Nikki is a loved wife, blessed mom, mere child saved by grace who strives daily to live like she deserves it. Before she was blessed with her role as a mother, her favorite jobs included teaching piano and working in interior design. She has a hard time saying no to peanut butter and chocolate and if you meet for coffee, a chai tea latte will be in her cup.
She journals her thoughts on a blog titled Simplystriving. There you will find her journey of seeking joy in the everyday while simply striving to become all that God has made her to be.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
This is my favorite promise, and yet I don’t seize it daily. I’m not sure why it is so hard to master. Why my feet get stuck in the quicksand of fear or regret.
He bids us come–no restrictions–and promises rest, knowledge, a lightened load. Yet I have days where I hide in the bushes like my ancestor Eve.
Continue Reading »
The words stuck to my tongue like peanut butter on dry bread. And I’m so thankful they did. Though the taste was familiar, they felt bitter and far from the sweet, savory truth.
But shouldn’t I help my son overcome the fear of darkness?
Shouldn’t I tell him his surroundings are the same in the dark as the light? Shouldn’t he feel safe regardless of the time of day, no matter what he can or cannot see?
Normally, I would have tried to convince him of this. But the idea of light has followed me around lately. Reaching me in the most obscure and obvious places.
Continue Reading »
Be sure to read to the end of the post for the giveaway details. You don’t want to miss entering for a chance to win!
“Those persons who know the deep peace of God,
the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding,
are always men and women of much prayer.” R.A. Torrey
Their house was an extension of home. A peace-filled place where I could easily slip in to their predictable everyday like I belonged. Because they made sure I did.
Routines often brought them to their matching rosewood rockers. Her work-softened hands were always busy, even while sitting. And she would rock in tune to what my Great-Grandpa was singing/humming across the way.
Continue Reading »
It’s a game we play. A practice of sorts. Of dreaming big and loving wide. And today, of all days, showed me it wasn’t only for his benefit…
He sat cross-legged, across from me on the floor, as he leaned in to hear the first of my random questions.
“So, tell me, bud, if you could ask God anything in the whole wide world. Anything! What would you ask Him? Remember Who we’re talking about here–He knows everything! What would you want to know?”
My thoughts whirl with questions I would ask and I start organizing a list in my mind when I notice: Most of them begin with “why”.
Continue Reading »
It’s these moments that can tug on a mother’s heart until it burns. Yet when it comes to our children, I’ve learned it never stretches far enough to break. It may lose its shape for awhile, but mostly our hearts just grow to fit it all in.
And I see his bottom lip give way to a quiver. His long lashes flutter repeatedly due to the frustration. It takes all I have in me not to scoop his four year-old frame right up and pour on the kind of love that tickles and makes you giggle until you burst into hiccups.
Continue Reading »
Before becoming a mom, I assumed mothers exaggerated how many times they heard the exclamation each day. I even remember having to force my jaw shut when they would ignore such a plea.
Now that I’m privileged to be put to the test, I see clearly why some would wait until they heard the “magic word.”
“Mom, look at me, pleeeeease!”
It takes going through it to realize how much energy it takes. To fully experience how hard it is to look on with excitement and portray what they’re doing as new. unique. special. Each and every day.
We really do change little over time, don’t we.
Continue Reading »
We drag out the buried box. The one wrapped in duct tape from years past. I remember joy bursting as my husband and I scraped enough money to buy this tree as newlyweds.
Now, it seems old. Skimpy. Worn thin and I scold myself quietly for not yet buying another or picking fresh. But my son, the four year-old bouncing out of sheer anticipation, sees the promise of beauty and I force myself to emulate his excitement.
I’ve gotten good at assembly and my boy is eager to learn the process. As I go through the motions, I hear him counting.
Continue Reading »
“I miss the Food Network,” I tell her over tea and pastries. Her eyes turn bright while her shoulders square up for conversation. And she asks me excitedly which shows I miss most.
My answer surprised even me. Because I don’t remember scheduling my days around them or talking to my best of friends about them.
What I do know is I haven’t forgotten what they taught me.
Take Alton Brown for example. Now, he can show me how to ensure the best hard-boiled egg every time.
A lot of people can do that, yes.
But he tells me why.
And if you tell me why and show me how, it clicks with me.
Continue Reading »
