Our families met back in the early 80’s at church in Oakville. I recall her family vividly full of constant smiles, encouragement and enthusiasm! Anytime in their presence your spirits were lifted!  In conversation with Janice (or anyone in their family) you always feel listened to and loved! Janice resides in B.C a place close to my heart. She attended Trinity Western University, met and married Peter and have a beautiful expanding family. Recently, she lost her mom to a battle with cancer. A very special memory Janice reminded me about was days before her passing my mom was prompted to visit her as soon as possible. She was able to be there by her side and share some very precious last moments together. A meaningful moment of a long friendship! What a blessing to have mothers that love the Lord and share that with their families. I know that Janice learned early about the love of Christ and has beautifully carried that into her home throughout her parenting you will read about today! Hospitality is not just a word to her family, they are truly a family that has an open door for all! I know that early on our family was a recipient of their gracious hosting, if memory serves me correctly likely right after church! Even though we are at a distance, we have a special connection. One day I will visit the farm in B.C and learn more from her storehouses of wisdom over tea on the porch. It is a joy to welcome Janice to Seasons of Motherhood!

 

Janice is a connector, galvanizer, visionary, and speaker. Her greatest joy is sharing the good news of the gospel and studying the bible. Currently, Janice is the Executive Director of Signal Hill Life Education Society, with the vision to equip educators and parents with resources to help every child know their intrinsic worth. She also loves to sell things – whether it’s homes (she’s also a real estate agent), puppies, kittens, or grass-fed beef! She and her husband Peter raised their four kids on their farm – Poplar Hill Farm – in South Langley, BC. They love hospitality and enjoy hosting events at their farm. The Nikkel’s have two grandchildren and one more soon to arrive in November. They have become known as “the Canadian Chick-fil-A family” since so far, two of their kids work with Chick-fil-A. (Son Lincoln owns the 8^th Chick-fil-A in Canada in Barrie, and son-in-law Silas is currently in their Leadership program in the US)

 

Here is the link to our lates interview!

 

♥♥♥

Seasons of Motherhood

 

Mother’s Day is one of those funny days. If you’re a mom, you either want to be spoiled, or have some much-needed time for yourself. Mother’s Day can also be a hard day for many women. I realize that while not everyone IS a mother, I know that at one time, we all had a mother. And whether we knew that woman well, she gave us life. The mom who raised you may not even be your birth mom. But a big part of who you are is because of the impact that woman had in your life.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother”. George Washington said, “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. I attribute all my success in my life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.”

And then there’s this boy, Lincoln Nikkel, Age 10. “Happy Mother’s Day. Thanks for the eggs you make.”

Lincoln is one of mine and he’s now 23! Having kids has been the greatest privilege of my life journey. We raised our four kids on our farm in Langley, BC, but this year, I started a new season as “Gramma”. As I look back on those years as a young mom and now as a mom of young adults, I am reminded of three main truths of parenting:

 

Your job is very important.

 

When God had a big job to do, it often started with a child. Jochebed had faith to save her child and Moses was rescued from the bulrushes. He went on to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Hannah prayed for a baby and God gave her Samuel, who grew up to be a prophet whom God used mightily. David was a young boy when he was chosen for his future role as king. He had a mom who may have been just like any one of us. I imagine she had her hands full with all those sons, but she raised her son to seek to honour God. He was out in the fields as a young shepherd and filled his days singing praises & Psalms to God on his harp. As a young man, with just a sling and a stone, he killed the Giant. He was called a man after God’s own heart. And there is Mary who became mother of Jesus. And He went on to become the Saviour of the world.

Moms, you are raising the next generation of Christ followers and in every season of this journey, we must understand how important our job is. Even if you don’t have kids of your own, if you are a woman, you have a job of speaking truth into the life of the younger generation. Parents need all the help they can get, at every season.

 

We dedicate our children when they are young in front of the church and the church stands up and commits to support and pray for that family. Take this support role seriously. If God puts a young person on your mind, for any reason, pray for them. And moms, hide God’s word in your kids’ hearts. It will be there for life. Challenge your kids to learn verses, or pay them to learn. I’ve tried both. And you can even smuggle truth by having Bible verses to music playing in the background. As we get older, those songs we learned as children are the ones that become most dear to our hearts. Just try singing Jesus Love Me or a favourite old hymn to someone in their 90s. My mom started me memorizing scripture when I was 3. We had an alphabet program with a verse for each letter of the alphabet. A. All we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way Isaiah 53:6. B. Be ye kind one to another. Ephesians 4:32. (see, I’m pretty old and I still remember these from those early years. Kids are never too young!). Your job is an essential service!

 

There are seasons in this parenting journey.

 

Babies. Toddlers. Elementary year. Tweens. Teens. College years. Gramma years. You never stop being a mom. I was home 12 years with my kids before heading back to work, first part time and now full time. I have no regrets being there for them. It meant a few sacrifices, like no second income. It meant I felt like I wasn’t using my using my university degree. And it meant I was at home changing diapers and tending to little ones all day long, while hubby was being affirmed at how great a teacher he was.

But I was thankful for women who were just ahead of me on the parenting journey who spoke encouragement to me or set good examples for me. And I was grateful for some words of wisdom from a family friend. She raised her six kids, and then went on to become liaison to women’s groups in the White House. She said, “I believe women can do anything they want to do, just not all at the same time.” It affirmed to me that this was just a season and would go so very fast. And I needed to invest that time wisely!

For some of you here, your kids are grown and you are still on your knees praying for your son or daughter to come back to Jesus. If you are still alive, then you are not done praying for your kids. That is our privilege and a very important part of our job as moms. If you are a grandma here, pray daily for your grandkids. My brother-in-law attributes his faith in Jesus to the prayers of his grandmother. And my mom, who is now with Jesus, met regularly with a group of ladies to pray for their grandkids.

 

 

Pack their Suitcase Well

For those of you still raising kids. . . you have about 18 years to equip your kids for life. If you have been entrusted with children, it’s as if God has given you a suitcase for each of your kids. While they are young, those suitcases are wide open, ready for you to fill with everything they need for life – emotionally, physically, and spiritually. As teens, those suitcases are starting to close and you’ll find yourself jamming every nugget of truth into those bags. And before you know it, they snap it shut and are on their own life adventures. I encourage you to pack their suitcases well.

Moms are pretty special and their role is very important. And Mother’s Day is one of those days we are reminded to do something nice for mom. Laughing is important too and while this video is old, it never fails to make me laugh. I sign off with these brothers offering their gift of love to their mom. Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 responses to “Seasons of Motherhood: Guest Post with Janice Nikkel”

1. Wrote one and it took off on me completely…?

   Reply

   • oh no! Can you try again?

     Reply

2. You are such a special family! xo

   Reply

3. Great read well said.

   Reply