the yucky parts
“Mo-om, why did you put this brown thing on the couch?!” my seven-year-old exclaimed with obvious disdain. He was referring to the new slipcover I had bought earlier in the day. “Well, it covers all the yucky parts on the couch,” I explained. “I don’t like it,” he declared. “Why not?” I inquired, genuinely confused by the force in his emotion. “I like it white, like it was,” he confirmed. “There are white slipcovers at the store, too. Dad and I just thought this tan color wouldn’t get dirty as quickly.” “I don’t want a white cover, either” he said, defiantly. “I want it the way Grandma...
team us: marriage together – a review
Why should I take the garbage out again? I did it last time! It’s his turn! I’ve cooked supper four nights in a row. He could at least give me a break once a week. She always leaves her wet towel on the bed. It drives me crazy. No matter how many times I tell her, she never hangs it up. I woke up with the baby last night. He should get up this time. If he doesn’t, he should wake up two nights in a row next week. I shoveled the snow from the driveway every morning this week. I deserve a back rub. Though fictional examples, I’m guessing you could fill in the blank with at least one...
nothing
It comes. The crisis. That awkward situation that can't be undone. The wrapping up of a chapter, tightly twirled into a neat and perfect chrysalis, and we wait with dripping impatience for the birth of the new. And we scramble. We turn left and right, to doctors, professors, pastors, turning and turning until we spin dizzy with answers that are anything but Him. And then He peels back the layers and the wing starts to emerge, and we see. The pressure on the torso begins to lift and the rib cage has space in the parentheses to expand, and we start to see through clouded skies that neither...
books to read this season
Deidra Riggs aptly dubbed this year, "The Year of the Books." After being inspired by Jennifer Dukes Lee's list of Summer Reading recommendations, I decided to post a list of my own. (Granted, there is a significant amount of overlap, I admit. Apparently we have a very similar taste in books.) However, since a sizable chunk of my readership resides in the southern hemisphere, I've decided not to call it a Summer Reading list, as many of you are heading into winter and will soon be sitting in front of the fire place drinking Whether you're donning sandals or slippers these next few...
the power of encouragement
It reflected from the sparkle in her smiling eyes. It sprang out from the bounce in her step. It swayed with the highlights in her shoulder-length bob. It sang from the notes of her contagious laughter. She drank it in with her extra large Diet Coke every morning, and it poured forth with her every word. The power of encouragement. She was our high school Varsity tennis coach, and we loved her. She made us who we were, as a team. She motivated us, bonded us, unified us. She knew the power of encouragement, and she used it well. She was our coach, and we loved her. A ball of energy, her...
what I learned at swimming lessons
I climbed steps and joined the ranks of parents pretending to be comfortable as they perched gingerly on the hard bleachers and breathed in the humid, chlorine-infused air. We sat with bags at our feet, filled with towels and kid-sized flip-flops. We were at swimming lessons, and we flanked the pool like an army of adoring supporters, eager to see our precious children perform and progress. The kids, of course, were well aware of their prime position on center stage. At first they dutifully followed their assigned instructors to their respective lanes and slowly lowered themselves into...
come write with us
Today is the day! The fabulous website and ministry, (in)courage, is kicking off another session of Community Groups. Registration begins today! Click here for more info: http://www.incourage.me/community The groups are online places for women to connect around a common theme. This session, there are over 70 groups to choose from, ranging in topics from Military Wives, to Empty Nesters, to Homeschooling Moms. Several groups are offered in each of these categories: I've had the privilege to be part of two different writing groups in recent sessions, and it was so much fun...
break
It's Five-Minute Friday, but founder and long-time host, Lisa-Jo Baker, is taking a well-deserved cyber-sabbatical this week. A few of us die-hard, FMF junkies decided to hijack the tradition and detour over to Trending Mama's place for a link-up this week on the prompt, BREAK To join, pop over here for more details: http://trendingmama.com/break/ Without further ado, let the five minutes commence .. *** The triple bypass was scheduled for the following week. I held the phone to my ear, gauging emotion over 8,000 miles through a static-laced receiver. "So, how are you feeling about...
warrior in pink :: a review
“It took cancer to pull out the writer in me.” So says Vivian Mabuni in the closing remarks of her newly released book, Warrior in Pink: A Story of Cancer, Community, and the God Who Comforts. And I nod my head, and say, “Me, too.” I started my first blog seven months before my mom died of cancer. For me, writing was a coping mechanism. It was therapeutic. I haven’t stopped. And now, remember how I just said in my last book review that I feel that God is bringing the exact books into my life that I need to read? First it was Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker, then it was Hot...
a letter to moms with young children
Dear mom of little ones, My daughter woke me up last night. Well, actually it was this morning. The glaring red of the digital clock claimed it was 4:20. I believed it. She’s almost nine. Years, that is. Not months. She knocked on the bedroom door and drew me out of my dream, and told me that all of her blankets had fallen to the ground. And being the selfless mother that I am, I groaned inwardly and called back, “Can’t you just put them back on your bed?” But she insisted that she needed help, so I shuffled to her room in the moonlit darkness. I tucked her in for the second or third...
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