Everything is Looking Cherry

Clichés are so out of style, but this one has got to be resuscitated. While those bright red cherry's are sweet to eat and eye candy hanging on the vine, life is everything but a bowl full of cherries.

I'm such a jealous mother. There was no other mother that could take my place with my daughters. And yet as the time passed and my children grew, the intruders gradually took my place. Intruders are boyfriends, myspace.com, Facebook.com, cell phones, imposter parents (overnight heroes that claim paternal/maternal rights because they let your kid spend the night), cars and sometimes -- their own father. Obviously, he's the ex.

Life can be so unfair and while I hated being the first to humble myself by spitting out the pit, it's better than being the last person to strip away the pride. It's painful. I didn't know how to do it. I was terrified that any attempt would backfire like everything else in the past. Someone out there reading this can relate to what I'm saying. How could your children so easily forget seeing you wear the same shoes to work every day. Could they not put two and two together to understand your sacrifice for them to have new shoes? Perhaps you've worked diligently for years and raised your children by yourself. The bond you created was never supposed to be broken. But it broke and now things are different and there are parts of those precious children that you just can't understand. At one time they would listen to you and learn from you. But now you are competing with the intruders.

I took cherries for another spin. Perhaps there are some of them that are capable of bringing the blossom back to life -- despite the fact that children grow up and find life outside the bowl more attractive. I began looking at my daughters and the intruders in a different way. I began to meditate on these things: Finally, whatever things are true,

whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue

And if there is ANYTHING praiseworthy--

Meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8

It's clearly that simple if you think about it. You can find some really sweet things to think about in people that drive you absolutely crazy sometimes. The bitterness that clings to the vine has slowly been cut away along with the past mistakes.Think on these things about your children -- They are lovely if nothing else -- the fruit doesn't always fall so far from the tree.