From the category archives:

Parenting

The Power of Family Traditions

by Marlon on April 30, 2012

From a young child to an adult, I can vividly remember my family holiday dinners at my grandparents’ home.

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, our entire family (my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, all of my cousins, brothers and me) would gather together in the dining room to recite 23rd Psalm and bless the food before we began eating dinner.

Family Traditions are Special

Wow!  I remember it so clearly…

My grandmother would be sitting at one end of the long table and my grandfather would be sitting at the other end.

All the adults would be sitting at the table and the children would be standing around the table because we ate in another room.

 

(It was real cool when I became old enough to sit at the grown folks’ table. (smile))

We would all hold hands and my grandmother would begin reciting the 23rd Psalm.   And everyone would join in with her.  (Ok, let me be honest.  When I was a young child, I would just mouth the words.  But over time, I memorized the entire 23rd Psalm by heart.)

To this day, I still find comfort in reciting the 23rd Psalm.

Every night, before Jade and Cory go to sleep, Syreeta and I read a book to them and then we all say our prayers.

Tonight was special because we selected The Beginner’s Bible for the night-night story and as I was flipping through the pages, I landed on page 190 entitled, “The Lord is My Shepherd.”

Right when I saw the title, I smiled and told Jade and Cory about how when I was their age that their great-grandmother would lead us in reciting 23rd Psalm every Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other family holiday dinner.

They smiled and then I recited “The 23rd Psalm.”

“The Lord is my Shepherd.  I shall not want.  He maketh me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me besides the still waters.  He restoreth my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.  For thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  Thy preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  Thy anoint my head with oil.  My cup runneth over.  Surely, goodness and mercy will  follow me all the days of my life.  And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever. Amen.”

I feel strength every time I recite the 23rd Psalm.

Does this scripture impact you too?

What memories from your childhood make you smile?

Do share by posting your comment here…

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Creating Lasting Memories

by Marlon on August 7, 2011

What do you remember from your childhood?

I can remember a dozen memories that are forever engrained in my memory.

I remember how my brother Sean and I would play a game of counting the most out-of-state license plates while we were on a family trip.

I even remember when my Mom would bathe Sean and I in the same bath tub.  When I return home now, it’s hard to believe that both of us could fit in that bath tub together.

Jade, Cory & Dad creating a lasting memory

The reason that I ask what your childhood memories are is because we as parents have a responsibility to create lasting memories for our children.

Just the other day, I bathed Jade and Cory in the same bath tub.  For me, it brought back memories to how my Mom would bathe my brother Sean and me.  Now will this be a significant memory for Jade and Cory?  I’m not sure but one thing is for sure…  It’s wonderful to pause and be fully conscious to what’s happening right now in the moment.

Unfortunately, many people are so “busy” that they never slow down to enjoy the “moment.”  I encourage you to be intentional with how you are living life because once a day is gone, it’s gone.

Yesterday, it was raining hard and as Jade, Cory and I looked out the window, a thought crossed my mind… “Why not go outside on the porch and sitting on the rocking chairs?”

And that’s exactly what we did.

We just enjoyed the moment together on the porch.

It may seem simple but in so many ways, it was priceless.

I encourage you to create lasting memories NOW.

Give this gift to you, your children and your family.

So what do you remember the most from your childhood?

Share your comments…  

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Creating Lasting Memories

April 19, 2011

This morning, my wife Syreeta and I decided to do something that was Important but not Urgent. There’s a lot to do today with our businesses as we prepare for an upcoming trip.  So we were both feeling some anxiety about whether or not we will have enough time to get “everything” done. Can you [...]

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First Things First! Getting Back To What’s Really Important!

March 1, 2011

Have you gotten caught up in the busy-ness of life too? You are not alone! At some point or another, we all do! Make a commitment today to get back on track. Today, Marlon and I recommitted ourselves to our daily couple study time of reading Proverbs. This is something we started out doing daily [...]

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A Special Way to Reinforce the NEW Beginning of 2011

January 3, 2011

Yesterday, on January 2nd, some families came together to create their Family Goals Affirmation Collage! It was truly a wonderful experience as parents and children cut pictures from various magazines and assembled them onto a poster board. Hearing children and parents share their reasons for cutting specific pictures was touching because through this “simple” exercise, [...]

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Keeping Thanksgiving Alive – The “BLESSINGS Board”

December 15, 2010

A few weeks ago, we were all getting ready for Thanksgiving! Do you remember the excitement? How much do you enjoy Thanksgiving? News reports indicate that the busiest time of the year for travel is during Thanksgiving! And why is this? It’s because Thanksgiving is the time when many families and friends come together with [...]

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How Important Is a First Impression?

November 5, 2010

You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression When a person walks into a room, how long does it take to for you to form your first impression? What do you think? What is it? The answer is: “Just 7.3 seconds!” Yes, you heard me correctly… “Just 7.3 seconds!” So why is [...]

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Devotional – Parenting

September 17, 2010

What Do You Most Remember From Your Childhood? “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 As I reflect on my life, there are memories that will last forever.  Even from my childhood, some 35+ years ago, I can vividly [...]

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Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren

July 2, 2010

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 600,000 black grandparents are living with their grandchildren under age 18 and are responsible for the care of these children. Recently, I had a presentation and there were a large number of grandparents who were the primary care-takers of their grandchildren. Many of the grandparents shared how challenging it [...]

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Last Day Of School… Now What?

June 4, 2010

Today, as I was driving my daughter Jade to school, I started thinking, “Where did this school year go?” She has grown up so much over these last 9 months that it’s truly incredible.  Recently, she said, “Mommy, this food is delicious!”  I started laughing because I couldn’t believe my baby girl said the word, [...]

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