Faith, Family, and the beauty of Everyday Grace
welcome to the blog
be a light
“I can’t smell my coffee” was followed later in the day by “This ketchup tastes awful!”
No, please let it not be so!
the blink of an eye
It happened in a blink, the way these things usually do.
We were babysitting Brett and Abby's puppy, our grandpup; a rascally, endearing, sixty-pound Sheepadoodle named Berkley.
They’re in love with that guy (we are too) and had trouble leaving him for the dog-free overnight they were embarking on.
not anymore, dear little one
Do you have one loved little one, like me, that’s always screaming for your attention ... always interrupting things?
Do you have one that no matter how hard you try and how calm you attempt to make your surroundings, will always squawk just as you’re sitting down to dinner or getting settled in to read a book or play a family game at night?
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.
status quo or no?
Has this pandemic shook up your life, or are you still flying high above the clouds?
Do you ever feel that God's trying to get your attention, or are you shutting your mind down to that possibility—the way you may have done in the past?
find their way
"Just turn on the power and everything is all set. You don’t need to change a thing. I have it on the correct setting and volume."
"If it’s not turned on," she said, "he won't sleep and will be distracted by the children playing outside."
I was babysitting for my niece and nephews and followed my sister's instructions to a T.
Choosing Joy During Uncertain Times
She gave me a wry grin and shook her head.
"Is that getting old?" I asked.
"Yes," she said, but then her laughter told me she (sorta) liked my little comedy routine.
Now that my daughter, husband, and most of us are doing school and work at home, I say, "Drive safe!" and "See you tonight!"
an ever-present help in times of trouble
My first overriding emotion was embarrassment.
When I heard one say to the other, “It was a domestic dispute,” I felt the blood rush to my face. The emotion immediately following was anger.
“No! You don’t understand. My dad has a brain tumor. He’d never hurt us or our mom!”
let there be peace on earth
If I believed, before, that a defense of temporary insanity was a bunch of hogwash, I now knew differently.
I truly did lose my mind.
The roads were terribly icy, and snow was coming down.
little eyes
Matthew 18:6 "But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea."
My eyes can't unsee it.
The video that a facebook friend had posted looked innocent enough. I clicked on it before I read the caption that stated, "Share to help find this monster."
we've gotcha
The stout and stern, dark-haired judge scared the living heck out of us.
She fired one question after another, and the sweat beaded on Craig's head. The kind translator had warned us ahead of time not to look at herself but only at the judge when it was time for the translator to repeat the judge's questions, changing them from Russian to English.
"Why do you want to adopt this little girl?"
Revelations From A Road Trip
"Did you leave yet?" I asked, frantic. "Please don't go! We've been robbed!"
The minute we saw that our window had been smashed and our car broken into, I called our son, who was in another vehicle with his sister (our daughter), his wife, and mother and father in-law, leaving from the same parking lot as us.
the essence of big love
The risk of loving big is that big goodbyes can wreck you.
If you've lived long enough, you've experienced it. The reverberating pain of saying goodbye to someone you love.
I've been to more funerals than I can count. My beloved father passed away when I was a teen and three more people I loved completely, my husband's mom, dad, and sister, Denise, all died within a handful of years from one another.
But these are not the kinds of letting go I'm referring to.
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).
build a bridge
Trying to wing the toast at my son’s wedding last May was a horrible idea.
Once I had the microphone and looked out at that lakefront ballroom full of cherished family and friends, I felt an uncomfortable lump forming in my throat. When I turned to address the bride and groom, the swelling moved up to my eyes and nose, releasing a fall of emotion that spilled over.
one single word
What was going on?
Yes, they lost the game and I knew he was extremely disappointed but this son, a sophomore in high school and quarterback of the football team, was usually not one to cry in public.
I was working the concession stand, selling snacks and laughing with other parents and the abundance of those that came out for "friday night lights."
the true you
I sat poolside in this Mexican resort town and noticed a tingling clearness in my head and my breathing start to slow down and expand. It felt like a watch that had been ticking too fast, suddenly being reset to the correct tempo—an invisible rebooting of my soul.
I recently heard the soul described as the part of you that was there before you were born and the part of you that will live on after you die: The "true" you.
an unbreakable bond
I rolled over restlessly at the first morning light and spotted the thick, folded pile of papers that had been pushed under my door.
My heart dropped to my feet and I jumped up to grab them. For an eighth of a second I thought, Did he run away? Did he hurt himself? but I knew better.
a legacy of love
What do you think people will say about you after you’re gone?
What do you want to be remembered for?
What will your legacy be?
Back in high school, my classmates and I once had to write our own obituaries for a homework assignment. I remember feeling it was extremely morbid, but now I see the value.