Sunday, July 5, 2009

I'll Be There



With the death of the "King of Pop" this past week, the news has been full of stories about the life of this very talented, but obviously troubled man. It got me to thinking, though, about all of the "hit" songs he had and some of my fondest memories of Michael Jackson were when he was a part of the Jackson 5. That cute little boy with the high-pitched voice.

The one song of Jackson's that really sticks out in my mind is "I'll Be There". I can still remember being at the county fair with 3 of my very best friends in the early 70's, when that song was being played over the loud speaker system throughout the fairgrounds. To this day, when I hear this song, it conjures up fond memories of fresh-cooked corn dogs and french fries sprinkled with salt and vinegar!

You may recall that the chorus went something like this:

Don't you know, baby, yeah
I'll be there, I'll be there, just call my name, I'll be there

(Just look over your shoulders, honey )
I'll be there, I'll be there, whenever you need me, I'll be there


As I was reminiscing about those days some 25+ years ago and the lyrics to that song, God began to take me in a different direction with my thoughts. As a wife and mother like so many of you, I feel like I am pulled in so many directions. Many days I feel overwhelmed by all the tasks that I need to accomplish that day. I do laundry, answer phone calls and emails, pay bills, shop for groceries, make dinner, clean house AND work a full-time job OUTSIDE the home. 

I am a serious list maker and I LOVE the feeling of being able to cross off something on my to-do-list when I have completed it. As I have confessed to you before, I have even been known to write down something on my list AFTER I have already completed it, just so I could mark it off the list! That's pretty bad, huh?

Sometimes in an effort to multi-task and be able to cross off more things on my list, I find that I do not give the proper amount of attention to my family members. When my little granddaughter is asking me question number 200 in the last 30 minutes, I find that I am not really listening to her, but rather preoccupied about what I need to accomplish that night before bedtime. Or, when my husband is telling me about his day, my mind is thinking about what I am going to fix for dinner or my day at work and I'm not really listening.

God reminded me that I need to be there for my family - to give love and attention to my family members - not just try to check things off of my never-ending task list.  I need to learn to prioritize and realize that it is OK for some things to wait. 

Lord, I want to be there for my family. When my husband comes in the house at the end of his day, help me to get off the computer or phone and give him my undivided attention. When I pick up my granddaughter from daycare, help me to give her my full attention as she recounts all of the "events" of her day. When one of my children call and I am in the middle of cooking dinner, help me, Lord, to stop what I'm doing and listen to their concerns.

I want my family to know that I'll Be There for them!




"She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband, also, and he praises her"
Proverbs 31:27-28




16 comments:

Becky said...

WOW!!! Your post really spoke to my heart today. I'm the exact same way.....too much going on, not really listening!!! I really pray hard to be a good listener, but most of the time I am pre-occupied with something else. I'm going to REALLY try this week to not be sooooo pre-occupied and listen to not only to my loved ones, but what God is saying as well!!!!

Thanks Emilie!

Jacquie said...

Great post, Emilie. I, too, thought of "I'll Be There" as one of those songs that I'll always remember.

I hope your week is especially meaningful in light of "being there".

Unknown said...

how beautiful that you took a song and memory and turned it into a lesson for your life today, I love how you have written this. I'm sadly always feeling pulled into so many directions. Balance, always about finding the right mix. Bless you for your gentle reminders.

Immeasurably More Mama said...

Thanks for giving me this to ponder tonight...good stuff! I have to admit...I write tasks on my list after I've completed them just to mark them off, too. :)

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

Thanks for a great post with lots for us all to think about. I think we are all guilty of this. I know I can speak for myself. I have always got so MUCH going on all the time. I need to be more in tuned to my family and friends at all times, but most importantly, to listen to what God has to say to me each and every day!! Love & blessings from NC!

Jill said...

I think this is something that we all need to be reminded of on a regular basis. It's so easy to get caught up in things that really don't matter. Family matters. :)

Love this post and you!

Sarah said...

Great post! :) This definitely got me thinking. I have been having a lot of those "I have so many things to do today" moments lately. Thank you for making me stop and think of how I need to not be so pre-occupied with the every day mundane parts of life. Lots of love!

Sarah

Denise said...

Such an inspiring post.

valerie said...

I was just watching Larry King last night and he was at MJ's Neverland Ranch. They would "I'll Be There" at every commercial break. I woke up singing it.
That's one of his songs I remember from way back as well.

Great post. It's such a great reminder for all of us.

I think my husband may be able to get a few more ears of corn on the cob, so I'm going over to find your recipe. We did it on the grill recently, but it wasn't just outstanding. I'm anxious to get your recipe.

Also, I haven't forgotten about the mission donation I mentioned a while back. I will get it to you eventually....promise! :)

Have a great week, Emilie!

Stephanie said...

Beautiful reminder of what "be there" means as a Mom. I loved this analogy :) That's for motivating me in the right direction today, amazing how God can use anything to speak to us, even a moon-walking kid! Happy Monday :)

petrii said...

Em,
What a great post!!! Since Dak has been so sick this week, my priorities have so shifted. I am so glad that he is doing better today and that I could BE THERE for him, really BE THERE. This is just what I needed to hear today.

Love you friend,
Dawn

Faith said...

Awesome post, Mom. This really spoke to my heart as I have felt very overwhelmed with all that's going on in my life right now. I need to realize what things are truly important and what things can wait so that I let the people I love know that they are important to me.

Love you!

Abbi said...

great post!! thank you!

His Doorkeeper said...

Emilie, Alot of us needed to hear this! I definitely want to be there for all my family and especially for my Lord so I can hear His voice! It is so easy to get caught up even in doing good things!
Blessings!

My Army Brats and Me said...

You are super sweet and a great friend. I need your address please. I have been in Greenville trying to sell my house. Heading to Charlotte for a week soon. Hope all is well and look forward to moving there soon so we can have lunch:)
Love
Cindy

Anonymous said...

Im so behind at commenting and catching up on blogs, but just wanted to say that I loved this post about giving family your time. It's hard to work FT and still have any energy left at the end of the day for anything else, but you are so right about how important it is. By the way, corn dogs and fries with salt and vinegar sound really yummy about right now!