Lessons Learned Through A Childs Creative Gift

Usually for my blog posts I post a poem,scripture a story or another blog post that has been passed onto me through e-mail, a devotion or a book I have read that has encouraged me. Today I'm going to share a poem that was written by my 16 year old daughter when she was around 8 years old. My husband and I would usually give our daughter a set amount of money for Christmas so that she could purchase a Christmas gift for each of us. One particular year we didn't have the finances to do that. I noticed one day our daughter was in her room for a very long time with the door closed and asked what she was doing, "She said don't come in Mommy I'm wrapping you and Daddy's Christmas Gifts."  I remember chuckling and thinking we didn't give her money to buy gifts where did she and how did she get us gifts?? I know she hasn't received money from any relatives or friends??? Well I will just have to wait and see. At the time I was a Girl Scout leader and the Girl Scout Neighborhood Manager for our Community, so I often recycled jars cans etc for craft projects for our troop and collected poems and kept scrap booking supplies on hand to make appreciation cards or framed poems for gifts for the leaders, family and friends to show appreciation or to encourage them. I learned how to make inexpensive gifts as I was on a tight budget and their wasn't alot of money in the Neighborhood account or my personal account to buy appreciation gifts for the other leaders,parents or my family and friends. So that Christmas after our kids opened their gifts our little 8 year old girl says "Mommy and Daddy I have presents for you from me." So she hands us each a very odd shaped gift she had wrapped herself the week before. When we opened the gifts we each had a piece of paper that had been rolled up and it appeared to have some objects inside. I was thinking she had drew each of us a picture and stuck some candy in there for us. We both proceeded to unroll our papers half way and inside was a very long string that seemed to go on forever, a eraser and a pen. My hubby and I looked at each other puzzled as our little girl waited in anticipation for our reaction. Her dad  asked her "What is the string for?" "She says you have to unroll the paper all the way Daddy and read it."So we both proceeded to unroll our papers that had been decorated at the bottom with stickers. When we had completely unrolled our papers there was a poem that our little girl had written to us. She had titled her dads My Daddy and mine was titled My Mom.To me this is the best Christmas Gift I have ever received besides the baby Jesus. I take it out every so often and read it. Every time I do it ministers to my heart.  I remember that day when I read it for the first time I was so overwhelmed by the wisdom of this precious child of ours and thinking Lord how can she be so young and be so wise about matters of the heart. Then I felt our Heavenly Father say "She is watching your example ."  "Then I said but Father we mess up sometimes. "He replied yes my child and you have taught her that you don't just love her when she makes good choices or hold her mistakes against her, you assure her she doesn't have to be perfect, that everyone stumbles, everyone one needs forgiveness and unconditional love. You have taught her that when people act unlovable that is when they need love ,mercy and grace the most. You have taught her that relationships and love are the more important than material things." I have often taken this poem out and read it in the preteen & teen years to remind myself that when she  stumbles I need to remember she needs  mercy,  grace, and forgiveness from me espeacially in those times when she really blows it and to remind me that God is near  when  I struggle with those thoughts that all parents do,  What am I doing wrong ? Where have I failed? How do I get through this? Is she getting it? How do I deal with this?? What was she thinking? I can't believe she did this? I can't believe she is behaving this way and talking to me like that! Maybe I'm not being strict eneough. Maybe I'm being too strict? I'm  not equipped for this.  God  I'm a mess please help me get through to her I can't do this alone. Then I hear  my Abba say "My precious child keep doing what your doing, seeking me and trusting me with all your heart."

Below is the poem written in it's original form.

 MY MOM
My momy takes care of me
My Momy Loves me. No matter what
I do, even if I cry "boohoo".
My momy Loves me for the things I do even when I yell :"yoohoo". For me and you I couldn't Say better I love you more no matter
the weather.

1. A string for how long our Love Lasts.
2. An earaser to earase all the mistakes we make.
3. and a marker to write down how much We Love each other.