Dear Son, When I was your age, I wondered if I would ever have a family of my own. I pondered what my husband would look like and how many babies I’d have. Whether they would be boys or girls. What color hair and eyes they would have. Who would…
I’ve been a mother for 21 years now. The act of typing that out alone seems strange to me. At times, it has all been such a flash of diaper changing, nursing, potty training, first days of school, holidays, birthdays, and summer breaks. Amid all the highlights and memories are…
This post has been brewing in my head and heart for weeks. I’ve been watching my sweet Taylor girl grow thinner and weaker, fighting a battle that she never requested. When your child is dying, and especially during the stages of suffering, grieving becomes the norm. Grief doesn’t wait for…
Praying at bedtime is a wonderful way to build a prayer routine that lasts for a lifetime. The quiet and still moments just before drifting off to sleep are a wonderful time of day for a child to remember the love of the heavenly Father and their earthly parents. But…
While we often think of summer as relaxed and enjoyable, fall boasts of structured schedules and activities. With school, work, and projects in full swing, the daily demands can be high. While the return to routine is a seasonal necessity of life, it’s easy to slip into an overload mode…
This week I’ve been taking an inventory of our family’s devotionals and thinking about what to do this year for individual quiet times. Once school begins, I will have 5 children in 4 different schools and 4 daily schedules. You can see why streamlining a quiet time routine for them…
It was a day you’ll never forget. Whether a beautiful white ballroom gown and midnight black tux, or a sweet simple dress and traditional business suit, you’ll always remember your wedding day. The cosmetic details of the day may have blurred a bit in your memories and your thoughts on…
As a child, I remember singing old hymns at church and sometimes the words seemed a little confusing. For example, I wondered why bringing in the cheese was so important that we would rejoice over it (from the words to “Bringing in the Sheaves”) and if the person who wrote…
Did you ever try to run away as a kid? I did-once! It was a chilly fall afternoon when I was in the third grade. My older sister had a huge fifth grade project that took a lot of my parents’ attention so I was feeling a bit overlooked. My…
As parents, we know that in order to accomplish family goals, we need a plan. We plan meals, events, the daily schedule, and more. With the crazy pace of family life, including meeting the basic physical needs of our children, our spiritual intentionality can slide to the back burner. We…
Thank You Thank you so very much for a wonderful year! Before Christmas arrives, I wanted to briefly share a Merry Christmas greeting with all of you and provide an Bible reading challenge update. You have been an incredible source of encouragement and inspiration to me, especially since the October launch of my…
Christmas is a wonderful time of giving. God gave the greatest gift and so we enjoy giving gifts to one another in reflection of his love. But what happens when your child believes they deserve those gifts and an attitude of entitlement exhibits itself? Perhaps it is through a look,…
