Brainwashing ....

Ooh deep! Well, not really, but maybe. LOL.

I was just thinking on my was home today about music, and how much I love it, and crave it, and thrive or wither under it's influence.

This month is a tough one for me, from past experience and recent events, people lost at this time of year, and events that changed me ... I tend to get introspective, withdrawn, and frequently dip back into the depression mode for a while. I know it's coming, I try to ward it off, but somehow, it just always surprises me. Music soothes the soul!

Brainwashing, where was I going? Ah yes, I am a firm believer in GOD, I do things in my faith walk now, not because I should, not because it is 'godly' or 'Christian' or even expected of me, but because I believe God wants me to, I believe that in an effort to give my kids a home that speaks His name, does His will, and wants to follow Him for Life, I need to have some 'brainwashing' going on. Lemme splain, :)

TV ... growing up, (well it a Loooong story, so i sum THAT up ) but it was a *bit* strict in my house, also, we had lots of kids, one working parent, not alot of spare money, and lived in rural NH. These things all added up to minimal TV. Partly due to content, mostly due to a lack of channels. We watched PBS mostly, and I must say, it served me well! Levar Burton gave me a love of books. Mr rogers taught me to zipper my own coat, and that my imagination was a gift to be treasured, Sesame Street, oh c'mon it taught us all LOTS! When we were younger, and in a bigger town, we watched cartoons, care bears and Gi Joe, and so on, but yeah PBS was our mainstay for most of our life, and seriously, growing up didn't know we were "missing out" on anything. My initial thought with my kids, was "Let them eat cake!' Give them all kinds of TV. I mean after all, look at what we have now! Nick Jr and Disney and on and on.... but ahh yeah, problems! First of all, commercial hell! My kids got into the "Mom look at THAT toy! I want it! I GOTTA have THAT toy! "

now it is .... "I want that for my birthday" ..or..."Maybe mom, someday on Christmas?" or ... "do you think Santa knows about THAT Barbie? Or Lego set or ... AH ENOUGH!!" The things they teach on some of these "kids" shows, good greif! Sponge Bob is of the devil, I would let my kid watch the evil purple Dino over that nasty creation of filth. :P Even young drama, like Hannah Montana have dating themes and jokes that I don't want my kids to get! GEEZ!

PBS, you have always been good to me! :) Now, we watch PBS, Samantha watches Disney in the mornings, no commercials, well precious few anyway.

MOVIES .... classics, so many old movies my kids have not seen, so much to catch up on. We like to stick to Disney, good classic themes, good role models, always parents dying, LOL! Some things never change!

CDs ..... My son loves Odyssey, and so for Easter this year, we bought him a box set of 16 episodes, he has gone through them over and over time for more! He loves them, can't get enough, and who's to argue? Such good current and timeless messages on those shows! Also, I have made him a mix CD of some loud rockin' Dc Talk and FFH and Jars of Clay and and the W's and Newsboys and so on, he loves it, LOVES the loud God music.

MUSIC ... I'm back .... we spend so much time driving in the car, and what is on the radio, will come out of my children's mouths, and stick in their heads. What do I want in their heads? Now when I'm alone, or with just adults it's different, usually, maybe. Sometimes, we talk to much to care, but just me, I need uplifting music, even country sometimes depresses me way too much, and I go back to the Christian station. My initial thought was, if they are going to keep it in their heads, and sing it, make it gospel! The rewards, make me cry! My daughter 4yrs old, LOVES to sing, and she sings along with all the music, word for word, and then I can't sing cause I'm all choked up. Now, they ask me questions about the songs, like "who is the devil?" "what does Glorious mean?' "God loves us always?" "Is no one ever perfect? How do we be good enough?You can't buy that stuff! You can't Stuff that into their brain. It's a subtle thing, it's setting the atmosphere. I know I can't keep them in a bubble, it doesn't work, never will. I cannot control a lot of things in their lives, but My Home and My Car I can control. I can wash their brains of the negativity, the anger, the confusion, the pain of "out there" I can wash their minds with God's love, grace' peace, and mercy. His words will stick in their heads, and the messages are there, for later on in life when they will need them. Someday, they will read something, or hear something and it will take them back to their childhood when they first heard that message and it will CLICK!

You know how I know that? Cause it did for me, all the music and messages my parents washed my brain with, STUCK. The classic Christian music, the old hymns, the verses read from the Bible by my Dad, the REAL Christmas story read from Luke every Christmas eve, STUCK. And now, it is part of who I am.

So, while driving today ... I was thinking about a girl who died 2 yrs ago today .... and she is missed, and I was thinking a friend who died almost a year ago, and my past, and so on, and on the radio ...... "You will be safe in His arms" and OMG, it's now playing as i type! God sends us messages! If we happen to have the radio on, maybe it will come in music. :) Also, on the way home I was thinking, "well it IS that time of year, i DO tend to get down" and on the radio? "This is where the healing begins." Who is to say when we are totally healed? Or 100% well, we wouldn't need a great physician if we were ever 100% now would we?

I will leave you with the thoughts of a 4 yr old .....

"Mommy what is Glorious?"

"well, it means, wonderful, awesome, beautiful, another word for those things."

"So, that means ... I AM Glorious!"

Oh my precious child YES YOU ARE and don't ever forget it!!

Later, long after the radio was off, Samantha was singing to herself and says ....

"Mommy, is it really never to late to get back up again?"

o.0 I dunno, do you think God knew what I needed to hear today?