Honor's Testing and the Big Picture

Noble is getting closer and closer to jr. high!! On March 3, he challenged the honor's tests for social studies, math, science, and English. He feels pretty good about most of it. He said the math was a little hard, but he really wants to make honor's math because he wants to be an engineer. John and I were taken aback once again because neither of us remember being even remotely concernced with whether or not we were preparing for a professional career in sixth grade. Noble is truly amazing!! We let him know that we knew he had done his best, and that he would get into the classes that he was most prepared for so that he would be comfortable but challenged.

This jr. high thing is getting a little to close for comfort. This year has gone so quickly, and I keep trying to figure out a way to slow it down. I have yet to be successful. I remember so many times wishing time would go faster, and I know that many of us still have that desire. Most of the time it is so that something that we really want to happen will hurry up and get here. While other times we are enduring through a particular situation that we wish would just end already. There are so many landmarks in my life that I couldn't wait to get to, and so many have come and gone. I wish many times that I could see the "big picture" of my life, so that I could better prepare for what is to come. BUT that is life's challenge, to go forward with faith, isn't it? It appears that in my life, I will only get to do things as a parent once. At times this is extremely overwhelming to me. I have to do it all correctly the first time.

The other day John and I took Noble's rocking chair over to a sweet little couple expecting their first baby, a boy. Slowly, I have given away our baby things. I loved rocking Noble. Every once in awhile he will still sit in my lap, and if he only knew how much that means to me. I don't know how many of you have a copy of Love You Forever.

Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always...

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living



I am truly blessed!