About ten years ago, I received a poem that I will cherish forever. It ranks higher than any written by the great poets of the ages. Cuz it was written and presented to me by my boy. Unabridged, unedited, here it is:
Mom, Mom, super Mom
Mom, Mom, your da bomb
Your as pretty as a pearl
I just hope that you don't hurl.
I am not sure if he should set his sights on winning the Pulitzer Prize but I can promise you has already won my heart. This boy of mine. Pretty much perfect.
Named for his father and grandfather, we call him "Chip". I just knew that one day God would give me at least one boy and one girl so I had their names picked out before I got the engagement ring sized. And, in a way that only another Mom would understand, I knew my children even before they were fighting me for space in my womb. And I knew my boy would be "Chip". Chip Chambers. As in chip off the old block, he is very much like the men from whom he inherited his name. Tall and handsome. Warm and friendly. Easygoing. Funny. Unquestionable integrity. Kind-hearted. Well-respected by folks in all walks of life. A leader. A wee bit stubborn.....
He also gets some traits from the males on his maternal side. Studious. Deep thinker. Tenacious. Unimpressed by worldly things. Competitive. Admired and respected. Trustworthy. Another dose of wee bit stubborn....
Mix all these things up, add a pinch of this and a smidge of that, and there you have it - my Chip.
Smart. This is undoubtedly one of the first words many people would use to describe my Chip. And it is spot-on. He is highly intelligent, curious about all things he has yet to learn, able to teach himself (this is actually a requirement for admission into my homeschool...), and deep. Most importantly, he is wise. More and more I am experiencing role reversal where Chip displays the insight and wisdom needed instead of me. I keep reminding myself that my goal has always been to work myself out of a job...
Diligent. Let's face it - there are an awful lot of really smart people in this world that never amount to a plug nickel. Cuz they're lazy. So I am especially grateful that God endowed this kid with a super-sized dose of diligence. Whether it's basketball or his lawncare business or playing Risk or writing a research paper, he is intense about working hard to do all things excellently. He doesn't believe in "this just doesn't matter much" - to him, it ALL matters.
Mature. Actually, this is a word routinely used by other people to describe all four of my favorite tax deductions. I will avoid the thought that perhaps their maturity is a response to the lack of the same trait in their mother..........Instead, I will just focus on their manifestation of it. What do I mean by maturity? Well, Chip is responsible. He takes charge of his schedule and his time and his belongings. If he is assigned a task, he does it. I don't have to goad him or remind him - he just does it. Well. If he makes a mistake (and that, of course, is hypothetical since he's pretty much perfect!), he owns up to it and makes it right. He understands that being a man is not about being macho; it's about being mature. Responsible and accountable. Which leads me to the next description.
Leadership. Chip embodies the leadership Christ exhorts us to in Scripture -- servant-leadership. He cheerfully serves "the least of them" and is equally comfortable engaging "the greatest of these". He doesn't view any task as being beneath him and he is confident enough to take charge of a situation and direct activity. He passionately rejects the attitude that many men today default to - passivity. Instead, he is intentional and tenacious and he leads. What's even more impressive is that he doesn't just lead....people follow.
Generous. Lord knows this boy is generous. With his time. He serves and volunteers several times a week. With his talents. Ditto. And with his treasure. His sisters know how generous and thoughtful he is...and creative - from wrapping up a live cat as part of his gift presentation to just the right (and costly) item for each sister at Christmas to dollar amounts that make me gulp when I happen to accidentally discover what he is giving away. Truly only the Lord does know how generous this boy of mine is.
With all these sophisticated adjectives to convey my Chip, one might be tempted to assume that he isn't fun to be with. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fun is a preeminent label used to define him. Fun and funny. Quick wit. Keen sense of humor. And he can even laugh at himself. Like I said, he's pretty much perfect.
One day, some really lucky gal will receive the blessing of doing life with a hard-working, brilliant, mature, handsome leader. She is going to have a bunch of fun and enjoy the benefits of a generous, kind, wee bit stubborn man. And I'll bet she gets a poem or two of her own. What a lucky gal. I'm praying she's pretty as a pearl.
Mom, Mom, super Mom
Mom, Mom, your da bomb
Your as pretty as a pearl
I just hope that you don't hurl.
I am not sure if he should set his sights on winning the Pulitzer Prize but I can promise you has already won my heart. This boy of mine. Pretty much perfect.
Named for his father and grandfather, we call him "Chip". I just knew that one day God would give me at least one boy and one girl so I had their names picked out before I got the engagement ring sized. And, in a way that only another Mom would understand, I knew my children even before they were fighting me for space in my womb. And I knew my boy would be "Chip". Chip Chambers. As in chip off the old block, he is very much like the men from whom he inherited his name. Tall and handsome. Warm and friendly. Easygoing. Funny. Unquestionable integrity. Kind-hearted. Well-respected by folks in all walks of life. A leader. A wee bit stubborn.....
He also gets some traits from the males on his maternal side. Studious. Deep thinker. Tenacious. Unimpressed by worldly things. Competitive. Admired and respected. Trustworthy. Another dose of wee bit stubborn....
Mix all these things up, add a pinch of this and a smidge of that, and there you have it - my Chip.
Smart. This is undoubtedly one of the first words many people would use to describe my Chip. And it is spot-on. He is highly intelligent, curious about all things he has yet to learn, able to teach himself (this is actually a requirement for admission into my homeschool...), and deep. Most importantly, he is wise. More and more I am experiencing role reversal where Chip displays the insight and wisdom needed instead of me. I keep reminding myself that my goal has always been to work myself out of a job...
Diligent. Let's face it - there are an awful lot of really smart people in this world that never amount to a plug nickel. Cuz they're lazy. So I am especially grateful that God endowed this kid with a super-sized dose of diligence. Whether it's basketball or his lawncare business or playing Risk or writing a research paper, he is intense about working hard to do all things excellently. He doesn't believe in "this just doesn't matter much" - to him, it ALL matters.
Mature. Actually, this is a word routinely used by other people to describe all four of my favorite tax deductions. I will avoid the thought that perhaps their maturity is a response to the lack of the same trait in their mother..........Instead, I will just focus on their manifestation of it. What do I mean by maturity? Well, Chip is responsible. He takes charge of his schedule and his time and his belongings. If he is assigned a task, he does it. I don't have to goad him or remind him - he just does it. Well. If he makes a mistake (and that, of course, is hypothetical since he's pretty much perfect!), he owns up to it and makes it right. He understands that being a man is not about being macho; it's about being mature. Responsible and accountable. Which leads me to the next description.
Leadership. Chip embodies the leadership Christ exhorts us to in Scripture -- servant-leadership. He cheerfully serves "the least of them" and is equally comfortable engaging "the greatest of these". He doesn't view any task as being beneath him and he is confident enough to take charge of a situation and direct activity. He passionately rejects the attitude that many men today default to - passivity. Instead, he is intentional and tenacious and he leads. What's even more impressive is that he doesn't just lead....people follow.
Generous. Lord knows this boy is generous. With his time. He serves and volunteers several times a week. With his talents. Ditto. And with his treasure. His sisters know how generous and thoughtful he is...and creative - from wrapping up a live cat as part of his gift presentation to just the right (and costly) item for each sister at Christmas to dollar amounts that make me gulp when I happen to accidentally discover what he is giving away. Truly only the Lord does know how generous this boy of mine is.
With all these sophisticated adjectives to convey my Chip, one might be tempted to assume that he isn't fun to be with. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fun is a preeminent label used to define him. Fun and funny. Quick wit. Keen sense of humor. And he can even laugh at himself. Like I said, he's pretty much perfect.
One day, some really lucky gal will receive the blessing of doing life with a hard-working, brilliant, mature, handsome leader. She is going to have a bunch of fun and enjoy the benefits of a generous, kind, wee bit stubborn man. And I'll bet she gets a poem or two of her own. What a lucky gal. I'm praying she's pretty as a pearl.