Search Results for: blog honoring your mother and father

The Origin of Fathers Day

Yesterday was Fathers Day, and as we were celebrating Fathers Day this weekend I realized that I did not know anything about the origins of the holiday. Of course once I realized this, I could not just let it pass without finding out how Fathers Day started. What I discovered was that it all began in 1909 when a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a sermon on Mothers Day. Her mother had died during childbirth and her father, a Civil War Veteran, raised Sonora and her five brothers and sisters on his own after her death. Sonora … Continue reading →

The Many Languages of Mother

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In my last blog, I mentioned conversations that have been flying around the blogosphere this spring. I suppose it’s not surprising that in May our thoughts turn to mothers. A heated conversation has arisen among the international adoption community over referring to yourself as “mother” in the language of the child’s birth country. Adoption catalogs carry catalogs with jewelry, shirts, tote bags, etc. which have the word Mother, and sometimes Father or Grandmother or Grandfather, in the languages of the various countries which send the most adoptees to the U.S. Since my daughters are Korean, I’ll use the Korean word … Continue reading →

Animal Holidays and Observances There Should Be If There Aren’t Already

Last year I was pretty good about tracking the different animal/pet related holidays and observances with articles like Appreciating Elephants (in honor of Elephant Appreciation Day), Have You Hugged Your Sea-Monkeys Today?, Happy World Turtle Day!, and Hug Your Cat Day: Come Here, Tabby and Mr. Meow!. That’s just to name a few. There were more (see the list below for some others, including some Aimee wrote). The past few months I’ve been thinking about the number and variety of holidays and observances I found –and the ones I don’t think exist that have occurred to me since. I decided … Continue reading →

Family Traditions: Celebrations for Holidays and Everyday – Elizabeth Berg

You may know Elizabeth Berg as the author of Talk Before Sleep, Joy School, Open House, or one of her other novels. She’s also the author of a non-fiction book called Family Traditions: Celebrations for Holidays and Everyday. It’s one of my favorite books on traditions, and one I often give as a wedding present. Family Traditions has many inspiring ideas for busy families. The book speaks to any family, even non-traditional ones. The introduction has a sentence that I love, “The most important thing is that we understand the need for celebration: It lifts days away from other days, … Continue reading →

A Mother’s Ministry

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As a stay-at-home-mom I have questioned the significance of my role as well as the position God would have me in regard to the body of Christ. I know I am doing a valuable service to my young children getting to devote a good amount of time to them during these early years especially. Recently I’ve really begun to discover the role God has given me as a mother in ministry. There is no other person who currently spends more time with my children than I do. I may have the most influence in their little lives. As they grow … Continue reading →

Do Your Parents Resent Your In-Laws?

Here’s an odd conundrum or maybe it’s not so odd, but I’ve had more than one note from a couple encountering this particular issue and whether it’s the bride’s parents or the groom’s – how do you cope with it when your parents don’t like your in-laws? For Christa in North Carolina, she describes it as walking a tightrope while juggling especially around the holidays. She and her husband have three children and instead of having one large holiday with the whole family together they spend one part of the holidays with one set of grandparents and the other part … Continue reading →

Honoring Your Mother and Father

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a loving home with both my mom and my dad. It’s not difficult to find ways to honor and respect them today because they were good to us. I know not everyone can say this about their parents. When asked how one honors a mother or father they don’t respect, I had to sit and really think about this one. Commandment number five of the Ten Commandments given by God states in Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother…” In Ephesians 6:2 furthers the point, “’Honor your father and mother.’ Which … Continue reading →

Getting into Your Kid’s Business

Each family has their own way of handling their children. I’m not suggesting my way is the only right one. I don’t know your children, but I know many other people’s children and have shaped my views around experiences shared by them. My husband and I see our home as ours. We are the parents, we hold the mortgage and we make the rules. Our children’s rooms are theirs as long as they should live under our roof. They are welcome to have input in how it’s decorated, and to enjoy their own space, but they are not to be … Continue reading →

Happy Mother’s Day to All Moms

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Good morning! Happy Mother’s Day! I wanted to take a few minutes today and share some personal thoughts about Mother’s Day and what it means to me. Growing up, the two primary influences in my life were my mother and my grandmother. I never knew my father and many of my friends growing up were either in the same boat as I; or they saw their fathers very rarely. While I know today is Mother’s Day and a day that we honor and celebrate our mothers, grandmothers and more – I wanted to take a moment to be grateful that … Continue reading →

Which Peter Pan is the Best?

Charming is one word that we could apply to just about any Disney animated film, and even though 1953’s “Peter Pan” certainly is that, it’s devoid of charm when compared to the play/novel on which it was based. One of Walt Disney’s greatest strengths was his ability to take an older story and reinvent it for modern audiences. Doing so for “Peter Pan,” however, just replaces what is a wry and sweet sense of humor with silly slapstick, which seems cheap in comparison. A primary reason why Barrie’s book, and presumably his play, is so charming is its witty, very … Continue reading →