for mason, kippsters and everyone else

in february we had the joy of  spending a week with three of our favorite people on the planet.  e's bff (payton) and her momma came to visit.  they brought with them a treat that i couldn't have conjured up.  that treat was their new addition, a little man named mason, who is sweeter than cotton candy.  i prayed for mason for many years- prayed that their family would become larger and that the desire of jen's heart would be met by a loving and gracious God.  it was. and while i wish he had been born earlier so that i would know him more, i can tell you with certainty, mason was worth the wait.  he is precious.

during his stay we got to know some of his favorites.  above is one of his favorite you tubes that he watches on his momma's phone from time to time.  you can't go wrong when you marry will.i.am and sesame street.  i mean really!  it is a perfect combination (at least for mommas of the toddler sect).

go ahead and take a listen.  (remember to pause the music player in the sidebar.)

pops fell in love with mason's youtube play list and so we have been listening to a wee bit of will.i.am.  i sort of fell in love with it, too.  it's catchy and it sits in your head after you have heard it (especially if you have heard it over and over and over and .... you get the picture). 

anyways, every time i hear it the same series of thoughts play through my mind.  it has happened so many times that i finally thought i would share.  (yes, i am emerging from the blogging graveyard with my two cents on will.i.am.  ah, the realities of a stay at home mom.  but as usual, i digress.)

the lyrics of this song take me to two places.

the first place is to that of my kippsters (the word that is coined for kids who attend school with knowledge is power program).  i think of these kids often.  while our branch of kipp didn't last long, those kids hold a dear spot in my heart.  i think of their potential and i think of the impact that we hoped would last on their lives.  each one of those kids was from a difficult background.  their lives held challenges that were unique.  we each hold challenges that are unique, if we think about it.  and each of us was made for something great.  i hope those kids know that.  i hope that as they are graduating they have the messages from this song engraved on their hearts.  each of them needs to keep reaching high.  each of them needs to know that they can never quit.  they can keep getting stronger.  and they are all the adjectives that the song spells out for them...  thoughtful, musical, smart, brave, helpful, special....  and on and on.  i miss them and hope for them to find their best selves yet. 

the second place that these lyrics take me to is who i am created to be.  as i listen to the words i picture my maker (Father God) picking up a portion of each of these traits and placing them purposefully into me.  i imagine him being intentional and i liken it to cooking.  you see, when i cook these days, i tend to care less about the actual recipe and take more of a "pinch of this" and a "dash of that" sort of approach.  but i don't think God created me (or you) like that at all.  i think he followed a recipe for each one of us very intentionally.  He used precision.  as we were each given a portion of attributes, He carefully measured each and every one.  He did this for His purpose and plan that He has for each one of us. 

as i hear the line, "there's nothing i can't achieve because in myself i believe in..."  i think about that.  not because i am self-reliant and that i can achieve greatness on my own, but because God created me.  i am called to believe in the me He made.  and while i don't walk this life on my own (i call on Him for all things), i can have faith that He has equipped me to "keep on reaching high" and that while walking with Him by my side "i'll keep getting stronger".

life sends us messages of inadequacy.  daily we are told that we aren't enough, but that is the message of satan not the message of Father God. 

and so, as this momma listens to youtube clips with her girlies (sometimes at a level of nausea) i am reminded of what i am. 

and as my fingers hit the keyboard and the words flow from my head to the page, i am giggling for just a moment.  why?  because as i ask myself if any of this is worth hitting the "publish post" button, i am reminded that the meaning of the word Jehovah is "i am".  it always makes me smile and giggle a bit to see a glimpse of God's sense of humor.  even in a little blog post, my God shows up and reminds me that He made me (tasha) to be the me that i am.  He reminds me that while sometimes my thoughts may seem simplistic or elementary, He gave them to me and that with them i can click "publish post" knowing that they are worth sharing.  gotta love a God who knows me that well!

and so to mason, i can't wait to see the me you were designed to be.  thank you for this little life lesson and huge reminder that I Am created me to be special.  to my kippsters, don't quit dear ones.  you have a bright future ahead of you, if only you grab it.  and to everyone else, with I AM by your side, the you that you were created to be is waiting to be revealed.