After becoming a mother, I became more interested and aware of the role of Mary in the Incarnation and birth narrative of Christ. As my pastor preached about last Sunday, Mary was an incredible example of humility and surrender to the will of God. When...
Reclaiming Our Peace “I just want to be peaceful, Mama.” Me too, baby, me too. “I just want to be peaceful” is Penny speak for “I just need to curl up on the couch with you and read a book,” or “I need be alone in...
I had only been a mom for about five seconds when I was clued in by some neighborhood moms about our local thrift store. I think my discovery went something like this: Me: "Oh I love that outfit on your baby! It's adorable!" Mom A: "Thanks! I...
Yelling is a choice. Yelling is a choice. This is my ongoing battle as a mother. I am impatient, I want my children to hurry up. I am (still) learning that being on time is never more important than speaking kindly. Homework // putting on shoes // fill in the...
I wish we could do what they do in Katroo. They sure know how to say “Happy Birthday to You!” In Katroo, every year, on the day you were born They start the day right in the bright early morn When the Birthday Honk-Honker hikes high up Mt. Zorn And...
My eight year old daughter came to me with tears in her eyes: "Momma, I have a headache." This was her third headache this week and by this point I was standing up and taking notice. In typical "Mom fashion," I began to ask her some...
I am a member of a church that practices sacramental Confession. I wasn’t always. My family were Southern Baptists, and I was baptized, as a teenager, into the Reformed tradition, so I know all the theological objections to the idea of confessing one’s sins in the...
A few weeks ago, our church family walked through a great tragedy. A newly married man in our congregation experienced a fatal fall while hiking on his honeymoon on the Hawaiian island of Kawai. In the days before he was found, the members of our...
My precious baby boy lay sleeping peacefully in my arms during his afternoon nap time. This has become our routine: sometime between one and two o'clock, I tell him its time for a nap. He then tells me what I must do: "Mommy, get your...
It doesn't happen often, but occasionally, a milestone will catch me off-guard. Sometimes sentiment bubbles up and swells into tears. Other times, pride, excitement, and deepening relationship with my growing-up boys casts sparkling light on a new day that makes it easier to relinquish their...