My brother and mom spent the night with us last night. So I had my mom with me on Mother\u2019s Day for church for the first time in a long time. My brother, Don, mom, Debbie and I then had lunch together before Don and my mom headed back to Englewood. I then laid down and caught up on some rest and took a nap for the next hour and a half. How about that for the summary of day?!<\/p>\n
As I begin my outpatient therapy work, I am going to start using my manual wheelchair more inside the house. This will help with some muscle and strength development and be a good test of endurance. It will be interesting to see how that impacts my strength and endurance for walking with the walker.<\/p>\n
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY\u2026<\/b>Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done,\u00a0and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.\u00a0 <\/em>Proverbs 31:30,31<\/p>\n On this graduation weekend for our family, I am taking the name of this blog from the academic honor, \u201cSumma Cum Laude\u201d which means \u201cwith highest praise\u201d and applying it to mothers who excel in their role.<\/p>\n This verse above from Proverbs says, a \u201c\u2019woman who fears the Lord\u201d is worthy of praise in the city gate. The \u201ccity gate\u201d was a place where officials took care of community business; it was the place where the greatest crowds would gather. Perhaps in a modern day application, we could say that, \u201ca woman who fears the Lord is to be praised\u2026with a Congressional resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 is praise to faithful wife, but in the context of Old Testament family that would certainly presume that she is mother as well as wife. The descriptions of her industry reflect care for the family and her \u201chousehold.\u201d What I find of interest is verse 30 summarizes all the actions of a \u201cwife of noble character\u201d as a woman who \u201cfears the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n Yesterday I ended my blog with pointing out that \u201cthe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.\u201d In a mother\u2019s world today, if there is a quality that is needed in successful \u201cmothering\u201d it is that of wisdom. Mother\u2019s have daily opportunities to play the role of King Solomon in settling disputes among siblings and keeping a watchful eye over their children\u2019s activities, influences and education.<\/p>\n The following Proverbs of Solomon\u2019s have been verified over the last “few thousand” years\u2026<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026a foolish son brings grief to his mother.\u201d Proverbs 10:1<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026a foolish man despises his mother.\u201d Proverbs 15:20<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother\u201d. Proverbs 29:15<\/p>\n One thing that has changed over the course of time is the divided attention of mothers from home and family to careers and other activities. This creates a layer of new challenges for the modern day family.<\/p>\n We are beginning to see some of the ramifications of failing family structures in our society with not only absentee fathers, but neglectful and abusive mothers. That is why this verse from Psalms 109:14 caught my attention, \u201cMay the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord;\u00a0may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.\u201d David was praying this about his enemies, but I believe they apply when a child\u2019s enemies become his or her own parents.<\/p>\n My friend, State Rep. Spencer Swalm in debating one of the last bills of the session that dealt with providing assistance to those in poverty pointed out with courage, that one of the greatest deterrents to poverty and many of the social problems of our time was a stable loving home with a father and mother.<\/p>\n I realize that there are no guarantees in life. Children who have grown up in the best of families can bring heartache to parents. At the same time children who did not grow up in the best family prove to be productive citizens and responsible adults.<\/p>\n With that in mind, it is important for mothers to train children, serve as a role model and example for children, to treat each child as an individual, being sensitive to his or her own needs and to engage the child\u2019s mind in knowing how to make good decisions on their own.<\/p>\n Here is a final recommendation for the environment for that to happen in\u2026the family dinner table. Sitting down with the entire family for a meal at least 3 or 4 times a week can do wonders to family unity and communication. In our day of \u201cretro\u201d designs and \u201cthrowback\u2026.\u201d ???? try that one out and see what happens over time.<\/p>\n Happy Mother\u2019s Day to three ladies who have done and are doing it right, my wife, Debbie, daughter, Stephanie and daughter-in-law Bridget.<\/p>\n