We Need Community
We were a couple of months overdue for our daughter’s one-year “well-baby” checkup with the doctor. We had recently moved to a new state and had not yet met with a pediatrician. “It’s not a big deal,” I thought. When…
The Compassion Experience
Back before social distancing started, my family and I participated in an event to help us get as close to someone in another part of the world as we could. We participated in The Compassion Experience. This immersive exhibit allows…
Driving Down Memory Lane
Recently some friends and I got together near my old hometown. At the close of our reunion, I decided to make the old, familiar drive from my high school to the house that I lived in with my family from…
Hard Conversations
Hard conversations are part of life. And for those of us who really don’t like confrontation, these conversations can be extremely taxing. The easy way out would be just to avoid them altogether–to “keep the peace”–, but we all know…
Pain and Perspective
A few Saturdays ago, I had big plans for the day. I had a huge to-do list, since our big yard sale/fundraiser for our adoption was just a week away. I had items to gather, donations to sort, errands to…
Our Family Is Growing
A few years ago, Kevin and I began to feel that we should expand our family. It’s not that we thought that having three kids wasn’t enough. We weren’t bored. We weren’t missing the baby days. Rather, we felt compelled…
It Takes a Village
I used to kind-of laugh at the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” But that was before I became a mother and realized how true that statement is. I, for one, could never make it through motherhood…
The Pressure
In the last year or two, several of my close friends have entered the world of motherhood for the first time. As I went to the baby showers, visited the proud (and very exhausted) parents and babies in the hospitals,…
Half as Hard, Twice as Good
I’ve had three babies and only once went to the hospital with a “false alarm.” Just a couple of weeks before my due date with my son Caleb, I thought I was in labor. So off to the hospital we…
Heavy Doors
When my daughter Callie was about 18 months old, we were walking toward a building that had a big, heavy door. “I do it!,” she exclaimed. I knew it was too heavy for her, but I wanted her to give…
