I'm on vacation. Friend-husband and I spent the last week or so with daughter number three, and her first baby. What a sweet family. The new mom and dad are totally devoted to the little one, and we were glad to be invited to share their joy.
Their happy home is part of a community surrounding a pretty pond complete with birds, rabbits, muskrats, and ducks. It was fun to sit on the patio and rock my new granddaughter while enjoying the water. The ducks were especially entertaining.
Watching the little duck families reminded me of this post which I wrote some time ago. I hope you enjoy this repost of Ducks in a Row.
Ducks in a Row
One sunny afternoon the kids and I were at Liberty Park watching the ducks swimming around in the lake. One mother duck was out for a swim with her ducklings. They glided around on the silky water in a little cluster. One adventurous little duckling wandered off. He (no doubt it was a boy) swam farther and farther away until he panicked and quacked for his Mom. Mom instantly swam to his rescue and brought him back to the family, with a stern tongue-lashing.
After rejoining the family, the little duckling stayed with the group just a short while before wandering off again. He again called for help and the Mama duck rescued him with much scolding. We watched this scene repeated over and over again and I thought to myself that ducks aren’t much different than people.
Like that little duck, we sometimes repeat the same behavior over and over again, even though it isn’t really working for us. Like the Mama duck, we who are mothers never stop trying to rescue and we continue to deliver the same message even though no one is really listening. Like the little duck family we know that the family is our greatest security and we put up with each other in spite of all our quirks and we try to be there for each other no matter what.
Oh I know that every family has its measure of dysfunction along with the great stuff. The trick is to let go of the negative stuff and hold fast to the postitive. The family is at its finest we can build each other and strengthen each other in spite of our differences and the stormy weather that often comes.
The family I grew up in has had its challenges getting along. Learning to love each other in spite of painful disagreements isn’t easy. As we have grown older I feel we need each other more. We are separated by physical distance as well as emotional distance, yet we share some common ground. DNA, memories, values are some of the things that unite us. Now that our parents are gone, we see each other less and I sense that time is marching on.
My mother’s siblings quarreled bitterly at times. They left this life with much mending left undone. I do not want to take anger or bitterness with me when I go.
My mother was a wizard with a needle and thread. She could mend anything. She even mended rags. She darned socks until her dying day. I would rather do almost anything than mend clothes. I have to love something a lot to actually mend it.
If only relationships could be mended with a needle and thread. If it only it were that simple. Though the tools are different, maybe the thought is the same. Maybe we have to love a relationship a lot to want to mend it.
The threads that tie us together can be wear a little thin at times. Family can be the source of our greatest joys and our greatest sorrows. What irony. What contrast.
I better go now. I need to catch up on my mending.
Linda Garner
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Start Talking
April is Sexual Abuse Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. No one really wants to talk about sexual abuse. We would rather pretend it isn't happening. However, if we want to protect kids, we need to start talking about it. Kids need to know what they're up against and how to fight back. Education is the key.
Sexual abuse is extremely damaging to kids and it is more prevelant than most people imagine. More than one in four girls in the U.S. today will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. More than one in six boys today will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. Some of that could prevented if kids were better prepared and if caring adults created relationships of trust where kids felt safe to talk about hard stuff.
What can you do?
1.Talk to the kids in your life about abuse. Be calm. Teach with clarity and avoid scare tactics. Remind kids that the only way to stop an abuser is to tell a trusted adult if someone tries to molest them.
2. Cultivate a trusting relationship. Talk to your kids about all kinds of things. Be a safe person for kids to talk to. Make it easy for your kids to come to you when they are worried or confused.
3. Copy the poster at the top of this post and pass it along. Email, facebook, twitter, whatever. Right click and copy or save. It's easy. Spread the word.
Click here for more detailed information. You can download a free Parents Guide and What To Do.
The only thing worse than finding out that your child has been sexually abused is not finding out.
Start Talking.
Linda Garner
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A Great Day for Remembering
Remember.
I love that word. I love to remember. Memorial Day brings to mind some images that I want to remember.
I want to remember brave men and women who sacrificed for my freedom. I have a better life because of them. Their gift to me is priceless.
I want to remember my heroes: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, William Tyndale, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Mary, Esther, Helen Keller, Johann Sebestian Bach, Alan Shepherd, Winston Churchill, and anyone who made a difference.
I want to remember the parents who gave me life and who made me who I am. I want to remember grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and summer nights together.
I want to remember some simpler days; flag waving, lemonade sipping, ice cream churning, barefoot running days.
I want to remember 4 cent stamps, nickel candy bars, and pick-a-winner suckers. I want to remember dixie cups, orange crush, 45 records, and men on the moon. I want to remember drive-in movies, penny candy, and doing the twist.
I want to remember childhood friends, picnics and long bike-rides. I want to remember jr. high dances, my favorite crushes, and punch and cookies.
I want to remember high school graduation, college life, and dear friends who made life fun. I want to remember the teachers who shaped my thinking and my future. I want to remember the connections, the crossroads, the events that brought me here.
More than anything I want to remember the relationships that have made my life so sweet. Thanks to everyone who has ever touched my life. I love remembering. I love you.
This is a great day for remembering. What do you want to remember?
Linda Garner
I love that word. I love to remember. Memorial Day brings to mind some images that I want to remember.
I want to remember brave men and women who sacrificed for my freedom. I have a better life because of them. Their gift to me is priceless.
I want to remember my heroes: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, William Tyndale, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Mary, Esther, Helen Keller, Johann Sebestian Bach, Alan Shepherd, Winston Churchill, and anyone who made a difference.
I want to remember the parents who gave me life and who made me who I am. I want to remember grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and summer nights together.
I want to remember some simpler days; flag waving, lemonade sipping, ice cream churning, barefoot running days.
I want to remember 4 cent stamps, nickel candy bars, and pick-a-winner suckers. I want to remember dixie cups, orange crush, 45 records, and men on the moon. I want to remember drive-in movies, penny candy, and doing the twist.
I want to remember childhood friends, picnics and long bike-rides. I want to remember jr. high dances, my favorite crushes, and punch and cookies.
I want to remember high school graduation, college life, and dear friends who made life fun. I want to remember the teachers who shaped my thinking and my future. I want to remember the connections, the crossroads, the events that brought me here.
More than anything I want to remember the relationships that have made my life so sweet. Thanks to everyone who has ever touched my life. I love remembering. I love you.
This is a great day for remembering. What do you want to remember?
Linda Garner
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Ducks in a Row
One sunny afternoon the kids and I were at Liberty Park watching the ducks swimming around in the lake. One mother duck was out for a swim with her ducklings. They glided around on the silky water in a little cluster. One adventurous little duckling wandered off. He (no doubt it was a boy) swam farther and farther away until he panicked and quacked for his Mom. Mom gathered her children around her and together they swam to his rescue. She brought him back to the family and delivered a stern tongue-lashing.
After rejoining the family, the little duckling stayed with the group just a short while before wandering off again. He again called for help and the Mama duck rescued him with much scolding. We watched this scene repeated over and over again and I thought to myself that ducks aren’t much different than people.
Like that little duck, we sometimes repeat the same behavior over and over again, even though it isn’t really working for us. Like the Mama duck, we who are mothers never stop trying to rescue and we continue to deliver the same message even though no one is really listening. Like the little duck family we know that the family is our greatest security and we put up with each other in spite of all our quirks and we try to be there for each other no matter what.
Oh I know that every family has its measure of dysfunction along with the great stuff. The trick is to let go of the negative stuff and hold fast to the postitive. The family is at its finest we can build each other and strengthen each other in spite of our differences and the stormy weather that often comes.
The family I grew up in has had its challenges getting along. Learning to love each other in spite of painful disagreements isn’t easy. As we have grown older I feel we need each other more. We are separated by physical distance as well as emotional distance, yet we share some common ground. DNA, memories, values are some of the things that unite us. Now that our parents are gone, we see each other less and I sense that time is marching on.
My mother’s siblings quarreled bitterly at times. They left this life with much mending left undone. I do not want to take anger or bitterness with me when I go.
My mother was a wizard with a needle and thread. She could mend anything. She even mended rags. She darned socks until her dying day. I would rather do almost anything than mend clothes. I have to love something a lot to actually mend it.
If only relationships could be mended with a needle and thread. If it only it were that simple. Though the tools are different, maybe the thought is the same. Maybe we have to love a relationship a lot to want to mend it.
The threads that tie us together can be wear a little thin at times. Family can be the source of our greatest joys and our greatest sorrows. What irony. What contrast.
I better go get my ducks in a row. I have some family ties that need repair. Time to catch up on my mending.
Linda Garner
After rejoining the family, the little duckling stayed with the group just a short while before wandering off again. He again called for help and the Mama duck rescued him with much scolding. We watched this scene repeated over and over again and I thought to myself that ducks aren’t much different than people.
Like that little duck, we sometimes repeat the same behavior over and over again, even though it isn’t really working for us. Like the Mama duck, we who are mothers never stop trying to rescue and we continue to deliver the same message even though no one is really listening. Like the little duck family we know that the family is our greatest security and we put up with each other in spite of all our quirks and we try to be there for each other no matter what.
Oh I know that every family has its measure of dysfunction along with the great stuff. The trick is to let go of the negative stuff and hold fast to the postitive. The family is at its finest we can build each other and strengthen each other in spite of our differences and the stormy weather that often comes.
The family I grew up in has had its challenges getting along. Learning to love each other in spite of painful disagreements isn’t easy. As we have grown older I feel we need each other more. We are separated by physical distance as well as emotional distance, yet we share some common ground. DNA, memories, values are some of the things that unite us. Now that our parents are gone, we see each other less and I sense that time is marching on.
My mother’s siblings quarreled bitterly at times. They left this life with much mending left undone. I do not want to take anger or bitterness with me when I go.
My mother was a wizard with a needle and thread. She could mend anything. She even mended rags. She darned socks until her dying day. I would rather do almost anything than mend clothes. I have to love something a lot to actually mend it.
If only relationships could be mended with a needle and thread. If it only it were that simple. Though the tools are different, maybe the thought is the same. Maybe we have to love a relationship a lot to want to mend it.
The threads that tie us together can be wear a little thin at times. Family can be the source of our greatest joys and our greatest sorrows. What irony. What contrast.
I better go get my ducks in a row. I have some family ties that need repair. Time to catch up on my mending.
Linda Garner
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