I Cherish My Sister and Our Family

If you have a mother who is alive that you can still call....if you have a father alive that you can still see, don't take these people for granted...

There are many of us who have neither a mother or a father to talk to when things are good bad or otherwise...cherish your grandmothers and grandfathers while they are here....some of us will never know what it is truly like to have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles.....family....

And for those of us who never really had these important people in our lives, stay encouraged for God has placed someone in your life you can trust

And for those who do not honor fathers and mothers or cherish family, know that there is always something that can be learned from the people in our lives even if we think we don't like them very much. Just wait until they are not here anymore and see how valuable a role that person really played in your life.

For the record, I miss my mother and father dearly and think of them everyday, I miss having my grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles and aunts be a part of my life growing up, I miss not having consistent relatives (my mom created a lot of extended families for us to make up for what we did not have) or being a part of a family that had reunions and get togethers...but I know God gave me a sister and between the two of us we learned to make a family.....

Hey Marie, we still growing......I miss those days when we had a table for 4 or 5 at family dinners....now we gotta coordinate and make reservations...I love you Marie and miss you!

Father Figures: Men Standing in The Gap

With tomorrow being Father's Day I was inspired to write a poem for all the men out there who stand in the gap. There are so many men (stepfathers, uncle's, coaches and teachers) who provide support and consistency, and most importantly love, to a child whose own biological father, for whatever reason, is not playing an active role in their child's life.

When men choose to mentor to children who are not their own, they are making an investment in the future. It is proven that children who have the benefit of a positive male influence in their early childhood, or who have been parented by both a mother and a father, have a better chance for success.

In June of 2011 the Huffington Post reported that "Nearly One in Three American Children Live Without a Father". The article goes on to say that the number of children living apart from their father has doubled in the last 50 years, with 11% reported in 1960 and 27% in 2010.

In my lifetime I have encountered only a few of the type of men I choose to celebrate in the poem below. Although the words were written for a special man in my life, the poem is dedicated to men everywhere who know the importance of mentoring to a child, and who are strong enough and man enough to consistently be a positive influence in the life of a fatherless child.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Sometimes a man stands in the gap,

And helps to raise a child that’s not his own.

Sometimes a man will help a woman,

When she’s raising a child alone.

Sometimes a man will lend a hand,

And nourishes a seed he did not plant.

Sometimes a man, has to raise his voice or hand,

To discipline an unruly child, in an instant.

There are so many men, who every now and then,

Decide to fulfill the role as father.

And it makes me so mad, to see the real dads,

Who hardly care, and don’t even bother.

So, this card is for you, the tried and true,

Who always help a child in need.

It takes a real man, who does what he can,

And that makes him a real Father indeed.
Copyright 2012 © Lady Lavender all rights reserved.