DAR Award

I was shocked and brought to tears literally last night when the counselor of the school announced my daughters name as the recipient of this years National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. I am always so proud of all three of my children. They are so unique from one another. I can see the Lord's plan before them and their contribution to society. This is an honor I have seen presented before to a young lady. I remember thinking of MeKenzei that night two years ago when my oldest was in 8th grade. Hoping that she would continue to grow and demonstrate the same great qualities. I never imagined that as a 7th grader she would be nominated for this prestigious award.

Some background on the Daughters of the American Revolution

"The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, during a time that was marked by a revival in patriotism and intense interest in the beginnings of the United States of America. Women felt the desire to express their patriotic feelings and were frustrated by their exclusion from men's organizations formed to perpetuate the memory of ancestors who fought to make this country free and independent. As a result, a group of pioneering women in the nation's capital formed their own organization and the Daughters of the American Revolution has carried the torch of patriotism ever since. "

Her award states:

Good Citizenship Award

Honor: honesty, high principles, trustworthiness, loyalty, truthfulness, punctuality, moral strength and stability, cleanliness in mind and body.

Service: cooperation, meritorious behavior bringing honor to school or community, kindliness, unselfishness, true Americanism, individual responsibility to God, Home and Country

Courage: mental and physical, determination to overcome obstacles.

Leadership: personality, originality, ability to lead others, good sportsmanship, responsibility.

Patriotism: fundamental Americanism.

I think about her lately and how she has grown. A couple things come to mind. She had sought out to join a group called PALS, our oldest son was involved with the program and I was excited to see her interest. She was disappointed when she did not make it, however there were only 20 slots out of 100+ applications. Very difficult to choose I am sure. When she told me why she was so upset my heart went out to her. It was not that she could not be part of the group. She really wanted to be able to mentor students at the elementary school where she had attended. That was very important to her. Such wisdom to want to help others.

Then this past couple of months she has been really pushing hard to earn money for her own braces. We cannot afford to get these for her. She has been saving everything she can and now has $400. I think of the idea of saving for braces. What a huge responsibility. I think about the fact that she just turned 13 and realizes that I would give them to her if I could but that she has the ability to do something about it. She took it upon herself to save that money. Those are skills and qualities that we would want in all of our children. It shows great Leadership. Think of the world if we had a Congress full of leaders with such qualities. 

I am so proud of her hard work. Proud of her character and what she sets out to achieve. I can't wait to see what her next 5 years hold.

Thank you to our local DAR Chapter for this wonderful award and honor.

 

Proverbs Friday

Proverbs 4:8

Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. (NIV)

Digging Deeper 

Cherish: to hold or treat as dear, feel love for, imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something.

 

Honor: a source of credit or distinction, high respect, as for worth, merit, to show courteous regard for.

I love this verse. I wish all husbands had this verse on a little card in their wallet and they had to read it once a day. More than that I wish children read this verse every day. I can honestly say there are times I do not feel cherished, there are times where my attitude towards my husband or child does not warrant the emotion of embracing them. So often we feel taken for granted. Maybe taken for granted for the things that we do for them such as cooking dinner, the dishes, the wash, cleaning the house.

Often in my house I will ask- “* will you go unload the dishwasher please?”

Response typically from * is “I did it last time, why can’t * do it?”

This past couple of months this response has gotten worse and worse.

I don’t think children and husbands always realize how much we do around our house or that if they would kindly pick up after themselves, their clothes, dishes, and their rooms
that our work would like be cut by ¾ ths.

I love my children and my husband. I love cooking for them and don’t mind cleaning up after them-within reason. I do expect them to respond correctly to my request to unload the dishwasher, change the wash out or clean the bathroom when necessary.
It is good to teach them responsibility and participation in a household.Sometimes that teaching even comes to my husband not just my children.

I love when they actively will do something without my request or without the idea of getting something in return. My daughter is famous for cleaning the bathroom late at night in order to surprise me first thing in the morning. My son is famous for cooking us a breakfast or taking care of some wash. My other son he is more an outdoor kid. He will bring in wood for the fireplace or get me the mail. My husband will wash all the big dishes for me. He is also good at cooking dinner when I don't have a crock pot meal planned and have a quilt to finish up. Those are all things that show me they cherish me that they care. They are very much appreciated.
In return I would just like to say that in order to get respect, feel cherished, feel the embrace back we must also realize their limitations. My children all do have responsibility in our home however their primary job is school, as my husbands is work. When either is overwhelming it is my job to pick up that slack and maybe just maybe take over that chore for that day- sometimes week and/or transfer the job to another child. You really have to work together in order to feel like everyone is pulling their weight and keep things from becoming somewhat hateful in your home. I find that I really do not like arguing and fighting so for me this is a very important reality. In order for it all to work we have to all remember to communicate our needs. Not always so easy.