{Thoughts} Recently Crossed My Mind

I read a book last week by Elizabeth and Anna Sofia Botkin called It's (not that) Complicated. Really it was mostly about godly friendships/relationships with boys/young men. The emphasis was really just on friendships versus more romantic relationships. I did enjoy the book. It was engaging, very thoughtful and had lots of good points. However, I wasn't overly impressed. EXCEPT the section on being a godly sister. *bam* Where they specifically looking at my life when they wrote that? I'm very suspicious. So here's a little run-down of my favorite parts about that section... also known as the very convicting parts.

 The whole brothers section started out with the point that we are commanded to treat all men (and women) as brothers (or sisters) in Christ. Personally, I don't want to start treating everyone like I do my siblings (as Hiccup says, "we need  her to like us!") So, first step... work on my relationships with my real brothers. Because they are my practice. I know personally, the relationship I have with my younger and older brothers needs some work. "Some" in this instance means "I will be working on this for the rest of my life".

The Botkin's listed several things that I hadn't considered in my role as a godly sister/woman "...to confess...to admit wrong...to defer to another in love...to care, to ask questions, to sympathize...to be capable of giving wise counsel, loving reproof, and gentle exhortation..." (56). Okay then, let's just apply that list to my younger brothers.Maybe I'll tell another time how this book convicted me about my relationship with my older brother. But for now, we'll just stick with the little, dirty, loud, and pesky ones.
I have a very common relationship with my younger brothers. They plague my life...I plague them back. They tease me...I tease better (I mean, just sayin'!). But to defer in love? (Can you hear me justifying? "But they're my little brothers, I should NEVER defer to them! If I do, I will actually be able to watch their heads swell") But that's not really necessary is it? I don't always have to be exerting my rights as the big sister, do I? And "wise counsel", that would involve actually stopping to listen to them and showing interest in what they're doing ("But I don't care about swords and legos!"). But I'm supposed to be one of their examples of a godly woman. The mission I assigned myself: Stop. Listen. Learn to care so that I can be what a big sister should be; someone who can give encouragement (because I know them well enough to know the encouragement they need), wise counsel (because I'm seeking out God's purpose and plan), loving reproof (loving, not criticizing, undermining, or aggravated), and gentle exhortation (because a gentle answer turns away wrath). Those adjectives are important, let me tell you.

So that's what's been floating across my mind this week. :)

{Family} Stormy

Here's the fifth installment of my family blog posts. It's worked so well, maybe I could continue to my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Then again, maybe not ;)

I met Stormy just after he turned four.

Homeschool Tuesdays at the art museum.

He was the cutest little kid ever. Because Stormy wasn't the baby (Kota), and wasn't my future little sister (Sam), I don't think I paid as much attention to his personality at first. But, seven years later, that's changed. I remember a few things about Stormy vividly. First of all, my parents met them about a week before Tyler and I got to, so they told us about what they were like. I remember them saying Stormy had been somewhere and was so thrilled because he'd gotten a doughnut. Second, I remember that he was really, REALLY hard to understand. He couldn't say "s", "l", "r", or "g". ("s" was "t", "l" was "w", "r" was "w" or "m", and "g" was "y"). He would say "yamma" instead of "grandma". My most prominent memory of Stormy is how much he loved keys. Oh my. He would do anything to carry them around (he had several of his own he had with him constantly.) They totally fascinated him. In his profile, it warned about not leaving keys in vehicles. Thinking about it now, did he really have a tendency to START things and DRIVE OFF?! :)

 

I can totally see how these personality things I remember about Storm have stayed as he's gotten older. He still loves doughnuts :) Actually, he loves food in general. Even if he doesn't like something, he'll eat it, and never say a word.  He loves to help cook as well. Pastry chef in the making, I think. ;)
Although he pronounces everything correctly now, Storm has to focus really hard on communicating what he wants to. It takes patience to listen to him. It's just so much easier to finish the sentence when you KNOW what he wants to say!
And the keys? Well thank goodness he eventually started not taking them everywhere with him, but his fascination for equipment is absolutely still there. Stormy would hop in anything and drive it off if he was allowed to. (and he probably wouldn't wreck. He's talented and pays attention to things like that. He'll so be driving before me.)

Sam was having trouble getting the back of her hair dried, so he did it for her. *heart melted*

Storm is the middle child through-and-through! He's not even bossy like me. He will happily do whatever you tell him to, as long as he gets to be with someone. He loves to deliver firewood with Tyler, or help mom clean the kitchen. He always seems to be the one with extra chores, because he's so handy and ready to help. He can also get anywhere he has ever been. According to my family, when I am actually allowed to drive by myself, I will take Stormy everywhere with me so I don't get lost. :)
The last thing about Stormy is,  he is so, so sweet. Sometimes I wonder how someone with such a kind, caring personality got put in our family of rough, "think it say it" people. He's probably a good influence on us!