If you have ever carried her life within yours and picked out her name and wondered what color of eyes she would have and what kind of a difference she would make in the world, you are a hero. If you have ever watched your waistline expand or developed stretch marks on your hips and …
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 …
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 …
The Other (proverbs thirty-one) Woman
Lurking in the shadows cast by the spotlight illuminating the perfect wife and mother I tried to cross-stitch into a wall hanging over twenty years ago lives the other woman. Our family affectionately refers to this woman as the "Proverbs 32" woman. I am the other woman. I do realize the …
An Ode to Sleepless Nights, Lonely Days, and Unabashed Love and Devotion
I recently came across a blog encouraging young mothers to keep going, keep mothering, keep forging ahead. The article assured these young moms they would survive these times, that it would get easier, that their kids would turn out okay. I thought this was beautiful. Back when I was a young mom, I read everything …
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Life is Messy
I used to be such a good housekeeper. Before six kids and full-time job . . . before six kids and going back to school . . . before six kids and realizing life would go on if the oven wasn't scrubbed every week, my house was always spotless. Even spontaneous, unannounced visitors would comment …
Just an Ordinary Masterpiece
Do you love your body? Anybody? No one? Good. We're not alone. We've actually come a long way, my body and me. We 're on pretty good terms today, and that's a lot more than I can say for our relationship back in the 80s. Back then, we really …
The View from Up Here
Sometimes it's good to feel insignificant. Not all of the time, of course. But every now and then, it's a healthy thing for us to be put in our place. Most of the time, we tend to feel fairly big and awfully important. Like our own life takes up more space in …
My Life as a Dog
Okay, so I'm not actually a dog. But I live with one, and that should count for something. Besides, I feel like maybe I would do a much better job of being a human if I took a few lessons from my dog. Allow me to introduce Max. Max is a beagle who doesn't …
Need to Get Away
I am so stressed out. Too much work, not enough play, not enough sleep. I need a vacation. Wait a minute . . . I am going on vacation. That's why I'm so stressed out. Oh, great. I'll never get anywhere with this kind of circular reasoning! But it's true. There are so many things …
