Gigi Blog » The life and loveliness of Gigi's World

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  • Welcome to the Gigi Blog!

    Blessed to be a mother to five charming girls. Wife of an undertaker.
    Photographer. Homeschooler. Daughter of the King. 
    Lover of life, coffee and all things pink and vintage. ♥

Your Voice.

There is, somehow, a wonderful power about a mother’s voice,
when she talks to her
children about Jesus and his love,
which stamps itself upon the heart,
and the heart
is a far better place for the custody of truth
than ever the brain can become.

-Charles Spurgeon

The Lord has been speaking to me about my voice.
How I answer my husband. How I answer my children. What I say outloud.
Whatever comes out of my mouth should glorify God and uplift others.
My dear, sweet grandmother is the best example I know -she never speaks ill of anyone, even if they have hurt her.
She knows when to stay silent and when to speak up.
She guiders her conversations along the rule of: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

We, as wives and certainly as mothers, need to guard our tongues and our words. Are our words uplifting to our husbands? Are they encouraging to our children?
Even in times of rebuke, the words can still be gentle, graceful and wise.

                                                If your patience is wearing thin after a long day of mothering, working or homeschooling and just living life, we still have no excuse but to guard our words.

And still, you may say the right words but your tone may be wrong.

Our children certainly learn from example, by words and actions.

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Proverbs 15:1

Let my words be gentle and full of grace, so that my example will be upright before God and these little eyes.

A Reward.

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.”
-Psalm 127:3-5

[Mother's Day 2013]

May 13, 2013 - 9:20 pm

Rachel - #6? :)

When Mother’s Day is more than Flowers.

“Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her
when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained!

Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity;
could she look into it’s soul to see its possibilities;

could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child,
for the development of its life, and for its destiny,

–she would see that in all God’s world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers,
and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her.”
-JR Miller

A weekend when Mother’s Day is more than beautiful flowers … more than a gift your husband had to rush out and purchase last-minute … when it is more than receiving…

And, I have to admit.

It has taken me quite a few years to go to this point, but I see it now.

Selfishly, I am guilty of silently complaining about the lack of attention on this one and only day, set aside in May to celebrate the joys of Motherhood.
Many past Mother’s Day, I might have felt discouraged that my husband had to work and that the girls were still too young to spear head a celebration on their own  …

…or that the chores still needed doing, the cooking still called, the tasks needed tending …

You may wish for your children to rise up and called you blessed. Or simply to not rise up before 6 a.m. Or get dressed on their own?
You may hope for a pretty breakfast laid out for you on this one special morning. Or just for breakfast to clean itself up …
You may wish for the house to just.stay.clean.
You may wish for acknowledgment of all that you do day in and day out.
You may even wish for a simple homemade card or craft from your sweet children. 

… but, truly, Motherhood is not about the accolades, is it?

And if your children are young still, it is not about being noticed or praised by them. Or even by the world.

This wonderful God-given  job of being a momma … it is a honorable, beautiful calling, a responsibility the world has lost sight of as important. Being a mother means putting your family first and your needs second. Being a mother means learning that Jesus is the only one who will satisfy when you feel like no one understands.

Being a mother means on those long nights of no sleep your strength is found in Christ alone. Being a mother means your  Mother’s Day may not be about receiving but about continuing to give and serve your family – just as Christ loved and served us. In a society where ‘it’s all about me’ and ‘You deserve it’ are more often said than “How can I serve you?”, it’s very acceptable to be caught up in the worldly trap of assuming you deserve praise for your daily work. It’s all too easy to feel sorry for yourself when the day goes by and flowers are not delivered on the holiday designated to celebrate a mother’s work.

 

Instead … maybe it’s time to make this Mothers Day be about giving and not receiving. About servanthood, not about entitlement. About thankfulness not selfishness.

So my Mother’s day wish for you ….

This Mother’s Day, may your gifts be the kind that cannot be purchased at a store  …

May you receive joy in exchange for a servant’s heart.
May you see thankfulness in the day ahead of you where hair needs brushing, laundry needs washing, problems need solving, fights need calming and breakfast that still needs making.
May your gift be receiving a hug from your little one’s tight arms around your neck.
May you look you into your child’s eyes and know you are blessed to be a mother.
May you realize the gift that you have been given when they placed that wee little baby in your arms for the first time all those years ago.
May you rise to the responsibility you have in raising this child for it is enormous and sacred.
May your gift be realizing no one else can take your place  – that God has set you apart for your child and your family.
May your Mother Day gift be realizing your calling, although noble and sacred, may be criticized and torn apart by society urging you to follow a different direction.
Do not let this discourage you. Instead, protect your title as mother and embrace it whole heartedly.

 

This Mother’s Day, may your gift BE your children.

                                                         Go and celebrate the joy in serving and loving them and know you are investing not only in the daily life but also in the eternal.

Happy Mother’s Day. xo

May 16, 2013 - 7:03 am

jenn - It’s nice to see there is someone else who “gets it”, We have not done the commercialized side of mothers day for a few years! But it is hard listening to everyone else saying all they have done and received, I too find myself envious sometimes!

They Day We Stop to Celebrate.

Sometimes, you just need to stop.
And celebrate. Life is full. And days are scheduled. There is always a to-do list.
Business always needs tending.
Tasks need finished.
But sometimes, many times, it’s wonderful to stop and celebrate with those you love.

As promised, a post in honor of Leia Hyacinth’s first birthday …
we celebrated with the color of sunshine (or God’s color, as Lucia calls it), chick-shaped cookies and lemon squares, fluffy chicks and sweet laughter.

[love notes for Leia...]

 

We are SO VERY thankful for each and every precious birthday the Lord allows us to share with our children.
I always knew I’d love being a mother … but I never knew my heart could hold so much love!

Life is hard sometimes. A lot. We all know that. And we know families have their own strife and complications …
but I pray the sisters will always keep each other close at heart as they grow …

 

 

“Having a place to go – is a home.
Having someone to love – is a family. 

Having both – is a blessing.”
  ~Donna Hedges

May 11, 2013 - 10:34 pm

Sherri - Lloyd & I were so happy to be a part of Leia’s special day. I hope your girls will one day recognize and appreciate how special and important a loving and supportive family is. Leia will never know what it’s like to be alone when she has so many loving sisters and family members around her, and that’s a tribute to how you raise her as well. LOVE the pics & the choice of such a cheerful theme. xo

May 11, 2013 - 9:42 pm

Grandma Cardinal - Marvellous! xxxxxxx

May 10, 2013 - 9:25 pm

Devon - What a lovely family celebration for sweet little Leia! Love the family photo, so cute!!

May 8, 2013 - 8:48 pm

Catherine - Love, love, love the photo of all your girls, and of the whole family. It makes me happy to see your posts of your family. You’re such an inspiration to me.

May, Please.

 

O May, sweet-voice one, going thus before,
Forever June may pour her warm red wine Of life and passions
–sweeter days are thine!
-Helen Hunt

After a long, cold winter of snuggling down inside, hibernating together and keeping our noses in the books,
the girls and I are really loving this gorgeous new spingtime (summer? ) weather …
you may not catch us indoors for the next four months …

 

The sunshine is so alluring and refreshing. We are finishing up schooling in the outdoors, as well.
There is nothing like doing your math under the morning sun and the birds singing beautiful greetings around you … and … backyard swinging/tadpole hunting days are here.

Enjoy the sun.:)