tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90042642011-04-21T21:53:01.085-05:00Keeping Family First is a collection of articles and commentaries written by Anita S. Lane. Keeping Family First columns are written on a variety of topics related to motherhood, family and American society. Visit the Keeping Family First Website at http://keepingfamilyfirst.orgAnita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-15137248832918571262008-01-26T20:30:00.000-05:002008-01-28T19:56:34.172-05:00

by Anita S. LaneTime after time we've heard Hillary Clinton say, "The question is, who is best prepared to begin leading the country on day one..." Well, I've not heard the political pundits delve into this issue but really, is there any doubt WHY Hillary would be able to begin running the white house on day one? It's obvious. His name is Bill.This election is indelibly unlike any other. If

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-19086865962674459522008-01-03T23:45:00.000-05:002008-01-04T22:11:15.731-05:00

by Anita S. LaneTonight was historic. Senator Barack Hussein Obama of Illinois won the Iowa primary—beating out Senator Hillary Clinton of New York 38% to 29%.Obama, his organization, and Iowa voters, proved that change can happen—and Obama's primary campaign theme has been "change." Tonight, the Democratic Caucus, in a state with a 95% White population, caucused for Barack Obama (who just so

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-87107214167605624522007-04-28T08:35:00.000-05:002007-04-28T08:43:37.339-05:00

by Anita S. LaneThe life of a mom or dad is filled with sacrifices. Some are major, but most are small ordinary “pleasures” that we yield in order to accommodate and nurture the precious life of another human being from infancy through adulthood.Yes, we do it willingly, and we don’t often complain, but neither do we forget—pleasures like late-night dates, sleeping in, stroller-free travel,

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-24717816002136458982007-03-26T22:53:00.000-05:002007-03-27T22:54:57.952-05:00

by Anita S. LaneToday, I discovered that I am part of a diminishing population of Americans—the ten percent moms club. I knew it looked as though women were having fewer children than a generation ago, and that four kids seems to be considered a “large family” today, but I had no idea that by giving birth to four children I would become part of an elite class of only ten percent of American

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-33593463371976966012006-09-15T13:00:00.000-05:002007-01-15T16:23:59.471-05:00

by Anita S. LaneMs. Beyoncé Knowles may have coined the phrase, but I’m not sure she’ll truly understand what it means to be “Crazy in Love” until she’s married with children.It all starts when they’re born. You no longer get any sleep. That alone will make you crazy. Then you barely have time in between feedings to feed yourself. That will definitely cause you to want to act crazy. And forget

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1140050241147902522006-02-15T19:21:00.000-05:002006-02-15T19:42:30.153-05:00

Real Good Loveby Anita S. LaneSo this is love…Real love. My husband was leaving for work one morning and as he descended down the stairs I found myself humming the tune of Aretha Franklin’s legendary song, “A Natural Woman.” What? Why am I singing this song? It is definitely not my typical choice of morning, quiet-time selections. But I went with it. I didn’t even know I knew the words—or at

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1138589664335875932006-01-29T21:44:00.000-05:002006-01-31T17:54:18.146-05:00

by Anita S. LaneAmerica is a super power because it was founded on the empowering principles of freedom and self determination—principles that emanate from the Judeo-Christian faith perspective. God created us in His likeness. God is free. Therefore we are free. God Himself will not preempt our will—whether it be good or evil.Traditionally, America has acknowledged that the incredibly wonderful

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1136611185405676932006-01-07T00:11:00.000-05:002006-01-07T00:59:04.480-05:00

by Anita S. LaneJames 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The scripture continues in verse one of chapter two by saying, “have not respect of persons…” Or in today’s language, “Don’t even say you have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ—the Lord of glory—and

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1132842900776222702005-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:002005-12-19T20:37:26.600-05:00

A lesson in loving, forgiving, forgetting and moving onby Anita S. LaneAs my mother’s birthday approaches, I think about her life and her legacy to me. Undeniably, one of the most important lessons in life I’ve learned and that I’m still learning from her is the lesson in loving, forgiving, forgetting and moving on.My mother has an incredible capacity for unconditional love and a unique ability

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1130874131012020342005-10-30T07:00:00.000-05:002005-11-01T19:06:21.053-05:00

by Anita S. LaneMeet Brent Cools. Yes, he is in fact cool. He played on his junior high football team. He graduated cum laude from Stevenson high school in Sterling Heights, Michigan and was voted MVP of the month on his job that he had held for four years. He enjoys watching wrestling and working out. He runs on the treadmill and lifts weights everyday after work. None of these achievements

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1129743552738416352005-10-09T06:00:00.000-05:002005-10-19T12:41:14.793-05:00

by Anita S. LaneThat child is spoiled rotten. We’ve all heard it said or thought it about someone’s child. Maybe even our own. I admit it. I think I’ve “spoiled” each of my children—in a good way. But what I didn’t expect is that I would be spoiled in return.I gave birth to my first child at age thirty. I was a happily-married, confident, career-woman with loving, supportive family and great

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1129743428108797072005-10-02T06:00:00.000-05:002005-10-19T12:41:34.136-05:00

by Anita S. LaneI used to despise washing dishes. Just ask my husband. I would rant and rave like a two-year-old fighting bedtime. After all, I was five when my family bought our first home with a dish washer and somehow I ended up thirty-five washing dishes by hand.I was so enamored with the purchase of our first home that I didn’t even notice there wasn’t a dishwasher in the updated kitchen.

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1114268516028474512005-04-24T06:00:00.000-05:002005-04-23T10:01:56.030-05:00

by Anita S. Lane I can recall when my daughter was in child care. In her two year-old class there were sixteen children and four care-givers. I observed how they would keep the children so engaged throughout the day. Story time, play time, special projects and crafts, lunch, nap, formal instruction, walks to the playground…they kept those kids on their toes.My daughter eventually came

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1110042885669204002005-03-06T07:00:00.000-05:002005-03-05T12:15:45.890-05:00

by Anita S. LaneOften while in preparation for parenthood we look at having a child solely from our personal vantage point. We will have a baby whom we can love and who will love us. We’ll teach, train and guide them and well—of course we have our mission as parents and the child will, of course, come along for the ride.Yet the Word of God tells us that each and every one of us is fearfully and

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1108999284579242702005-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:002005-02-22T00:58:23.923-05:00

We Can Learn A Lot Today: Gleaning from Yesterday’s Civil Rights Leadersby Anita S. LaneI recently took the time to view the landmark series, "Eyes on the Prize," a 14-part documentary of the civil rights movement and its aftermath, spanning from the 1950s through the mid 1980s. As I reflect on the extraordinary movement of the 1950s and 60s, I clearly see why the movement was so successful. We’

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1108334305876141962005-02-14T07:00:00.000-05:002005-02-14T10:12:24.863-05:00

Everybody Loves Loveby Anita S. LaneRecently my husband and I went to see the movie, Hitch. When the movie ended the audience erupted in applause. I was surprised, but I too joined in. It is my inclination to applaud after a great film, but this is an act I typically reserve for viewing movies at home with my young children.Whether we realized it or not, those of us viewing this movie chose to

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1108393282596684032005-02-13T07:00:00.000-05:002005-02-14T10:03:45.743-05:00

May Black History Month Remind Us Why Affirmative Action is Still Neededby Anita S. LaneThis Commentary was published in The Detroit News. CLICK HERE to see the article.One hundred and twenty-two years after President Lincoln freed the slaves, I walked on the university campus as the first individual from my family lineage to attend and graduate from college. I’m an African-American.I didn’t have

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1107741224006611012005-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:002005-02-06T22:09:52.466-05:00

I’m Black and I’m Proud…Now by Anita S. Lane I grew up as a minority in a predominately white and Orthodox Jewish neighborhood which grew increasingly ethnically diverse throughout my K-12 academic career. I remember going into kindergarten and first grade with just two or three Black children in my class. I remember becoming best friends with Molly and later, Julie who were both Jewish. In high

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1107106169694203002005-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:002005-02-06T20:55:23.310-05:00

We Must Love Ourselves—The Solution for a Post-Modern Civil Rights Era by Anita S. Lane Prior to the advancements made by the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, the black community suffered under severe and oppressive racism that made it very difficult to fully express one’s self and function freely in American society. Some of the external forces that permitted such oppression still

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1106496693839329242005-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:002005-01-28T18:02:10.486-05:00

by Anita S. Lane I’ve heard the arguments. They are compelling and reasonable. We cannot endorse one religion unless we are willing to endorse them all. Hence, can you imagine the front lawn of City Hall covered with thirty different religious symbols and displays during the Winter Solstice season?—the holiday I call Christmas. How about removing all postings of the Ten Commandments from all

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1105826598542902462005-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:002005-01-15T17:04:21.020-05:00

by Anita S. Lane It was our son’s first birthday. I felt blessed. He’d made it through a whole entire year— nothing to take lightly. I was planning a small family celebration with party hats, balloons and cupcakes to commemorate his special day. All was well—apart from the fact that this day came on the heels of a major pipe burst in our basement. The broken pipe left both sides of the kitchen

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1105492157525810462005-01-09T07:00:00.001-05:002005-01-11T20:11:32.423-05:00

by Anita S. Lane It was a very familiar scene. Eight of my closest family members huddled in the birthing room celebrating the birth of my fourth child. “This is a tradition,” my stepmother said. “We wouldn’t miss this,” she said referring to visiting me while in the hospital and posing for the traditional photo of me holding the baby and the family gathered around the bed. As we all “oohed

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1104516892562740122005-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:002004-12-31T13:15:30.453-05:00

by Anita S. Lane It’s that time of year again—time for reflection and goal-setting—time to determine what we can do to make this year better than the last. If you’re like me, your list of resolutions might include the all-too-familiar, eat right, exercise more, lose weight, spend more time in God’s Word, put more money aside, better manage my time, etc. But what many of us often overlook is

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1103980590408351992004-12-25T07:00:00.001-05:002005-09-23T21:58:49.896-05:00

by Anita S. LaneIt’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s also the perfect time to share with others why the birth of Christ is significant to us as Christians. At a time in American Society when “Merry Christmas” is being eliminated as a greeting and replaced with “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings,” it’s important that we let our light shine.Allow me to remind you why we celebrate this

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1103494160592045372004-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:002004-12-19T17:09:36.436-05:00

by Anita S. Lane Without warning, a strange phenomenon is occurring in your home. Your personal items are turning up in the most bizarre places. You discover your keys in the clothes hamper. Your mobile phone finds its way into the trash can. Your baby’s bottles are vanishing. The video tapes you tucked neatly under the entertainment center are disappearing and magically reappearing in odd

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1103260866812654352004-12-16T20:00:00.000-05:002004-12-17T20:20:34.933-05:00

by Anita S. Lane We used to make. Now we just bake. I recently saw a commercial with the image of a loving mother and child cuddled around the oven placing pre-made, pre-cut holiday cookies on a baking sheet. The voiceover makes the statement, “it's not about baking cookies, it's about creating holiday memories.” That’s true. Holiday cookies are a special part of the holiday season. But

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1102962685016252892004-12-12T07:00:00.001-05:002004-12-13T13:31:25.016-05:00

by Anita S. Lane While on a recent visit to the hair salon, a mother requested to have the heat turned down on her son’s hair dryer. “It’s hot, but I also think it’s the fumes. He has very bad allergies,” she said. I glanced over at the boy sitting uneasily on a stack of yellow pages under the adult sized hair dryer. “Fumes?” I thought to myself. What could they possibly be doing to this child’s

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1102187980419100312004-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:002004-12-04T14:19:40.420-05:00

by Anita S. Lane If you’ve ever given birth to a child, you’ll probably identify with what I’m going to say. However you may be one of those pregnant ladies who loved every aspect of pregnancy and floated through with a glow on your face and pep in your wobbling step. But it was never like that for me. After discovering I was pregnant the very first time with our first child, the elation

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1101555493734707782004-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:002004-11-27T06:46:30.816-05:00

by Anita S. LaneI know the South has its history. But on a recent trip to my husband’s family homestead in a small town in southern Georgia, I saw none of the dark side I’ve read and heard about in times past. I was struck by the common courtesy and pleasantries extended by most everyone we encountered. Our first stop inside the Peach Tree state was at the Waffle House—my favorite place to stop

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1100747399330303432004-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:002004-11-23T19:13:11.690-05:00

by Anita S. Lane Aah…Ladies, remember daydreaming about your first child? Remember wondering what it would be like to have a precious little baby blossoming in your womb—decorating the nursery and anticipating the miracle of childbirth? Remember your first prenatal visit? If it was anything like mine, you walked out with a bag full of flyers, pamphlets, magazines, coupons, prenatal vitamin

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1100723499135863692004-11-17T09:00:00.000-05:002004-11-17T22:14:55.956-05:00

by Anita S. Lane I woke up this morning to two interesting news reports on how Americans are currently dealing with stress. A University of Michigan report found that Americans are increasingly turning to comfort foods such as chocolate and candy bars, as well as cigarettes to “help them deal with stress.” In a separate news paper article, I learned that radio stations are moving to a Christmas

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1099559844648378822004-11-04T07:00:00.000-05:002004-11-04T19:50:50.286-05:00

by Anita S. Lane On Tuesday November 2, 2004, nearly 120 million men and women, young and old, stood in line for hours to cast their vote. The President of the United States received the largest number of popular votes in the history of this nation. Republicans retained the House and gained four seats in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle lost his reelection bid to Republican

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1099598752913534212004-10-31T07:00:00.000-05:002004-12-17T09:23:44.930-05:00

by Anita S. LaneThis article ran as a Detroit News Commentary on November 3, 2004. Go to the following link to see the Detroit News Version. http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0411/03/a23-324085.htmDo you recall a time when immigrants landed in Detroit and forced us (African Americans) to hand over our businesses? Do you recall a time when immigrants received special treatment and access to

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1099599627832897702004-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:002004-11-04T19:58:13.590-05:00

by Anita S. Lane In October 2004, the Detroit Free Press conducted a special report entitled “Anger in America.” One of the reasons cited for this anger is friction resulting from the rapid pace of movement and change in our country. Perhaps. But why do I think Americans are angry? Americans are angry because Americans are stressed. Americans are driven by their desire to achieve the "American

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1099600963800093162004-10-17T06:00:00.000-05:002004-11-04T20:16:58.950-05:00

by Anita S. Lane It was a span of four days. Things seemed to be falling apart in little ways. Day one: I went to make a purchase with my bank card and could not find my license. “Great. That sure complicates things,” I thought to myself. Day two: I’m ordering carry out and cannot find enough cash to pay for the meal. “I thought I had more cash…” I mumbled in embarrassment as I fumbled through

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1099599469668349562004-10-10T18:00:00.000-05:002004-11-04T15:17:49.666-05:00

by Anita S. Lane I traded in my Mercedes for a minivan. A vehicle I declared I’d never drive. “There goes any symbol of status for the next 25 years,” I thought to myself. Maybe. Maybe not. But let me start this story from the beginning. I was approaching age 30. I had purchased my first new car right out of graduate school and had paid it off. I was ready for my first luxury sedan. I

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004264.post-1099599147519923702004-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:002004-11-04T20:09:05.896-05:00

by Anita S. Lane I guess a single woman having sex in the city is no longer enough for the American viewing audience. The premiere of the highly advertised “Desperate Housewives,” on ABC makes it clear that it is time to “take it up a notch.” Apparently, it is not enough to show young single women (and men) denigrate themselves (as is done on virtually all prime time shows as well as in the

Anita S. Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08867306544603532314noreply@blogger.com0