We met in my neighbor’s driveway. We had our reasons for being there. He was standing where the grass would have blurred the lines between dirt and gravel had it been June rather than December. As it was, he was simply surrounded by a blanket of white that erased all the usual boundaries. He …
To my greatest hardest things
I didn’t know about everything that would come with it. I knew about dirty diapers and doctor visits. I had an idea about science fairs and sleepovers. I looked forward to bedtime stories and notes tucked into lunchboxes. But I wasn’t prepared for you. Not really. How can you ever be prepared …
These last few days of guaranteed holiday delivery
My holidays used to consist of homemade baked goods, singing carols at the piano, and a Christmas dinner created entirely from scratch. And by "entirely from scratch," I mean drying my own bread for the stuffing and steaming my own pumpkin for the pie! Things are a little different these days. Since going back …
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I was sitting in my favorite spot
Another birthday has come and gone. To celebrate, I allowed myself a few extra minutes with my Bible and a cup of strong coffee in the quiet early morning before anyone else woke up. I was sitting in my favorite spot near my faux fireplace where I could look out the window while I …
It’s kind of like trying to have a picnic in the rain
Maybe it's just me. Sundays are great. Sundays are for second cups of coffee, quiet reflection, and curling up with a good book. I have no problem with Sundays in and of themselves. My only problem with Sundays is that they always seem to end in Sunday nights. And that is most definitely a problem. …
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Fainting hearts and fairy tales
I'm no expert, but if I could go back and tell my newly married self one thing, it would be that fairy tale marriages only exist in storybooks. Out here in the real world, there is no such thing as pixie dust or enchanted spells or fairy godmothers. Happily ever after is more than …
A Dry and Leafless Land
My oldest daughter was born in Southern California. She learned to walk in a land wrapped in sunshine and palm trees. She passed orange groves on the way to church and swam in the ocean as often as she played at the park. She showed every visiting relative the lay of the land . . …
From the ocean to the grass and back again
Everything that has ever happened to me has taught me one thing or another. And that big old sea turtle in Florida is no exception. I had never seen anything like it before. The giant Loggerhead slowly made its way out of the ocean towards the grassy area separating the beachfront from the colorful …
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To train up a child (to infinity and beyond)
To train up a child is to pour all your time, energy, and resources into a self-centered little person who takes everything you have to give and gives nothing in return. Nothing, that is, except the deepest and most satisfying joy you will ever experience. But they don’t provide that joy consciously. They aren’t intentional …
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It’s nothing a good bop on the head won’t cure
Through a recent conversation with my dear hubbie, it was revealed to me I may or may not be addicted to stress. What??!!?! Wait a minute! Isn't addicted a rather strong word?? I would prefer something along the lines of stressed, busy, on-the-go, or even overwhelmed. Those words leave me feeling in charge. Like I am …
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