The Long Saturday
For many years, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday has summoned the most thought and reflection from me. An old Caedmon’s Call song describes it as “the long Saturday between Your death and the rising day, when no…
Facing a New ChalleNGe
Sometimes we have to do really hard things in parenting. Sometimes we have to give up control. Sometimes we have to recognize that we don’t have all the tools we need to help our children in certain situations, and we…
Happy Campers and Teachable Moments
The first time I dropped my daughter off at an overnight camp, I left in tears. This happened pretty much every time my firstborn reached a milestone, but this time was particularly tender. She was going to be gone for…
The Vault
“I have this thing I call ‘the vault,'” the pastor said as an introduction to the personal story he was about to share. I’m not sure why, but I immediately pictured the kind of vault that is a gymnastics apparatus.…
We Need Community
We were a couple of months overdue for our daughterโs one-year โwell-babyโ checkup with the doctor. We had recently moved to a new state and had not yet met with a pediatrician. โItโs not a big deal,โ I thought. When…
Making the Most of ALL This Family Time
These next weeks/months will likely set a record for the most family time any of us have ever had. Ever. We didnโt see this coming, but itโs here, and we are faced with a choice: We can either waste our…
Thoughts During Advent: Do Not Be Afraid
Can you imagine it? You’re going about your day, and an angel appears and starts speaking to you! “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you,” he announces. The Bible says that Mary was “greatly troubled at this statement and…
Caterpillars, Cars, and Lack of Control
Two-year-old Callie and I were walking down the sidewalk one day when I noticed a fuzzy caterpillar wiggling across the way. Wanting to stop and marvel at this tiny creature, I stooped down and pointed it out to my daughter.…
Our Family Is Growing
A few years ago, Kevin and I began to feel that we should expand our family. Itโs not that we thought that having three kids wasnโt enough. We werenโt bored. We werenโt missing the baby days. Rather, we felt compelled…
All-Skate
My husband and I recently took our three children, plus some extra girls, to the roller skating rink. We had been skating once or twice before, but it had been a while since our last venture. Callie, my 12-year-old, took…
