So here is the thing about us moms. Aren’t we all just trying to make the broken things a bit more beautiful? My dear friend wrote a sprawling, honest manifesto last year on motherhood. One of my favorites. “Filling someone’s heart and loving another as they journey...
I’ve been through a lot of heartbreak in my life. In addition to the real, lasting losses in my life—the death of my father and my mother’s mental illness—there are scores of disappointments. Awards not won, books not published, stories rejected, and opportunities on which...
I’ve had some pretty awesome dates lately … with my toddler. Last week, we started a ritual I hope we continue for the rest of our lives. We held hands walking to the coffee shop, ordered a kid’s hot chocolate and a small decaf coffee,...
Around the World with Kate and Mack is a delightful book! It is a published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, written by Melissa Paredes, and illustrated by Ben Rupp. I estimate this book would be the most fully enjoyed by children age 4-10 years but it can be engaging for 2...
Good Monday morning friends! In the midst of post-Easter sugar meltdowns, I have some practical tips for managing your children's emotions. If you have spent any time in this space here, you know two things about me. First, I’m not necessarily the practical one. I like...
I looked down at my dad's response. Right next to it was a heart symbol. In the midst of many things for which I am thankful, my dad and I have had our share of relational struggles. Hurt, disappointment, miscommunication, and anger. Over the years, intertwined with blessings...
"The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. - Proverbs 14:1 The wind whips my face as we traverse along our street, flurries of snow swirling all around us. We are a funny scene, really. A mom covered...
I remember the first time that I read Deuteronomy 6 as a new mother; these imperatives jumped out at me, producing a holy fear and awe of the responsibility to train my children in God's Word: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is...
Although my personality is prone to ponder, analyze, wrestle, and engage with the events of my life and the events in our world, never have I felt the weight and weariness like the last months. Not one to typically shy away from the messiness of life I...
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." - Hebrews 13:2 President Trump's recent Executive Order has resulted in Americans of every political persuasion voicing their opinions regarding the current refugee crisis. Regardless of where your political views on immigration...