty handy with a #2 pencil on the back of old medical forms provided by my Cardiologist Aunt. I remember fun summer afternoons when Mom put out the construction paper on the picnic table out back. We had a great time building little paper houses and assembling little villages.
Mom loved to teach complex concepts with illustrations. Once after we'd all had pie for dessert, she took the remaining piece and kept cutting it in half to show that [theoretically] it would be possible to continue to divide the remaining half in half again... forever!
Her 'normal' pie cutting routine was just as amazing. Since there where seven of us, Mom sliced the pie into seven pieces... measuring the slices by eye and none of us was ever short changed in the distribution of pie.
Our family was especially good at killing small appliances. When Mom's mixer died she didn't run out and get a new one. Mom set us up as a stirring team and we learned the old fashioned way of mixing up batter. The kitchen was a physics lab and Mom delighted in the lessons it provided.
When the last child left home, Mom taught physics labs at Howard Community College. Her practical knowledge and Mothering skills were put to good use there. During the Iranian hostage standoff she befriended a yound Iranian student who was understandably afraid and confused by the whole situation. Her friendship certainly helped this young man through a difficult time and taught us that we should always remember that the world is primarily populated by beautiful individuals, not idealogies.
There is not enough space to tell all the things she taught us. Perhaps her greatest lesson was mastered when I courted my children's Mother. It was Mom who first taught me what an amazing person a woman can be!
What an honor it was to be her apprentice!
Along the Appalachian Trail at Jarman's Gap. My children have an amazing Mother too!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Motherhood and Invention
Mom Taught Us How to See the World
During the great World War my mother went to work at the Martin Company in Baltimore. She worked in the engineering department and helped develop the airplanes that fought in the Pacific. Her background in mathematics and physics gave her a unique perspective, to say the least. She proudly stated of her tenure at Martin: "I REFUSED to make coffee for them!" Yes, this was the late forties and early fifties you have to remember.
How cool is it to have a mother who pointed out beautiful airplanes! She grew up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains so she pointed out many other wonders as well. Her drawing skills were amazing. So was her ability to convey lessons about the way the world works in everyday tasks. Her kitchen was a laboratory and once she continued to divide the last piece of pie to show us kids how you could divide something in half for infinity. There were five of us kids and Mom could cut a pie into seven equal pieces flawlessly. Her good eye was often not appreciated when we did home improvement projects. If something was crooked, Mom saw it!
Mom could show you "all the colors of grass." Something I always mention when I do workshops with students. She knew the subtle signs that the seasons were changing. I am eternally grateful for her teaching me how to see!
We took her ashes and Dad's to the beloved mountains overlooking her girlhood home and it is always a sacred time for me to step into that little spring valley that is green all the year and remember.
During the great World War my mother went to work at the Martin Company in Baltimore. She worked in the engineering department and helped develop the airplanes that fought in the Pacific. Her background in mathematics and physics gave her a unique perspective, to say the least. She proudly stated of her tenure at Martin: "I REFUSED to make coffee for them!" Yes, this was the late forties and early fifties you have to remember.
How cool is it to have a mother who pointed out beautiful airplanes! She grew up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains so she pointed out many other wonders as well. Her drawing skills were amazing. So was her ability to convey lessons about the way the world works in everyday tasks. Her kitchen was a laboratory and once she continued to divide the last piece of pie to show us kids how you could divide something in half for infinity. There were five of us kids and Mom could cut a pie into seven equal pieces flawlessly. Her good eye was often not appreciated when we did home improvement projects. If something was crooked, Mom saw it!
Mom could show you "all the colors of grass." Something I always mention when I do workshops with students. She knew the subtle signs that the seasons were changing. I am eternally grateful for her teaching me how to see!
We took her ashes and Dad's to the beloved mountains overlooking her girlhood home and it is always a sacred time for me to step into that little spring valley that is green all the year and remember.
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