welcome to the blog
humble and kind
“I love you, Mom.”
“Hmmm?”
(A little louder) “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too ... so very much.”
I’d been deep in thought, listening to the song we were slowly dancing to.
may his face shine upon you
Numbers 6 : 24 - 26 ESV The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Dear moms and dads,
This blessing was first spoken from God to Moses. The Lord told Moses to tell his brother, the priest Aaron, and Aaron’s sons, to bless the people of Israel with the words above.
ineffable
When I heard his feet hit the floor and his bedroom door open, I knew I didn’t have time to move or hide. I was caught.
"Hey!" he said. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just looking for something I dropped earlier," I whispered (and lied).
point to the son
Today is my middle child's twenty-first birthday. Only yesterday, I was dragging myself around the supermarket in tears because it was his first week of kindergarten and I felt like both of my arms were missing. Two kids now in school, and I walked in circles for weeks until I figured out my new normal. Today, this birthday boy is six weeks out from marrying a radiant and vibrant young lady from Canada.
the last turn home
As we rounded the corner onto our street, the anticipation I'd felt for the last ten days couldn't be contained one second longer. In our driveway, I left everything in the car and ran through the snow to the front door, flinging it open.
out of the mouths of my babies
After I'd kissed and tucked him in, he sat up and said very sweetly, "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you smell bad at night. I don't know why ... I don't want to hurt your feelings though."
I gargled with mouthwash and put some perfume on. I went back into his room as he was falling asleep. I asked three year old Collin if I was smelling better now. He smiled drowsily and said, "You do! What did you do? Put some make-up on?"
live as though everything is a miracle
She was speaking to a ballroom overflowing with women but, at that moment, it was as if I was the only one there. I saw her final question "What is God leading you to do?" float slowly above me until suddenly, wham, I felt like I was hit over the head. "Adoption."
peace, love and homeschooling
Like putting sore, tired feet in front of the fire, homeschooling has brought peace and rejuvenation to our hearts and to our household. And sleep! Ahhhh, did I mention sleep?
Seeing Beyond Appearances: A Parenting Insight
For the dear life of me, I couldn't justify the hateful looks I was getting from the woman a few people ahead of me at the check-out line. My daughter and I had been driving by one of our favorite stores and decided to pull in to buy a needed gift. She grabbed her new doll from the car, and we walked through the door.
homesick at home
I once read that you start saying goodbye to your child the moment you give birth.
Trusting another to watch them for an hour, their first crawl and first steps, the beginning of pre-school, start of kindergarten, first time sleeping away from home—on and on the goodbyes go.
these kind of days
I awoke to the alarm this morning at five thirty, heart pounding, with a list of things I must accomplish today running through my head.
First off, dentist appointment. Next, dress, gift, and grocery shopping before returning home to clean the bathroom. Then, send a card, finish emails, and make a meal to bring to a new mom.
My self-imposed agenda was growing by the second.
where it all began
It began in the spring of 1985.
Actually, let me back up. It began, specifically, at 12:30 a.m. on December 26, 1984—the first time Craig and I said "I love you" to one another.
I was a month over seventeen, a senior in high school, and Craig had just turned nineteen the week before, a college freshman home for Christmas break.